Favourite Quiet Time Activities for Toddler and Preschoolers
Quiet time is essential when you have toddlers and preschoolers at home.
If you are lucky you may have little ones that nap, if not then building in quiet time with your tots is essential.
After a busy morning of simple crafts or learning activities, it’s great to calm down before the afternoon with some of these simple ideas for quiet times once your toddlers and preschoolers have given up their naps.
Reading
By far one of our favourite quiet time activities is reading – I’ve added a bean bag to our lounge with the book storage box and a basket of books as well beside and if T hasn’t disappeared up to her room to read by herself the two of them can be found on the bean bags seeing what books there is the basket and box.
Puzzles
We’ve recently discovered proper puzzles (as in Christmas) and J loves sitting doing them during quiet time.
Playdough
Yes I know it was only last week that I did Back to Basics P is for playdough but it really is one of the best activities – set up on the table J or T will go and relax. How about making it even more relaxing and make your own aromatherapy playdough especially for quiet time activities.
Doodles and drawing
I set up our dining table with some paper, pens, pencils and crayons every day so that J and T can go and draw, doodle and create when ever they want to. When T used to nap I would find J at the table scribbling and drawing relaxing.
Movies
Sometimes our quiet time is spent snuggled up on the sofa together with a movie on or the TV. We have DVD’s that we put on to watch and record programmes to our satellite box to watch at a later date and sometimes our quiet time is spent with the 3 of us sitting together watching them and occasionally the quiet time turns from quiet time to an unheard of nap time and I get to drink a hot cup of coffee once in a while.
Cerys Parker
Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.