Quiet Time Activities for Toddlers

Quiet Time for Kids

Quiet time allows toddlers to relax and enjoy low-key activities after eventful times throughout the day. This time is vital for creativity, independence, recharging, and recenter.

If your toddler has a scheduled nap time they are familiar with, this is the ideal time to start quiet time to avoid tantrums and fussiness best later in the day.

Toddlers may need time to adjust to new schedules that include a quiet time in place of a nap, but once they realize it is their independent quiet time, getting everyone on board and in a new routine will be easier.

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How do I teach my 2 year old quiet time?

The best way to introduce quiet time is slowly and together. Knowing that toddlers have shorter attention spans than adults, 15 to 20 minutes should be the max starting time.

Set an example of what quiet time should be by playing with the same toys and doing the same activities expected of your child.

Coloring, building with cork blocks, or threading cardboard pieces onto a rope or section of paracord are all excellent ways to have fun while being quiet.

When your toddler observes you having fun, they will want to join and create their own masterpieces.

How long should a kids quiet time be?

As toddlers become more confident in their ability to navigate quiet time, play time can be increased, and less parent time can be spent supervising or initiating activities.

Eventually, checking in at regular intervals can be reduced to popping in for a quick moment to peek into the area without having to be noticed.

With suitable activities, 20 minutes of quiet time can easily become an hour or two as the skills required for independent play naturally grow and improve with practice.

Set a timer or use an alarm clock to alert you when quiet time is finished.

Acknowledge your child’s success and tell them how proud you are. Depending on the time of day, ending quiet time with a snack is helpful to prepare for the remainder of the day’s activities.

What are good quiet time activities?

Building Toys

Possibilities are near endless with imagination and determination. Towers, houses, schools, train tracks, castles, windmills, farms, and so much more can be created using building toys.

Adding other toys like dolls, cars, animals, dinosaurs, or even astronauts give an extra level of play and imagination.

Toddler Favorites:

Magnatiles
Foam Blocks
Sponge Blocks
Cork Blocks
LEGO
DUPLO
Mega Blocks
Connectix Tiles
Wooden Blocks

What are the benefits of puzzles for toddlers?

Puzzles

Puzzles are a timeless classic. Floor puzzles, large-piece puzzles, alphabet and number puzzles, and age-appropriate puzzles are excellent choices for quiet time and extended periods of engagement.

Some puzzles may be more difficult, providing time for problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Mess free activities for 2 year olds

Most toddlers love art projects and will spend hours drawing and coloring with the right materials. The parent benefit to mess-free art projects is the amount of cleanup required when quiet time is done; none!

Toddler Favorites:

AquaDoodle
Coolplay Water Drawing Mat
LCD Writing Tablets
Tangram Art
Water Wow Books
Sticker Story Books

Teddy Bear or Doll Picnic

Picnics and tea parties are other classic quiet-time activities.

Using a small table or a picnic blanket, your toddler can host various parties with their dolls and stuffed animals.

Fisher Price is a well-known brand for tea, kitchen, and picnic sets if you need additional toys to satisfy party guests.

Threading

What can children thread?

Pipe cleaners, paracord, or rope sections are excellent for threading cut-up pieces of wrapping paper, toilet paper, or paper towel tubes that have been colored and decorated.

Large buttons, plastic cookie cutters, large bead pieces, and anything else that has a large enough hole for threading will work just as well.

As a toddler ages, yarn, string, fishing line, and smaller beads can be swapped with the paracord, pipe cleaners, and more oversized items to help with fine motor skills and designing wearable fashion jewelry.

Pretend Play

One of the best ways to enjoy quiet time is with pretend play. Toddlers can pretend to be whoever they want while making up the story as they go.

Some days a toddler may want to be a doctor and care for their sick stuffed animals and dolls, then show off their cooking skills as the mom of the house the next day.

Other times they might want to be a princess, firefighter, schoolteacher, or cashier at the local grocery store.

A lot of the materials needed to complete any of these scenarios and more can be found at home, but play kits are also available to purchase at retail stores. Most kits will have costumes and tools associated with each line of work.