12 Exciting Group Activities For Your Toddler

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Life isn’t so easy when you have a hyperactive child at home. Group activities for toddlers are what you need to keep them engaged productively, especially when they are with a large group of people. If your toddler’s summer vacations are near or they like to spend time on playdates, group activities and games are fun ways to help them stay fit, boost their socialization skills, and make them learn while they are with friends. Here are some interesting ideas for constructive activities to keep your child engaged. Read this post to know more.

Fun And Educational Group Activities For Toddlers

Whether at home, preschool, or a playgroup, group activities for toddlers encourage teamwork, early learning, and creativity in an interactive way (1). Explore this list of artistic and physical activities that can help toddlers learn and grow together. Engaging in these entertaining games and activities can also promote their social, cognitive, and motor skills.

1. Passing the ball

All toddlers love exploration and experimentation. Playing with a ball is a simple yet effective way to make them explore the world around them. This game is sure to be a hit. It is a very easy game where a group of toddlers stand in a small circle and pass the ball to each other. As the toddler passes the ball to the next person, he learns to interact and share in a group. This is one of the best activities for developing social skills, teamwork, motor skills, timing, and hand-eye coordination (2).

2. Painting together

Colors are a toddler’s best friend. Involve your little one and their gang in some painting activity. This classic art activity will increase their knowledge of different colors and boost their creativity, imagination, problem-solving skills, and decision-making skills as they experiment. It will also help develop their motor skills as they learn to hold brushes, pencils, and other tools. Apart from encouraging sensory development, early learning, and self-expression, painting also helps toddlers engage in social interaction where they learn to cooperate, communicate, and share (3).

Quick fact

Participating in painting activities and interacting with others can help toddlers develop self-confidence and social skills that can benefit other areas of their lives.

3. Planting a tree together

Why not involve your toddler in an outdoor play activity that not only spells fun but also serves as a learning experience? Take your little darling and their friends out into your garden and help them plant a sapling. The exercise will help toddlers realize the importance of planting trees and saving the environment early in their lives. They will experience satisfaction for making a positive impact on their environment and also make fun memories (4).

An anonymous blogger named BB shares an experience where she attended her husband’s book event. She and her husband helped children plant trees. She narrates, “Lastly and most importantly, we had the tree planting activity. PP (husband) at this stage completely shook off his shyness and got into the groove of what he loves doing the most- planting. PP and BB then helped all the kids fill a pot each with soil and plant the Pongamia seeds (i).”

4. Hide and seek

It is a classic game and a popular one too! You toddler can play this in a large as well as a small group. In this game, one toddler has to close his eyes and start counting while others hide. Now the toddler has to seek his hidden friends. This game improves children’s decision-making and problem-solving skills and helps with their physical development, hand-eye coordination, object permanence, and spatial awareness. Moreover, remembering where someone hid can develop memory and concentration (5).

Do remember

It might be best to play the game indoors, where you can always keep an eye on them if there are a lot of toddlers around. Leaving a big group of toddlers free to hide outside can be risky.

5. Dance

You can play your little one’s favorite number and let his friends hit the dance floor. This physical activity for toddlers will not only increase their confidence but also bring out their hidden talents. It also provides bonding time and lets toddlers familiarize with each other. Dancing encourages children to use their whole body to express themselves, thus improving movement, balance, body awareness, and concentration. It also helps children self-regulate and enhances their spatial awareness, concentration, memory, cognitive skills, and imagination (6). You never know that your toddler may turn out to be the next Michael Jackson! So, let your toddlers dance, and you can also let your hair loose and shake a leg with your little darling. Choose popular nursery rhymes or songs from children’s shows to keep them entertained and engaged. You can also teach them a specific movement and see how much they can follow.

Quick tip

Include a range of dancing activities, such as the chicken dance, the freeze dance, and I’m a tiny teapot dance, since these activities aid in the toddler’s development of significant motor skills, balance, coordination, and rhythm (7).

6. Who will eat first?

Make all the toddlers sit together at the dining table and serve them a bowl of fruit salad each. Ask them to finish it as quickly as they can. Reward the toddler who finishes it first. The ‘healthy’ competition will help inculcate table manners in the young ones. However, ensure the children are not rushing themselves, as it might lead to choking. Cut the fruits into bite-sized pieces, and avoid rounded fruits like grapes and cherries. Moreover, remind the children to chew the food properly before swallowing. While it’s a competition, you should not force children to hurry if they feel uncomfortable eating fast. Ensure to praise all toddlers for finishing their salad bowls even if they don’t win.

7. Singing nursery rhymes together

It is one of the best group activities for toddlers. It not only offers sheer entertainment but also improves their memory and cognitive skills as they learn some amazing nursery rhymes for toddlers in a fun way! Singing nursery rhymes together can improve their teamwork, coordination, and social skills and develop their language skills as they learn new words and information. This activity enhances their vocal cords and develops a good sense of pitch and rhythm. Moreover, singing together can boost children’s moods and help them express themselves and control their feelings (8). If they like this activity, you can even engage them in storytelling and role-playing games.

[ Read: Free Apps For Toddlers ]

8. Pretending

Tickle your toddler’s imagination by playing some fantasy game with him and his gang. Tell them to act like different animals in a jungle and watch them go wild! You can use props and costumes to enhance the experience. Encourage them to immerse themselves in world-building to stimulate their imagination and creativity. Moreover, you can take inspiration from real-life scenarios to help children learn about and navigate important tasks. Such pretend play activities develop toddlers’ social and emotional skills and build their confidence and problem-solving skills. They feel more comfortable expressing themselves and become independent in their decision-making. Playing with other children also improves their vocabulary and communication skills and helps them work as a team (9). 

9. Musical chair

The game is an eternal favorite among children across different age groups. Let all the toddlers run around the chairs while you play the music. Let them grab a seat when the music stops. This is one of the best fun toddler group activities that will make them proactive & alert. Special needs teacher and administrator Kristin Whiting has created a non-competitive musical chair game for her students. She says, “Put out as many chairs as you have students in a circle or other configuration so that the students travel around the chairs. I like to place them back to back…Make sure your chairs are small enough for the shortest child to easily sit down in. The students sit in their chairs, I start the music and they start walking around the chairs. We teach them to stay in the right order, go in the same direction, etc. When the music stops, they find the closest chair to sit down in. We teach them not to fight or argue about the chairs. It’s non-competitive so they will all get one. We continue until they tired of the game (ii).”

10. The run-around

In this game, your toddler will need to give different instructions to their friends. For example, they can ask them to run and touch the tree, go and touch the table or a window, etc. All the other toddlers will need to follow their orders. This outdoor game for toddlers helps develop listening and communication skills in toddlers and teaches them to be obedient.

Ensure the toddlers play in a safe, designed space to prevent accidents. Provide clear and age-appropriate instructions and allow modifications to make the game more inclusive. Teach the children to be patient so they can wait their turn, and every child gets to be the leader. Most importantly, children should be gentle in their actions so that they don’t push each other, run too fast, or argue while playing.

11. Playdough exploration

Playing with playdough not only sparks creativity but also enhances muscle strength and fine motor skills. It is a great sensory experience and promotes toddlers’ creativity and imagination (10). Encourage toddlers to experiment with the playdough, introducing techniques like rolling or flattening. Discuss the sensory aspect while emphasizing the fact that it is not for eating. This art activity for toddlers fosters imaginative creation, expanding their creativity over time.

12. Ice cube transfer

The ice cube transfer activity provides a delightful learning experience in both indoor and outdoor settings. Set up a large tub with two smaller ones — one with ice cubes and water, the other empty. Equip toddlers with a measuring cup or spoon as they engage in scooping and transferring. Not only is this activity great for fostering teamwork, but it is also a fun sensory activity that can help young toddlers develop fine motor skills.

Safety Tips For Group Activities With Toddlers

While group activities are fun for toddlers, you must ensure their safety at all times. Here are some useful tips you can follow.

1. Supervise constantly: Always supervise toddlers closely. This is especially true for activities that involve small objects, like beads, water, or any kind of physical play. Ensure that an adult is always present to monitor and guide the toddlers.
2. Create a safe play area: The play area should be free of hard surfaces and sharp objects. Remove choking hazards or unstable furniture. Moreover, the space should be well-lit and toddler-proof.
3. Select age-appropriate tasks: Every activity should be vetted for age-appropriateness. Avoid tasks that involve advanced motor skills that may frustrate them.
4. Use safe materials: The materials the toddlers handle should be non-toxic and child-safe. For instance, if they are making crafts, the paints, crayons, and glue should be non-toxic and washable.

Infographic: Unique Activities For Toddlers

Toddlers have high energy levels and channelizing it can be challenging. Also, it is crucial to engage them in activities that entertain and engage them and also help in their overall development. So give this infographic a read to learn about interesting group activities that help build your toddler’s motor and social skills.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Exciting Group Activities For Toddlers

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

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Elisa YiEarly childhood educator

Elisa has 17 years of experience in early childhood education as a teacher and a director. With a passion to work with young kids, she did her post graduation in Education and received her online teaching certificate from California State University, East Bay.

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