Playdates are a fantastic opportunity for your toddler to learn to play with others and build friendships, but, as a parent, playdates also require you to plan out oodles of activities to keep the little ones occupied. Instead of putting on a movie or letting them loose around your house, set up some activities ahead of time that allow their creativity and imagination to shine. Try one of these unique toddler playdate ideas to keep the little ones entertained for the entire playdate!
1. Cupcake Wars
If you have toddlers who love to help out in the kitchen, host a cupcake war when their friends come over. Prepare a batch of cupcakes ahead of time, and set out sprinkles, frosting, and sugar decals in their play kitchen. When the playdate starts, let your little ones and their friends compete to see who can make the most creative, most beautiful, and most unique cupcake. Make sure every child receives an award for their cupcake masterpiece at the end!
2. Obstacle Course Heaven
Push some furniture out of the way and build an indoor obstacle course for the kids to play on. Let them race each other around the course, or try to beat their own time. An obstacle course is a great way for your little ones to work off excess energy and get some exercise at the same time.
3. Creativity Corner
If your kids and their friends love crafting and creating, set up a creativity corner for their playdate. Lay out markers, paint, glitter, paper, pipe cleaners, and other crafting supplies on their art table, and let them get imaginative! If you have old wooden frames lying around, your little ones could make personalized frames that you can fill with printed snaps from the playdate.
4. Little Builders
If you have some handy kids, set them up on their play workbench and let them build a simple woodworking project. Prepare the pieces ahead of time, and help them piece together a birdhouse, a soapbox car, or any other cool wood crafts. If your little ones and their friends are a bit too young to build with real wood, they can mimic woodworking with the play tools and materials in their workbench.
5. Doll Daycare
If your toddlers and their friends have a doll or stuffed animal they won’t let out of their sight, set up a place for them to pretend play with their favorite toy. Whether they create a veterinary clinic or doll daycare, the chance to pretend play and let their imagination run wild will make the playdate fun for everyone.
6. Super Smocks
Future Picassos always need a smock to keep them clean while painting or drawing, so let them turn a plain white smock into a creative masterpiece! Purchase a few small white smocks, pin them on art easels, and lay out paint in all colors of the rainbow. Your toddlers and their friends can decorate it as they please, and will leave with a useful, colorful souvenir at the end of the playdate,
If your little ones have a playdate, these unique toddler playdate ideas will keep them entertained, happy, and away from the TV and computer. No matter which playdate idea you try out, Step2 has the toys you need to facilitate a fun playdate. Shop our range of pretend play toys today!
