Rainy Day Basket for Toddlers

It has recently turned quite cooler here in the Midwest and we have also had quite a few days of rain.  On the days that it is just too chilly or rainy to go out, I have to have reinforcements for L.

It can be pretty difficult  to keep a toddler entertained.  I realized this last year when the weather turned cold and we couldn't get out as much.  So, I took to Pinterest and found ideas to make a rainy day basket.

A rainy day basket is a basket of things you bring out when there is just nothing else working to keep your kiddo entertained.

Here is our rainy day basket currently:



I spent this weekend updating our rainy day basket to better suite L's current interests.  It took me less than hour from start to finish and I think I put a variety of things in the basket for her to mess with when the weather just doesn't want to cooperate.


Currently in our rainy day basket:

Leap Tag Junior Reader w/ books and a set of Leap Tag Flash Cards
Playskool First Words Flash Cards
Playskool Shapes and Colors Flash Cards
Sticker Book
Random Stickers
Activity Books
Colored Pencils
Letter Magnets
Small set of ink stamps and pad
Itsy Bitsy Spider puppet book

These are all things that L is interested in and will bring a load of excitement for her when she sees me pull the basket out.  

You obviously don't want to bring it out every rainy day.  I have a variety of craft supplies (including finger paints) that get brought out on some "stay home" days, but I use our rainy day basket on days where nothing else seems to be holding her interest.  

What do you do on "stay home" days?

Mommy Monday Blog Hop

16 comments:

  1. I love this idea. It is something they get to use only when it is rainy, so it is exciting to them and doesn't get old.

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    1. Yes! It's like giving mine a new toy every time! It never gets old! Thanks for stopping by Kallee!

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  2. Great ideas! I tend to wander from room to room with my 18 month old and let him get into random bins and items. A more organized approach might be helpful!

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    1. That's about the age that I started the rainy day basket with my daughter, so you may want to give it a try! Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Great idea! It's kind of like the busy bag idea. Have you considered organizing a busy bag swap? I have a post on it if you're not familiar with the concept, but it's really a lot of fun and provides great entertainment for the kiddos afterwards.

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    1. I have heard of a busy bag swap, but I really don't know what they are all about! I will be sure to check out your post! Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. I love this idea and will definitely be using it in the future when my little guy can be entertained with something other than me. :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Britni! It really is a simple concept that can keep them occupied for a bit!

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  5. What a great idea! I love that it makes it special just for a rainy day :) pinning

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  6. Thanks for stopping by Marion! She loves this basket! We actually got it out today and she was super excited about the flash cards and the stickers! LOL! We had stickers everywhere!

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  7. This is a helpful idea! I could definitely see each of my girls wanting their own special basket :)

    What I do is rotate toys during their free play time all week: Monday is 'movie time' (AKA screen time, so they might choose a movie or computer game), Tuesday is dollies & dress-up, Wednesday is wooden toy day (Melissa & Doug sets, etc), Thursday is Lego day, Friday is kitchen set/dollhouse/etc. My girls helped me choose the schedule, and it works so well for us. They have about 2 hours of free play time over the course of the day and this helps 1) keep things mostly organized, and 2) keep it not boring.

    I do like the idea of having a special rainy-day treat, though - maybe we'll put one together soon!
    Blessed to find you though the Mommy Monday hop!

    Thank you, Sara!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Lisha! Your schedule sounds awesome! My daughter would be ecstatic for Tuesday's and Thursday's for sure! Ha!

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  8. This is such a thoughtful basket. As the mother of an 18 month old I'm always looking for things we can do. Now I post about it on the blog also! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Mommy Monday. I pinned this for you on the group board! xoxo

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    1. Thanks for the pin Brittnei and thanks for stopping by! My daughter was about your child's age when I started the basket, so it may be a good time!

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  9. On our stay at home days we tend to paint and color in addition to her regular learning time. My daughter loves painting so I normally just let her go for it until she gets tired. We switch back and forth between different activities and that helps us get through the rainy days.

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    1. We are getting our daughter an easel for Christmas this year in hopes to better promote some painting. Right now, she just wants to eat the paint. She's two and a half and still loves to put things in her mouth to try them out before using them. LOL! Thanks for stopping by Tia!

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