With the rise of COVID-19, and more and more areas asking people to practice social distancing, many parents are trying to find ways to care for their children while working from home. As of today, all the non-essential businesses (including daycares) in our state have been asked to close for two weeks – so it’s looking like things won’t be back to normal anytime soon!

I am strongly in support of social distancing (this is a great article on why), but when it comes to working from home and caring for a child, Jamie is at a tough age. He isn’t capable of much independent play yet, and still requires pretty hands-on care most of the day. Luckily, Scott and I are both able to work from home and are working in shifts so Jamie can be cared for. However, we both have plenty of work to get done and not enough time to do it, so we have developed a list of simple activities that will hopefully help hold his attention.

Jamie is just under a year old, so most of these activities are geared towards that age (but there are more resources for older and younger kids at the bottom of the post!). Since we’re trying to keep our trips out of the house to an absolute minimum, these activities can all be done with things we already have around the house (or will be able to get the next time we have to buy groceries). Since Scott and I also both need to work this week, these require very minimal prep.

1 Year Old Activities

I’ve found that the key to entertaining Jamie at this age is novelty. I honestly wouldn’t worry too much about making things exciting; but it’s really helpful to make them new. I also like to do these activities after his morning nap when possible, since he tends to be in the best mood then, and I can work for a longer chunk of time (through the nap and then afterwards).

Card Drop/Coin Slot

Make a card drop box by cutting a hole in the top of a cardboard box. Show your baby how to drop them in, and watch as they figure it out themselves! For older kids, make a smaller slot and use poker chips or large play coins instead, since that will be a little more challenging.

Scarf Play

I’m going to gather up a bunch of scarves around the house with different colors and textures (thin, fuzzy, silky, bulky), and stick them in a box or basket for Jamie to rifle through. This is based on a Montessori toy called a “treasure basket” and can be adapted a million different ways.

Poker Chips and Bowls

Set up several (non-breakable) bowls with poker chips inside. I stick all the bowls/chip (and Jamie) inside a large clear plastic bin so the chips don’t go all over the house.

Deck of Cards

We have a few “throwaway” decks of cards, and Jamie LOVES playing with cards (for some reason?). I’m just going to give him a deck and let him go wild.

Water “Painting”

Unroll a large piece of butcher paper, and set up paint brushes and water cups. We will probably do this outside if the weather is nice enough, but it would work inside well too! Just cover any floors you want to protect with plastic beforehand.

Toy Rescue

I’m going to tape a bunch of toys to the wall and let Jamie “rescue” them. For older kids, tape the toys around the house and have kids hunt for them.

Obstacle Course

Scott did this once before for Jamie, and it was tons of fun! Set up a number of obstacles for kids to crawl over, under, and through. (If your child isn’t inherently motivated to go through the course, you can bribe them with snacks placed strategically throughout the course.) Can be done indoors or outside.

Ball Run

Make a ball run on the wall with paper towels and painter’s tape! (Here’s an image of what I’m going for.) For smaller babies, ping pong balls are around the right size and less of a choking hazard than marbles.

Magnet Play

Stick a bunch of magnets to the fridge at baby height. Jamie loves taking magnets off the fridge, so I’m hoping this will be a big hit! This would be a great activity to do while making dinner.

Household “Drum Set”

We do have an actual drum set in our house (which Jamie does love playing with), but we’re also going to get together a bunch of bowls/containers that make different sounds and put them together for Jamie to bang on.

Muffin Tin Easter Eggs

Literally just a muffin tin with plastic Easter eggs in each hole. It’s simple, but Jamie played independently for 20 minutes with this setup today!

Indoor Camping

I’m very excited about this – we’re going to set up our tent in our spare bedroom and get out a bunch of our (safe) camping supplies for Jamie to play with. This would also be a great outdoor activity!

“Painting” in a Bag

Squeeze a few blobs of paint into a ziplock bag and tape the bag to the floor. Let your child smoosh the paint around. (For extra protection, cover your floors in plastic beforehand.)

Cheerio Bin

I’m going to stick Jamie in a large, clear plastic bin and dump a whole box of Cheerios (or other “o” cereal) into the bin with him. They’ll be safe for him to play with and eat, and will hopefully make for a fun snack time one of these days! (Obviously, please make sure your child is good at eating cereal before doing this!)

Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari

The Cincinnati Zoo is doing “Home Safari” Facebook Lives every day to share about different animals. You can watch them live at 3:00PM, or watch replays on their Facebook page, Youtube channel, or their website.

Library Story Time

Jamie normally goes to our library’s story time on Tuesdays, so we’re hoping to do one or two from home. The LA Library already has a bunch of recorded story time videos on Youtube!

Outdoor Time

We’re very lucky to have a nice, private backyard and a neighborhood where we can go on walks. Our goal is to spend time outside every single day. On nice days, we’ll send Jamie out into the backyard (and probably try to work a bit from our outdoor dining table). He can usually entertain himself for a fairly long time outside. On rainy days, we’ll go for walks with our stroller rain cover on.

More Activity Resources

• Busy Toddler – tons of ideas broken down by age! Especially great for preschool-age kids, but also includes activities for babies, 1 year olds, toddlers, and “big kids”.
• Sensory Bins on Pinterest – great for all ages and endlessly customizable!
• Kid Activities Board on Pinterest – my personal ideas Pinterest board, broken down by age!
• Happy Toddler Playtime – lots of great, “no-prep” ideas for 1, 2, and 3 year olds.

If you have a fun baby, toddler, or preschooler activity to share, please leave a comment below!

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