Who said watching Cocomelon is the only way your toddler can have fun?
We’re in the 21st century, and unfortunately, many toddlers are spending more time with screens than with their parents. But this summer, we have the chance to turn things around. And it starts with the kinds of activities we engage them in.
Screen time isn’t the only option. There are plenty of fun, interactive, and affordable ways to keep your toddler busy. These ideas won’t just help protect their developing minds and health, they’ll also create lasting memories and strengthen the bond you share.
Better yet, these activities are budget-friendly and suitable for every parent, regardless of background.
Summertime is made for adventure. So let’s put the iPads away and rediscover how playful and curious our toddlers truly are!
1. Visit a Local Park or Garden
Fresh air. Running space. Nature. A trip to the park might seem ordinary, but for toddlers, it’s a wonderland. Let them explore textures (grass, sand, leaves), practice motor skills on playground equipment, or just observe birds and bugs. It’s a low-cost outing that promotes physical activity and curiosity.
Moreover, parks offer a safe, open space for toddlers to explore nature, observe bugs, play with other children, or simply enjoy a stroll. Look for nearby gardens, nature trails or family-friendly parks in your area.
2. Take Them on Market Trips With You
Yes, it might seem chaotic at first, but the market is actually full of rich sensory experiences. So instead of leaving your toddler at home the market, why not take them with you and let them count fruits, help pick vegetables, or name colours?
These trips expose them to new sounds, smells and real-life learning. It’s also a fun way to build their math and language skills as you introduce them to the real world and social interactions.
3. Read Storybooks Together
Now is the perfect time to introduce your toddler to stories rooted in their culture. There are incredible African authors writing for children, stories that reflect their identity, environment, and values. Make reading a daily ritual, and turn it into a bonding time they’ll look forward to.
Stories have a really powerful way of opening the mind and enhancing imagination and thinking process, so you are not just reading as an activity, you are also helping your child develop reading, comprehension and language skills, all at little cost.
4. Story Time Just Like the Olden Days
Remember those days when the elder member of the community would gather children to tell folk tales under the moonlight? You can also recreate that beautiful experience with your child. Put away the iPhone, lay out a mat, dim the lights, and tell your toddler stories from your childhood, you can even make up some!
You can make this an activity you do once a week, or if you can, every evening even. Gradually, your toddler will start to look forward to evening time because it means wonderful stories from Mom and/or Dad.
5. Play with Them
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, playing with toddlers builds emotional intelligence and resilience.
There is no such thing as “too childish” when it comes to playing with your toddler. Put on a costume, pretend to cook, hide-and-seek, or build a fort with blankets, have fun with them. Children grow up fast so why not make the best out of this time when they are still little. Remember, the memories you build with them now, they will carry it through their lifetime. And you don’t need a whole lot of money to build these memories. Just time and attention.
6. Go on a Staycation
You don’t have to leave your city to have a great summer. If you are in a city like Lagos, there is no shortage of summer activities to engage in, both with your toddler and your entire family.
Together, you can visit a museum, try a toddler-friendly beach, or spend the weekend at grandma’s. Even changing location within your own city can feel like a fun adventure.
Check out: Fun Family Activities to do This Summer
7. Make Things Together
You can bake simple snacks or engage in some DIY (Do-It-Yourself) crafts using household items. Will it be a mess? Of course, but that’s all part of the fun, so let it happen. They are having fun while learning at the same time, and most importantly they are not staring at some screen. Plus, making things develops your toddler’s creativity, hand-eye coordination, and confidence.
Need ideas? Here’s a list of easy crafts for toddlers
BONUS: Create a Summer Bucket List
A good and very useful practice is to create a visual summer checklist with your toddler. Let them place stickers on a chart whenever they complete an activity. This builds excitement and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
Your toddler doesn’t need endless screen time to stay entertained, neither do they need you spending above what you can afford. All you really need to keep them happy and entertained is some little planning and intentionality, and with these, you can create a magical summer filled with love, learning and laughter.
No matter your budget or schedule, these simple activities go a long way in making your toddler’s summer unforgettable.
What’s Next?
Read: How to Choose the Right Summer Camp for Your Children