How to Put Together Quiet Time Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Inside: Quiet time activities are not only important for your sanity, but they are also very beneficial for toddlers and preschoolers.  I’ve put together a collection that is perfect for those much needed calm moments.

There are moments in every day that we need some quiet time. Especially if there are young children in the house. This is one of the reasons we love nap time so much!

But what about when they give up their naps? Oh, I remember those days well. I didn’t know how I was going to handle a full day without any down time.

Fortunately, you can still have that moment of calm by giving your children quiet time activities.

The key is doing a bit of prep work by having these activities ready ahead of time, so there is no waiting involved.

In this post I am sharing over 35 different quiet time activities that you can have on hand for your toddlers and preschoolers.

How to Put Together Quiet Time Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

It’s really easier than you might think. Some can be put together in advance and stored in a special cabinet. Just rotate what you give to your child each time so that the interest is still there.

Some of these activities can also be portable, meaning you can take them with you. We all know how toddlers hate to wait for anything. Just keep a few quiet time activities in a bag that you can take out when waiting just simply isn’t an option.

Art

Press pieces of colorful tissue onto sticky Contact paper that can then be displayed in the window.

Make a yellow collage on a sun (free printable.)

Create a simple rainbow suncatcher using a paper plate (mess free).

Playdough

Use these free counting playdough mats for a quiet table activity.

Add citrus squeezers with play dough for some extra fine motor development.

Have some lavender play dough on hand for an easy, calming activity.

Build with Duplo bricks and straws on playdough.

Colors

Place objects on the matching colored pages – free printable in Spanish and English.

Use tongs to transfer pom poms to the matching colored cups. (Busy Toddler)

Make your own cardboard loom and invite your children to weave the rainbow. (Days with Grey)

Sort cereal by color and make a rainbow necklace. (Lil Scholar University)

Shapes

Place colored pom poms on printed shapes (free printable).

Match the shapes using clothespins (free printable).

Press triangles into playdough and add matchsticks.

Use an ice cube tray to sort shapes at the table. (Mess for Less)

Literacy

Match the letters on stickers with those written on a paper tube. (Busy Toddler)

Drop letters down paper tubes into matching colored bowls. (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Glue buttons onto hand-written letters. (No Time for Flashcards)

Fine Motor

Threading straw pieces is very calming and keeps the fingers busy.

Transfer water into ice cube trays.

Drop watercolors onto paper towels.

Cut paper tubes for some fun and quiet threading. (The Imagination Tree)

Save an empty bottle and collect ribbon scraps. Invite your child to quietly work on strengthening fine motor skills by pushing the ribbon in the bottle. (Hands On As We Grow)

Place buttons on lines and curves. (Learning 4 Kids)

Math

Download the free printable an invite your child to add the correct number of pom poms to each number.

Work on number recognition and counting skills while adding a certain number of scoops to each ice cream cone. (Fun-a-Day)

Clip a certain amount of paperclips to each numbered card. (Lessons Learnt Journal)

Twist pipe cleaners into numbers and thread that many beads through them. (The OT Toolbox)

Repurpose the frame of a number puzzle and add the correct number of googly eyes. (Play, Teach, Repeat)

Busy Box

Make and label busy boxes for each day of the week, so they are ready to go. The boxes being all the same size makes storage much easier. (1 Plus 1)

Books

When you need quiet time while traveling, you can put together a portable quiet time book. (Mama Papa Bubba)

Sensory

Young children love the soft feeling of felt. Use felt pieces to make faces. (Toddler Approved)

Provide a bin with lavender-scented rice for some calm sensory play. (The Imagination Tree)

Building

Cut sponges into shapes for some quiet block play. (Inner Child Fun)

Make your own sponge blocks and build towers. (Toddler Approved)

Science

Fill an empty container with pieces of pipe cleaner. Make your own easy magnet wand and enjoy some quiet science time. (From Playdough to Plato)

Invite your child to be a engineer while building with toothpicks and jelly beans. (Productive Pete)

More collections:

20+ Fun and Easy Toddler Activities

30+ Literacy Activities Using Foam Letters

10 Awesome Ways to Strengthen Scissor Skills