You enter an entirely new level of parenting once your toddler's favorite word becomes "No!" Even fun activities quickly become fraught with emotion in the life of a 2-year-old — leaving a playground, deciding which toy to play with, or choosing an ice cream flavor all have meltdown potential.
As frustrating as this can be to navigate, it's exactly what your 2-year-old should be doing right now. "Toddlers are developing agency and self-control," says Donna Housman, EdD , a clinical psychologist in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Not only is it very typical if "No!" and "Mine!" become their most-said words, she explains, but it's key for their growth. Your 2-year-old is rapidly turning into their own little person — and that includes declaring their likes and dislikes, figuring out what their interests are, and differentiating themselves from you.
This can make it both exciting and challenging as you brainstorm new ways to entertain them. Now, many of the activities you're doing with your 2-year-old aren't just about filling the day and mastering milestones, but also helping them navigate new, big emotions through play. Here are 15 indoor and outdoor activities that can support your child's growth and emotional intelligence during this stage.
Indoor activities for 2-year-olds
There's plenty you can do to engage your 2-year-old without leaving the house. Try these activities with your toddler next time you're playing inside:
1. Make colorful recycled creations
What you'll need: different shapes cut out of paper, glue, tape, markers, child-safe scissors
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: This activity "encourages creativity and autonomy in an imaginative context," Dr. Housman says. Shape identification is important at this age, too. Show your toddler different cutouts on a table and ask them to tell you which shapes and colors they see. ("Where's the red square?" and "What color is the triangle?") Then, encourage them to manipulate the shapes however they like using tape and child-safe scissors , all of which lets them practice their fine motor skills .
2. Draw pictures
What you'll need: paper and art supplies, like stamps and crayons
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: Your now-bigger toddler may be more interested in arts and crafts at this age. " Chunky markers , crayons, and stamps can help [2-year-olds] improve fine motor coordination," says Rebecca N. Dudovitz , M.D., a pediatrician and faculty researcher for the UCLA Children's Discovery & Innovation Institute in Los Angeles, California.
Large pieces of butcher paper taped to the ground can make it easier for young kids to get close to their artwork and scribble away. And as your tot approaches their third birthday, help them reach the milestone of drawing a circle by demonstrating how you do it, then giving them a turn.
3. Rotate different toys for imaginative play
What you'll need: any toys that support imaginative play
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: "From 2 to 3 years, my favorite activities for play involve imaginary and imitative play," says Lynn T. Singer , Ph.D., a developmental psychologist and professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She suggests offering different toys that your tot can easily pretend-play with (trucks, cars, balls, dolls, small animals, dinosaurs ) and then demonstrating how they might use them. ("Hi dinosaur, I'm tiger. Can I be your friend?")
Rotate toys (dolls out one week, cars the next) to help keep them fresh and encourages imaginative play: "I keep a few classics that she loves out and rotate in other items," says BabyCenter community user Luckyloo2 . "[My daughter] plays with them much longer when there are fewer options to choose from."
4. Do dinosaur yoga
What you'll need: a yoga mat (or comfortable rug) and pictures of dinosaurs
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: This activity "helps with gross motor skills while laying the foundation for deep breathing as a regulation strategy," says Dr. Housman.
To start, show your 2-year-old pictures of different dinosaurs and ask them to point out features they notice. (For example, the brachiosaurus is stretching its long neck; the T-rex is standing on one leg.) Then, show your tot how to replicate these positions in the form of "yoga" poses. If you like, put on calming music then demonstrate how to breathe deeply through each pose.
5. Build a tower
What you'll need: blocks or another stackable toy
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: Playing with blocks may not be new to your 2-year-old, but stacking play remains important at this age, Dr. Dudovitz says. Not only does building a tall tower offer opportunities for counting and strengthening fine motor skills as they carefully balance each block, but the inevitable frustration when the tower falls is a chance to help your 2-year-old with emotional regulation.
When that does happen, Dr. Housman suggests using encouraging language to help your child to move through the discomfort: "Wow, you stomped your feet because you got angry that your tower fell over. It can feel prickly when things don't go our way. What do you want to do next?"
6. Help with chores
What you'll need: chores to do
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: It might sound a little boring to you, but letting your 2-year-old tag along while you fold laundry, vacuum, and do the dishes can be fun for them.
"[Two-year-olds] want to do what you do, whether it is repeating words you have said, brushing your teeth , or setting the table, and a lot of play and learning goes on through those activities," explains Dr. Singer, "especially if caregivers talk to their children about what they are doing."
While you handle the bigger jobs, give your tot child-sized tasks to tackle by your side, like matching up socks, sweeping crumbs into a dustpan, or drying plastic plates with a dishtowel.
7. Play music
What you'll need: music and instruments (optional)
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: "For gross motor [skill development], playing music and dancing can be a great indoor activity," says Dr. Dudovitz. All you need is some music (or your own singing if you don't have any) and somewhere for your toddler to move and groove.
But you can add to the fun — and movement — by introducing different-sized "drums" (made from empty containers taped together) that your tot can bang with a wooden spoon.
8. Try a construction sensory box
What you'll need: toy trucks, dry oatmeal, and a large plastic container
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: This one is messy but fun. Fill a large bin with uncooked oatmeal and show your 2-year-old how to drive toy cars and trucks through it to create roads. If you have construction trucks, demonstrate how they can scoop and drop the oatmeal into piles.
9. Make jewelry
What you'll need: a long piece of string and circle-shaped cereal
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: As your toddler's fine motor skills improve, challenge them with this activity.
"They can put things on and off a string, like Cheerios or large beads," says Dr. Dudovitz, making a bracelet or necklace as a finished result. Just supervise closely so they don't put something into their mouth that they can choke on.
10. Have storytime
What you'll need: books
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: Reading is critical at every age and stage. As your 2-year-old starts to better understand feelings, books with characters who are navigating big emotions can be especially age-appropriate. While you read, label emotions as you see them being expressed on the page so your child can better learn how to identify and recognize them. ("The girl seems sad because she lost her ball.")
Outdoor activities for 2-year-olds
Outdoor time is always beneficial, but especially so for the 2-year-old set. "Outdoor playtime becomes important because they are working on running, jumping, and climbing," says Dr. Dudovitz. Whenever you can get outside, try these activities with your 2-year-old:
1. Start a collection
What you'll need: a basket and something to gather
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: This is also one of the easiest activities to do when you have very little on hand. Grab a small bucket or bowl and head outside with your 2-year-old, then decide on something to collect — maybe it's rocks, leaves, acorns, small twigs, or flowers.
Use it as a chance to practice counting and pointing. ("There's the white rock!" and "How many do we have in the basket now?") Always supervise your child especially closely when outside to make sure nothing ends up in their mouth.
2. Do some gardening
What you'll need: plastic gardening tools (like a shovel), seeds
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: Whether real (planting veggies or flowers in a garden or pot) or pretend (digging up the ground and "planting" seeds), gardening helps teach toddlers about the world around them.
"We count flowers, sort by color and size, and then talk about the parts of the flower (root, stem, leaves, petals) and what flowers need to grow," says BabyCenter Community user MamáAlvarado .
3. Create an obstacle course
What you'll need: a mix of items that can be turned into obstacles, such as buckets, boxes, and balls
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: At this age, toddlers are mastering exciting gross motor skills like running, jumping, and kicking a ball — and a homemade obstacle course is the perfect way to help them show off these abilities.
This activity works best on a large grassy area or driveway where you can set up multiple "stations" in a row. For example, yours might include a tunnel made out of a large cardboard box, hopscotch, a bucket to throw a ball into, a bell to ring, and a stack of cardboard boxes to kick over.
4. Play with water
What you'll need: a few bowls of water and toy animals
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: Playing with water is a sensory experience for kids of all ages. This activity "extends for years," Dr. Singer says, "helping to develop fine motor skills only with some plastic cups, bowls, and suds."
Two-year-olds can practice early pretend play along with fine motor skills by giving their toy animals a bath in plastic bins with water and a bit of dish soap. Give your tot some small cups that allow them to transfer the water from one bowl to another.
5. Draw a chalk road
What you'll need: pavement and chalk
Why it's good for 2-year-olds: Using colorful sidewalk chalk, draw a large, toddler-sized "road" on your driveway, patio, or another paved area. Not only does this offer opportunities for pretend play with toy cars, but it also allows your child to strengthen their gross motor skills as they run down the road. Along the way, draw "stops" they can visit, like Grandma's house, day care, the grocery store, and the local playground.
Skills your child is developing at 2 years old
Big things are happening for your 2-year-old. Not only are they mastering major milestones like running, jumping, and climbing , but they're strengthening their fine motor skills, which will allow them to grip and manipulate smaller objects, like a spoon.
And don't be surprised if they don't want any help from you while practicing these cool new abilities: "At 2, children start to develop a sense of independence," says Dr. Dudovitz. "They may seek to do things for themselves." You can help set them up for success and minimize frustration by breaking down a more challenging task into smaller steps they can do on their own.
Your toddler's social and emotional world is expanding right now, too. They're even more attuned to the emotions of you and those around you — looking at your face to interpret new situations, for example, and becoming increasingly aware when others are happy, sad, or angry. And they're using all of this information to communicate in exciting new ways, stringing more words together and forming their earliest sentences.
Here's more about developmental milestones for 2-year-olds , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Keep in mind, there's a range of "normal" when it comes to child development. If you have any concerns, bring them up to your pediatrician at the 2-year checkup .
How much playtime does a 2-year-old need?
Your 2-year-old should be playing most of the day, stopping only to eat or nap. "Play is a child's 'work' in exploring and learning about the new and unknown, working through conflicts, and resolving problems," says Dr. Housman.
A typical attention span for a 2-year-old is around 15 minutes, she says, though this can vary depending on the activity and how involved you are. So while your increasingly independent toddler can do more than they were able to even a few months earlier, they'll still cycle through multiple activities during playtime, which might include a mix of structured activities and open-ended, imaginative play.
Sample daily schedule for a 2-year-old
Two-year-olds need 11 to 14 hours of sleep a day, including naps, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). But whenever they're awake, your 2-year-old will be busy playing.
Here's an example of what your 2-year-old's day might look like. Just remember that every child is different: This schedule assumes that your child still naps, for example, which most tots do at this age, but some children may start to drop their naps before their third birthday.
7 a.m.: wake up
7:30 a.m.: breakfast
8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: playtime
12:30 p.m.: lunch
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: nap
3:15 p.m.: afternoon snack
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.: playtime
5 p.m.: dinner
6 p.m.: bathtime
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: playtime
7:30 p.m.: bedtime stories
8 p.m.: bedtime
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