I'm delighted to have Betsy of Fluffy Windover's Diary as Toddler Thursday's regular poster. This week, she writes about finding easy activities for her toddler:

One of the reasons I love the toddler stage is that you don’t have to come up with complicated games to entertain them. Edwin is happy just collecting acorns in a bucket, or chasing a balloon around, or using kitchen utensils to pretend to cook. Of course, there are days when he has exhausted his usual activities and I need to change things up a little. Here are a few activities that I’ve found will hold his attention for more than 10 minutes (which, as parents of toddlers know, is like an eternity):

Finger painting. This is very, very big with Edwin. It’s not something we do often because the mess makes me twitchy, but man does he love this. Do it in a place where you can clean up the mess easily (kitchen floor or outside). Obviously, dress your toddler in old clothes or a smock so you’re not hovering the whole time worrying about the paint getting everywhere.

Balloon baseball. Cardboard roll from wrapping paper + balloon = at least 15 minutes of toddler entertainment, in my experience. If you have a toddler, it’s a good idea to keep a bag of balloons on hand in case of boredom emergencies. (Of course, this requires close supervision because popped balloons pose a choking hazard.)

Making caterpillars out of egg cartons. This is a trick I picked up from Edwin’s daycare: cut cardboard egg cartons into different lengths and decorate them with stickers or paint to make a family of caterpillars. You can use pipe cleaners for antennae. This is a good activity to do together, and then ideally, your toddler will play with the caterpillars afterward. (I say ideally because Edwin never seems interested in the caterpillars after we’ve made them. But maybe your toddler will.)