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What a whirlwind the past two and a half weeks have been! From getting caught up at work, getting the kids adjusted at daycare, and enjoying our evenings together, I feel like the time has gone by in a flash. Thankfully, I am finally up to speed at work (down to 8 emails out of 300+) and both William and Zoey got into the daycare flow very easily. I am definitely missing having my little blonde sidekick, Zoey, around, but she loves her daycare and seems to be going through another word learning explosion which is so entertaining (and means we have to be really careful about what we say around her). She is certainly missing her mom time, but I try to give her plenty of love and attention after school.

William is fitting in smoothly at daycare as well and only struggled to take bottles for about 5-6 days. He still took them from his daycare teacher, but refused them from me until about a week and a half ago, but he is now full time bottles. You moms who pump at work for any length of time are seriously incredible to me. The dedication, time, and logistics that all that pumping takes is more than I was willing to do and you deserve the highest accolades for making it happen. The four days I had to pump at work were not comfortable and I felt really awkward about missing parts of classes. Good for those of you who stick to it!

As we are adapting to our new normal, I find a lot of peace in thinking back to the busy summer we had around here. One of the things Rob and I love about the kids’ daycare is the teacher discount. Meaning, if I am on a school break and do not want to put the kids in school, then we do not have to pay. So many daycares make you pay for the days you take your child out for vacation either in full or part, so we feel very fortunate that we have an option. I also adore using my off time to spend with the kids and had a full summer of getting to do just that.

Before summer started and we knew I would be home with Zoey and the new baby, I was pretty nervous about how I was going to keep a toddler entertained for both the hot days of the season and the exhaustive newborn days. Because of my desire to make sure Zoey had a fun summer and that we maximized our days together, I spent a good amount of time on Pinterest gathering ideas of activities she could do independently at home. Combined with local activities, I ended up with a full page list of entertainment options to help me keep her busy and having fun.

Since toddler nap times reign supreme around here (we are in the hit or miss stage), our summer stuck to this schedule most days. My goal was to get Zoey and William out of the house for a morning activity before returning home for lunch, nap, and afternoon play at home or a walk to the park. Sticking to this schedule gave us a really nice groove. Zoey knee what to expect on a day to day basis, which I feel is key for her age and her bit of type A personality.

While I was researching various things to do with Zoey, I was looking at two categories: indoor activities and outdoor activities. Another requirement was being easy to put together as I did not want to spend hours cutting and glueing a project that she might only find five minutes of fun out of.

After making my list, we did a trip to the dollar store and were able to get a bunch of materials for about $20. Easy money for a summer of entertainment! You can check out my Pinterest board of toddler activities here.

I did sign Zoey up for a few structured classes this summer just to be sure she was interacting with other kids her age and to give us a bit more of a weekly schedule. Through our rec center she took a sports camp class and a gymnastics class. Since our girl loves to run and move, these were right up her ally (even though she spent a lot of time rolling in the grass at sports camp).

I also signed her up for Tinkergarten, which I very highly recommend if you can find one in your area, as Zoey absolutely loved it. Something about digging in the dirt, playing with water, and learning the whole time just wiped her out in time for a solid nap. Always a win in my toddler book.

With those activities happening in the morning, these at home crafts and sensory bins were mostly used in the afternoon or on days when I felt like Zoey kind of just needed a down day at home.

These are the things we did that Zoey absolutely loved. Criteria for “love” includes entertaining her for an hour or more, asking to play it again the next day or a few days later, and wanting Rob or I to play it with her because she was excited about it.

You can get a printable version of these activities and shopping list here or by filling in the form below.

Out of The House Activities

• Mall Play Place
• Free Days at Local Museums
• Library Story Time
• Hiking – We adore our Osprey Hiking Backpack.
• River Play – Prepare for bare feet and pack a change of clothes.
• Splash Pads
• Outdoor and Indoor Pools $
• Various Parks
• You Pick Farm
• Jump Street Toddler Area $
• Chuck E. Cheese $
• Bowling $
• Aquarium $
• Open Gymnastics $

$ = Denotes a fee to get in

At Home Activities

• Cheerios on Pipe Cleaners
• Moon Sand and Water
• Water and Buckets
• Washing Toys – Using a toothbrush, dish soap, and water outside, we got hours out of this activity.
• Mosaics – Let your kiddo rip the paper and glue it down. Post its work great also!
• Dyed Rice
• Dried Beans and Ice Cube Trays
• Chalk
• Painting
• Popsicle Sticks in Containers
• Piggy Bank Filling

Local Littleton/Denver Activities

• Littleton Museum
• Carmody Park
• Tiny Town $
• Denver Botanic Gardens $ (We have a membership)
• Chatfield Botanic Gardens $
• SeaQuest Aquarium $ (We have a membership)
• Butterfly Pavilion* $
• Westlands Park
• Wow! Children’s Museum $
• Museum Free Days
• Bear Creek Pond $

$ = Denotes a fee to get in

*If you are a member of the Jefferson County Library System, you can register online for a Culture Pass, which gets you free entry into these attractions

Toys Our Toddler Loves

• Shopping Cart
• Kitchen Food and Utensils
• Food Cutting Set
• Toy Stroller
• Peg Color Matching Game
• Puzzles
• Search and Find Books
• All Stuffed Animals

Shopping List

• Pipe Cleaners
• Basket with Rake and Shovel
• Baby Oil
• Flour
• Construction Paper
• Glue Sticks (purple)
• White Rice
• Food Coloring
• Ziploc Bags
• Beads
• Pompoms
• Dish Soap
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Paintbrushes
• Colorful Popsicle Sticks
• Spray Bottle
• Plastic Bins
• Dried Beans
• Plastic Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Ice Cube Trays
• Painters Tape
• Baking Trays
• Toothbrush
• Play Animals
• Washable Paints
• Watercolor Paints
• Painter’s Tape
• Cheerios
• Post It Notes

Brooke Selb

I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.