Cold weather finally struck south Alabama. I don't know how long it will last but I'm loving it. We even had snow, which delighted the hearts of my little boys. We enjoyed playing in the snow until we got too cold (we're weenies!) and ran back inside.

It reminded me of the winter vortex that struck a few years ago. Remember that? When we all froze? So I thought I would share of a few of my favorite indoor activities that occupy preschoolers and toddlers.

Also it means pulling out and dusting off this old blog post and going gah gah over these photos of my sweet boy when he was just a toddler.

1. Painting with pompoms and clothes pins.

What you'll need:

Paper

Finger Paint

Craft Pompoms

Clothes Pins

This is so much fun! When Ryals was two he got a GIANT coloring book for Christmas. The pages were the perfect size for clumsy little fingers. You simply clip the pompom in the clothes pins and have your child dip the pompom in the paint. They can paint til their hearts content and when they're done you throw out the pompom. You aren't fooling with paint brushes.

You can get a pack of 100 pompoms at the Dollar Tree for $1.

I store the paint, clothes pins and extra pompoms in a gallon size freezer bag.

And bonus points if you want to make your own finger paint.

2. Car Ramp.

What you'll need:

Cardboard Box, flattened

Tape

Jason and Ryals had hours worth of fun sending cars, trucks, trains and balls down that ramp. A week later and it was still standing in my house.

Flatten out your box to one long strip and tape any flaps down. (See video above.)

I taped mine to a tall toy you could use another box or a book shelf. Anything that makes a ramp.

3. Water Play

What you'll need:

Containers of varying size

Spoons

Small toys

I filled a pan with water and placed in little cars, old containers, a strainer a spoon. Etc. etc. I put the pan on a towel. But that didn't matter, the floor got wet. Hey! Free floor cleaner.

Ryals enjoyed filling the containers with water and pouring the liquid back and forth. He also tried to "sink" his little cars.

I filled a pan with water and placed in little cars, old containers, a strainer a spoon. Etc. etc. I put the pan on a towel. But that didn't matter, the floor got wet. Hey! Free floor cleaner.

Ry enjoyed filling the containers with water and pouring the liquid back and forth. He also tried to "sink" his little cars.

4. Object in a Bottle

What you'll need:

20 oz bottle (empty)

Q tips

This is by far the most fun my son has ever had playing with trash. I just took an old plastic bottle and put cotton swabs in it. You could do anything, buttons (if your child is past the phase of putting everything in his/her mouth) clothes pins, a small toy.

He loved shaking the bottle, opening the bottle and taking the objects out and putting them back in. He played with that bottle for 20 minutes, which in toddler time is like a week.

5. Bean Sorting

This one was so simple and so fun. I filled an old muffin pan with beans and we "counted" them and listened to the sound the beans made hitting the pan. I also gave him a whisk to stir the beans.

That's it. What are some of your favorite ways to occupy a toddler or preschooler on a cold or rainy day?

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