20 Creative Playtime Activities for Children

Level: Intermediate · Reading time: 12 minutes

Why play is so important

For adults, play can look like "just having fun". But for children, play is how they learn. When children play, they build their bodies, their brains and their friendships, all at the same time.

Through play, children:

develop their language, by talking, listening and naming things

build physical skills, like running, balancing, and using their fingers

learn to solve problems, like how to make a tower that doesn't fall

understand feelings, by pretending to be different people

learn to share, take turns and cooperate with others

use their imagination, which helps them think creatively later in life

The best news for nannies is that good play doesn't need expensive toys. Most of the activities below use things you can find in any home. You are the most important "toy" in the room: your ideas, your voice and your attention.

Before you start

Check with the parents about messy play and which rooms and items you can use.

Think about safety. Children under 3 put things in their mouths, so avoid small objects like dry beans, beads and buttons with this age group.

Let the child lead. Offer an idea, then follow what they want to do with it.

Tidy up together. Make it part of the game: "Let's see who can put away the most blocks!"

Indoor activities

1. Build a den

Age: 2 years and up

You need: blankets, sheets, cushions, chairs, clothes pegs

Drape blankets over chairs or a table to make a den, cave or castle. Add cushions and a torch inside. The den can become a camping tent, a pirate ship or a secret hideout.

Why it's good: problem-solving, teamwork and pretend play. It's also a lovely calm place to read a book together afterwards.

2. Treasure hunt

Age: 2 years and up

You need: a small toy or "treasure"

Hide a toy somewhere in the room. For young children, give simple hints: "It's under something soft." For older children, draw picture clues or write simple clues that lead from one place to the next.

Why it's good: listening skills and position words like under, behind, next to and on top of.

3. Cardboard box creations

Age: 2 years and up

You need: empty boxes, crayons or pens, sticky tape

A big box can become a car, a rocket, a house or a boat. Small boxes can become robots or a train. Let the child decorate their creation and then play in it or with it.

Why it's good: imagination, creativity, and fine motor skills (using hands and fingers).

4. Sock puppets

Age: 3 years and up

You need: old socks, pens

Draw eyes and a mouth on an old sock (ask the parents which socks you can use!). Give the puppets names and voices, then put on a puppet show behind the sofa.

Why it's good: speaking confidence. Shy children often talk more easily through a puppet.

5. Kitchen band

Age: 1 year and up

You need: pots, pans, wooden spoons, plastic containers, a jar of dried rice with the lid taped shut

Make drums, shakers and cymbals from kitchen things. Play loud, then quiet. Fast, then slow. March around the room like a band.

Why it's good: rhythm, listening, and opposite words like loud/quiet and fast/slow.

6. Pretend shop or café

Age: 2 years and up

You need: empty food packets, tins, a bag, paper "money"

Set up a shop with things from the cupboard. Take turns being the shopkeeper and the customer. A café works well too, with toy cups and a menu drawn on paper.

Why it's good: conversation practice, early maths (counting and "money"), and polite words like please, thank you and can I have...?

7. Sensory tray

Age: 3 years and up (always supervise)

You need: a tray or large container, dry pasta or rice, spoons, cups, small toys

Fill a tray with dry pasta or rice and hide small toys inside. Children dig, pour, scoop and search. For younger children, use a tray of water with cups and sponges instead (and never leave them alone with water).

Why it's good: exploring with the senses, hand control, and calm, focused play.

8. Cushion obstacle course

Age: 2 years and up

You need: cushions, pillows, chairs, a blanket

Make a course: crawl under a chair, jump over a cushion, walk along a "bridge" of pillows, and crawl through a blanket tunnel. Time each other, or add animal moves like hopping like a frog.

Why it's good: balance, coordination, burning energy on rainy days, and following instructions.

9. Shadow puppets

Age: 3 years and up

You need: a torch, a wall, your hands

Close the curtains, shine a torch at the wall, and make animal shapes with your hands: a bird, a dog, a rabbit. Tell a story with your shadow animals.

Why it's good: imagination and storytelling, and it's a great calm activity before bedtime.

10. Make up a story together

Age: 3 years and up

You need: paper, pens (optional)

Start a story with one sentence: "Once upon a time, there was a tiny dragon who was afraid of..." Then the child adds the next part, and you take turns. Older children can draw the pictures and make it into a little book.

Why it's good: language, creativity, and sequencing (putting events in order).

11. Sorting and matching

Age: 18 months and up

You need: socks from the washing, spoons, toy cars, blocks

Ask the child to find matching pairs of socks, or sort things by colour, size or type. Turn it into a race or a counting game.

Why it's good: early maths skills and colour and size words. It's also a clever way to get help with the washing!

12. Freeze dance

Age: 1 year and up

You need: music

Play music and dance. When the music stops, everyone freezes like a statue. Try different styles: dance like a robot, a snake, or a sleepy cat.

Why it's good: listening, self-control, and lots of energy release.

13. Junk modelling

Age: 2 years and up

You need: clean recycling (toilet roll tubes, yogurt pots, egg boxes), tape, glue, pens

Build anything from recycling: binoculars, a castle, a car park for toy cars, or a monster. There's no right or wrong answer.

Why it's good: creativity, planning, and learning to use tape and glue.

14. Simon Says

Age: 3 years and up

You need: nothing

Give instructions starting with "Simon says": "Simon says touch your nose!" If you give an instruction without "Simon says", the children shouldn't do it. Let the children take a turn being Simon.

Why it's good: listening carefully, body part words, and self-control.

15. I Spy

Age: 3 years and up

You need: nothing

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with B." For younger children, use colours instead: "...something that is red." This is also a perfect game for waiting rooms and bus journeys.

Why it's good: letter sounds, colours, vocabulary and observation.

Outdoor activities

16. Nature scavenger hunt

Age: 2 years and up

You need: a bag, a simple list (or pictures for younger children)

Make a list of things to find in the garden or park: a feather, a round stone, a yellow leaf, a stick shaped like a letter, something soft. Tick them off as you find them.

Why it's good: exploring nature, describing words like smooth, rough and round, and fresh air.

17. Leaf and bark rubbings

Age: 3 years and up

You need: paper, crayons

Put paper over a leaf or tree bark and rub gently with the side of a crayon. The pattern appears like magic! Compare the patterns from different trees.

Why it's good: fine motor skills, observation and art.

18. Puddle jumping and mud play

Age: 1 year and up

You need: wellies, waterproof clothes, old pots and spoons

Rainy day? Put on wellies and jump in puddles. Who can make the biggest splash? In the garden, old pots and spoons can make a "mud kitchen" for making mud pies and soup. (Check first that the parents are happy with muddy clothes!)

Why it's good: gross motor skills, sensory play, and it shows children that bad weather can be fun too.

19. Water painting

Age: 18 months and up

You need: a bucket of water, paintbrushes

Give children a paintbrush and a bucket of water and let them "paint" walls, fences and paths. The pictures disappear as they dry, so they can paint again and again. There's no mess at all.

Why it's good: arm and hand control, early writing movements, and it keeps little ones busy for a long time. Always stay close to children playing with water.

20. What's the Time, Mr Wolf?

Age: 3 years and up

You need: a group of children (or you and one child)

One person is Mr Wolf and stands with their back to the others. The children call, "What's the time, Mr Wolf?" Mr Wolf answers, "Three o'clock!" and the children take three steps forward. When Mr Wolf shouts "Dinner time!", he turns and chases them back to the start.

Why it's good: counting, running, taking turns, and lots of laughter.

Useful phrases

During play:

"What shall we build today?"

"Can you show me how you did that?"

"Wow, tell me about your picture!"

"Whose turn is it next?"

Telling the parents:

"We built a den in the living room and read three books inside it."

"She made a rocket out of a cardboard box and told me all about her trip to the moon."

"Is it OK if we do some messy play with water in the garden this afternoon?"

Vocabulary

WordMeaning

dena small, hidden place to play, often made with blankets

scavenger hunta game where you search for things on a list

fine motor skillssmall movements with hands and fingers

gross motor skillsbig movements like running, jumping and climbing

sensory playplay that uses the senses: touch, sound, smell and sight

messy playplay with water, mud, paint or food that makes a mess

welliesrubber boots for rain and mud

UK vs US English: a torch is a flashlight, wellies are rain boots, and a nappy is a diaper.

Quick quiz

Name three things children learn through play.

Which activity is good for practising position words like under and behind?

Why should you avoid dry beans and beads with children under 3?

What do the children say to Mr Wolf?

Answers: 1) Any three of: language, physical skills, problem-solving, understanding feelings, sharing and taking turns, imagination. 2) Treasure hunt. 3) They could choke on them, because young children put things in their mouths. 4) "What's the time, Mr Wolf?"

Click here to download our free printable Activity Cards!