Activities Around the House
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- Activities to do Around the House
Take every opportunity inside and outside your home to add to the special moments of childhood, while giving your child important literacy experiences.
These simple, yet powerful activities require no special materials or preparation. Talking, singing, reciting rhymes, playing games, sharing books, and listening to music are fun and meaningful ways to spend time with your child.
For more information, scroll down the page or select a list of activities by age: Babies / Toddlers / Preschoolers
Activities for Babies (Download Printable List) (En Español)
In the FAMILY SPACE
Play With Your Baby
• Play "This Little Piggy."
• Play "Peek-a-Boo" with a small blanket or a stuffed animal.
• Dangle a soft toy in front of baby, and talk about it.
• Copy the babbling sounds your baby makes.
• Play action games with your baby. Show how to wave bye-bye, clap, or wiggle fingers. Soon, your baby will copy your actions.
Rhyme and Play
While baby is lying down, move baby’s legs up and down by holding each foot and repeat this rhyme:
Motorboat, motorboat goes so slow
Motorboat, motorboat step on the gas,
Motorboat, motorboat goes so fast!
Play with clapping. Hold your child’s hands, clap together, and say this rhyme:
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Make a pretty sound.
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Now you put them down.
Books to Share
• Brown Sugar Babies, by Charles R. Smith Jr.
• Animal Crackers, by Jane Dyer
• Baby Faces, by Margaret Miller
• Baby Signs, by Linda P. Acredolo
Fun with Music
• Baby Games, by Priscilla Hegner
• Let’s Dance, by Sharon, Lois, and Bram
In the KITCHEN
Play With Your Baby
• Use magnets to hold photos on the refrigerator, and talk about them with your baby.
• Talk with your baby while preparing meals. Say aloud what you are doing.
• Use plastic bowls, measuring cups, and plastic spatulas as fun toys for babies.
• Give your baby cubes of Jell-O to play with, and sing:
"Jell-O on the table, Jell-O on the table,
wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble,
Jell-O on the table!"
• Give your baby a muffin tin, and fill each section with a treat or toy.
• Fill small plastic containers with cereal or uncooked rice, and use a tight lid. This makes a fun rattle for baby to shake. Show your baby how to play, and say "shake, shake" each time your baby shakes the container.
Rhyme and Play
Two little eyes to look around
(point to eyes)
Two little ears to hear each sound
(point to ears)
One little nose to smell what’s sweet
(point to nose)
One little mouth that likes to eat
(point to mouth or, if doing while eating, give your child some food)
Books to Share
• Baby Food, by Saxton Freyman
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
• Eating the Alphabet, by Lois Ehlert
Fun with Music
• C is for Cookie, by Sesame Street
In the BEDROOM
Play With Your Baby
• After sharing Goodnight Moon with your child, on the way to the bedroom, say goodnight to all the surroundings.
• Sing your baby’s name to any tune, while rocking to sleep.
• While dressing or diapering, smile and talk to your baby about what you are doing.
• Play peek-a-boo with your baby, using a favorite toy.
• Share a book with your baby before bed each night.
Rhyme and Play
These are baby’s fingers,
(touch child’s fingers)
These are baby’s toes,
(touch child’s toes)
This is baby’s belly button,
(touch child’s tummy)
Round and round it goes!
(tickle child’s tummy)
Books to Share
• Oh My Baby, Little One, by Kathi Appelt
• Time for Bed, by Mem Fox
• Baby Loves, by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Grow! Babies!, by Penny Gentieu
Fun with Music
• Mellow My Baby, by Sherry Goffin Kondor
• Lullaby, A Windham Hill Collection
• Sleep Baby Sleep, by Nicolette Larsen
In the BATHROOM
Play with Your Baby
• Lightly tickle your baby with a feather, cotton ball, or other textures to increase sense of touch.
• After bath time, gently massage your baby’s arms and legs with lotion while talking, singing, or saying a rhyme.
• In the tub, sing as you wash your baby,
"This is the way we wash your hair,
wash your hair, wash your hair.
This is the way we wash your hair,
I love you!"
Rhyme and Play
Rub-a-dub-dub
Three men in a tub
Who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker,
the candlestick maker,
And little babies, three!
I see you. I see you.
I see your button nose.
I see your tiny toes.
I see you. Peek-a-boo.
Sing to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" while bathing your baby:
Kick, kick, kick your legs,
Kick them all the time,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Kick them all the time!
Peek-a-book, peek-a-boo.
Books to Share
• Tickle, Tickle, by Helen Oxenbury
• Splish! Splash! Al Agua Patos!, by Roberta Grobel Intratoer
• Piglet’s Bath, by Kate Spohn
• Bathtime, Little Tiger, by Julie Sykes
• Bubbles, Bubbles, by Kathi Appelt
Fun with Music
• We Sing for Baby, by Pamela Conn Beall
In the CAR
Fun with Your Baby
• While driving, talk to your baby about what you see out the window, and where you are going.
• Keep board books or cloth books in your baby’s car seat.
• Sing to your child, and listen to comforting music while driving.
• When your baby is babbling, copy the sounds back.
Rhyme and Play
Sing to the tune of
"Mary Had a Little Lamb":
(Child’s name) had a little car,
little car, little car.
(Child’s name) had a little car,
and the horn went beep, beep, beep!
Make up more verses like
wipers go swish and lights go blink.
Books to Share
• 123 To The Zoo, by Eric Carle
• My First Word Board Book, by Angela Wilkes
• Hooray for Truckmice!, by Wong Herbert Yee
• Zoom City, by Thatcher Hurd
Fun with Music
• Travelin’ Magic, by Joanie Bartels
OUTSIDE
Fun with Your Baby
• Take a walk with your baby and point out trees, flowers, animals, houses, and cars. Talk about what you see.
• Let your baby touch lots of textures outside—like tree bark, grass, brick, and cement.
• Go bird watching with your baby, and listen for bird songs. Whistle like a bird and watch your baby smile. Make other animal sounds.
• Talk about the different sounds outside— like an airplane, cars, lawn mower, or a barking dog.
Rhyme and Play
Sing to the tune of
"Row Row Row Your Boat":
Clap, clap, clap your hands
Slowly every day.
(clap your hands slowly)
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
(keep clapping)
Then we shout "Hooray."
(jump up and down and
shout hooray slowly)
Books to Share
• Moo Baa La La La, by Sandra Boynton
• All Fall Down, by Helen Oxenbury
• The Little White Duck, by Walt Whippo
Fun with Music
• Diaper Gym, by Priscilla Hegner
Activities for Toddlers (Download Printable List) (En Español)
In the FAMILY SPACE
Play With Your Toddler
• Play "I Spy" with familiar objects in the room.
• Tip toe, march, leap, hop, take or giant steps around the room.
• Touch objects around the room and say the names. For example, "Liam is touching the table," "Liam is touching the soft pillow."
• Point out the nose, eyes, or ears on your child, and try it with a favorite doll or stuffed animal.
• Wind up a musical toy and hide it. "Where’s the music? Let’s go find it!"
Rhyme and Play
Do the following actions with your child:
Roll your hands so slowly,
As slowly as can be.
Roll your hands so slowly,
And fold your arms like me.
Roll your arms so quickly,
As quickly as can be.
Roll your hands so quickly,
And fold your arms like me!
Books to Share
• I Spy Little Animals, by Jean Marzollo
• Picture This, by Alison Jay
• The Alphabet Room, by Sara Pinto
• Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children, by Sandra L. Pinkney
Fun with Music
• The Elephant Show, by Sharon, Lois & Bram
• The Singable Song Collection, by Raffi
• It’s Toddler Time, by Carol Totsky Hammett
In the KITCHEN
Play With Your Toddler
• Let your toddler pour a cup of dry cereal from one plastic cup to another. Use the cereal for counting and sorting.
• Put a surprise treat for your child to discover in a cupboard or drawer.
• Give your child a plate of cooked, cooled rice to play with.
• Make tapping rhythms with wooden or plastic spoons. Tap fast, slow, loud, and soft.
• Let your child smell various foods like an orange, a cookie, or cheese, and talk about the differences.
• Use pudding on a cookie sheet or table for finger painting.
• Look for letters, numbers, and words on cereal boxes and food labels.
• When eating, talk about the flavors of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
Rhyme and Play
Wash the dishes,
Wipe the dishes,
Ring the bell for tea.
(pretend to ring bell)
Three good wishes,
Three good kisses,
I will give to thee.
(clap hands as verse is recited, then kiss child three times)
Books to Share
• Lunch, by Denise Fleming
• Peanut Butter and Jelly, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
• Blue Bowl Down, by C.M. Miller
Fun with Music
• Yummy Yummy, by The Wiggles
In the BEDROOM
Play with Your Toddler
• Before bed, talk about the day.
• Let your child help pick out something to wear; talk about the colors of the clothing.
• Whispering is fun. Practice talking softly to each other.
• Name objects in your child’s room, and count them.
• Before bed each night, share a book with your toddler.
Rhyme and Play
Sit on the floor—barefoot with your toddler— facing you and recite this poem:
Wiggle your toes, one, two, three.
Wiggle your toes just like me.
Now tell the wiggles to go away.
(shake your index finger)
And sit still for the rest of the day.
(You can repeat the poem by saying different parts of the body, such as fingers, elbows, nose, or tongue.)
Books to Share
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, by Eileen Christelow
• Kiss Goodnight, by Amy Hest
• Honey Baby Sugar Child, by Alice Fay Duncan
• Cuddle Time, by Libby Gleeson
Fun with Music
• Say Hello to the Morning, by Kathy Reid-Nairman
• Carousel Dreams, by Susan Moss
In the BATHROOM
Play with Your Toddler
• Make silly faces in the mirror with your child.
• Fill the bathtub with measuring cups, a spatula, plastic spoons, or other safe kitchen utensils for filling, pouring, and mixing.
• While your child is in the bathtub, blow bubbles to clap and pop.
• While bathing your child, say and act out this poem:
Here comes the rain,
Splash, splash, splash.
(Splash the tub water)
Here comes the rain,
Drip, drip, drip.
(Drip little drops of water on your toddler)
Here comes the rain,
Pitter, patter
(Flick your fingers in the water)
Get my sweetie clean all over.
(Wash your toddler with a washcloth)
Rhyme and Play
Use a plastic doll in the tub, and repeat the rhyme:
Swim, swim little doll
All around the tub.
Splishy, splashy, splashy, splashy,
Glub, glub, glub!
Sing while bathing your child, to the tune of "London Bridge":
Head and shoulders,
knees and toes, knees and toes.
Head and shoulders, knees and toes.
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
head and shoulders, knees and toes.
Books to Share
• King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub, by Audrey Wood
• Bath Time, by Eileen Spinelli
• No More Water in the Tub, by Ted Arnold
• Bernard’s Bath, by Joan Elizabeth Goodman
Fun with Music
• Bathtime Magic, by Joanie Bartels
In the CAR
Fun with Your Toddler
• When you hear sounds like a car horn, copy them and have your child make the sound.
• Point to signs and tell your child what they say. For example, "Look, that red sign says, ‘STOP!’"
• While driving, look out the window and talk about what you see.
• Show your child the traffic lights, and talk about what the colors mean.
• Talk with your child about the weather.
• When crossing streets, talk about safety. Tell your child about looking right, looking left, and making sure the road is clear.
Rhyme and Play
Old McDonald had a car, EIEIO.
And on his car he had a horn, EIEIO.
With a beep, beep, here,
and a beep, beep, there,
here a beep, there a beep,
everywhere a beep, beep!
Books to Share
• Where is Coco Going?, by Sloane Taner
• I Love Trucks!, by Philemon Sturgis
• Beep! Beep!, by Anne Miranda
• Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, by Kirsten Hall
Fun with Music
• Kids Travilin’ Songs, by Christopher Pennington
• We Sing Children’s Songs and Fingerplays, by Pamela Conn Beall
OUTSIDE
Play with Your Toddler
• When out taking a walk, show your child how to listen to and copy sounds around you.
• Show your child his shadow, and how fun it can be to play with.
• Help your child write letters and draw pictures with sidewalk chalk
• Make mud pies with your child, or play in the sand.
• Go on a bug hunt, and talk about insects. Worms and caterpillars are
wiggly, spiders spin webs, bees make honey — but can sting.
Rhyme and Play
Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day.
Little (child’s name) wants to play.
Using your hands, say this rhyme together:
Five little robins up in a tree.
Father
(touch child’s thumb)
Mother
(touch child’s index finger)
And babies three.
(touch other three fingers)
Books to Share
• Peek! A Thai and Seek, by Minfong Ho
• Little Quack, by Lauren Thompson
• Papa Please Get The Moon For Me, by Eric Carle
• Barnyard Song, by Rhonda Growler Green
Fun with Music
• So Big, by Hap Palmer
• Wiggly Safari, by The Wiggles
• Goin’ to the Zoo, by Tom Paxton
Activities for Preschoolers (Download Printable List) (En Español)
In the FAMILY SPACE
Play With Your Preschooler
• Play "I Spy a Letter" by finding objects that start with the first letter of your child’s name.
• Call someone special on the phone, and let your child talk.
• Play a fun game, like "Simon Says," to improve listening skills.
• Collect boxes of all sizes, paper towel rolls, plastic containers, and other safe, empty objects for stacking and creating.
• Help your child say words in many different ways by listening to the beat of the word. For example, elephant, say el /e / phant. Practice saying any words aloud you like using the following actions:
Say it with your mouth
(just say the word)
Say it with your hand
(clap hands)
Say it with your head
(nod head up and down)
Say it with your feet
(stamp feet)
Say it with your eyes
(blink eyes)
Rhyme and Play
Willowby, Wallowby Woo
An elephant sat on you.
Willowby, Wallowby Wee
An elephant sat on me.
Make up your own rhymes like this:
Willowby, Wallowby Wary,
an elephant sat on Mary.
Willowby, Wallowby Wuzzle,
an elephant played with a puzzle.
Willowby, Wallowby Woo,
an elephant went to the zoo.
Books to Share
• Knick-knack Paddywack!, by Paul O. Zelinsky
• My Very First Mother Goose, by Iona Opie
• Off to the Sweet Shores of Africa and Other Talking Drum Rhyme, by Uzo Unobagha
• Children Just Like Me, by Susan Elizabeth Copsey
Fun with Music
• Anna Moo Crackers, by Anna Moo
• Can a Jumbo Jet Sing the Alphabet?, by Hap Palmer
• Children of the World Multicultural Rhythmic Activities, by Georgiana Liccione Stewart
In the KITCHEN
Play With Your Preschooler
• Cooked, cooled spaghetti noodles are a fun way for children to form letters and shapes.
• When using a cookbook or recipe card, let your child look at it with you.
• Read the Dr. Seuss book, Green Eggs and Ham, and make it for a meal — with a dash of green food coloring.
• Make words and spell names with ABC refrigerator magnets.
• Put sugar on a cookie sheet so children can draw, or write letters with their fingers.
• Have a tea party where children can help set the table and practice manners.
• Spread peanut butter on a slice of bread, and add some Alphabits cereal to spell their name.
• Let your child watch you write out the grocery list or to-do list.
Rhyme and Play
Give me a P, Give me an I
I’ve almost got my pizza pie!
Two Zs and one A
We’ll have a pizza today!
Here’s the sauce, Here’s the cheese,
Would you pass the pizza, please?
Old Mother Hubbard
went to the cupboard
To get her poor dog a bone.
When she got there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
Books to Share
• Seven Silly Eaters, by Mary Ann Hoberman
• Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff
• If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Numeroff
Fun with Music
• Bon Appetit, by Cathy Fink
In the BEDROOM
Play with Your Preschooler
• Before bedtime, create a happy, story-dream for your child to think about before going to sleep.
• Ask your child to tell about the worst and best part of the day.
• Place stuffed animals around the room, and use a flashlight to search for them.
• Keep a box of old clothes and hats for dress-up play.
• Use blankets, chairs, and imagination to make fun forts.
• Keep a calendar in your child’s room, and talk about it.
• Share a book with your child before bed each night.
Rhyme and Play
Playfully chase your child into bed while reciting this rhyme:
We Willie Winkie
Runs through the town,
Upstairs, downstairs
In his nightgown.
Rapping on the windows,
Crying through the locks,
"Are the children in their beds?
For now it’s eight o’ clock."
Books to Share
• The Napping House, by Audrey Wood
• Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
• Sleepy Bears, by Mem Fox
• Did I Tell You I Love You Today?, by Deloris Jordan
Fun with Music
• Latin Lullaby, by Jeffery Charno
• Getting to Know Myself, by Hap Palmer
In the BATHROOM
Play with Your Preschooler
• While your child is taking a bath, put different objects in the water—like a sponge or a ball—and make guesses if they will sink or float.
• With no-tear shampoo, create crazy hairstyles, and take a picture.
• Use rubber letters that stick to the tub walls to spell out names and words.
• Put an ice cube in the warm bath water, and watch it melt away.
Rhyme and Play
Tea for two in the tub!
Here’s a cup,
(make fist with one hand)
And here’s a cup,
(make fist with other hand)
And here’s a cup of tea.
(stick out thumb of one hand)
Pour a cup,
(pour motions)
Pour a cup,
And have a cup with me!
(pretend to drink)
Books to Share
• Take me out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs, by Allan Katz
• Tub Toys, by Terry Miller Shannon
• Dirt Boy, by Erik Jon Slagerup
• Dinosaur!, by Peter Sis
• The Very Lonely Bathtub, by Ann Rasmussen
Fun with Music
• Singing in the Bathtub, by John Lithgow
In the CAR
Play with Your Preschooler
• Count objects seen while driving, like farm animals, car colors, or restaurants.
• Point to and read all the signs, billboards, bumper stickers, and logos.
• Choose a car color to count together.
• Look at license plates, and say the letters and numbers.
• Keep an Etch-a-Sketch or clip board with paper and crayons in the car.
Rhyme and Play
Sing to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell"
I’m driving in the car,
I’m driving in the car,
Beep, beep, beep, beep,
I’m driving in the car.
The light is turning red,
The light is turning red,
Stop, stop, stop, stop
The light is turning red.
The light is turning green,
The light is turning green,
Go, go, go, go,
The light is turning green
Books to Share
• The Wheels on the Bus, by Paul O. Zelinsky
• My Freight Train, by Michael Rex
• Are We There Yet?, by Dandi Daley Mackell
• Night Driving, by John Coy
Fun with Music
• Traffic Jams, by Joe Scruggs
• Songs of Hispanic Americans, by Ruth De Cesare
• Kids in Action, by Greg & Steve
OUTSIDE
Play with Your Preschooler
• Look up in the sky and see what kinds of shapes the clouds make.
• Talk about the weather, and help your child decide what to wear.
• Take a nature walk, and gather treasures along the way—like pinecones and rocks.
• "Play Ring Around the Rosie," "Tag," "Hide and Seek," and "Hopscotch."
• Search outside for a variety of rocks, and sort them by size, color, and texture.
• Play jump rope and practice rhymes.
• Plant a garden or an indoor plant together so your child can watch it grow.
Rhyme and Play
Recite this rhyme, beginning with your hand clenched into a fist.
This is the beehive,
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch, and you’ll see them
come out of the hive,
On, two, three, four and five!
It’s raining, it’s pouring
The old man is snoring.
Went to bed, that sleepy head,
Won’t get up until morning!
Father caught a bug
(hold up thumb)
Mother caught a worm
(hold up index finger)
This one got the bug
(hold up ring finger)
This one got the worm
(hold up index finger)
The little one said,
"Now it’s my turn!"
(hold up pinky)
Books to Share
• Apples, by Ken Robbins and Seeds, by Ken Robbins
• Long Night Moon, by Cynthia Rylant
• The Wide Mouth Frog, by Faulkner
• The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle
• Growing Vegetable Soup, by Lois Ehler
Fun with Music
• Under a Shady Tree, by Laurie Berkner
• Get a Good Start, by Georgiana Liccione Stewart
• We Sing Games, Games, Games, by Pamela Conn Beall
This report/project was made possible by grant number 90LO0113/01 from the Child Care Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Total project costs include federal funding in the amount of $943,072 (85%) and non-federal funding in the amount of $166,424 (15%). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the funding agency, nor does publication in any way constitute an endorsement by the funding agency.