Things to do with toddlers in January

When looking for things to do with toddlers in January, you may find that you struggle to come up with new and exciting ideas. January in the UK is a pretty soggy and grey month, which means many of the usual activities you plan to do with your toddler are no longer viable options. Visiting the park or playing in the garden, for example, doesn’t always seem as appealing when it’s freezing cold and chucking it down outside!

But worry not, because I have put together this huge list of things to do with toddlers in January. From crafty activities to outdoor adventures, there are bound to be some activities on this list that suit your family and lifestyle.

If you’re looking for things to do with toddlers in January that will keep them happy and entertained, keep reading!

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Make sure you’ve got the right clothing for your January adventures! 

Although January is usually a pretty miserable month, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still head outside for adventures. The secret to ensuring that you have a great time, even in the cold and the rain, is to wear the right gear! Here are our personal suggestions for clothing items that are essential during January.

All items have a variety of colours and sizes, so do have a look before you buy!

Outdoor Activities

Scavenger Hunts

My kids love scavenger hunts! These hunts are one of our favourite activities and we do them several times a year. We have plenty of free scavenger hunt downloads, such as our popular summer scavenger hunt. We also have a great January and February themed scavenger hunt available for free that can be printed off at home. 

Check out our other free kids downloads!  

Local Trails

We are lucky enough to live in an area with plenty of countryside around us. As well as beautiful scenic trails and walks, we are also only a 20 minute drive away from Alice Holt Forest, where you can find a wonderful Gruffalo Trail! Alice Holt Forest has lots of other trails to explore too, but when it comes to looking for things to do with toddlers in January, you can’t beat a good adventure.

Encourage Birds To Visit Your Garden By Making Birdfeeders

One of the perfect things to do with toddlers in January is to make home made bird feeders. These are inexpensive to make and are really easy for little hands to get stuck into. Try these home made cookie cutter bird feeders, or if you fancy using up some of your recycling, take a look at these super easy home made toilet roll bird feeders! 

Set A Walking Challenge (5km,10km, 15km in 1 month)

A couple of years ago, I discovered walking challenges. One of the companies that I signed up for was Race At Your Pace. These challenges are for both children and adults and, upon signing up, you can select the desired distance that you want to achieve by the end of the month. When you complete your target distance, you get a medal in the post!

Geocaching

One of the most fun things to do with toddlers in January is geocaching! If you’ve not heard of geocaching before, I urge you to Google it right now! Geocaching is a really fun way to explore your local area and get outdoors. It is a really fun activity for the whole family and the online community is a lovely and friendly one.

Puddle Jumping

Sometimes you’ve just got to really appreciate the simple things in life! Grab your puddle jumping suit, pull on your wellies and wrap up warm…then go in search of some puddles to jump in!

Pooh Sticks

When I was trying to think of things to do with toddlers in January when O was smaller, we’d usually end up playing Pooh Sticks. We spent what felt like hours dropping twigs over the edge of one bridge and then hurrying to the other side to see which came out first. Playing Pooh Sticks is a brilliant way to get outdoors and blow off some steam during January.

Sensory Play

Winter themed Sensory Bins (Dry)

Did you know that not all sensory play has to be messy? It’s easy to create sensory bins that only involve dry ingredients, making them a lot easier to clean up after your toddler has finished having fun. For fun new things to do with toddlers in January, try adding some blue and white pom poms or dyed rice to your sensory bin, some toy animals, and some scoops. 

Winter Messy Sensory Play (Cloud Dough)

Homemade cloud dough is a fantastic sensory play filler for January because it looks just like you’ve made your own snow! This is another really easy sensory play recipe that you can whip up with ingredients that you probably already have at home. All you need to create this brilliant resource is plain flour and oil – you can use baby oil if you want to make it smell nice, and you can also add grated chalk or food colouring to make a bright, colourful activity for your toddler. You can also make play dough at home too! Here is our tried and tested homemade play dough recipe.

Discovery Bottles

Sometimes I think I have just as much, if not more fun, than the kids when it comes to looking for fun things to do with toddlers in January. I love making discovery bottles and they’re very easy to put together – you don’t even need to get messy! 

Making Slime

The slime craze may have fazed out a little, but making slime is still just as popular as ever with my kids. Homemade slime is easy to make and it’s something that your toddler can definitely help you to create as well, encouraging them to work on their numeracy skills and hone their gross motor skills.

Crafting

Painting With Pom Poms

Pom Poms are a fun material to use when painting. Sure, you could stick to paint brushes, but pom poms have a brilliant texture and are great to use when creating snowy or winter themed masterpieces. Use a peg to secure a pom pom and let your toddler loose with the paint! 

Painting with Ice

One of the coolest (literally) things to do with toddlers in January is to paint with ice! Yes, it’s really possible, and it’s a fun way to explore mark making and work on that fine and gross motor skills movement. Simply freeze some water mixed with paint or food colouring in an icecube tray – make sure you place a lollypop stick or something similar in the trays too to act as a handle. 

Natural Winter Collages

Making collages as the seasons’ change is a great way for kids to learn about the world around them. We’ve made autumn nature collages before, but this year we’re going to be trying out winter/January collages. Making these seasonal collages using the natural materials that we see around us is a good way of identifying seasonal changes and spotting the early signs of spring.

Rock Painting

I can’t suggest things to do with toddlers in January without mentioning rock painting. We love rock painting in this house, so much so that we’re members of so many Facebook groups that share their finds in the local area. We’ve written about our love for rock painting before, including the best places to hide painted rocks.

Days Out

Museums

Looking for things to do in January with toddlers that don’t involve getting messy or being outside? Museums provide fun, educational, and often, interactive experiences for toddlers, school aged children, and adults alike. Many museums are free to access and host workshops and other group activities for kids to get involved in. 

Image Source: www.countingtoten.co.uk

Library

Visiting your local library is a brilliant, free way of entertaining children during January. You’ll probably find that your local library hosts free workshops, clubs, and even baby and toddler groups, so try asking or searching for your nearest library online to see what’s on offer.

Swimming Pool

Learning to swim is a vital life skill; it’s also tremendously fun, especially for little ones! Children in the UK are provided with swimming lessons in either Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2, however these lessons will be a lot more fun for your child if they’ve already got the basics down. Taking your toddler swimming is both a bonding experience and an educational one. Toddlers usually have great fun in the water, and best of all, it definitely tires them out!

At Home

Baking Cookies or Biscuits

Cookies and biscuits are one of the easiest recipes to cook with children. This is because the entire recipe is taste safe, meaning if any food goes into your little one’s mouth, they won’t get ill. It also doesn’t require any chopping or use of dangerous equipment; just a bowl, a spoon, and a baking sheet. Plus, after you’ve baked them, you get to decorate them!

Movie Day

Sometimes you and your toddler just want to snuggle up together and have a good old fashioned movie day, and you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that! Snuggling up with a movie is a wonderful way to pass the time and I know that I cherish every snuggle that I get to have with my kids.

Kid’s Yoga

In need of some calm down time? Let me introduce you to Cosmic Kids Yoga. The YouTube channel features so many fun yoga routines that are taught to children through story telling. Kids are encouraged to help the story’s progression by doing the actions that are being demonstrated on screen – these actions are actually yoga poses, and some of them are pretty impressive! We love doing this at home and we have been doing it for years, they also use Cosmic Kids Yoga in my children’s schools for their PE lessons.

Themed Books

When I think of January, I think of winter. I also think of the transition between winter and spring, the types of animals we’ll start to see soon, and the types of plants that will be popping up. There’s so much to see and do during January, and there are some brilliant books that can help explain and explore winter, and the passing of time, in a child-friendly way. A few of our recommended reads for January include: Busy Chinese New Year, Over and Over, and Winnie The Pooh (in honour of A.A. Milne’s birthday being January 18th).

Things to do with toddlers in January: additional supplies

Most of the activities and things to do in this post are FREE! However, if you’re looking to add a few items to your shopping list, here are my personal Amazon recommendations.

Other posts you may be interested in…

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The UTLIMATE Guide To Throwing The Best Dinosaur Themed Children’s Birthday Party

Spring Time Bucket list For Kids (Free Printable)

Easy ways to entertain toddlers during lockdown.

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