DIY Learning Activities for Toddlers

Toddlers are full of energy and curiosity, always eager to explore new things. That’s why learning through play is such a great way to keep them engaged!

With these DIY learning activities, you can turn everyday moments into fun opportunities for your little one to develop key skills like counting, color recognition, and letter matching.

And the best part? These activities use simple materials you probably already have at home, so there’s no need to rush out and buy anything fancy.

From counting raindrops to sorting colorful pom poms, each game offers a chance to mix fun with learning in a way that’s easy and interactive. Plus, toddlers love the hands-on nature of these activities, and they’ll be so absorbed in playing that they won’t even realize they’re practicing early math and literacy skills!

Why You’ll Love These Learning Activities

These DIY learning games are perfect for toddlers because they combine education with playtime. Each game encourages your child to explore colors, shapes, and numbers in an engaging way, and the setup is super easy.

Whether you’re helping them create a colorful caterpillar with their name or letting them sort objects by color, these activities offer endless opportunities for hands-on learning. Plus, they help develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving—all while keeping little ones entertained.

Ready to get started? Just click on the title links below for full step-by-step tutorials on how to set up these fun games!

DIY Learning Activities for Toddlers

Letter R Rain Activity

Materials:

• Paper
• Sharpie
• Blue paint
• Toilet paper roll
• Paper plate

How to Set Up:

1. Draw a cloud at the top of the page with the letter Rr inside. Write different letters underneath.
2. Shape the toilet paper roll like a raindrop.
3. Pour paint on top plate, dip the raindrop shaped toilet paper roll into the paint and then around all the letter ‘r’.

Rainbow Matching Activity

Materials:

• Colored paper
• Dot stickers
• Sharpie
• Glue stick

How to Set Up:

1. Cut out two clouds Glue them on either side of page.
2. Put dot sticker in the order of the rainbow along the edge of each cloud.
3. Invite toddler to match and glue strips of paper to each dot to create rainbow.

Flower Counting Wands

Materials:

• Green pipe cleaners
• Foam flowers
• Pony beads
• Sharpie

How to Set Up:

1. Attach foam flowers to pipe cleaners.
2. Let your child match the number of petals or objects to the number on each flower.
3. Write number 1 to 5 on the flowers. Have toddler count and thread beads to count the number on the flower.

Counting Raindrop

Materials:

• Blue post its
• Large sheet of white paper
• Sharpie

How to Set Up:

1. Draw cloud and number them with dots on the paper.
2. Draw raindrops on post its and the number
3. Have toddler match the raindrop to the corresponding cloud.

Shape Patterns

Materials:

• Large sheet of white paper
• Markers
• Rainbow Wooden blocks

How to Set Up:

1. Trace the wooden blocks on the white paper to create patterns with different shapes.
2. Help your child match the shapes to create a pattern.

Foam Flower Counting

Materials:

• Foam sheets
• Spray bottle and white

How to Set Up:

1. Cut out foam flowers, stems, leaves and flower pots. Number each flower pot one.
2. Provide a spray bottle with water. Invite your child to spray water on a window, count and stick the stems, petals and leaves to match the number on the pot.

Caterpillar Name Craft

Materials:

• Colored paper
• Markers
• Glue
• Scissors

How to Set Up:

1. Cut out circles and write one letter of your child’s name on each.
2. Help your toddler glue the circles together in a caterpillar shape.
3. Cut out leaves and legs. Glue down legs. Use hole punch to create holes in leaves. Glue them down.

Apple Letter Hunt

Materials:

• Large sheet of paper
• Markers
• Paper plate
• Red paint
• Toilet paper roll

How to Set Up:

1. Draw an apple tree. Write letters all over the tree making sure to include more letter ‘a’.
2. Shape the toilet paper roll into the shape of an apple. Pour red paint on to paper plate.
3. Invite toddler to dip roll into paint and paint over all the letter ‘a’ with the red paint to create apples.

Dot Sticker Apple Activity

Materials:

• Dot stickers
• Apple template
• Markers

How to Set Up:

1. Draw an apple outline on paper.
2. Let your toddler fill the apple with dot stickers.
3. As they place the stickers, talk about colors or counting.

Color Sorting Box with Popsicle Sticks

Materials:

• Popsicle sticks
• Markers
• Box

How to Set Up:

1. Color the popsicle sticks in different colors. Color the top of the box in the same colors.
2. Cut slits in the box for each color.
3. Let your toddler sort the sticks by color and slide them into the matching slot.

Jellyfish Counting

Materials:

• Foam sheets
• Markers
• Scissors
• Spray bottle and water

How to Set Up:

1. Cut out a jelly fish and many different tentacles from foam sheets.
2. Draw dots for different number on jellyfish head.
3. Let your child spray window and match heads with the correct number of tentacles.

Bee Counting Sensory Bin

Materials:

• Colored rice
• Sensory Bin
• Artificial flowers
• Toilet paper roll
• Washi tape
• Numbers
• Toy bees
• Black Pom Poms
• Tongs

How to Set Up:

1. Fill a bin with yellow colored rice.
2. Decorate six tubes with washi tape. Glue number to front. Place in sensory bin.
3. Add toy bees, Pom Poms, flowers inside and let your child search for them.
4. Have them count pom poms and add the right number to the tube.

Dot Sticker Ladybug: Letter L 

Materials:

• Dot stickers
• Paper
• Markers
• Foam sheet

How to Set Up:

1. Draw lady bug body and write letters inside. Include more letter “L”.
2. Invite toddler to place a black dot sticker on every letter “L”.

Dot Sticker Turtle

Materials:

• Dot stickers
• Paper
• Foam sheets
• Markers

How to Set Up:

1. Draw a turtle shape on paper. Add head and legs out of foam sheets.
2. Fill in with letters in different colors. Write the matching letter on the same color dot stickers.
3. Invite toddler to match letter with the correct dot sticker.

DIY Alphabet Puzzle

Materials:

• Foam letters
• Markers
• Large sheet of paper

How to Set Up:

1. Trace the letters on the paper.
2. Have your toddler match the letters to their correct spaces.

Mega Blok Pompom Sorting

Materials:

• Mega Bloks
• Colored pom poms

How to Set Up:

1. Place colored pom poms beside Mega Bloks turned upside down.
2. Let your child sort the pom poms by color into the Mega Bloks holes towers.

Fingerprint Patterns

Materials:

• Paint
• Paper
• Dot stickers

How to Set Up:

1. Create patterns with dot stickers.
2. Dip your child’s fingers in paint.
3. Have them recreate simple patterns on paper using their fingerprints.

Count & Stick Numbers

Materials:

• Foam numbers
• Dry erase marker
• Spray bottle and water

How to Set Up:

1. Write dots to represent a number on window.
2. Let your toddler stick the corresponding foam number to each number.

Alphabet Matching Activity

Materials:

• Paper
• Markers
• Magnetic Letters

How to Set Up:

1. Write the alphabet on the paper.
2. Tape to fridge
3. Have your toddler match the letters to the corresponding letters.

Shape Sticky Wall Puzzles

Materials:

• Contact paper
• Tape
• Marker
• Wooden Pattern Blocks

How to Set Up:

1. Stick contact paper to the wall, sticky side out.
2. Use tape or a marker to trace shapes on the sticky wall
3. Let your child match the shapes to outlines drawn on the contact paper.