I’m a mom of a 3 year old and an 8 month old girls, and GrowingToddler is the blog I wish I’d found at 6:47 a.m. on a random Tuesday, holding a cold coffee, watching my toddler empty the Tupperware drawer for the second time before breakfast.
Here’s the thing: I love the idea of beautiful, enriching activities for little kids. What I don’t love is a supply list with fourteen items, forty minutes of prep, and a craft my one-year-old destroys in ninety seconds. So this blog has exactly one rule — everything on it has to be something a real, tired parent would actually set up. Cheap, low-prep, and worth the mess.
What you’ll find here
Sensory play that’s taste-safe for the kid who still mouths everything. Montessori-inspired activities sorted by age, because a 9-month-old and a 2-year-old are basically different species. Dollar store hacks, because a sensory bin shouldn’t cost more than a takeout dinner. And honest toy and gear recommendations — only things I’d genuinely tell a friend to buy, and plenty of “skip it, use a mixing bowl instead.”
Every activity here has been tested on actual toddlers in an actual messy house. If it didn’t hold my kids’ attention or it was more hassle than it was worth, it didn’t make the blog.
A quick honest note
I’m a parent, not a pediatrician or occupational therapist. When a post touches on safety or development, I link to real expert sources like the American Academy of Pediatrics so you can read the official guidance yourself. And you know your child best — always supervise play, especially anything involving water or small parts.
Say hi
Got a question, an activity request, or a Dollar Tree find I need to know about? Email me at grace@growingtoddler.com — I read everything.
Now go pick an activity, set it up before your little one is even out of pajamas, and steal yourself five quiet minutes. You’ve got this.