We love simple play ideas in our home. As fun and photogenic as it would be for us to create Pinterest worthy activities on a daily basis, I simply do not have the energy or inclination at 20 weeks pregnant. Before pregnancy fatigue hit me at full force I used to prepare activities during Buddy’s naptime, however nowadays I nap right along with him so activities have to be quick, simple and super fun for my active little man.

Like most toddlers, Buddy is always more interested in playing with normal household objects instead of toys, so junk play features a lot in our day-to-day playtimes. Today I’ll be sharing with you five fun and simple ways to play with plastic bottles, minimal preparation and maximum fun guaranteed!

Demolition Derby

We set up six bottles into a Skittle formation and send Buddy running! He loves playing “bulldozer” and demolishing any mum made structure. Why not introduce a football or pillows to encourage your little one to practice their throwing skills too?

Six Pin Bowling

Buddy had great fun taking aim with his giant cardboard tube and wooden balls. He will play at knocking his skittles down this way for hours! This is also a great way to work on toddlers fine motor skills (getting the ball in the hole), gross motor skills (moving the tube to take aim) and anticipation too.

Music Makers

Of course you could make these look beautiful if you have time to spare. However, if you need a quick and simple play idea for your toddler simply pouring some pasta or rice into a bottle will provide fabulous entertainment. Buddy loves shaking his home made music makers and also has fun kicking them around the living room. He has even been known to spend time sweeping his music makers across the floor, enjoying the noise they make.

Rainbow Discovery Bottles

Fill your bottles with coloured objects, water and glitter to create a simple and magical sensory discovery experience. These can also be used as calm down bottles for soothing toddler temper tantrums. You can read more about them here – Rainbow Calm Down Discovery Bottles.

Unwrapping Bottles

This was an accidental yet happy play discovery for us. I had planned to use these bottles as our skittles, but Buddy had bigger and better plans! Unwrapping these bottles and playing with the paper kept him busy for forty minutes. Bonus!

I hope you have enjoyed these activities as much as we do. If you are looking for more simple play ideas, why not also check out our 15 Indoor Simple Play Ideas for Toddlers or our 10 Simple and Fun One Year Old Activities.

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