Toddlers don't really need much to have fun, but when you are inviting company over or planning to visit a friend's house for a play date, it helps to have some games and activities at the ready to help your child feel at ease in a new situation. It can also help during those (inevitable) moments when your little one and her friends aren't in the mood to share or play together -- they don't have to, they can just try something new like...

•LEGO Duplo Building Sets

We are a LEGO house. There are few situations where I think LEGOs are not the best thing for kids to be doing ever (church is a non-LEGO situation and so is grandma's -- since little things drive her nuts). LEGOs can be spread out on the floor for a rainy day or taken outdoors (yes, they really can be) and turned into airplanes that chase each other around the yard. If they get dirty, throw them into a utensil or bottle basket and run them through the dishwasher.More »

•Find Simple Ways to Delight and Entertain

You can turn out the LEGO box and the many other toys you have in the house... or you can toss your little one some laundry to sort, pillows to be piled, or other everyday things around the house that are sure to amuse a little one -- who doesn't know that they are just ordinary stuff powered by your child's imagination.More »

•Throw in Some Playdough

Playdough is one of those amazing playthings that can bring silence. Your child will be hushed by the shear power of his imagination as he tries to figure out what to turn that lump of goo into. Resist the urge to step in and make something for your child as soon as he gets a little frustrated. Give the toddlers a chance to test out the dough and even throw it at each other a little as they figure out how best to use the playdough.More »

•Blow Some Bubbles

Mix up a batch of bubbles, form a wand for your toddler and his buddies. A good strong blow and some chasing around and nothing every seemed betterMore »

•Creat a Backyard Obstacle Course for Toddlers

If you're lucky enough to have a backyard, you might assume you need a swing set or play set. You don't. But you do need some interesting things in that yard to keep kids entertained. Those "things" might be a big mud pit and some sticks -- it does not have to be impressive or expensive. Taking a bunch of random play things (or everyday things) and spreading them in the yard, you can create a play space for toddlers. Ask them to race through the different play stations and you have an obstacles course. Add a timer and some prizes (here's a cookie, kid) and you have one awesome play date.More »

•Give Them a Cardboard Box

A box is anything but a box in the and of a single toddler -- give a few boxes to a couple of toddlers and you'll be amazed at the things they can do with a simple piece of garbage.More »

•Read Alouds

A good story can help your little one and her pals wind down. Sharing a story with the play mates is a good idea just before snack or lunch or as you get ready to leave (or have your friends say good bye). You might pick a new book for the first story and then go with a well known favorite that will calm and satisfy the toddlers.More »

•Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

By Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle
Eric Carle's unique collage style make this one a memorable pick for toddlers and is a good book to inspire a collage craft with toddlers. The rhythmic, repetatitve verses mean that your child is likely to have this entire book memorized within a few readings so that she can tell you the story.More »

•Guess How Much I Love You

By Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram
Some toddlers may already be acquainted with Little Nutbrown Hare from the Disney channel TV show named for the book, Guess How Much I Love You. The show is just a prelude to the sweet cuddle and kisses feeling you get from the storybook, though, which features soft nature illustrations and a theme of the unbounded love a father has for his little one.More »

•We're Going on a Bear Hunt

By Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
I love a good cuddle up together story as much as the next mom (and toddler), but if that's what you're looking for, don't pick up this book. We're Going on a Bear Hunt is a story best acted out then read seated serenely. After all, in your rocking chair, it's hard to fully imagine joining a father and his children as they brave mud, snow, high waters, and dark cave to find a real bear. Be warned: This fun read is likely to inspire many a bear hunt of your own. Have you ever gone on a bear hunt? Come along on this one with a brave young family -- four children (including the baby) and their father. They're not scared. With them you will cross a field of tall, wavy grass ("Swishy swashy!"), wade through a deep, cold river ("Splash splosh!"), struggle through swampy mud ("Squelch squerch!"), find your way through a big, dark forest ("Stumble trip!"), fight through a whirling snowstorm ("Hoooo woooo!"), and enter a narrow, gloomy cave. WHAT'S THAT? You'll soon learn just what to do to escape from a big, furry bear! With tremendous pace, humor, and verve, Michael Rosen has retold a favorite tractional story. The pictures by Helen Oxenbury, one of the most widely loved contemporary artists, are full of masterly characterizations, delightful comedy, and high drama, set in lovely sweeping landscapes. This is a book not to be missed, one to be chanted aloud and acted out, to be enjoyed over and over again. It is a picture book on the grand scale.More »