Looking for some Quiet Time activities for your toddler or preschooler? You have come to the right place!
To any mama, dad, or caregiver with little ones at home, there is no sweeter word than… NAPTIME (at least in our home). A time to recharge, relax, and get (a little bit of) work done while my little ones rest is a very important part of my day.
But as my Sammy turned into a 3-year-old, his nap times started to fade. He no longer seemed tired enough to settle into a full sleep, but certainly still needed a bit of Quiet Time to recharge to make it through the rest of his busy day. So what do we do? Quiet Time activities.
There are so many wonderful ideas for Quiet Time activities. But for my little 3-year-old, I had one other requirement: they needed to keep my little one quiet and independent, of course, but they also needed to be mess-free, as he would be engaging in his Quiet Time activities independently.
Just before we get to this massive collection of mess-free Quiet Time activities, I would like to share these free printable Quiet Time playmats with you! These free little playmats are so much fun for imaginative and creative play during Quiet Time. Simply print off your favourite playmats, or print off all 10! This post shares lots of different ways to play with these printable play mats for Quiet Time.
And now, I bring to you:
54 Mess Free Quiet Time Activities for 3 Year Olds!
Now, one more thing before we begin with all of the awesome Quiet Time activities. It is important to note that it takes a bit of time and preparation to get our little ones ready to love their daily Quiet Time! I have made a video for you, sharing how I make Quiet Time work in our home with my best 5 Quiet Time tips! Here is the video for you:
Low Prep Quiet Time Activities
(Post contains affiliate links)
***Note: Some of these ideas use small parts. Please use your own judgment and knowledge of your child and supervise when necessary.***
Printable Quiet Bin Labels – Make refilling your Quiet Time boxes or bins easier than ever with these FREE printable quiet bin labels! This post shares with you ideas on what to put in each box.
Exploring Toy Cars – A screwdriver and some plastic cars can keep little ones quietly busy for hours! So much fun and learning to be had with this simple activity!
Crafts with Clothespins: A Clothespin Crown – Some pipe cleaners and some clothespins provide lots of fuel for little imaginations.
Puzzles: 10 Benefits of Puzzles – Finding puzzles that your 3-year-old can do all on their own is a fantastic Quiet Time activity. Check this link for all of the fantastic benefits of puzzles!
Make your own Sponge Blocks by Toddler Approved – So simple to make—and loads of quiet fun!
Fine Motor Building Quiet Time Activities
Magnet Play from Stickers by The Creative Homemaker – Check out this awesome idea! Did you know you could turn stickers into magnets? It is so easy, and a perfect Quiet Time activity too.
Create a Quiet Book by And Next Comes L – If you are crafty, even just a little bit crafty, this guide to making a quiet book by Dyan is fantastic! And complete with SO many ideas for pages!
Quiet Time Boxes by Wildflower Ramblings – I love the idea of putting a few different quiet activities into one box for rest time. Choices are a very good thing for my little guy!
Popsicle Stick Photo Puzzles by Mom Endeavors – The possibilities with this one are endless! Popsicle sticks are great for so many activities and crafts.
Yarn, Sandpaper, and a Cereal Box Quiet Time Activities by Modern Parents, Messy Kids – This one is so neat! We have done quite a bit of weaving, so I think my little one would be okay with this independently. And the sandpaper and yarn idea is perfect for little ones who can’t yet weave.
Imagination Building Quiet Time Activities
Quiet Time Paper City by Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails – As soon as I saw this activity, I wanted to make it with my little guy for his rest time. It is perfect for him—and super simple, so perfect for me too!
Felt Mr. Potato Head Play Mat by Lil Kid Things (link no longer available) – This one using simple felt is such a great idea!
Portable Road – No Sew! by And Next Comes L – I love the open-ended nature of this Quiet Time activity for preschoolers!
20 Quiet Time Clothespin Activities By Lalymom – My little guy loves clothespins—and these are such great Quiet Time activities!
Photo Lacing Cards by Skunkboy – This idea could be done in so many different ways. I like the idea of tracing the outside of a shape, and using photos would make this very meaningful to 3-year-olds!
Creative and Unique Ideas!
Crazy Straws Felt Threading by Powerful Mothering – These straws make great Quiet Time activities for kids. I love the idea of using felt buttons to practice threading and fine motor skills!
Four Quiet Time Activities for 2 and 3 Year Olds by My Nearest and Dearest – These ideas are fantastic! Painting the dollhouse with water is a great activity, and I know the laundry one would be a hit with my little guy too!
Even More Quiet Time Activities!
ABC Match with Stickers and a Roll by Happy Kids Ideas (link no longer available) – This activity could be done with so many concepts—or even just as an open-ended Quiet Time activity to decorate a roll with stickers!
Tracing Shapes with Pipecleaners by Sugar Aunts – This is a great way to make a tracing activity mess-free! And a link to FREE printables thanks to Teach Beside Me!
Duplo Building Inspiration by Money Saving Mom – I love the idea of this Quiet Time activity using Duplo, though it would take a bit of practice for my little guy to actually use this activity independently. I know he would be calling for some support and help, which is a great opportunity to help him learn about perseverance, trying his best, and moving on to come back to the ones that are a bigger challenge.
Velcro Dot Craft Sticks by Powerful Mothering – I just love this idea using coloured popsicle sticks and velcro dots!!!
Felt Ring Chain by Becoming Mummy (link no longer available) – My little guy loves making paper chains (and nature chains too!). He would go crazy for this Quiet Time activity using felt—and it seems nice and simple to create.
Fine Motor Weaving by Coffee Cups and Crayons – My little ones would have a lot of fun with this—and it’s a wonderful way to strengthen little fingers too!
These Quiet Time activities are practically mess-free, almost cost-free, and hopefully will free up about an hour or so of a Mama’s time! I always find it helpful to use a visual timer so my little guy knows exactly how long he is expected to quietly explore independently. If you have an Ipad there are a few neat apps with visual timers for free to download. Find more tips on making Quiet Time a success in my Quiet Time How-To Series!
I have been happily surprised by how well my little guy has gotten into the routine of Quiet Time. I offer an activity, but more often than not, he finds his own way to quietly explore the materials or anything else he has in his room. Extending that all-so-important naptime age, one Quiet Time activity at a time!
P.S. Don’t forget to download your printable Quiet Time Playmats!
What a great roundup! Just to clarify, the Popsicle Stick Puzzles (#15) are not actually from my blog. I just did a roundup of quiet time activities and included this (amazing!) idea. The credit for it should go to Mom Endeavors (http://www.momendeavors.com/2011/12/popsicle-stick-photo-puzzles.html). It is a great activity – we have used it quite a bit!
Thank you for clarifying Leanna! Will fix
What an awesome resource of ideas! Quiet time was my favorite part of the day…it gave me a chance to have one-on-one time with each of them while sib was having quiet time.
Pinned!
Thanks! This is a great resource. My daughter is about to turn 3 and has put her foot in the ground on no naps. I def need this.
Boy do I hear you Liz! I have also been sharing my weekly Quiet Boxes here, perhaps they would be helpful as well? https://www.howweelearn.com/quiet-boxes-week-2/ is my most recent, and the original: https://www.howweelearn.com/this-weeks-quiet-boxes/. Good luck with this new phase of life! And thank you for taking the time to comment.
Thanks for the ideas, we can always use fresh inspiration in our house. Even better if they are quiet and mess free!
SO glad you found them helpful Bec – and quiet and mess free is always good!
Hey there, Sarah! I’m also a teacher, turned stay-at-home mom, and though I have only one wild boy…my life is still super busy! When my little guy stopped napping, I immediately instilled a quiet time. Your ideas have helped extend the time…which gives me more time to write my books! Thank you! By the way, I shared this blog article on my Facebook author page in order to help my other writer friends with little ones! Thank you again for all the great ideas!
Hi Danae, thank you for your message! What genre of books do you write? I am so glad you find my blog helpful. Thank you very much for sharing it with others!
Such a great list- thank you!
SO glad it is helpful to you Amy!