Free Toddler Games for Boys

Red Light, Green Light

• Red Light, Green Light is a familiar children's game that's easy to explain even to very young toddlers. You don't need to use lights. You can hold your hands up for stop and wave for go. However, the game can be even more fun if you draw your own traffic lights, one red and one green. Most toddler boys enjoy cars and trucks, so encourage the children to imagine they are cars as they play the game.

  To play, have the toddlers line up side-by-side on one end of the room. An adult should stand on the other side of the room with the red and green traffic lights. When the adult says, "Green light" and holds up the green light, then the toddlers run or walk toward her. When she says, "Red light" and holds up the red light, then the boys have to freeze. Anyone who doesn't freeze has to go back to the beginning line. The first boy to tag the adult wins the game.

Toddler Basketball

• Most toddler boys enjoy balls, even if they're too young to throw or kick them with any accuracy. You can play toddler basketball with a large, soft ball and a laundry basket. Have the toddlers take turns standing a short distance away and throwing the ball into the basket. Clap and cheer every time a boy gets the ball into the basket.

Follow the Leader

• Following the leader is an easy way to wear out active toddler boys. For younger toddlers, an adult should be the leader; older toddlers might be able to take turns being the leader. Have the children line up behind the leader. The boys should then all imitate everything the leader does. Walking, jumping, hopping, skipping, clapping and dancing are all fun activities that the toddlers can imitate.

Help with Housework

• Many parents encourage girls to help with housework more than boys, but toddler boys, like girls, enjoy doing anything that they see their parents doing--including housework. For toddlers, imitating parents is one of the most fun games imaginable. Toddler boys can help with activities like wiping the table. Give them a wash cloth and a spray bottle with vinegar and water. Some of the spray might end up on the wall or the ceiling, but he'll have fun. Toddler boys also can pick up around the house. Picking up toys is a fun game if you have a toy box or shelf where all the toys belong. Throwing soft balls or stuffed animals into a basket can make cleaning up even more fun. And a toddler who's learning colors will love sorting laundry into color-coded piles.