Buddy loves materials that make noise and he especially loves ripping noises. We have enjoyed hours of giggles from simply tearing a newspaper up into shreds and throwing the pieces around the living room, especially when we bury Rupert and have to find him!

Now Buddy is exceptionally mobile (I blink and he’s gone!) we also enjoy playing games that encourage him to use his gross motor skills. The added bonus is that these games tire him out and almost always guarantee a good nap time!

This was a super simple, cheap and fun activity that Buddy and I both really enjoyed.

I stuck my newspaper floor down with masking tape/painters tape. As well as taping the edges around the square, I also taped a grid throughout the newspaper floor to make it more difficult for Buddy to rip up.

Buddy enjoyed stomping and running on his newspaper floor. He giggled when the paper made scrunching noises and he investigated the noises by crawling on the paper, which resulted in lots more scrunching and giggles! Buddy decided to include his train in the fun too.

Of course the only way to really enjoy a newspaper floor is to practice ripping it up! Buddy spent lots of time pulling at each piece of paper to reveal the carpet underneath. He also enjoyed scrunching the paper and hiding it all over the living room.

This was a fun activity that encouraged Buddy to do lots of moving, not that he needs much encouragement! We did this activity just before Christmas and it was really fun to then see Buddy using his new found ripping and tearing skills with gusto on his Christmas Presents.

For more simple play ideas for toddlers, why not check out our Spider’s Web Discovery Basket or our simple Build a Snowman activity.