Tape is a fantastic way to occupy a toddler – yes, just tape! Make the game especially fun by using lots of different varieties and vibrant colors.

To start out, I simply set up a tape station for Veronika.

Most of the rolls were masking tape (I had a full rainbow of colors), and I also had clear double-sided tape.

First I gave her two pieces of tape for her to try sticking them together.

This was intriguing, as was sticking tape to her belly!

She was in front of a wooden puzzle frame, which was a handy surface for layering down pieces of tape.

She kept quite busy sticking the tape pieces off and on for a while.

Then we moved on to a slightly more focused activity: Peeling tape. Peeling up layers of crisscrossed tape is not only a great cognitive challenge, but also excellent for strengthening finger muscles.

I laid down long strips of the colored masking tape on a wooden floor (a wooden table would work, too, if you have one large enough). Make sure there is lots of overlap and intriguing angles.

Sure enough, Veronika couldn’t wait to rip it up off the floor. When she encountered a spot where one piece of tape pinned down another, I could see her brain at work for how to get it all to lift.

She soon became adept at finding the ends that were curled up slightly in the air, and provided a handhold to start pulling.

Another success!

As she worked, I gathered up the strips until we had a big tape ball, which turned out to be fun to play with as the final variant on tape play.

All of this kept her busy almost all morning!