BusyBeesHow to keep a toddler busy while you cook
Six BusyBees games say in their own description that they work while you cook: Sock Pairs, Teddy Clinic and Torn Paper Animals from age 3, Guess My Animal and One Sentence Story from age 5, and Toy Museum from age 6. Two of them need nothing but your voices.
- 6 games
- Starting ages 3 to 6
- 10 to 30 minutes each
- 3 written out in full
Pick one for right now
| Game | From age | Minutes | You need |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sock Pairs | 3 | 10 | A pile of clean socks |
 Teddy Clinic | 3 | 15 | Soft toys, Flannels or clean socks for bandages, Paper and a crayon |
 Torn Paper Animals | 3 | 15 | Scrap paper or old envelopes, Tape, Crayons |
 Guess My Animal | 5 | 10 | Nothing at all |
 One Sentence Story | 5 | 10 | Nothing at all |
 Toy Museum | 6 | 30 | Toys and treasures, Paper, Crayons or pencils |
The 6 games
Game 1 of 6
Sock Pairs
Tip out the clean socks and hunt for the pairs. A real job that feels like a game, and it works at the table while you cook or tidy nearby.
- From age 3
- 10 min
- Indoors
- Thinking
- No prep
You need
- A pile of clean socks
Keep an eye on
Play sitting down at the table or on the carpet, so nobody slides about on a smooth floor in socks.
With you
Stay in the room while they play.
Game 2 of 6
Teddy Clinic
The soft toys are feeling poorly and your child is the vet. A quiet game that can run beside you while you cook or get on with something.
- From age 3
- 15 min
- Indoors
- Pretend
- No prep
You need
- Soft toys
- Flannels or clean socks for bandages
- Paper and a crayon
Keep an eye on
Bandages are flannels or socks, tucked in and not tied, and only for the toys: on a paw or a tummy, never round a neck.
With you
Stay in the room while they play.
Game 3 of 6
Torn Paper Animals
No scissors needed. Tear paper into shapes, tape them down and turn them into animals. Easy to set up at the table while you cook nearby.
- From age 3
- 15 min
- Indoors
- Creative
- No prep
You need
- Scrap paper or old envelopes
- Tape
- Crayons
Keep an eye on
A grown-up keeps the roll of tape and hands out short bits, and the paper scraps go in the bin at the end.
With you
Stay in the room while they play. Step 3 is a grown-up's job.
The steps for Torn Paper Animals, with a picture for each, are in the BusyBees app.
Game 4 of 6
Guess My Animal
One of you thinks of an animal and the other asks yes or no questions. It needs nothing but voices, so you can play while you cook or tidy.
- From age 5
- 10 min
- Indoors
- Thinking
- No prep
You need
- Nothing at all
Keep an eye on
Play it sitting down, and keep it kind: nobody is teased for a wrong guess.
With you
Stay in the room while they play.
Game 5 of 6
One Sentence Story
Build a story together, one sentence each. Nobody knows where it will end up. It needs only voices, so it fits round cooking or the washing-up.
- From age 5
- 10 min
- Indoors
- Calm
- No prep
You need
- Nothing at all
Keep an eye on
Keep the story friendly. If it turns scary for anyone, make the next sentence a funny one.
With you
Stay in the room while they play.
The steps for One Sentence Story, with a picture for each, are in the BusyBees app.
Game 6 of 6
Toy Museum
Your child chooses the exhibits, makes the labels and gives you the guided tour. Most of the setting up happens without you, so it suits a busy half hour while you cook.
- From age 6
- 30 min
- Indoors
- Pretend
- No prep
You need
- Toys and treasures
- Paper
- Crayons or pencils
Keep an eye on
Exhibits come from the child's own shelves and toy boxes: nothing fetched from up high, and nothing breakable.
With you
They can play alone for a few minutes.
The steps for Toy Museum, with a picture for each, are in the BusyBees app.
Questions parents ask
How do I keep a toddler entertained while cooking?
Pick a game that happens beside you, not in another room. From age 3 that is Sock Pairs, Teddy Clinic or Torn Paper Animals. From age 5, Guess My Animal and One Sentence Story need only voices, so you can play with your hands busy. For all five the app says the same thing: stay in the room while they play.
What can a 3 year old do by themselves for fifteen minutes?
At 3, think "with you in the room", not "by themselves". Sock Pairs takes about 10 minutes. Teddy Clinic and Torn Paper Animals take about 15. In Torn Paper Animals one step is yours: a grown-up tears off the tape. The first game here that the app marks as one a child can play alone for a few minutes is Toy Museum, from age 6.
Where should they sit?
The games answer this themselves. Sock Pairs is played "sitting down at the table or on the carpet". Torn Paper Animals is "easy to set up at the table while you cook nearby". Guess My Animal is played sitting down. Teddy Clinic "can run beside you while you cook", in the game's own words.
What about a 1 or 2 year old?
Every BusyBees game that starts at age 1 or 2 is marked "Play together the whole time", so none of them is offered here as a game for while you cook. What can work is one short game together before you start. Fill and Tip and Bowls and Spoons Band take about five minutes each.
What this guide does not do
Every game on this page is played with you in the room. The youngest three start at age 3, so there is nothing here for a 1 or 2 year old to play while you cook.
A grown-up is always responsible for safety and supervises play. The age on each game is where it starts in the app, and a game marked for age 3 is never offered for a 2 year old.