Is there a Busy Toddler app?

Busy Toddler is a popular blog and Instagram account run by former teacher Susie Allison, known for simple, hands-on activity ideas for young children. As of 2026, Busy Toddler operates as a website and social media presence — there is no standalone Busy Toddler app you can download. The site has a massive archive of activities organized by type and age range, and the Instagram account shares ideas daily. If you love that style of content but wish it came in app form — personalized to your child's exact age, delivered to your phone each morning with no scrolling required — that's what Tovi was built for. Tovi delivers 2 research-backed, age-matched activities every morning using only household items. Each activity includes step-by-step instructions, the specific materials you need from around your house, a note on what developmental skill your child is building, and a parent coaching prompt so you know what to say during the activity. It's built on the same principle that makes Busy Toddler so popular: real play, real stuff, no special purchases needed. The difference is the format — instead of browsing a blog with hundreds of posts, you get two curated picks that match where your child is right now.

What is the best app for toddler activities?

The best toddler activity app depends on what kind of experience you want. Most toddler apps fall into two categories: apps where your child interacts with a screen, and apps where you get activity ideas to do together in the real world. For screen-based learning, Khan Academy Kids and Kinedu offer games and videos designed for young children. These can be useful in specific moments, but research from JAMA Pediatrics shows that children under 3 learn far more effectively through hands-on play with a caregiver than through screen-based interaction. For real-world activity ideas, Tovi is built specifically for parents of 2-to-5-year-olds. It sends 2 age-matched activities to your phone every morning — each one uses only things you already have at home, takes 5 to 15 minutes, and includes step-by-step instructions plus a parent coaching prompt. The app adjusts to your child's exact age in months, so a 26-month-old and a 38-month-old get different activities matched to where they are developmentally. Other apps in this space include Lovevery (which pairs content with paid subscription toy kits) and Twinkl (which focuses on printable worksheets for teachers). Tovi is free for up to 2 children and requires no purchases, subscriptions to physical products, or printing.

Yes, Tovi is free for up to 2 children. You get 2 daily activity suggestions matched to each child's exact age in months, with step-by-step instructions and developmental context for every activity. There are no hidden costs tied to the activities themselves — every single one uses only household items like wooden spoons, cups, tape, socks, and things from your kitchen drawer. There is nothing extra to buy. The app is designed for parents and caregivers of children ages 2 to 5 and delivers Montessori-inspired, research-backed play ideas straight to your phone each morning. Each activity tells you what to grab, what to do, what your child is building, and what to say while they play. You can add your child's age and the app adjusts automatically as they grow, so the activities evolve with them. Tovi was built on the idea that the best learning happens through real play with real objects and a present caregiver — not through a screen, not through expensive toy kits, and not through a 47-step Pinterest craft. If you have been scrolling activity blogs looking for ideas and wish someone would just tell you what to do this morning, that is exactly what Tovi does.

Busy Toddler? There's an App for That

You've been here before. It's Sunday night, the week stretching out ahead of you like a long hallway with no doors. You open Pinterest. You search "toddler activities." You get 4,000 results. You save 15 of them. You close the app. By Tuesday morning, you've done zero of them.

You're not lazy. You're overwhelmed by choice.

The activity blog revolution

Something shifted in parenting over the last few years. A handful of creators — Busy Toddler, Happy Toddler Playtime, Days with Grey — figured out what parents actually needed: simple activities using stuff from around the house, explained in plain language, with photos showing real messes on real kitchen floors.

Busy Toddler, started by former teacher Susie Allison, became one of the most trusted names in this space. Her approach is refreshingly practical: grab a roll of tape and a marker, and you've got an activity. No special materials. No elaborate setup. Her blog and Instagram have helped millions of parents fill those long morning stretches between breakfast and lunch.

These creators solved a real problem. Before them, "toddler activities" meant either expensive subscription boxes or 47-step Pinterest crafts that looked nothing like the photo.

Where the blog model hits a wall

But here's the thing about activity blogs — even the great ones. They give you everything, and that's both the gift and the problem.

You still have to scroll. Busy Toddler has hundreds of activity posts. Which one is right for your 2.5-year-old? The one labeled "toddler" could mean anything from 18 months to 4 years.

You still have to choose. Decision fatigue is real, and it hits hardest at 7:45 AM when your child is asking "what are we doing today?" for the third time. Having 500 options doesn't help when you need one good idea right now.

There's no age matching. A sorting activity that's perfect for a 2-year-old is boring for a 4-year-old. A science experiment built for a 4-year-old is frustrating for a 2-year-old. Blogs organize by theme — by sensory play or by season — but rarely by the specific developmental stage your child is in this week.

There's no memory. The blog doesn't know you did the rice pouring station yesterday. It doesn't know your child has been obsessed with sorting for two weeks. It suggests the same list to everyone.

This isn't a criticism of the blogs. They're doing exactly what blogs do. But there's a gap between "here are 200 great ideas" and "here's what to do with your child this morning."

What an app can do differently

That gap is what Tovi was built to fill.

Instead of giving you everything and hoping you find the right thing, Tovi gives you 2 activities every morning — matched to your child's exact age in months, using only things you already have at home.

Here's what changes when the format shifts from blog to app:

Age-matched, not age-guessed. A 26-month-old and a 34-month-old are in completely different developmental places. Tovi knows the difference and adjusts accordingly — the activities for a younger toddler look different from the ones for an older child approaching preschool.

Two picks, not two hundred. You don't need more options. You need fewer, better options. Research shows that when people face too many choices, they often choose nothing at all. Two curated activities removes the decision fatigue.

Every activity has "what to say." This is the part most blogs skip. Knowing what to do is half the equation. Knowing what to say while your child does it — that's where the learning actually happens. "I notice you stacked four blocks before it fell" teaches more than "good job" ever will.

Only household items. No affiliate links to products. No "you'll need this special sensory bin kit." A wooden spoon, a muffin tin, three socks, and a roll of tape will get you through most of the week.

Not a replacement — an evolution

If you already follow Busy Toddler, Happy Toddler Playtime, or Days with Grey, keep following them. They're excellent. Their Instagram posts will still spark ideas. Their blog archives are still gold mines for rainy day desperation scrolling.

Tovi doesn't replace that. It sits alongside it — the way a recipe app sits alongside your favorite food blog. You might browse the blog for inspiration on a weekend, but on a Tuesday morning, you want something to just tell you what to cook.

Same idea. Tovi is for the 7:45 AM moment. The "what do I do with this child right now" moment. Two activities, matched to their age, explained step by step, using your kitchen drawer.

The blogs gave parents the ideas. The app gives parents the plan.

What a morning with Tovi looks like

Your phone buzzes at 7:30 AM. Today's two activities:

For your 3-year-old: Pasta pattern necklace — thread penne onto yarn in a red-blue-red-blue pattern. Builds fine motor skills and pattern recognition. Takes 10 minutes. You need: penne pasta, yarn, and two colors of marker (optional).

For later: Kitchen band — pots, wooden spoons, an empty container with rice inside. March around the house. Builds rhythm, auditory skills, and gross motor coordination. Takes 10 minutes. You need: things that make noise.

Each activity tells you what to grab, what to do, what your child is building, and what to say while they do it. No scrolling. No choosing. No guilt.

If you're already a fan of the activity blog world and want to explore more hands-on ideas, our 50 screen-free activities guide is a good place to start. For the Montessori approach to daily activities, check out why only 2 activities a day — the science behind doing less, better. And browse activities by age and skill on our activities for 3 year olds or activities for 4 year olds pages.

Want 2 activities like these matched to your child's exact age, every morning? Try Tovi — it's free for 2 kids →