10 High Chair Activities To Keep Your Toddler Entertained

As a stay at home/work from home mom, I am always looking for safe ways to keep my toddler busy while I try to get some work done. One of the best ways I found to keep my super active little one safe and occupied is to use a high chair activity to keep him busy. Read on to see my 10 favorite high chair activities featuring the Abiie Beyond Junior High Chair. This high chair was gifted to me in exchange for my honest review.

10 High Chair Activities For Toddlers

1. Milk Cap Drop

This is a favorite high chair activity in our house. We collected milk caps and juice covers (and asked a few friends to save some for us as well) to make this. Then I took an old, small formula container and cut a slit in the top using a sharp kitchen knife. After cutting the plastic top, I lined the opening with tape to ensure it wasn’t sharp and my son won’t accidentally cut his finger.  

As with most of these activities, you do want to be watching to make sure they don’t put the milk caps into their mouth and risk choking. For this activity, we use 2 of each color lid so I can easily see if one went missing. I would hate for him to find one hiding later on and risk choking on it then. 

2. Pom Pom Wisk

This super simple high chair activity takes almost no setup or prep. Simply stuff as many pom-poms as you can into a kitchen whisk and hand it over. You might be surprised at how such a simple high chair activity can really keep them focused and engaged for longer than you might expect.  

3. Sticky Note Stick

Again, a zero prep high chair activity that can really bring on the giggles. It is easy for me to use old sticky notes that I am done with, or new sticky notes if needed, and just stick them all over the tray. Being the thrifty mommy that I am, I try to reuse sticky notes whenever possible. If there is some stick left, you can use the same notes day after day. 

4. Ribbon Pull

Take an old peanut butter container or anything made of plastic with a twist-on lid. Then, drill holes into the cover. My plan was to use an electric screwdriver, but the battery was dead. So I took a small hand screwdriver and a little muscle and pushed the holes through with that. Then, find some ribbon (I used various colors and lengths) to add to it. Make sure to tie both ends of the ribbon so it can not be pulled all the way out. 

This toy involves a little more parental interaction. My son’s hands are a little small to hold the jar, so he did struggle a bit. I also need to unscrew the lid to pull the ribbons back in after they are pulled out. However, the effort is so minimal, it was worth it!

5. Sensory Board

I hate to say that this high chair activity might have been more work than it was worth. However, my niece has a similar one and loves hers! So it just goes to show that each child is different.  Again, I asked for help in saving baby wipe lids. I then found various textured items around the house and super glued them to a piece of cardboard lined with scrapbook paper. You could also use wrapping paper. Anything to cover the cardboard edges to avoid a cardboard cut. I made two lids with each texture to make it like a matching game, yet that of course is a little advanced for my 11-month-old.

6. Water Painting 

This is really the cleanest way to paint with your baby or toddler! And again, it doesn’t require any prep. I gave my son a piece of construction paper taped to the table so he couldn’t throw it. I then gave him a wet paintbrush. If you have a slightly older child, I would just give them a cup of water. However, I knew my son would either drink it or throw it, so I wet his brush for him. Easy Peasy, yet lots of fun. 

7. Yogurt Painting

This form of painting is a little bit messier, but also a little more fun. I used vanilla greek yogurt and added just a drop of food coloring. When we did this, we used two colors that would mix together to make a third color. The point is not to have an art piece at the end to keep, it is more just about having fun with the process. 

We used the muffin tin to keep the colors separated before he mixed them with his hands. The muffin tin works well because it is heavy enough that it doesn’t slide around like a small bowl. My hope was that it would be slightly less messy than putting the yogurt directly on his tray, but I was wrong! When he was done, I grabbed a spoon and fed him the remaining yogurt. This is both fun and filling. Just make sure you allow yourself some time to clean up!

8. Popsicle Push/Pull

The next one again might be for slightly older children, but you can make it work for younger kids as well. I took an empty egg carton and used a marker to color the bottom ‘bumps’. Then, I used a kitchen knife to poke a slot into each of the bumps. Next, I slide a popsicle stick into the slot.

For younger kids, they can work on pulling the popsicle sticks out. For older kids, they can pull them out and work on putting them back into the correct color. Be sure to hold onto this high chair activity for future use if your child doesn’t grasp the concept right away. 

9. Pipe Cleaner Strainer

Here is another no-prep high chair activity. Poke pipe cleaners through a strainer and let your little one work to get them out. 

10. Coloring

Coloring can be fun for kids of all ages. I bought BIG crayons that are easy to hold and harder to break. I usually hand them to my son 1 or 2 at a time so as he throws them on the floor, I can continue to hand over more. It also helps to tape the paper to the table so that it stays in place as they color. 

11. Eating

Obviously eating is the main use for most high chairs, so I couldn’t leave it off of this list. If you are trying to buy yourself extra time to get something done, try giving your little one finger foods one at a time, rather than an EZPZ plate full!

Abiie Wooden High Chair

If you are looking for a great highchair to use for both mealtime and activities, check out the Abiie Beyond Junior Wooden High Chair. We have had a plastic highchair in the past and it just doesn’t compare to the Abiie chair. 

Why We Love It

• This chair is super easy to clean! No hidden areas that are hard to find and harder to reach for cleaning.
• It has a sleek design. This highchair actually looks beautiful. It isn’t a big, bulky plastic highchair like most. 
• It is available in many colors and you can easily swap out the cushion color for a different look. 

• It has a super easy to use 3 or 5 point harness that doesn’t get twisted.
• The removable tray cover is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. 
• It fits at our table so our son can join us at mealtime and be a part of the family.
• This highchair is made to grow. These chairs can be adjusted to fit a young baby to adulthood. 

Ruby Wrapp

Don’t miss the Ruby Wrapp bib! This is the perfect bib for at home or on the go. It wraps around itself to contain the mess while traveling and the pouch design catches all the mess during mealtime no matter where you are eating. It is lightweight, comfortable, 100% waterproof, and dishwasher safe. 

At first, I was a little nervous because my son usually hates bibs. Yet surprisingly, he didn’t seem to mind this one. I think that he actually likes that he can pick his fallen food out of the pouch to try again! 

So whether you are looking for a high chair for mealtime or as a safe place for your little one to play while you work, the Abiie is the perfect chair for little ones of all ages! Here are a few links to other blog posts filled with ideas to help keep your toddler busy and entertained.

Toddler Scavenger Hunt

Toddler-Friendly Pizza Recipe

Screen-Free Activities

Highlight magazine

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