Surprise Challenge Jar: A Fun Printable Game to Keep Toddlers Engaged and Active at Home

Surprise Challenge Jar: A Fun Family Activity to Keep Your Toddler Engaged and Active

5/19/2025

Jar of colorful folded challenge cards for family learning games, boosting preschool engagement, SEL activities, and homeschool fun.

A Simple Family Game Idea for Kids

I have a very energetic 4-year-old! I’m always looking for new ways to keep my son engaged, learning, and most importantly—having fun! Recently, we came up with an exciting new game that our whole family got involved in: The Surprise Challenge Jar.

Colorful challenge cards from activity jar prompt, science, art tasks--perfect for homeschool SEL engagement and early learning fun.

How to Set Up a Challenge Jar

It’s a super simple setup, but the joy it brought to our home was priceless. We printed out a list of fun little challenges on different sheets of color paper. Some of the challenges included "jump up and down five times" or "find something that’s blue". I cut each challenge into colorful strips of paper, folded them up, and put them into a jar (but if you don’t have a jar, a bowl or basket works just as well).

When we started the game, my son loved picking out the surprise challenges one by one. Each time he pulled out a folded paper and we read the challenge, he’d eagerly jump into action! Whether he was making animal sounds, tiptoeing across the room, or counting objects, he had a blast—and we all did too.

Child stacks linking cubes from challenge jar card

Family Bonding Through Play

We celebrated each challenge with hand clapping and cheers, and at the end of the game, he got to choose a sticker as a reward. Watching him light up with excitement after every challenge made the experience unforgettable.

What made it even more special was the fact that we did this as a family. My husband, who actually came up with the idea, and I were fully present in the moment, just enjoying the fun. Sometimes, being in the moment and sharing the joy with your child is all that matters.

Rhyming challenge card by kids’ bookshelf prompts phonics practice--fun literacy activity for preschool centers, homeschool learning, SEL engagemen

Try This Game with Your Kids!

If you want to try this game at home, I’m sharing a free PDF printout of the challenges we used so you can easily print them out and start your own Surprise Challenge Jar! All you need is a jar, bowl, or basket, and you’re ready for some family fun.

This game is perfect for keeping your toddler active, engaged, and entertained—plus, it’s a wonderful way to bond together as a family. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Download this printable and try it out with your little ones! Let me know how it goes in the comments. 😊

graphic promoting free “Challenge Jar Cards” printable--fun homeschool activity

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What fun challenges would you add to the list?

What’s your favorite way to bring the family together for some fun?

Have you ever seen your child light up with excitement over a simple activity?

What small moments of joy with your kids make all the chaos worth it?

How do you create screen-free bonding time with your little ones?

What’s a game or activity your family loves that always brings out the giggles?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Your feedback and personal experiences are always appreciated.