If I may quote:
Messy play - sand, water, paint, clay, dough etc.
Pretend play - dressing up clothes, imaginary characters, play kitchen, play shops, helping mum, baby dolls
Arts and crafts - cutting, pasting, collage, painting, bubble printing, stamping, papier mache, use lots of different materials - buttons, beads, paper, fabric, you could also do sewing, knitting, french knitting, paper weaving, etc etc, just use your imagination.
Early learning - colours, numbers, shapes, letters, lots and lots of reading together, drawing, writing and recognising your own name.
Active play - dancing, singing, listen to lots of music and dance to it, nursery rhymes and songs, riding bikes and trikes, playing with balls, throwing and catching, go to the park, hopping, jumping, balancing, etc.
Other stuff - jigsaws, toys that require fine motor skills, lacing, threading, learn about animals, life cycles, keep caterpillars, go to the shops, meet other kids, building bricks, construction toys, cook together, use a computer, grow vegetables, make puppets, go to the library, play board games, go to the zoo/farm/safari park.
The above list are the types of things good nurseries do.
If you can do them at home, then I would not send your child to nursery.
Unfortunately, for one reason or another, not all mums can provide the opportunities as mentioned above. It's great for those who can, but for those who can't, nursery or childminder is the next best thing.
No nursery or childminder can 'beat' or 'better' a mum who can do the above list. A mum's one-to-one attention is certainly the best for under 3s.
My dd started nursery at 2 years old initially mornings only, now full-time from 9:00 to 15:15 Monday to Friday. I believe, on balance, I am doing the 'right' thing for me, my dd and the family as a whole.