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As for my question....
What type of activities do you do with an "almost" 2yr old? I am finding more and more that my youngest child needs something to do. She thoroughly enjoys blocks and such but I think we all know that a child at her age needs multiple things to do as the attention span doesn't stay on one thing forever (to my dismay!) so do you have any tips or ideas on what I can scrounge up around my house to interest her? Or what type of activities do you share with your little one? I would love some input. Please help me figure this out and keep her busy so I dont have to nail all my possessions down!
8 comments:
Anything new and tactile is good at that age.
- water - small containers for pouring and filling, sieves, soapy water and an egg whisk
- paint - finger painting, face painting, paint the outside of the house with water
- sandpit - this was the most used thing we ever got - spades, bucket, sandwheels and add water for even more fun and mess
- cardboard boxes - to crawl through, hide in, turn into houses or cars if big enough
- playing with Mums pots and pans - lots of noise!!!
- playdough - perhaps a bit young for commercial stuff but there are lots of recipes on the web for home-made/edible doughs that are safe.
- reading stories
- balloons and balls
- bubbles to blow
Does that help?
Good ideas from webfrau! Also, to save your sanity, get her involved NOW with helping you with your housework. There are a lot of things she can do to help you. (Not very well at this point and you may have to go back without her owing and redo some things but you will infuse into her that she has to help.) Give her a cloth to dust of the table or have her fold wash cloths. Little things. Teach her to sort the clothes. That gives her education, too. Dark clothes go in this pile,, whites in this, and anything in between goes in this pile. You will do yourself a favor and her too. She can even help you cook. Give her the salad to mix up. Put it in a big bowl so she won't spill it (very much). Let her rinse the dishes. You can find numerous small things she can do to help you.
My 2 year old just wants to get out of the house. She doesn't even really care what we do - she just wants OUT! We take her along on any errands. She loves a car ride. Also, we are trying to get her to socialize with other kids. We take her to kiddie music class. We also have a great children's library. Sometimes, just a trip to the bookstore can be great fun!
PS I really love all the helpful suggestions so far!
Water play is great, but in the winter you don't want extra wet clothes, so we swapped the water out for rice. Keep it in a big cake tin with lots of little cups/containers/funnels/spoons etc. So easy to sweep or vacumn up later.
The other thing we were lucky to have is a zoo that gives you a years family membership for the price of 2 entrance fees. It meant you could go any time and didn't have to see it all at once. We often went just to feed the giraffes and then went home.
Colouring in is great too - download heaps of pictures from the net.
great suggestions so far!! my DF's step neice loves to play with her grandma's pegs and attach them to things and to people.
great suggestions so far!! my DF's step neice loves to play with her grandma's pegs and attach them to things and to people.
I have 2 Grandsons and one is almost 3 so I KNOW what you're going through!! He has LOVED movies. Anything of his interest at that time; CARS!!!! lol; Superman; CARS!! Mickey and Minnie; CARS! his mom just got movies of his interests and he would put them in the vcr or change them to what he wanted to see based on the photo on the movie!
2: Blocks, he loves, loves his shape sorter. He would play with that forever, filling, emptying, filling again, etc.!!
3: He has always loved Matchbox cars......and anything CARS!! LOL! Small toys that he can hold in his small hands, he loves!
4: Coloring books with large pics and large crayons that he can hold and try to control. HE KNOWS that if he colors anywhere other than the book, he WILL PAY WITH HIS LIFE (so his Mom thinks!!) Gram to the rescue!! lol
I hope these help some. At this time, it's getting cool outside (or it is here - in the VA Mountains, South Western tip of VA) so there's not a lot of going outside but hopefully this "cold" now is brief and warmer days are on the way back. 65 today and 52 tonite. Oh, gotta get house plants off the front porch!! YIKES!
Hope this helps, even a little...
Hugs!
Here are some ideas:
1. Celebrate a new holiday. Announce that it's Polka-Dot Day or Purple Day
2. Throw a doll's birthday party. Wrap up a few "gifts," decorate w/balloons and streamers, and enjoy a mock or real cake
3. Open a petting zoo. Place stuffed animals around the room, pet each one, and talk about what they like to eat.
4. Camp out in your living room. Climbi into a tent and sleeping bags. Turn on a flashlight and pretend to eat s'mores.
5. Form a family band.
6. Imitate animals. Practice hopping like a frog, squirming like a worm, waddling like a duck, and stretching like a cat.
7. Play restaurant. In the real kitchen or a pretend one, alternate between being the customer and the server or chef.
8. Offer horsy rides
9. Ride the laundry-bin "school bus"
10. Finger paint with pudding. Place a dollop on a laminated place mat or a cookie sheet.
11. Knead some goop. Mix a box of cornstarch with water to a consistancy your child likes, then add food coloring.
12. Create an obstacle course. Jump on pillows, crawl under chairs, and burrow through a blanket-covered tunnel.
13. Dance on bubble wrap. Tape a piece to the floor and go wild.
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