Activity Ideas for Toddlers at Home

Before I was able to stay at home with my kids I taught preschool and one of the activities they loved was painting on the concrete with paintbrushes and water, or drawing on the concrete with ice cubes. Also a good investment is a watertable and most can be used with sand in the wintertime. I hope this helps.

Hello. Try coloring books and paints and maccaroni or confetti art,I know it's more for you to clean up but it's something different and it lets them express them selfs. Go on-line and try to look up LakeShore Learning Store(very educational).
-N. B.

homemade playdough:

3 cups flour
1 cup salt
1/3 cup oil
colored water as needed
-mix all ingredients together to desired consistancy. Store in airtight container.

Goop-equal parts cornstarch and water. This is messy but so fun. Do outside.

They can definietly help in household chores. Build forts under tables or with blankets. Water bottle bowling. Try a toy exchange with a friend. Set up a grocery store inside and let them go shopping.

We made a homemade car mat using a painters canvas tarp and fabric markers/paint. We put our house, grandparents and friends houses, local stores, restaruants and parks. My kids are 7 and 10 and they still use it.

Here's what we've done in the past:

- Bubbles
- Build an obstacle course of stuff in the house...pillows, chairs, toys...and then have them race each other.
- Fingerpainting: Crayola makes some great paints that are washable and fun...I get a giant piece of art paper and put it on the floor and let my son go at it. Make sure you have a smock or big old shirt.
- clay art...you can get cheap clay at most craft stores. Let them design animals, shapes and letters. There are some that get hard if you leave them out. Those my son gives to family.
- www.kaboose.com has great ideas and printables...free and easy
- Make a book: You just need some construction paper, crayons, hole puncher and yarn. Super fun and they can make up stories.

I know how tough it can be to come up with stuff when you're limited on budget. What I do is I keep a box of craft supplies and art stuff that I relpenish as needed, and I shop at Micheal's which has some really good prices and sales.

Good Luck!

Local library story times, crafts, play groups, all free.
Indoor mall play areas.
Parks early in the a.m.
Swim
Water cup play, bubbles, water colors, play dough, crafts, blocks, books... we don't do tv yet.

It is probably too late for this year because most of the programs have ended for the summer, but something to keep in mind and research for next year... A lot of movie theaters offer 10 am showings of kids movies over the summer. We have one local theater that is free, the other charges $1. Its air conditioned and will keep you out of the heat. I usually would not dream of taking my 2 yo to a movie, but the theater is filled with small children making noise so you don't stick out if your kids get restless or fussy. My son saw 5 movies this summer and did really well...for a 2 year old. He loved seeing all of the other kids and getting to eat popcorn.

You have recieved alot of great ideas but I don't think I read these two. I let my son and the little boy I watch play in the bath tub with their swim shorts on when it is to hot to go outside. They love it! If you don't have alot of bath toys you can give them plastic cups and bowls. The boys love pouring water from one dish to the next. Remember to throw a couple of towels down on the floor.

Also we play games with flash cards and they love puzzles. I hide flash cards around the living room while they are taking their naps then have a card hunt when they wake up. I will ask them were is the cat and they run around the living room and try to find it. I also have noticed in the past week or so that it is helping with their memory skills.

Good Luck and stay cool!

Tina

Trips to public library -- free & AC -- get different books to read to them at home; some libraries offer free educational DVDs for kids; also look for parenting books of active play for indoors. For example create an obstacle course in the house. Use laundry baskets, painters tape (make sure safe for your flooring) can use socks to make balls to through in baskets. Have them do "heavy work" -- push boxes of books on floor as a race. Keep points and at the end of the week -- prize from dollar store if you wish. Also involve your sons in the kitchen creating healthy snacks -- you can make fruits & veggies into animals etc. -- Look for kids cookbook at library too.

Hi A., I'm surprised your sons don't entertain each other, I always had craft materials available for my tots, by 2 they had their own glue,markers,pencils, crayons, even their own stapler, anything and everything they needed to creative. I had 2 small boys at a time, but they were always together entertaining each other, I never really had a problem with them getting board. I have a son named Andrew Also, he's 22, he used to love to draw when he was an tot, and by third grade he made the gate program for art. You don't always have to be the entertainer, they can entertain and amuse themselves and each other, believe it or not, your 2 1/2 year old will have fun folding clothes with you, baking, cleaning, mine used to love that it slowed me down, but it was worth it. You are the same age as my oldest son and my daughter in law, not that, that means anything just thought i'd mention it. J. L.

finger-painting with shaving cream...lots of fun!

I love Smarty Crafts. It's a craft & activity kit based on kindergarten concepts so it's fun, creative and adds educational elements into our playtime. The best part is it's sent to my home with all the craft materials and comes with 2 pages of activity ideas that also develop new skills. Each month has a different theme. My daughter has learned to cut with scissors, recognize letters & numbers and vocab. Pretty much every day she asks to do a "smarty craft." It really saves me when I'm looking for something to do...usually after dinner, in the late afternoon or I give it to my husband & daughter to do while I'm making dinner. Their website is www.smartycrafts.com. You can sign up online. It's only $20 with free shipping for subscriptions. Oh yeah, the kit also has tip cards & tells me what to expect with my 3 year old. I didn't know at 2.5 you can start introducing safety scissors.

I don't know if you have a yard or not... but get a kiddie pool... and just hang out in the yard. Kids love this.
Or, let them play in the tub! I did that with my kids.

Here is a site for getting things free:
www.freecycle.org and it helps to 'recycle' things, so it does not clutter the environment.

Or try Craig's List.

Kids also like music: put some on, play Simon Says, dance, do exercising, put colored paper on the floor and "hop" to the different colors when you call out a color to the tempo of the music, play "twister" (you can easily make your own version), play charades, play hang-man, make things with paper bags or paper plates...

Most of all, have a 'routine' of your day... that way, kids "know" what is coming up, and it helps to dispel their 'boredom' (and yours), and gets them looking forward to the next thing. AND... certainly INCORPORATE them INTO "your" routines... like picking up the laundry and 'tossing' it into the hamper, helping put away things and make a game of it.

Also, have play dates with other Moms/their kids too...

All the best,
Susan

I printed this out and put it on my fridge:
http://www.arkcity.com/pat/101things.html

Have fun!

First of all, I would REALLY try, even with the heat to get outside every morning, early before the sun is too hot. Children need fresh air, even if they sweat. Make sure you bring lots of water and even an hour helps and really gets them ready for nap time later in the day. So swimming, water balloons, even letting them run through a hose, though hot for mommy, it does numbers on calming them down the rest of the day.
I kept my preschooler busy this summer with activities from www.education.com They were wonderful! I just scrolled to the preschool section and there were lots of ideas. Good Luck!!

Hi A.,

Use your furniture. Your Kitchen table chairs in a row can be a train or a bus. Or you can put a blanket over two and make tents or forts. If you take the "train" or "bus" make sure you have a destination.

Also, you can make an obstacle course in your living room with couch pillows,extra boxes to hop around etc. When my kids were little we use to turn on their music real loud and march around through the kitchen, down the hall and back to the living room in a circle. We would change each round to something different like backwards, marching and skipping. If we got to crazy than it was time to take a break for water.

My grandma had a cute thing too. Whenever my son would visit, starting at two, the two of them would have a tea party. She had a little tea pot and cups. They filled it with whatever (apple juice, water,), had crackers or cookies and great conversation. Might be a good destination after your "train" ride. Have fun! :)

http://www.paltoys.com/home.html
these are the set of activity cards that you can get somewhere from $8-10. i have them for every age. my children are never tired of using them.
Good Luck
V.