Let Me in on Some of Your Tips and Tricks : )

My kiddos love going to the zoo. I buy a yearly membership so we can go as often as we would like. The other things we do are the children's museum, movies(age permitted), town fairs, and they love going to the different parks..not just the kind you play at but the state parks we have. Go for a walk in the woods on a trial. They love all of those. And some days they even just say mom can we rent a movie and do nothing. I love those days! Lol

Sounds like you are up for some fun...

Things I have loved doing with my son:
Hikes through parks, arboretums, forest. Take a special fun snack, a picnic lunch, some warm herbal tea with honey, and a small blanket. Bring bubbles. Sing songs.

Drawing in nature. A trip to the park can be extended by collecting a bunch of leaves and tracing/drawing them, or any other thing you find enjoyable. Kids get to see the shapes of the plants when we trace around them.

Or, make a little 'adventure bag' for them, which fits onto their bodies comfortably. They can put a little trail mix, some toy binoculars (or you can make some from toilet paper tubes), a few tissues and bandaids... and then put their little treasures (pinecones, rocks, acorns) into the bag as they find them.

Go to a beach, or the sandy shore of a river. Play, throw rocks, throw leaves in the water and watch them float away. Collect rocks of a color.

Make a fun 'list' of things to do or find in your neighborhood. I like to do this when kids are reluctant to go for a walk. Draw picture of each item they're likely to find during their walk (squirrels, a jay or crow, a cat, a bike.... or your neighborhood 'kid' landmarks like a mailbox or funny yard decorations), then let the kids bring a crayon and cross the items off as they are found. Or bring sidewalk chalk and mark a 'trail' of X's (or the first letter of their names, my preschoolers LOVED that one) to your destination and look for them on the way back.

Buy postcards together at a store or cafe, write them to grandparents or other persons beloved by your son, and then take him to the post office to buy stamps to send it. (or use your own stamps and go to a big mailbox and let him put them in.)

Tour the fountains or public art in your city. Most cities will have a website which lists good walking tours; google your town and 'fountains tour' and you can usually come across some good information. I used it to see when the fountains were on during the season as well. It's pretty disappointing to get there and see nothing b/c the water is turned off. (Learn from my mistake!)

Play together with a big box. We've turned boxes into log cabins, spaceships, a cave, and my son has had a big box in his room for the past month. It has a skylight door and a side door. He likes to do his homework in it with a flashlight. Do not underestimate the potential of a box!

Make a fort. Go some place in nature where it's okay to do a little moving of branches and just build together. It's fun. Or build one with blankets and pillows under a table, between chairs, behind the couch...

Now, something I want to say: remember that these memories, from this age, are going to be mostly for you. So, don't sweat the small stuff, just have fun, and take pictures if you like what's going on. Kids don't need things to be all-out exciting or perfect-- they have the best fun when WE are having fun with them. :)

1. We have a free farm near us that is GREAT for my 3 yo son. He loves going. Boring for older kids, not too many animals.
2. We are members of the childrens museum, we go all the time. He loves it.
3. We do storytime at Barnes and Nobles.
4. We go to the zoo, we get a membership that includes the Bronx Zoo which is a little further (an hour) and a bit bigger and we sometimes go to the Queens Zoo and it also includes the NY aquarium.
5. In the summer we go to the town pool and the beach and the sprinkler park.
6. We go to bouncy places sometimes.
7. Sometimes chuck E cheese.
8. In good weather, we have several playgrounds - this is always a hit. Some closer that we walk too and they are small but still fun, some bigger ones that are a 10 min drive.
9. bowling is ok. Boring for me...
10. A movie
11. We have a small amusement park nearby. Not my fave but he loves it.
12. We go to the library.
13. We take nature walks.
14. Going out with his scooter or big wheel.
15. Taking him for a bike ride, in the seat on my bike.
16. Having a picnic
17. Feeding ducks in a pond.

There is a big mix of cheap and pricey choices, good and bad weather choices. Good luck, have fun!!

During the summer when our son was 3 we did something almost every weekend.
There were county fairs and firehouse open houses to go to.
One firehouse did a pancake breakfast every Sunday morning.
We also had a few small local zoos / farm parks to go to (feed and pet the goats in the petting zoo, etc).
We also did various playgrounds (we had 3 or 4 in the area we were living in) and we had a great walking trail next to a golf course (we brought the wagon along for when he got tired) and we had fun finding golf balls that got lost in the woods.
On rainy days we'd try to do an indoor playground either at the mall or at Chuck E Cheese.
Sometimes we'd just stay home and build pillow forts with the couch cushions or make a fort from a big cardboard box..

Build something together.
Make a fort out of blankets and play in it.
Have a tea party with his stuffed animals
Have him bake with you (help pour and mix)
Go feed the ducks (if you have a duck pond nearby)
Have him help you plant the garden and create his own little garden
Go on a bike ride together (if he has a bike seat)
Go to a coffee shop and get a hot cocoa
Go to a kids movie together
Go to a museum together
Put on boots and find a stream or puddles to splash in.
Weekends you can always find family activities to do...science festivals, children's museums, mini golf, swimming. Have fun with your little guy! My son is 10 and we love going out together for a mom/son date!

You do not have to be running every weekend to make memories! It is the little things, baking, sitting cuddling, maybe just sitting in a park playing ball. Do not feel that you have to be doing something big to make those memories.

Dear Michael's Mommy -

You've gotten some great selections. Let me just offer, that sometimes kids don't really need all that much. For instance, I like to take my kid places, but I recognize that really, it is more about me than it is about him at this age. I took him to the Museum of Natural history. The hightlight of the day for him? hopping on the stickers the museum had put down on the floor to show the way to the cafe. Also, he quite liked the purple elevator (near the marine mamals), and spinning in circles with another kid near the t-rex.

As he gets older, his patience and attention is expanding, and he is begining to take some interest in the acquarium, the museum, the nature walks etc.

So do what you think is enjoyable for you, tolerable/ accessible to him and have fun.

Best,
F. B.

Im quickly responding to this question as I attempt to keep my 2 busy bodies entertained lol. But I find when I just ask my 4 yr old what she wants to do she always has a great time. Mine are 2 and 4 and she loves to pick out the activities we do either as a family or when my youngest takes a nap
Good luck and have fun!

well, the library in my area has many activities for all age groups. reading time or movies for the younger crowd. make it and take its and most are free. visit the zoo. our children's zoo is free if you get there before a certain time. we have a ceramic shop where you paint it and they have done everything else. Handprint plates are great from there. try a different park every week and see what one is the best. do breakfast together. look online for things in your area. Michaels Craft stores offered some kid classes in crafts and JoAnnes might also. festivals, even garage sales can be fun. my kids would get $2 and we would go to garage sales. They learned about money and being thrifty. they learned not to buy junk and that $2 was all they would get.

Make muffins, paint, build a city. Put out a fire. Play hide and sneek.