Toddler Activities

Ms_Chocaholic

Hi

I've been asked to look after my niece each Monday while her mum works, I'm really looking forward to it but it's ages since I had my own children and I've just forgotten what activities I can do with her, she's 2½.

She obviously has books we can read together and jigsaws we can do but anything anyone can help me with would be great.

Thanks
Ms Chocaholic x

Madmel

Swimming, sessions at the local library, visiting the park, feeding the ducks, those music groups for the under 3s with lots of singing & percussion...

Seriously, giving her your attention for a day each week is the best thing you can do. Getting mummy's tea ready is exciting when you are that age, so it doesn't have to be non-stop adventure. She's a very lucky girl.

Counting_Pennies_2

Have a look around for play groups that are running in local halls, church and community ones. They often run for an hour or so, and get you out of the house on a wet and rainy day.

Play dough, tea parties with plastic pots and saucepans.

Pop to the park, go to the local cafe for a glass of milk and a biscuit and watch the buses and lorries driving past.

At the age of 2 and a half there is likely to be a day nap for a few more months. Time for you to catch your breath.

nuttybabe

Trying to think of what my kids liked (not that long ago), painting, play dough, playing house (cleaning sofa with wet wipes), teddy tea parties, board puzzles, colouring in, stories, chalk colouring outside (for the summer), dressing up. cant really think of anything else, hope that helped. x

tanith

Our library runs sessions for small kiddies not just story but playacting and games, singing...

skintchick

My DD is 18 months old, and we do:

music groups (see what's available locally or sing songs together a thome, they love ones with actions)

painting/drawing

messy play - fill bowsl with pasta shapes, or with flour, or lentils, or water, or a number of these and let them just play! Provide spoons, forks, small cups, etc., so they can really get involved.

jigsaws

'cooking' - we don;t do real cooking cos Dd gets fed up but she has cooking things of her own like bowls, spoons, other utensils, empty packets and tubs, which she loves to play with imaginatively.

treasure walks - take a walk round the block and collect terasures like stones, leaves

go to the park

feed ducks at a local river or pond

go to a cafe together for a coffee - take books and toys but basically sit and talk about what's around you like other people, cars outside the window, etc.

swimming. We go to a proper class but you can just take them to the local pool.

Read books

Play with small toys like a toy farm. We have Happyland things but charity shops often have sets of animals or cars you can use.

Water play - i often sit DD by the downstairs loo sink and let her play in the water, with the soap, the plug, etc. I stay with her obviously.

Have a bath! not just for bedtime - gets toys and bowls and bottles and have fun pouring water around.

Cleaning - DD loves to have her own cloth and help me clean things.

And there's always a day out somewhere. Round here we have the Living rainforest which is really good value. Or a soft play centre.

also, see if there's a children's centre near you as they have activities which are free, like messy play, and also find out if there are any toddler music groups or soft play you could go to.

Hope some of that helps.

Princess_Coupon

my 2.5 year old likes to paint and do craft stuff ie cut up bits of paper and glue them and glitter/sequins/beads/cotton wool onto paper with pritt basically make a sticky mess. She even carries her pritt round in her little handbag "so I can always glue Mammy"

tw1nklestar

a bucket of water and a paint brush - for outside when warmer

corn flour mixed with a little water for lots of fun messy play

junk modelling (will lower your recycling)

making pizza - on a crumpet with tomatoe puree and toppings of choice

washing up bowl with water and food colouring and smelly essence

washing up bowl with sand and spoons n pots

saucepan and wooden spoon musical instruments

children centres drop in sessions

good old walks in the park - get a strip of card and tape and collect things of interest

cuddles

dressing up/ role play

chill out time with fav tv prog

park visits



picnics

tumble tots

visits to local farms

making masks (look on a site called make learning fun)

but most of all have fun and enjoy x

Becles

Join the library for a constant supply of "new" books.

Have a look in stores like Home Bargains for cheap art supplies and craft kits. They have masses of stuff! Keep an art box and make things like birthday cards, festive pictures etc.

Have you got long hair? My daughter loves playing hairdressers. She's got a bought hairdressing kit, then I added cheap hair clips and stuff to it and she loves brushing my hair and putting all the clips in it. Just pray the doorbell doesn't ring :rotfl:

Can you bake? They all seem to love baking nice things like cakes and biscuits. The Bero website has some easy recipes on it.

Dressing up and role play - sort out old clothes or charity shop finds. Keep packets and jars to play shops, caf!'s, picnics etc.

Watch out for "how it's made" on one of the Sky channels. My daughter is addicted to that and loves watching how random things like toilet paper or wellies are made!

Keep an eye on the free paper and leaflets that come through your door. You often get ideas on places to go from them, or ask in the library.

andrealm

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

Have a look around for play groups that are running in local halls, church and community ones. They often run for an hour or so, and get you out of the house on a wet and rainy day.

Play dough, tea parties with plastic pots and saucepans.

Pop to the park, go to the local cafe for a glass of milk and a biscuit and watch the buses and lorries driving past.

At the age of 2 and a half there is likely to be a day nap for a few more months. Time for you to catch your breath.

Naps? I wish! Dd2 is 2 and a half and her napping days are a dim and distant memory. Both of mine had given up on naps by their second birthday. I must have drawn the short straw when it comes to naps.

Dd2 is obsessed by jigsaws at the moment, she also likes glueing, painting, play dough, anything messy.

LJM

i used to do lots with my 2 at this age lots of craft activities gluing sticking cutting pasting, playing with and decorating cardboard boxes a firm fav in my house lol, i have always made playdough/ salt dough and gloup for them to play with decorating biscuits and cakes, going for walks, parent toddler groups reading there is so much even shopping my girls loved picking things off the shelves for me used to spend ages in supermarket lol plus there are library groups that do story sessons