Cheap/free things to do with a 3 year old

junior_j

Didn't have time to read all the above posts but as a nursery nurse mainly working with 3-5 year olds these are the things we do with the kids.

- Put masking tape around their wrists backwards so its sticky side up , go outside with them and ask them to find twigs/leafs/flowers/grass and stick them on and they can make their own little nature braclet whilst doing this ask him about the colour/what does it feel like/is it cold or wet?/ does it smell nice? ect. This will help in engage in conversation and its always good to answer a question with a question.

-If you have a brickwall/fence in your back garden fill up a cup with water and give him a paint brush , the water on bricks/fence will make it look like he is actually painting.

- dried pasta and ribbon to make pasta necklaces.

-If you have painting equipement/felt tips/crayons then do a crafty activity! This will help him learn to sit still and concentrate again speak to him as much as you can , what colour will you use next? Kids love praise so give him lots.

-conflour/water to make gloop use food colouring too its very messy but a good activity!

-Bark/coin rubbings , just need paper and a crayon.

- give him a upside down pan and wooden spoon , get him to bang along to a nursery rhyme , you say he is sensitive to loud noises so this could help him feel more confident maybe? Your 1 year old will enjoy it!

-home made pin the tail on the donkey?

Theres a few ideas. How about you check if your local libary has a rhyme time or story time , this would help him socalise and when the activity starts everyone will be sat down and it will be quite calm , then you can move on to free play groups maybe?

Try going around the house on your knees to see what your child sees. This will help give you more ideas! Trust me we all do it at work lol.

Have you tried doing a sticker reward system if he has a good day at preschool he gets a sticker , or just going without a tantrum he gets a sticker? Some kids it will work for others it wont its good your getting him assessed and I agree if you think this is becoming very distressing for him ,its best to avoid it and try the groups and getting into contact with a surestart centre for more advice. Sorry for waffling , hope some of my ideas can be of use to u hun x

Dark_Star

I totally agree with the storytime & rhyme time sessions at libraries.

They are generally half an hour & keep children entertained & they learn to sit quietly (unless singing!).:D

A friend just took her 3 yr old & couldn't believe she'd not done it earlier as the child loved it. It just hadn't occurred to her to go...

If you can get to several libraries then you may be able to get to several sessions a week & they're all free.

Playgroups - maybe keep trying until you find a small group?

Another friend's 3 yr old didn't like one (in a hall) as it was too noisy/busy etc but a different one in a church (actually in the church itself) was liked as children sat round a table & did playdoh, there was singing & some room to play with toys but not enough to run riot. At just a couple of hours they were easier to manage as well.

Walks in woods (if any nearby) & collect fircones (large enough to be interesting & not eaten). Place near a heat source (fire/radiator/heated floor etc) & watch them open overnight. Paint them for christmas, count with them, feel textures of open/closed ones...

The Toddlers Busy Book by Trish Kuffner is good for 1.5 to 3 yr olds. Lots of activities with household stuff & grouped into seasonal/outdoors/rainy etc. On amazon but sadly about £6 hopefully you could order from the library...

Trips on a bus/train (children are free) anywhere local, take a picnic...transport fascinates children (they'll learn differently once they become commuters!)

Does your local fire station do open days? They usually show off the vehicles & let children do stuff. (Not with fire!):eek:

Hope that gives you some ideas...

daska

It can be very difficult if you have a child with sensory problems. We didn't dare take DS2 to a music group, it would result in him going into total meltdown - though it's not the music itself it's discordance which is the problem, he's ok when people sing 'in tune' and there isn't a heavy beat, rap is a nightmare trigger. He becomes violent and erratic when distressed and he'd been expelled from 3 nurseries before he started school - but he is officially "not a naughty child" according to his teachers and the EP. Though it's interesting that he is seldom violent at home now but they have several 'incidents' every week at school, but then we are very sensitive to the various triggers that set him off and aim to prevent him becoming distressed rather than fire-fight when it happens.

Is it just loud noises or does he react badly to crowded/small places, bright lights etc? Does he like swings and/or roundabouts? Sometimes, if there's a sensory problem in one area you can calm it down by stimulating another. There's a little film HERE (aimed at kids but gives a good overview)

carerof3

My sons wear Ear Defenders in noisy situations. Granted they didn't at 3, but that was because I didn't know about them then. When we started the youngest was about 9yrs I think, however I see you can get ones for young children e.g. http://www.tools4trade.com/d-10439013-Silverline-315357-Childrens-Ear-Defenders-Up-to-age-7.aspx For older children, The Range have some for about £2, if I remember rightly.

Ear plugs are also good, but at 3 he would probably eat them! When the noise level is reduced, the behaviours improve enormously.

skintmum2012

Thank you so so much everyone for all your advise I can't tell you how helpfull it's been.
DASKA: Thank you so much for that link my cusion who is a SALT said she thought tom has sensory problems. I never really understood what she was saying that video has made so much sense. I had alreay worked out something was not quite right but then she said she was very worried and I needed to get some help for him. She also taught me the deep pressure thing which really helps.

Dark Star: Thank you for the link to that book I have brought it off E bay for £3.30p

KingfisherBlue: Thank you so much I have taken so many ideas from you that I cant wait to try with Tom.

stiltwalker: Not going to lie reading your post and thinking about tom as Disabled made me want to cry but guess it's something I am going to have to get my head around. I have looked at our coucil site though and found a number I am going to ring to I hope find some playgroups I may be able to take Tom to. Thank you ever so much.

There is SOO much advise on Here I am so looking forward to trying with Tom and Heather. Tom gets very upset when I take him to the music time things I have tried a few times and he just can't cope with the noise. He loves Play dough he was Smeering his poo (sorry tmi) and playing with play dough has seemed to stop that. He dose not like feeling closed in so if a room becomes busy with people even if it's just family he has a melt down. He could not cope with X mass dinner we had to leave the room. When we are out and about he will lay on the floor and refuse to move he runs off if we give him even half a second has no fear and will run into the road. That as well as the fact if I take him to play groups he cant cope with the children or the noise makes it so I can't really take him anywhere. But he seems to have no idea when he dose wrong and it does not matter what we do we can't seem to get it through to him something is wrong.
Today I was cooking pancakes and the fire alarm went that was it he started hitting me with the broom and then he ran round the room crying and flapping. He is SUCH a lovley little boy and I promise I am not just saying that because I am his mum. But I don't know how to help him and I feel so so sorry for him.
Sorry for the rant it's been a long hard day.

stiltwalker

skintmum - I should have shares in kleenex! Additional needs is a good catch-all phrase to use in your head and to anyone else. Hugs

skintmum2012

I think I should take up shares as well. Well that and hair dye for all the Grey I seem to be getting.

daska

skintmum2012 wrote: »

Thank you so so much everyone for all your advise I can't tell you how helpfull it's been.
DASKA: Thank you so much for that link my cusion who is a SALT said she thought tom has sensory problems. I never really understood what she was saying that video has made so much sense. I had alreay worked out something was not quite right but then she said she was very worried and I needed to get some help for him. She also taught me the deep pressure thing which really helps.

Dark Star: Thank you for the link to that book I have brought it off E bay for £3.30p

KingfisherBlue: Thank you so much I have taken so many ideas from you that I cant wait to try with Tom.

stiltwalker: Not going to lie reading your post and thinking about tom as Disabled made me want to cry but guess it's something I am going to have to get my head around. I have looked at our coucil site though and found a number I am going to ring to I hope find some playgroups I may be able to take Tom to. Thank you ever so much.

There is SOO much advise on Here I am so looking forward to trying with Tom and Heather. Tom gets very upset when I take him to the music time things I have tried a few times and he just can't cope with the noise. He loves Play dough he was Smeering his poo (sorry tmi) and playing with play dough has seemed to stop that. He dose not like feeling closed in so if a room becomes busy with people even if it's just family he has a melt down. He could not cope with X mass dinner we had to leave the room. When we are out and about he will lay on the floor and refuse to move he runs off if we give him even half a second has no fear and will run into the road. That as well as the fact if I take him to play groups he cant cope with the children or the noise makes it so I can't really take him anywhere. But he seems to have no idea when he dose wrong and it does not matter what we do we can't seem to get it through to him something is wrong.
Today I was cooking pancakes and the fire alarm went that was it he started hitting me with the broom and then he ran round the room crying and flapping. He is SUCH a lovley little boy and I promise I am not just saying that because I am his mum. But I don't know how to help him and I feel so so sorry for him.
Sorry for the rant it's been a long hard day.

That doesn't sound like a rant to me, that sounds like where I was 9 months ago. DS2 is lovely, he's so affectionate and happy and loving and polite but when he flipped and we could tell he was so distressed but we didn't have a clue what it was.

What does he choose to do? Does he like swings and/or roundabouts and/or trampolines. Does he climb or jump? Does he avoid these things. I know that they might seem like daft questions but if this is a sensory problem then it is relevant because the activities he chooses will be those that try to satisfy his sensory needs while the activities he avoids or reacts to will be those that cause discomfort. So if he loves to climb and jump encourage him to do wheelbarrows, pretend to be big heavy dinosaurs or flappy birds, if he likes bouncing get him a trampette (try freecycle/freegle) and a crashmat (an old mattress will do). If he likes to swing find a way to do that. DS2 is unusual in that he likes to spin, ikea do a wonderful egg chair that lets him do that.

You mention he likes playdough, is he good with his hands or is he a bit uncoordinated? He might enjoy 'theraputty' - you can put small things in it such as buttons and marbles for him to find and remove. The softest (yellow) is quite a lot stiffer than playdough so it provides plenty of sensory feedback which can help improve his fine motor skills.

And what is the hospital appt you're waiting for?

It's probably also worth pointing out that you can apply for a statutory assessment before he goes to school - ring your local Family Information Service or ParentPartnership for more advice on how to access the support he needs, you shouldn't be pulling him out of pre-school if the only reason is that he isn't getting the support he needs. If he's at a private pre-school and you don't get anywhere then consider moving him to a nursery at a state school as the teachers will have greater clout at getting support.

One last thing for tonight... I need to sleep LOL. If it is sensory problems then it's highly unlikely that a sticker chart will have much impact on the behaviour until you start to get the sensory input under control. Let him show you what he needs.

gibson123

Skintmum

I would highly recommend that for at least a few hours every week he does an activity that does not require you to supervise him, you need your sanity as well.

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Swimming
Go to whatever adventure playground you have near and let him explore