Lollyellen
02-11-2009, 07:25 AM
Hi all,
My toddler, Charlie, is 2 years old and we do some pretty fun stuff. Just wanted to share...of course, this stuff works with the preschooler set as well, so enjoy...and if you try something, tell me how it worked out!
Scavenger Hunts
If your toddler, like mine, either refuses to ride in the stroller (unless its not an option) or takes ten years to plod 20 feet, augment your walks with this cool trick. Sit down with him/her at the table - he/she can play with markers or crayons and work "with" you. Create a list of things you are likely to see, hear, or otherwise experience in your neighborhood. Remember that pictures are better than words for non-readers. So do your best to cartoon out quick pictures of things you might pass by - descriptive is even better - "yellow flower", "pretty cloud", "barking dog", "cat hiding in the grass", a "smooshed penny on the road", "small red rock", "yucky piece of trash", etc. etc.
You can do multiple replicas of each list for lots of younguns, or up the challenge-factor and do different things for older kids. Kids of all ages, really, enjoy this so if you're stuck with no one to watch an older child and you still want to get your walk in, make a scavenger hunt and the whining not to go will possibly cease and desist!
Bring a clipboard if you have one - or not - and let your toddler bring a crayon with him/her to mark off the items on your lists. Just watch the wind, if that's a factor in your neighborhood like it always seems to be in mine. LOL.
Pet Rock art project
If you have neat rocks in your neighborhood, yard, or wherever you happen to be, go on a walk to find a good candidate for a "pet rock". Smooth, flat stones that fit nicely in the palm of a child's hand would be perfect - like, river rocks. Once you find some good ones, bring them back home and let your toddler/preschooler give it a "bath" in the sink with bubbles. Heck, you could probably get a good 15 minutes of free time to make an uninterrupted phone call or do what you want while your kiddo washes rocks in the sink, LOL!
Allow the rock to dry over lunch or naptime, and get out some washable paints, glitter paints - whatever your kiddo enjoys - and talk about what the rock kind of "resembles" (if anything). He/she can try to paint the rock to resemble what it looks like, or just decorate it however he/she sees fit! There's a book (I forget the name of it - like, "Rock Painting" or something simple like that) that has BEAUTIFUL unbelieveable pictures of rocks that the artist painted to look like animals...:tup: Maybe somebody's library has that one - its superb and would be a great read before doing this project with your kiddo.
Egg Beater Bubbles
Acquire an old fashioned eggbeater and fill up the kitchen sink (or bathtub, or kiddiepool). Squirt some bodywash or bubbles in the water and let the kids go to town with the eggbeater for lots of bubble fun!
So, what are some activities your toddler enjoys...?
My toddler, Charlie, is 2 years old and we do some pretty fun stuff. Just wanted to share...of course, this stuff works with the preschooler set as well, so enjoy...and if you try something, tell me how it worked out!
Scavenger Hunts
If your toddler, like mine, either refuses to ride in the stroller (unless its not an option) or takes ten years to plod 20 feet, augment your walks with this cool trick. Sit down with him/her at the table - he/she can play with markers or crayons and work "with" you. Create a list of things you are likely to see, hear, or otherwise experience in your neighborhood. Remember that pictures are better than words for non-readers. So do your best to cartoon out quick pictures of things you might pass by - descriptive is even better - "yellow flower", "pretty cloud", "barking dog", "cat hiding in the grass", a "smooshed penny on the road", "small red rock", "yucky piece of trash", etc. etc.
You can do multiple replicas of each list for lots of younguns, or up the challenge-factor and do different things for older kids. Kids of all ages, really, enjoy this so if you're stuck with no one to watch an older child and you still want to get your walk in, make a scavenger hunt and the whining not to go will possibly cease and desist!
Bring a clipboard if you have one - or not - and let your toddler bring a crayon with him/her to mark off the items on your lists. Just watch the wind, if that's a factor in your neighborhood like it always seems to be in mine. LOL.
Pet Rock art project
If you have neat rocks in your neighborhood, yard, or wherever you happen to be, go on a walk to find a good candidate for a "pet rock". Smooth, flat stones that fit nicely in the palm of a child's hand would be perfect - like, river rocks. Once you find some good ones, bring them back home and let your toddler/preschooler give it a "bath" in the sink with bubbles. Heck, you could probably get a good 15 minutes of free time to make an uninterrupted phone call or do what you want while your kiddo washes rocks in the sink, LOL!
Allow the rock to dry over lunch or naptime, and get out some washable paints, glitter paints - whatever your kiddo enjoys - and talk about what the rock kind of "resembles" (if anything). He/she can try to paint the rock to resemble what it looks like, or just decorate it however he/she sees fit! There's a book (I forget the name of it - like, "Rock Painting" or something simple like that) that has BEAUTIFUL unbelieveable pictures of rocks that the artist painted to look like animals...:tup: Maybe somebody's library has that one - its superb and would be a great read before doing this project with your kiddo.
Egg Beater Bubbles
Acquire an old fashioned eggbeater and fill up the kitchen sink (or bathtub, or kiddiepool). Squirt some bodywash or bubbles in the water and let the kids go to town with the eggbeater for lots of bubble fun!
So, what are some activities your toddler enjoys...?