Fun with Toddlers!

[Tannis]

Awesome thread Mel!! I am SOOO guilty of having the TV on all day too! Jayden is getting really glued to it lately and even know whats coming up next on Nick Jnr! I am proud to say that yesterday the TV wasn't turned on at all!

Today we played outside on the swings (Chris finally finished putting it together, only took since xmas eve last year!), chased the dogs around the backyard, did a few wees in the dirt even did a poo! (dogs cleaned that up for me! Ewwww), I hung the washing then I took Jayden to his grandparents house (mummy left her phone there last night!) He played on the go cart and bikes there. Got home and he watched TV then I put a movie on for him (Cars again!) so I could deal with a very unsettled baby. Now both are asleep and I should be cleaning up.

[maz]

we mad ecoloured rice aswell and filled some spes bottles so they can watch the different colours. I leave some in a sqaure container so the kids can 'burry' cars in it. they love it.

Gigi - you can buy bubble swords from the regest shop that let the kids swirl around and make HUGE bubbles

Im also gonna get some cardboard, make it into cards and let the kids draw on them for chrissy cards this year

[tiggerandpooh]

great thread mel. well done. loving these ideas too. Today we have read stories, built a zoo with the duplo, played with cars, and trainsl, aston loves to help me clean (!!!) so has helped out with that. played ghosts (where we have to go under his big muslin wrap and pretend to be ghosts). I sorted out all his toys today - which he thought was delightful, as I sorted, he "played" and spread them further about. lol But he helped me move around the big tubs that I put them in. Got rid of the baby type toys while he wasn't looking...

other things we do are thread cotton reels, blocks, shape sorter, cups of tea, chasey, hide and seek, colouring in, playdough, paint with water...

Aston loves it when his big brother and sister come home from school. he will drag them around to play with him - mummy gets dissed! loves jumping on the trampoline with them, kicking the ball, racing his drive on cars around with his brother...

[tiggerandpooh]

maz how do you do the coloured rice?

[Arimeh]

Thanks guys

I'm proud to say that even though DS is standing in front of the tv at the moment , I don't think he has watched it as much today as every other day.

We had visitors this afternoon, so of course he showed off for them, and we have been out the back twice today to play with the dogs, out the front twice to play with the chalk, painting the pavers/deck with water and watering the flowers (and pavers!!)

Plus colouring in, kicking a ball around the backyard with the dogs and riding one of his many bikes!!!

So thanks guys - I'm really going to try hard to be a "good, attentive" mummy, instead of the usual slacker I have seemed to get myself into

[Madissun]

I was at work today too, so sadly the only thing we did together was bath time and jami time! Just wanted to thank you though Mel ...Awesome thread!!

I hope the mods DO turn it into a sticky!

[ShootingStar]

We have our tv on all day too.. i dont see anything wrong with it.. DS and i still to things together while its on.. he actually learnt to count backwards (and does on a regular basis now) from Nick Jr.

Today we were out though, went to the play centre.. he had a great time.

[*Belle*]

Great thread !

We too have the TV on. Julia watches Nick Jr also and has learned counting and the days of the week etc. She loves Dora/Diego and other things on there.

Our usual day is :

Julia watches TV while I feed Tara or
Pretend play with Teddy - feeding him, burping him, putting him to bed with his blanket etc
We watch 1 ep of Dora then head out in the morning to a shopping centre or play centre or just walk somewhere. When we come home we play and have lunch and then spend arvo playing at home:

We play:

Hide and Seek
Drawings & Stickers
Catch Mummy
Kicking the ball around the house
Building boat out of two chairs and play catch the ferry with tickets and passengers (soft toys)
Find the stars - we bought some hair ties with stars on them she loves them and hide them everywhere then finds them she calls them catching them like on Dora...
Dress ups
Plays with cars
She helps me get nappies for Tara when changing and puts her plate or bowls in the kitchen when finsihed them and cleans up her own mess!

[LucaJack'sMum]

Snacks,

Just did a Google search for ABC playground radoio and it is a web based kids radio! HOW FANTASTIC! we will definately be using this tomorrow!

[krysalyss]

Great thread! Love some of the ideas.

Some of the things we do with our 19 month old:

Classical radio - DS loves it! and no ads.
Make a cubby with some big cardboard boxes - make sure you cut a hole in for a door as that is the best part)
Go for a ride on the bike (we just bought a weeride!)
Midday bath with bath toys (it gets hot here)
Local water park (so cheap - only $2.50 to get in with a toddler)
Playgroup/park
Sandpit
Walk the dog
Books
Pretend play with soft toys

Really want to get into some more crafty things so this thread has inspired me to do a bit more like that. Thanks guys!

[shellbell3]

We have TV on alot of the day if we are home but alot time DD doesn't really watch just background. And like Kell said we have learnt things from it, she's just about learnt days of the week, counting, I do try interact when she does watch show, she has her few faves.

Other than that we have our set activites in the week such as an art class, gymbaroo and mums group.

Other stuff we do is walks, park, play sandpit, run around outside.

Inside we play lots of her toys, drawing, looking after the dollies, lots reading (she loves books) singing, dancing, songs with actions she loves, chasey...
I try play educational that involve things like numbers, letters, colors, shapes..

Since doing the art classes that has made me realise simple craft things to do, just using anything you find in the garden or bits scraps round the house and stick onto paper, get some glitter pens, painting is fun but can me bit messy but I just lay paper on floor and she sits at her little table with her art smock on.

I try to involve her when I can with housework but alot times its more of a hinderance!

[BekZ]

Give yourself a break you've only just had a baby!!!

Here are some of my suggestions.

On a hot day fill up a baby pool with water and balls. Let your toddler have a paddle.
Get out for a walk
Go to the local park
Put on a kids music cd and go for it
Go to a playgroup

My DD1 is a very active child and needs to get out of the house even if it is for 20 mins in the arvo.

[SossiGirl]

What a fantastic thread. I will keep checking back in as there are just so many ideas.

I will be off to the reject shop tomorrow to check out the crafts etc. love the idea of painting the concrete with water, will be doing that.

I worked today so MIL had DS.. tomorrow have playgroup but will put sunrise on till 9 then abc kids not that DS pays attention to tv it but i like to have it on. play with his cars, draw, sleep then playgroup. get home from playgroup, sleep then draw then help with dinner might go to shops later on.

[maz]

maz how do you do the coloured rice?

I got out one big bowl and 4 little ones and devided a 1kg bag or rice into the 5 containers.
I bought those food dye bottles (the little pack of 4) and squirted yelow into one container, red int eh other ect.
With a fork I mixed the colours around in the rice until the rice was all coloured and put them on a baking tray and in the oven for 5-10 mins at 150 degrees to cook the colour in.

The kids helped me colour it too...so much fun and a nice messy job without being to messy

[*Belle*]

I forgot too we do heaps of cooking! Julia loves cooking biscuits, muffins, cakes etc! and of course licking the bowls!!!

[Olive]

was wondering where this thread had gone!!

[Arimeh]

I feel proud - its 10am (here in Qld) and we've been up since 6am - no TV ALL MORNING!!! WOOOOT!!!

We have been out the front drawing with chalk, playing with cars, dancing, drawing - all whilst DH is outside doing the lawns - woohoo!!!

We found a feather outside yesterday and used it to draw on the concrete with water from the dogs bowl.. then we emptied the dogs bowl and stamped our feet in the water.

[MrsFabuloso]

YAAAY Mel, you're doing a great job!!
We still have the tv on early in the morning, it's just too early to function at 5am when I've been up 7 times in the night too!! But we have been turning it off at 9am and going from there...