Fun with Toddlers!

[LuluHB]

We have the tv on here in the mornings too but once Play School is finished its turned off.

We don't do planned activities as such - except going to the park - but just do whatever DD#1 wants to do. She has a basket of toys and other stuff left around the family room so we'll play with blocks, read books, play with Night Garden stuff (yep, she's got just about everything there is thanks to her Grandma). Playing chasey is also a hugely fun game - I carry DD#2 and we chase DD#1. We also spend a lot of time outside in the garden when its a nice day. She also plays really well on her own and is starting to do a lot of the stuff Sangie was saying - feeding bears/dolls and tucking them in.

Just wait for another couple of months though - if your kids are anything like mine they'll start playing together and you'll struggle to get into the game sometimes!!

[Lulu]

How come you're allowed to sing Snacks?! I get thuddup mummy.....

Big chalk is good to, for drawing outside.

[Ozziehoffy]

Mel, you're a good mummy!!!

Ok...today, we've read books whilst eating brekky...ahhhhh try to get him to sit still...lol.
Played row row row your boat
Mummy does silly dances
Walked around the garden
Rebuilt the cubby house
Played outside with toys

Our tv is on when at home, mainly for noise really. Sometimes I turn the radio on but find that gets annoying when I hear the same songs it feels like GROUNDHOG day...lol. Ever noticed they play them around the same time every day?

Cai...love the painting with water outside idea!!! We have plenty of concrete for that to work!

[Enchanted]

We do a lot of the ideas above but one I love is that the other day I bought Oscar a Bubble Wand! So we head outside most afternoons now and make bubbles! He loves running around trying to catch them!

[Jewel]

Our tv is on most of the time aswell. I'm guilty of that too.
We watch playschool and the other cartoons together. He likes to sing along to the cartoons little songs, and so I have to do it with him.

He makes up games to play. We do pretending games most days. The weather has been crappy so we've been doing colouring in and drawing alot lately, where as we're usually outside alot doing whatever he feels like while I hang the washing out, etc.

Today he's playing alot by himself. Doing jigsaws. Writing numbers and other things like that. We'll prob walk to the park later or something. He usually likes to help with the clothes folding and making dinner, setting the table, etc.
I just go with the flow most of the time.

Thanks for the thread, Mel! it's giving me more ideas too.

[maz]

Ah Mel..honey nothing wrong with having a free baby sitter some times

hmm...what did we do today......

Went down the street were I let Vy pick out an inflatable santa and gave her the money to pay for it.
Meet my parents down there and she loved walking with her Mah - mah. WE hung up chrissy deco's together...she was the foreman and was telling me I was a good girl oh and we bought some snowman chair covers that we decided to wear first..and fell over laughing doing it. We also put potatoes down our tops and giggles like idiots. We sat on the ground and rolled a ball to each other and made silly fart noises

Mel - life is what ya make of it babe...you dont have to go out and buy stuff, or take them to special groups to entertain your kiddies.....house hold chores can be fun and not boring if the kids come and help. I dont know how many times a nappy has been on my head and i just didnt know how to find it with out Vy's help

Let the inner dork out babe!!! you can do it!!!!!

[Arimeh]

Thanks heaps for the ideas guys.. I've been out this morning with DS - he was such a good boy in his stroller, and went shopping with me - and I brought him a truck from crazy clarks for $2 for his good behaviour.. he was stoked.. lol

Didn't end up taking him to the park - its pretty crappy weather.

I went out again once he went to sleep and brought some chalk (for outside) and a colouring in book, and some paintbrushes - thanks HEAPS for those ideas !!!!

I also got some paint for finger painting and he liked that for about two seconds and then wanted to paint his tractors eyes blue... lol

[Snacks]

How come you're allowed to sing Snacks?! I get thuddup mummy.....

LOL! Classic!
I have to ham it up, otherwise she gets bored too quickly. But perhaps in another few months I will no longer be funny, just embarrassing
OMG, I'm loving these ideas, girls! I'm going to go and buy some paintbrushes on Friday!

[Snowy Love]

I've been lazy Mummy today.

He woke at 4:45 - I so want daylight saving up here, it is so bright in his room as soon as the sun rises.

He played with his cars while I lay on the couch & did the washing up. Watched 2 episodes to Thomas. Did some drawing - he asked me to draw Daddy's car and I did an OK approximation of a ute if I do say so myself.

He played with his leggo while I surfed the net and then he hopped on my lap and hung upside down trying to grab the blocks, while I desperately grasped his feet.

We played ring a rosie, and I spun him around. He played drums, and then we went grocery shopping and he fell asleep on the way home and I'm guessing (hoping) he'll sleep for a while seeing he got up so early.

This afternoon we'll be playing on the verandah with paint brushes and water and he'll ride his bike. He'll watch Night Garden (I record it) while I cook dinner.

It didn't seem like much before I started typing.

[Olive]

today we had toddler group at kindy so did lots of christmas craft stuff-painting, colouring, making decorations, played outside, read a book, sung songs etc....was great fun!!

our tv also goes off at 10am after playschool
we listen to ABC playground radio
draw
playdough
play outside
cook
read

[Rouge]

I just thought of some more...

Ice fossils! My kids love this. You get tiny plastic dinosaurs and freeze them in either ice cubes (they can stick out a bit) or either in a big ice cream tub. Then pop them in another container (we normally just float them in an ice cream container) and they try and see which ones melt the quickest. For the older kids you can buy plaster of paris and fill an ice cream tub and put the dinosaurs in and then using a small hammer (you can get little ones at craft stores) they can tap away at the plaster of paris (and using a paint brush) pretend to be archaeologists. Paris loves this too!

Don't forget marble painting too, where you get a shoe box and put a piece of paper inside. Get some marbles and a few squirts of paint and roll the marbles around the bottom of the box to make prints (save the pictures for wrapping paper!).

We also do fruit cut outs with watermelon. I give them cookie cutters and some big slices and they can cut out shapes (you can use cleaned playdough cutters for little fingers). This also works with sandwhiches too.

[Olive]

I just thought of some more...Don't forget marble painting too, where you get a shoe box and put a piece of paper inside. Get some marbles and a few squirts of paint and roll the marbles around the bottom of the box to make prints (save the pictures for wrapping paper!).
.

we did this a few weeks back at toddler group for christmas wrapping paper, fantastic idea!

[Snacks]

we listen to ABC playground radio

Ooo, AJP, is that national do you think?

[Olive]

just google it hun! its online!

the song choices change arooung 6 monthly

[Liviam]

Well I am feeling like the worst mummy today. Livvy is feeling a little under the weather so all we have done is snuggle on the couch and watch Shrek and read stories.
I love this thread through. Giving me so many ideas of things to do with Livvy.

[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.

[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!

[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.