I have a 2.5 yo DS and a 12 week old DD.
Anyway now that the weather is turning cold, we can't really get outside as much.
As it is, he is already watching too much TV, as I tend to put it on so that he wil lbe queit while DD is sleeping, as she is a shocking sleeper.
So can you suggest some good inside activities that can also be quiet?
I already read to him, and we do some drawing, but he loses interest really fast with drawing. He really is an outside boy, but it gets icy here at Gisborne.
I can't think of much at the moment apart from maybe getting some sheets, and let your DS make his own indoor cubby house from the sheets,chairs table etc.
If you are able, maybe cupcakes that he can decorate. Or an easier option is to get some arrowroot biscuits and the gel icing stuff in the tubes and let him decorate those.
Are there any quiet boardgames that you think might interest him? What about a pack of cards and play memory, fish or snap?
Make your own playdough
Make something that he can play with outside when it is warm, like a kite? OR paper planes for indoor use? What about something he can make and decorate or colour in? A pirates hat maybe?
Craft box - i often pick up $1, $2 items from cheapie shops to put in their craft box. The girls use glue, kids scissors, stickers etc.
Do you have one of those kids tents ??? We got one from BigW - it has a tunnel with it too. Its great for rainy days. I let the girls have their lunch in there - they love it !
Blocks - like lego etc
Painting.... - i know this can be messy, i love crayola paints, my girls always get paint over themselves and even on their clothes, but i find it just washes off in the wash. Just buy a $2 shower curtain, lay that on the floor, i bought a roll of brown paper from bigw, lay that on a table, and let them go for it !!!!
I find doing 1 x activity per day helps...i.e if you do painting every day, it almost becomes a chore, spread the activities out......
I second the cubby idea! Cubbies can then relate to other play such as caves to hide in, boats to sail in, buses to ride in.
If your DS likes transport and understands about using tickets on the bus/train etc, you can set up a few chairs to make a bus/train and get him to use a 'ticket'. He can take his teddies on board and get them on and off and different 'stops' etc...
What about a sorting game? My DD loves sorting and posting. I have cut out pics from photos and magazines and then cut a slit in a box. She can spend hours naming the pictures and then posting them in the slot.
Baking is def a good idea... getting kids involved in food is great if a little messy.
Don't forget it is a really good idea to allow kids to expend a bit of energy every now and again as it helps them to settle and focus afterward. We sometimes worry that it will set them off, but it should in fact do the opposite. If you can manage it, have a bit of a dance/sing, active simon says etc just before you LO's nap time to get all of that energy out!
Finally, how about googling something like "activities inside two year old"? The internet is your best friend when it comes to this!
Can you suggest some good activities??
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