Things to do with toddler !
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Tape a big piece of paper to activity table and color, mess free painting on card stock, having them help with the laundry (my son LOVES helping me put the clothes in and starting it up with my help), drying while you do dishes or helping load spoons and forks in the dishwasher. Really anything!
My boy has just turned 2... These keep him occupied for a little while before I need to get involved.... Playdoh Colouring/scribbling Stickers/sticker books Sticking shredded paper/tissue. Cereal- Cheerios or dinos from aldi, work well with diggers/pouring/scooping. Water colouring Then there's always.. Cleaning with an empty cleaned out spray bottle and cloth. Sweeping and swiffing... we take out pole section to make it perfect size. He loves hoovering! But obviously takes ages with "help" Tin stacking with items in kitchen cupboards. Bubbles... even just sitting with feet in sink smushing left over bubbles around with bottle brush. We play football/catch inside 😂😱 Puzzles Blanket tunnels and dens with throws and cushions. Even exploring things like fruit and veg while making dinner. Make things out of cardboard... tunnels for little cars, garages with flap door out of boxes. Dancing 💃 🕺 we particularly like 'sing' at the mo to watch and dance Today we have a xl lunch box of snow to play with. 🙂
Play “cheerio hunt”. Put a cheerio on the couch, two on the chair, one in his toy truck etc and see if he can find them! give hints! Everyone’s a winner lol Lots of outside time, kids really make their own fun outside. We also “cook” in his pretend kitchen, which has been upgraded to a free wooden one from Craigslist but was previously a cardboard box painted with stove circles on top, that I cut an oven “door” into. We’ve cooked a lot of washed-jar-lid cookies, delicious bowls of pompoms, shoelace spaghetti, and lately acquired some “real” plastic fruit which is fun
If something keeps them occupied for 15 mins - that’s a win! If you have toy balls, dump them out on the floor and make a game of picking them all up. Give them baby wipes and have them help clean something. Get some water painting pages as you can reuse them. We’ve been doing a lot of freeze dance songs from YouTube recently too
On a weekly basis I try to get to babygym, swimming, local playgroups, the zoo (we have a membership) and maybe the playground if it’s not too cold. At home we do water play, sensory play with pasta, rice, shaving foam, play with his toys (we have only a few out on weekly rotation), read books, listen to audiobooks, have dance parties and I’m about to start working on reading with him and baking once a week. (He’s 19 months)
Chores. Kids this age LOVE “helping”. Decide to go through all your clothes and weed out old ripped stuff or things that don’t fit- have him “help” you yank everything out of the drawers! Talk about each one “ooooh BLUE shirt!” Let him help you unload the bottom rack of the dishwasher. While he’s distracted strategically fill it with all the plastic stuff and lids and cups (and put away knives, cheese graters, etc) and then have him take things out and (maybe even put some away??) Sweep for real and give him a small crumb broom to “sweep”