tot play
We’ve been home bound for nearly a week now due to cold weather and my cold/sinus congestion. Even though we have plenty of space for my 5 year old and 19 months old to play, lots of toys and craft supplies, there is only that much craft you can do in a week with a sick (and pregnant!) mommy!
So I have keep going back to some of the activities I’ve written about before and more which never get “old” and can be applied for every day to create fun for your little one. They are supervised activities but for most of them you don’t even have to move around much, which is perfect for a new mom or a pregnant mom, or for a mom who is battling a cold!
1. Playing with a handkerchief or a scarf. Both boys and girls would enjoy this simple play! It can be used inside the house or outside while waiting in line or at the restaurant for food.
2. Similar way you can play with a … paper towel or a tissue paper! Add a bread basket or a plastic bowl to the game – and you have about 20 minutes (or more!) of fun! Once the tissue paper starts falling apart, roll small balls from it and throw them into the basket/bowl, scoop them with a spoon or simply pour them in and out of it.
3. Pour small objects from cup to cup – this can take a while! But make sure, of course, that they don’t get stuffed into the nose or ears, nor swallowed.
4. Painting: sponge painting, finger painting, painting, painting, painting! Any toddler likes to get his/her hands dirty. If you want more fun – make it a bath time activity and just next to your tot and supervise the water and paint play!
5. Salt dough and play dough – they never get out of fashion! Use small toys and objects to stick into the dough or make collages.
7. If you have a yard with a sandbox – sand play is your fun! If you don’t or can’t leave the house – make salt/rice trays: simply put the salt/rice in the trays and add some small objects to them. These you can store and keep for later (as long as they don’t get wet and are kept in airtight containers!). You might need to vacuum or sweep afterwards, but it is really worth the trouble! Tip: if you choose this activity, kitchen might be your best place for it and you might want to put some newspapers or a waterproof sheet on the floor under the tray to contain most of the mess.
8. Try on some hats! You can dig out all the hats in the house and offer your tot to wear them or put them on you. It takes 15 to 30 minutes for the hat play at our house!
9. Good old torn paper art is what every tot I know loves doing!
10. If all fails – bring out the cutlery. Spoons, plastic ware, pots, lids, ladles – it may get noisy but you know you’ll enjoy it! If you have plastic bottles with spices that are not easy to open – bring them into the game. Stacking them, placing them from pot to pot – tots love that!
You don’t need to go far to organize a simple and fun play at your house. You probably have everything already.
What are you simple toddler play ideas? Share with me!