entertain 4 1/2 year old?

[cleaninglady]

hi
any ideas on how to "play" with a 4 1/2 year old?
my dd wakes v early and can be a nightmare to deal with during the day - shouting and screaming and v stroppy! when ds in bed in afternoon i have every intention of playing with dd but am completely stuck for things to do - she never seems to really play with much independently and just watches tv sometimes or moons about ! ideas please as wishing the time away until she starts reception class in september!

[Marne]

Does she like doing crafty things, painting, sticking thing on paper etc.. or bake cakes together.
Get her to help with house work or water plants in the garden.
Role play.
Have a picnic in the garden or in the house.

[TooTicky]

Make some biscuit dough and let her have fun with cutters/blunt knife/fork and raisins. Good fun and productive too. I've also found that playmobil type figures encourage independent imaginative play. Or let her help you with jobs around the house - if she doesn't see it as "work" she will enjoy it

[Northerner]

My ds was 4 in April and can entertain himself really well so I'm quite lucky. He loves playing with his castle and knights and cars and things.

He loves me to play I spy with him or hide and seek and he loves reading books. He also loves dancing to music and having running races around the house. We do 'First one to the bathroom, first one to Mummy's bed etc'

Baking cakes is always a winner and filling up teh washing up bowl and chucking in palstic things to be 'washed'

[oliveoil]

dressing up works in our house. But not the stuff carefully bought for the purpose, oh no, only mummy's nicely ironed and clean clothes hung up will do, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

or making a den and reading a story under the table etc

[cleaninglady]

thanks all - we do some of those things but must admit on a very irregular basis and i know part of her stroppy behaviour is down to her trying to get my attention as i just collapse in a heap when i can!! must try harder, must try harder......

[cleaninglady]

just a slight addition but does her screaming at me equate to time out or should i ignore it??
my mother says i cant let her scream at me like that but i think ignoring it is me not letting her do it?!

off to sit under a table to read a story - that was meant to just be me wasnt it? :)

[mrsbluesky]

How about letting her make a potion? My little one (3) loves getting a mixing bowl, cornflour/wheatflour, bisto, herbs, spices (not chili or pepper though), porridge oats, washing up liquid, raw pasta, anything you've got really, and mix it all up until it looks really vile and yucky. she won't want to taste it! But it's lots of fun, and you can just sit at the table with her and watch .

[mrsbluesky]

I would def time out for screaming at me. then say "you're quiet now, we can play something/read a story".