What activities do you do with your 19 month old?

[babycat]

This has probably been asked before but I'm looking for ideas on how to entertain my DD and just how to have fun with her. I feel that she is growing up too quickly and I'm missing out on having fun with her.I don't feel parenting/entertaining children comes easy to me despite my daughter being a much wanted child and I had to go through fertility treatment to have her.

I work nights and have no childcare so I am often very tired so it is easy just to switch the TV on and let her play with her toys but I'm feeling very guilty that this is happening too often and I feel I need to do more with her. We go to a playgroup once per week and meet up with a group of other mums and toddlers at someones house once per week. I might look at trying another toddler group too.

[RoRoMommy]

I just started feeling the same way about my DS, who is 17 months and is really getting into TV now, so when I get home and am exhausted I don't fight his desire to watch the telly as much as I think I should. So, I:

Take walks with him and just follow him wherever he wants to go

Read him books

Play with his train set

Play close the door, knock, open the door, boo! and laugh, then do it again 5,000 times

Play with water in the kitchen sink

But I still don't feel like I've come up with enough and would love to hear more options from others!

[babycat]

Thanks RoRoMommy glad I'm not alone .

We read lots of books and play boo but could do with some more things to add to my repetoire!

[stillstanding]

I go for lots of walks in the park, chase pigeons, feed ducks, point at dogs, play on swings/slides etc. I also try and play with his toys with him, eg teach him how to sort shapes etc. Lots of pointing at things and saying words etc. Lots of chasing around and peekabo etc. I also try to just let him be some times -they love to explore on their own and its good for them to learn to be self-entertain. Singing songs is also great. Perhaps get a CD to sing a long to if you are uninspired. But it is all very repetitive and for me playgroups/coffee mornings are definitely the way forward as it keeps me sane to chat with other mums and think the social interaction is so NB for DS.

Must admit I am not a big fan of TV for tots so try not to let it be switched on around my DS when I can help it.

[ajm200]

DS is 22 months.

We do playgroups twice a week for my benefit as much as his.

Painting, playdough or drawing each afternoon.

Football and tag in the garden

Hide and seek - he hids behind my back moves away when I look round.

I let him help with the housework. He follows me around the house with a bucket, brush and a bit of kitchen towel, copying everything I do.

We make cakes or pizza once a week and he washes the veg for dinner each day.

We play bricks, cars and trains too.

[babycat]

stillstanding, I wasn't a fan of TV for tots before I had DD but it is on a lot of the time now as it is the easy option .

Thanks, for your suggestions. We have a little play area at the end of the street that we go to sometimes but I don't very often venture to the other parks in the area on my own

[babycat]

ajm200 thanks for your suggestions, too - cross-posted!

[Twims]

Painting
Sensory Play
Garden
Walk / bicycle ride
Trip to the shops
Activities
Fun in the bath

[stillstanding]

oooh ajm200 - love the idea of washing veg for dinner together. we will definitely be starting that! (but not quite ready for cakes/pizza yet ... all that flour ... wow!)

[babycat]

Twims, thanks for your suggestions. What do you mean by sensory play (excuse my ignorance), what are the activities and what do you do in the garden? I need full explanations !

[Twims]

Painting/Art

Toy printing, food printing, painting with paintbrushes, hands, feet, body printing, fly swat painting, collage with magazine, fabric, texture painting adding sand, pasta, rice to the paint, monopainting

Sensory Play

Explore gloop, cooked spaggetti, dry pasta, sand, water, icecubes, shaving foam,

Garden

Put toys in a couple of small baskets in the garden.

Bowl of soapy water and she can wash dolls clothes and hang them on the washing line.

Pot of water and paintrbush, paint the toys, paint on the patio.

Chalking on the walls, patio.

Fun in the bath

Fill full of bubbles and give them items you don't normally have in the bath pots, pans, from the kitchen, dolls, (obviously not all at once!)

Painting in the bath (monoprinting)

Hope they have given you some ideas

[babycat]

Brilliant Twims . Will try some of these! Do you make gloop just with cornflour & water?

[Twims]

Yep cornflour and water and a drop of food colouring

[fourlittlefeet]

we do singing and dancing (don't have a tv) so we often put on the radio and rock to that!

[noonki]

twims - can I bring my DS's round to yours tomorrow for some fun!

brilliant ideas

fourfeet - we 'let's rock' every morning!

[Twims]

Depends whether you'll pay me