Mums who DONT drive, what activities do you do to keep your toddler occupied?

[charlottexox]

Basically, I'm a full time SAHM and don't drive. Im struggling to keep my active nearly 2 year old DD out of the bordem zone!
We usually go into town for lunch and to the park if the weather is nice, but now I'm struggling on other bits and pieces to do with her during the week. Anyone got any ideas?

[Wannabecitygirl]

We do a lot at home, have a look at the Imagination Tree for loads of ideas on toddler activities.
We also go to a couple of playgroups a week and to the local swimming pool. We do a baking session a week, and a painting or playdoh session. And of course meet up with other Tots!

[SnowGoArea]

Playdoh.
Make your own ice lollies.
Save cardboard boxes and make a castle.
Huge bubble baths in the day as an activity with different toys in with her.
Chalk on the pavement.
Baking cookies.
Giant bubble wand In the garden.
Planting some seeds which you have to water each day.
Make a wormery or mini-beast hotel.
Make a cave out with pegs and blankets and act out the 'we're going on a bear hunt' book.
Lots of reading stories.
Make an indoor tent and have a picnic tea in there.

[moita]

Is the library within easy reach? Ours does rhyme and story time which kills an hour each week.

[InDubiousBattle]

I have a 4.5 year old and an almost 3 year old and I don't drive. We go on buses and trains a lot!

[Namechange128]

Can you use public transport? We take a lot of buses and trains to places, you can make it fun with books and spotting games, it's good for them to learn to behave and on long days it has the added advantage of using up lots of time 😊

[Blondielongie]

I remember writing a list of things that were on in the local area a bus ride away for every day and a list of stuff to do at home. Didn't always do the stuff, but I always had a back up plan if we were bored then!

[neonyellowshoes]

Swimming, soft play, baby gymnastics, music class.

Are you very rural?

[MaGratgarlik1983]

At home we do duplo blocks, wooden blocks, tea parties, happyland pretend play, cars. Outside we have a tuff tray for painting, flour play, soil play. I try to get out every morning by ten or ten thirty and we go to the library, museum, park, swimming pool, town etc. It's been easier since he started going to preschool three mornings a week and they do so much there I don't feel guilty about not doing much craft stuff at home. Finally able to dump the playgroups as well, which he loved but I hated!

[AveEldon]

This book is great www.amazon.co.uk/Entertaining-Educating-Preschool-Usborne-Parents/dp/0746001339?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Mummaluelae]

Me myself am quite lucky as I live by the seafront, so I go there and park. Sometime my ds just wants to watch the boats go by. Also I'm by highstreet so I grab craft bits and bobs to keep him occupied.
I set up small world areas with his toys. A farm setting or garage and carwash.
Dressing up or puppetbplay with different voices.
Create a story sack, a book with toys to reinact the story.
Make sensory bottles (don't just have to be liquid and glitter, you could have noisy sensory bottles with pasta or rice)
Get them involved in kitchen, make cakes or ice shop bought biscuits, geth then to cut up soft fruit to make a smoothie

[timeisnotaline]

I’m on mat leave and my 3yo is home 2 days - we don’t do much and he seems fine! Building castles, stacking things , trains, cars, read stories, he likes puzzles. Outside we play catch or just think of reasons to run to the tree then to the other tree. Blowing bubbles, riding his scooter at 2 (bike now). Cleaning with his little mop and broom, tugging his trolley around and ‘going to the shops’, baking cakes and cooking breakfast in his kitchen , baking actual cakes... playing his guitar etc. Nothing specific really but keeps him happy!

[crazychemist]

Any stay and play/rhyme time/soft play within walking distance? I don't have a car but there's a sure start centre I can get to that have things on during term time.

[MummyBearBoo]

My DD's pre-school takes kids from 2.5 so she started going there 2 half days and 1 full day she now goes Mon morning and all day Tuesday and Wed, Thursday we go to ballet and tap class (this really helped her confidence) and Friday we go to music class they're all morning as I want to get her used to getting up everyday for school (she's 3 now). We also have play dates most Monday and Friday afternoons at our house or the soft play/park! I have to walk 45 mins each way to get to these classes (not so easy as I'm expecting no.2 and I have to take my DD in the pram as it's all up hill on the way there and she'd be too tired to walk all the way and I can't carry her at the mo)! I don't drive!

[dreamyflower]

I'm a SAHM full time with a 2 year old and a 6 month old. We are out everyday by 10am- to a toddler group or park or playdate. Nap at 11.30-1.30. Lunch and then activities in the afternoon. Get onto instagram or pinterest. Lots of great accounts with ideas. We do painting, crafts, water play, experiements, baking, messy play sensory, tuff tray worlds, book based activities such as gruffalo crumble and Gruffalo hunt. I'm limited to home in the afternoon as 6 month old naps. I made myself a timetable and a termly one with a structured activity for each day so I knew what we were doing. I also rotate toys so 2 year old doesn't get bored. It is tough though and there are days when Peppa pig features a bit! 😂 we've also started walking late afternoon around the village after little one has had his long nap.

[hellooosweetheart]

We walk to our local park/ playground
Listen to music on cd/ YouTube
Ball pool
Sand and water tray
Stories and rhymes
Noisy toy play ( very popular)

[hellooosweetheart]

Stories
Bubbles
Very basic cooking ( mixing cake mix,biscuits etc
Bubbles

[ajbellamy]

Park
Swimming
Train somewhere (beach)
Bus ride somewhere (place where u live called Wroxham and go to Wroxham barns)
I know there's a shuttle bus to dinosaur park if you're in Norwich
Picnic days out near a river?
Going into a woods building a den

There's a few ideas. If you Google what to do in (your area) with children it usually gives you activities nearby x

[WingingItWithTwo]

I walk everywhere.
I know trampoline parks have popped up everywhere if there’s one local we do toddler morning there which is great.
Also check your local church, especially a Church of England one, they usually run playgroups.
Local parks may run forest schools, they can be a bit expensive so we only really do that on a monthly basis.
A lot of cinemas do toddler showings in the morning.

Then there’s all the at home activities you can do. My boy is really into treasure hunts around the house at the minute, which I set up before he goes to bed and he starts right after breakfast.