What does your five year old like doing?

[booksandwool]

We're struggling now it's getting darker and wetter and chucking the children into the garden isn't an option. The 8 year old has lots of busy little projects but 5 year old can't read particularly well (he's only start of year 1) and doesn't have an amazing concentration span. He spends a lot of time aimlessly wandering around, making funny noises and breaking stuff, also trying to stop other people doing things. I'm just really struggling for what I can engage him with, not even trying to get him to do things independently, though that would be lovely.
Please tell me what your similar aged/temperamented children spend their time doing, so I can borrow ideas!

Oh and making potions from whatever she can find in our bathroom much to my annoyance when I come to have a shower or wash my hair

cutting up pieces of paper into tinier pieces and leaving the mess everywhere, making @TheBrilloPad - my 5 year old DD does this too, but then wants sellotape to stick it all back together

I also have a 5 year old in his first term of year 1. Today he has:

Made firework pictures using glitter glue and chalk.

Practised his spellings for the week on his whiteboard.

Made a den in the shed with his brother.

Ran around like crazy in the park in the rain and climbed trees.

Made a big bubble bath in the sink for his cars and washed and dried them all.

Played with the cars.

Did some of his ks1 workbook that I bought him in the sale for £2.

Playdoh.

Helped me with tidying up/making dinner/other chores

Completed a jigsaw with a bit of help.

Watched tv.

Read a bit of his school reading book to me and I read a couple of chapters of another book to him.

Browsed round the local toy shop to get some ideas for what to ask for for Christmas.

That sounds like loads to fit in in one day but he usually gets bored after 10 mins and starts acting up so we have to move on to something else. Also his 3 year old brother is often doing the same task and his attention span is about 5 mins so it's even worse!

Drawing eleventy-billion pictures on post it notes and sticking them everywhere.
Cutting things up.
Using entire rolls of sellotape.
Blu tac.
Stapling paper together to make a book and writing stories.
Playdoh.
Kindle fire.
Messing about with the sky remote.
Building towers with the sofa cushions.

Yes! What is it about post it notes? Mine love drawing on them.

I've got a 4 and 6 year old and they like playing on the switch and iPads
Running round pretending to be dogs
The 4 year old likes to play with his combine harvester/ tractors
Both love wooden train track, although this causes loads of arguments over who gets what trains.
Making a mess
play fighting /recreating minecraft scenes where we all get involved and jump around the sofas. Even the dog joins in.
playing in the garden.
Making me draw aeroplanes for them.
Both also like playing monopoly and snakes and ladders

Dressing up
Playmobil
Painting
Wipe clean writing book
Lego

But there’s also a lot of bugging other people by said 5 yr old. She gets involved with making tea quite a bit which is sometimes useful.

Lego, crafts, play doh, drawing/ painting and board games. He does tend to rush things though and needs reminding to take his time, and he makes up his own rules for the games

Oh and the other day we played hide the toy. Me or his dad hid his teddy in a room and him and his little brother had to find it. We used hot and cold when they were close or far away from it. They loved that!

Turning 5 imminently.

Musical instruments eg keyboard with headphones!!

Practice handwriting

Playdough

Making a camp under kitchen table

Cleaning!! (Damp sponge & windowsills, doors, coffee tables, her own little hoover)

Looking through photo albums

Dancing to music/musical statues/bumps

Baby Annabell

Dressing up

Brushing my hair and spraying it with water (+ I get to sit on the footstool and MN )

Brushing my hair and spraying it with water

Ah yes my two love this!

Mine is artistic and constantly painting (including getting it accidentally on walls doors etc)
Cutting things up sketching
She’s now got a little piano book which she loves playing
Think it’s called my first piano book
Shes definetely chilled out though and can watch tv most of the day if I let her!
My eldest wasn’t so chilled and I’m afraid I had to take her out constantly to wear her out - forest wAlks, farms, river walks, soft play - it was hard work
Try and get him outdoors as much as possible
Forests are great if it’s rainy

Reading this, I realise just how much my 2.8yo entertains my 5yo. They play at being various animals, doctors, hide and seek, going trick or treating. She also likes Lego, trains (for a bit), dressing up, dancing and colouring/drawing/painting - but prefers to do all but the last along with her brother. She'll also happily go for a rainy puddle walk or a bike ride if not too torrential.

Mine doesn't really play with toys much, and hates anything craft related.

He likes playing games on his tablet, watching TV, reading the Beano, reading books.

He likes choosing songs on my Spotify account to put on and dance to.

He has a trampette and door swing he plays on, but also jumps on the sofa and climbs on the window sills and drives me mad.

He has lots of musical instrument type toys that he uses to make a god awful racket.

He very occasionally gets out the duplo.