Is there ^anything^ at all a 2.5 and 4yo can do

[Coldhandscoldheart]

That will occupy them for a bit without making a metric fuckton of mess, or screaming and that isn’t a screen?
They paint sometimes, actually 4yo can do it for a while, but then will start painting each other or the furniture.
Or am I just expecting too much?

Okay, well I’m about to spend an absolute fortune :)

@steppemum I wish I could pipe your post into people's brains the day their first baby starts walking

What a nightmare. I think I'd consider investing in:
a keyboard/piano type thing, maybe the toy kind with a screechy microphone that toddlers seem to love
a toy kitchen with LOTS of toy food, pots & pans etc.
One of those giant cardboard wendy houses that you can colour in
A giant roll of paper
All have some potential to give you a bit of space and non messy.
My top top tip would be to hide (or bin) all felt tip markers until they're about 9.

The thing that kept my two most occupied at similar ages was a Brio- type wooden railway set. The older one would organiser re-enactments of stories about James, Thomas and co, from the video we had, or would make up her own.

wooden trainset?
megablocks?
Make a happyland village for small world play.

All easy to tidy up.

@LongDivision a screechy microphone thing?! What did OP ever do to you!

@Pogmella lol I thought the same thing!

Really though, thank you all, much better today (because I’m at work!) lots of things ordered, light at the end of the tunnel.