WIBU to ask for ideas to entertain a 4 year old at home while sitting on my bum?

[Pseudo341]

Hope no one minds a spin off from my other thread. We're definitely not going to the cinema so I'm a disabled mum who'd going to be stuck at home with a bouncy 4 year old to entertain all day tomorrow. Craft activities all require setting up/clearing away which is time on my feet. I can probably manage it once but not more than that. Just to give you a rough idea of my situation, unloading the dishwasher will often wipe me out for the morning. DH will unload the dishwasher before he goes to work so that's not an issue but it gives you an idea of what I can manage. I'll probably get her to sit still for one short film but after that she'll get bored. All ideas welcome.

Reading? Either to her or teach her.

Play dough or similar on a lap tray?

Let her 'do' your hair, make up etc. mine used to pretend we were in a salon. Loved it. Didn't care what the outcome was.

Oh another thing I do when I'm really tired is - we play mums and dads. I'm the baby, I just lie there eyes closed saying goo goo ga ta and other nonsense and my dc love it.

Do you have an ipad? download some apps.

jigsaws?
loom bands?
stories
a film or too.

Educational apps on iPad you can do together (eg maths or pocketphonics)

Books read with accompanying cd on in background (so you don't even have to read)

Treasure hunt- get her to find and bring stuff and tick it off a list.

CBeebies +++

fetch. you just need to throw a ball

And for the film, if you choose something like barbie in the pink shoes or any other dancing one - this lasts about 6 hours in our house. Dds get their ballet kit on and I have to pause the DVD constantly for then to dance the moves.

Crafts don't have to be elaborate -paper, crayons, stickers...
Jigsaws, board games, picture books, lego (duplo), tea sets, train sets...

a little tub of crayons or pencils and a couple of colouring in books or blank pages on laps or at the table

Or get her to put on a show for you. This can last for hours too!

I've thought if something else I do when I want to rest - I say 'can you find me something red/cube shaped/soft' etc and it can go on for ages.

me and ds1 have started watching his favourite nursery rhymes on YouTube and singing along this can keep him entertained quite a while

Play cafes or shop, ds 4 will spend ages doing this. He pretends to be the waiter and goes to 'make' the food etc. I just have to sit down and pretend to eat .

Great ideas, thanks everyone. I'm now looking forward to my makeover and private concert. Hoping for a dry spell so we can play fetch for comedy value.

My Dds loved fetch

Play hairdressers - let her do your hair and you do hers. Look up styles on the internet and practise (this depends on her liking having her hair doen, obviously. One of mine would love it, the other run a mile).

Scavenger hunt - tick off objects she can find around the house - make up rhyming clues if you like

Stories

Board games

Do you have a garden? Can you sit in the garden and watch her play? Give her chalk to draw a hopscotch, make daisy chains with her?

Is there any craft stuff she can access herself? This doesn't help now but might be worth setting it up so that she can have free access to it? Mine all do including the three year old and with prompting can tidy up afterwards.

Teddy bears picnic?

If you can get dh to drape a sheet over a couple of chairs before he goes to work, have a den in the living room, let her have her lunch in it (picnic)?

Is she any good at entertaining herself with toys? I do think children need time to get bored, to find their own amusement, play and explore a bit, use their imaginations. So don't feel guilty if you're not entertaining her non-stop all day!

Play hospitals - you're the patient so you have to lie down while she is the doctor or nurse.

Obstacle races - better outside, but can be done inside too.
First tell DC how the race is going to happen e.g first you must run/hop/crawl to that corner then touch your toes 3 times; next dance twice round the washing line/foot stool; then crawl to the next corner; turn round 5 times with your finger on your nose; then pick up the bucket/ball/silly hat and walk backwards to me and the finish.
You can time your DC if they want, remind them of what comes next and then applaud their huge success. Repeat as infinitum with DC suggesting new tasks and obstacles until everyone is tired and happy.

A yes, the make over. DD loves doing my make-up. I remember once answering the door to the Tesco's delivery man looking like this. He didn't even flinch! I think that's worse somehow.

If sunny and you have a patio/pavement/fence etc give her a paintbrush and water - nursery do this and the kids are entertained for ages as it dries!

snap.
reading stories.
cbeebies
more cbeebies. get her to do the movements they suggest... (they are always trying to get the children active)
musical statues... you do the music, she does the statue. take photos and show her.
sleeping lions.
trying to make her giggle

Guess What's On My Bum

You lay down on your stomach, she places objects on your bum, you guess what they are.

Betty, that is fabulous.
I used to lie down and be a mountain range for DS to drive his cars on. Sometimes I fell asleep .
Meant to say - in the Obstacle game, parent sits on bum directing while child does all the running around.

Do you have a cardboard box lying around? That will keep my 4yo quiet for ages.

Cbeebies app

Can you manage a bath for her?

Lots of stories

My dd likes making 'roads' out of big building blocks and pushing her cars around them.

Any toys that have been out of circulation you can get out?

Scissors, pritt stick, magazines to cut up etc always works well here.

Dd likes to play with buttons but she is a bit odd!

She's also very happy with a shoelace and finding things to thread onto it...