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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

39 replies

Pseudo341 · 18/05/2015 20:18

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.

OP posts:
WyrdByrd · 18/05/2015 21:43

There is nothing strange about playing with buttons Shock Grin !

Float or sink - fill a bowl with water & let her drop various items in to see what happens.

Watching old 70s/80s kids programmes is still a favourite of my DD and she's nearly 11. The Flumps, Mr Ben, Bagpuss, Fraggles, Trap Door & The Hoobs all popular here.

MonoNoAware · 18/05/2015 21:48

If she needs tiring out or distracting out of a sulk you can 'play' musical statues or musical bumps. You press play/pause whilst she dances/freezes/bumps. Award points for speed and style.

monkeymamma · 18/05/2015 21:51

Simon Says! I often play this with my 3.5 yo while sat on the sofa. Make the 'say's as tiring for her as you can, burn off some of her energy ;-D

Ledkr · 18/05/2015 22:05

Thanks for this thread. I'm having surgery on wed and will need to use some of this for my active easily bored 4 yr old.

Can I add making up funny songs that rhyme. Poo, bum and wee are essential words to use in each song. Grin

PerspicaciaTick · 18/05/2015 22:10

Also, get DH to pre-prepare some sheets of A4 paper with little patches of double sided sticky tape stuck all over them (don't peel off the cover yet).
Then, when DC is bored, peel off the covers and send her out in the garden to make a collage of leaves, petals, twigs by sticking them to the tape. Easy, creative and NO MESS.

nooptionforwillis · 18/05/2015 22:24

Oh yes. Substitute nursery stories with names of her family. Mine think it's hilarious that I can read 'little red riding hood' and turn it into little red went to see Nanna and came across big bad

olgaga · 18/05/2015 22:32

A DVD of nursery songs with lyrics whuch you csn both sing along to . Tracing letters on a lap tray, magnetic games, shape puzzles, doctor/patient with you the patient, hairstyles, having all the toys visit you to see hiw you are and have a chat.

Other things that worked - a pack of baby wipes for her to "wipe" you and any dolls, changing their outfits, colouring books you can do together ("stay in the lines!").

Good luck!

Littlefluffyclouds81 · 18/05/2015 23:33

Hope your 'makeover' didn't turn out like mine do when dd1 does them...

Pseudo341 · 19/05/2015 06:01

Thanks everyone, lots of great ideas, I'm feeling much more optimistic about how we're going to cope today.

OP posts:
icclemunchy · 19/05/2015 06:17

DDis 4 and likes to clean the house Blush I give her some wipes and she does thinks like the front of the washing machine and the bottoms of the kitchen stools. Kills two birds with one stone Grin

pillowaddict · 19/05/2015 07:40

Waging up bowl with various things - jug, cup, bowl, sieve, wooden spoon - can also then turn into a cooking game, and using buttons then a cafe with you ordering food. Can also spend some time drawing and writing a menu for you to 'order' from. Some towels down and very little clearing to do as everything just needs rinsed at the end, and carpets dry!

flora717 · 19/05/2015 08:13

Going back to building blocks (if they're in the house) I occasionally get them out for myself if I'm honest. The bonus is they're not quite the foot hazard if one or two bricks sneak off during the tidy up.

flora717 · 19/05/2015 08:14

If you have ear plugs or earphones then form a band with the DC and yourself!

Smooshface · 19/05/2015 11:42

'The floor is lava' scatter cushions on floor in a trail, they have to jump from one cushion to the next without touching the floor. Maybe place a bucket at one end and objects at the other that she has to take from one end to the other, just to make it last a few goes ;)

chalk on black paper if you have any makes a nice change from usual pictures

I'm loving the idea of Guess What's on my bum! don't think my 6 year old will fall for that too, but when toddler is big enough I'm so playing it ;) Makeovers are a great idea too.

Paper chains are good. Mine loved anything with gluing and sticking, so just a sticker book with scenes, or get an old catalogue and get them to cut out and stick faces together, or cut out all the stuff they want out of the argos ;) Or make it a colour thing, get them to find everything in one colour, cut out and stick.

Pasta necklaces and bracelets, especially if you have pipe cleaners as they are so easy to make into bracelets

if you have masking tape or washi tape and a wood floor, get them to mark out a track to do cars on, can make a little city. and if you have any cardboard boxes they could decorate them to make houses etc. try to make it as much about them doing stuff obviously!

If you have access to a printer then there are lots of good printables if you look on pinterest etc, cbeebies and disney websites will have colouring and stuff. Mine loved dot-to-dots

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