how to play with 1yr old and 3 yr old together

[krisskross]

How do you play with your 1 and 3 year old together? What activities keep them both entertained safely?

My son has just turned 3, my daughter is 16 months, not yet walking, and i know it probably sounds bit daft but i really struggle to find things for us to do together except singing/ going to park/ reading.

any tips pls.

Painting and messy play if you can handle the clean up operation afterwards

Toy kitchen, play food, saucepans, boxes/bags to put things in and out of work for us.

DD (3.7) does various complex role play/organising things whilst ds (17 months) shuffles around opening and closing the oven door as sous chef.

Aquadraw also passes a bit of time.

funnily enough they were both v engrossed in toy kithcen at the baby clinic today..perhaps i'll look on ebay....

aquadraw? Whats that?

i guess i should start painiting etc with both of them....have been put off by the mess!

Will get easier as both get older as DD joins in (all be it in a limited way) with DS's more and more imaginative/mad games. (They're now just 4 and nearly 2). A few ideas in meantime:

Play-dough

Drawing- you can put a big sheet of paper on the floor and all draw stuff on it.

Lego- (duplo) DD was into this from early age and is now very advanced for her age (ho ho!)

Kitchen..... brilliant one as you have found out. I think I am buying them a big plastic monstrosity for Christmas.

Cooking... ha ha Can't remember when I first did this with both. I try to do it when DD naps but she woke up one day and had to join in and then from then on she often "joins in". Actually she sits in her high chair and watches and stirs things/throws them on the floor. Or did... she's getting a bit more into it now, so sweet watching her ice her fairy cakes...:-)

Shop

lie on floor and let them climb / jump on you. Pull all cushions off sofa and make a mountain for them to bounce and crawl over

A big cardboard box.. leave them with it, they will both love climbing and crawling in and out of it.

How about Duplo or blocks. 16month old won't be able to put the Duplo together but would probably like you building stuff for her to knock down - 3yo will like building stuff. Blocks - my 2 (2 and 5) both like a box of basic blocks I got from Tesco. 2 yo likes to stack and knock over, 5 yo likes to make robots/houses for dinosaurs, etc. Happyland people and that sort of ilk for both.

Activities - painting with potatoes etc. Sticking - making sheep with cotton wool balls, pieces of wool, leaves on a tree, etc.

If the weather is good enough, could go out to park etc. If not, could try going to soft play. My two are 3½ and 18 months and things which we find good for bad weather are ball pit (we have the canvassy type rather than inflatable, easier to put up and down but not as large as we don't have the space.)

Would also second recommendation for aquadraw, it's basically a mat you put on the floor and you use special water filled pens for them to draw on it. The big benefit is that if you go out of the room to make a cuppa and they draw on the wall it's just water so less stressful!

I haven't been brave enough to do painting etc with both of them, although I do it with the younger while the older is in nursery and do it with him while she's napping!

Can i get aquadraw in ELC?

thanks mumsnetters!

Aqua draw - prob can get it in ELC. Also Argos etc. Got ours of e-bay as it's a bit pricey new.

Yes to big cardboard box. We made one into a 'car' (hole at the front for little one to see out of and hope in top for older one to stick head out of) and decorated it a few weeks ago, and they're still playing with it a lot.

You can get aquadraw from argos, amazon, elc, supermarkets etc. One downside is it only seems to come with one pen though which will prob cause a fight!

We also have some aquadraw mini mats which are small A5 size and it has a picture underneath which you uncover with the water. These also come with an aquadraw pen so we have 2 which is helpful, although then they fight over which pen they are using!