What do you do with your 2 year old

[knat]

My 2 year old is just dropping her daytime nap and filling the hour and half she used to have is proving difficult. She's still adapting to not having the sleep and therefore mopes around like a sullen teenager. I've done some painting with her and drawing but she doesn't do anything for long. She doesn't really "play" forlong but moves from one thing to another usually chews it and then moves on to the next!! We do go to two groups once a week, a music class and a tumble tots type class. Its activities at home i feel stuck with and feel the day needs a bit more structure. I find it difficult as everything goes in her mouth as she is still teething. Any ideas or comments would be appreciated

There are some great ideas here.

My DD 2.9 loves her 'art-box' - we cut, stick, colour etc for hours each day!

I'm desperate to get the recipe for glupe - anyone???

Haven't read the thread as limited time but just to say, my dd dropped her nap very very early on (envied all those mums who got a break during nap time!), it was always difficult to get her to sleep in the day and i don't remmeber when i just gave up even trying, prob around 11 months which was the same time i started trying to wean her off the breast, she was completely weaned by 14 months (if i was at home i napped with her in my bed sometimes before then, or would walk for an hour or so around the park while she slept in the pushchair!)... she's now 2.2. She is v good at playing by herself now which makes it easier, but we tend to go out at least once a day (even if just to shops like someone said), if we're at home a long time there's usually a session reading, a session watching a video (tend to use that if she's not willing to play alone while i cook or something), she loves typing on my computer, (i open Word and leave her to it, though u might not trust little one to do that!), get out a washing up bowl of water with various utensils/cups etc toplay with, arts & crafts though i can rarely be bothered to do that! Baking, getting out her box of toys & playing with each of them. ....... my mind has gone blank but there's a few ideas for you!

This book's good - prob even has a glupe recipe

Thanks everyone - we do go out each morning either to an activity or to the park and shopping etc. I'm going to try baking ideas or icing cakes etc see how she gets on with that andhopefully her concentration span will improve. Having difficulty at the moment because her lack of sleep is causing more and more tantrums!!! It's a vicious circle isn't it! Thanks again and keep them coming!

Thanks everyone - we do go out each morning either to an activity or to the park and shopping etc. I'm going to try baking ideas or icing cakes etc see how she gets on with that andhopefully her concentration span will improve. Having difficulty at the moment because her lack of sleep is causing more and more tantrums!!! It's a vicious circle isn't it! Thanks again and keep them coming!

A magnet
A torch (good for dark winter days)
Standing on a chair to help mummy cook, wash up, etc.
Make a den / gruffalo cave / castle with blankets over chairs
CBeebies

Heuristic play is good for this age group, even though it's more usually suggested for younger ones: either a basket of fascinating, non-plastic objects to explore, or large collections of household / natural objects such as 50 curtain rings, 5 mug trees, 5 tins, 50 wooden clothes pegs. The idea is that they can explore the materials completely freely and use their creativity to experiment with them. They surprise you with what they come up with!

Once you start collecting materials for heuristic play you will get hooked - boot sales and charity shops will never be the same again. It is also good for large groups of children as they can play side by side without having to share.

Another game we enjoy is a few large pieces of colourful / sparkly material to play with (Cost say £2 each from a remnant shop). You can dance with them, roll around on the floor with them, dress up and march around in them.

Fine sand in a salt shaker is marvellous. Let them shake it over a tray and then make patterns with their fingers while you fill up the salt shaker.

Some fab ideas on this thread.

Loads of really good ideas here! My two play together as they're close in age but also fight a lot, so when I'm trying to get anything done have to stop every five mins!

I like your idea frannykenstein as they always seem most fascinated by the simplest things - we spent over an hour at my mum & dad's last week playing with: paper clips, split pins (v. carefully!),stapler and hole punch!!

Feel like a rubbish mum - loads of nice ideas but lots sound messy and it's getting a bit cold to strip off !

I go for a drive to look for tractors and bin lorries (dd's favourite things) - normally gets her to sleep - I then park up and have a read. As the baby whisperer said - it's important to have me time!! Also gets 5 month ds to go off at same time which is unheard of in the house