What's your toddler's favourite game/toy that keeps them amused for more than 5 minutes?

[ElleOhElle]

I'm struggling to keep DD, 17 months entertained. She has such a wonderful time at nursery for two days a week that she just seems bored when she's at home with me. I play with her loads, we go out for walks to the park etc but for some of the day I need to get housework done. She's getting bored of her toys and I've tried giving her saucepans and bowls to play with while I'm in the kitchen but she gets bored very quickly and starts trying to open every cupboard or wants to be picked up.
I know she does have a good attention span because when she wants to she'll sit and 'read' or play for quite a while.
Any ideas for new games that might entertain her?

Ds was given a foot long bin lorry by a relative for his birthday, complete with two little wheelie bins. He plays with it all day (by putting happyland people in the bin and then tipping them into the lorry - should I be worried about that )

Other than that, he loves being chased/tickled/ peepo plus chasing and shouting "rah", jumping off things on his own, jumping off higher things with assistance, running round and round in circles... You get the idea

And I nearly forgot: money box and a big pile of coppers. When he has finished I tip them out again and he starts again!

Watch out they don't try to eat the money though obviously!

Does she have any building bricks eg mega blocks? DS would be occupied by them for a while at that age. Also those wooden jigsaws he really liked and shape sorters

My DD is a tad older (19mo) and I too find it hard to keep her occupied when needing to get things done when it's just me/her at home. As you say, she appears bored.

Recently invested in a whole heap of fisher price little people - a house, a pirate boat, farm and tonnes of the people/animals off ebay, she loves it.. we've made a wee play corner (v.small house) and it's all on a big rug with a cushion on it and she'll toddle off and sit and play, she also has a big box of books too that she'll 'read' (not for long I might add, but just enough time to get something done!)

She is also keen on her toy plastic food, cutlery and plates and cups and giving 'dinner' to dolls..

Other hits include.. ELC letter box, a set of Habitat penguins (like Russian dolls) and her duplo lego.

She will also happily (always the way) forget toys! play with a tea towel (covers up and uncovers doll) a vest (trying to put on doll for hours) and water!!! I've sat her in kitchen whilst I do some jobs with a small bowl on a towel and let her play with her tea cups.. she'll also happily spend time pouring water from one vessel to another.

A colouring book and crayons normally do the trick for my DD. She gets so engrossed in it, she can continue for ages.

Aqua draw keeps my 'spirited' DS2 happy, and when he's finished he sucks the left over water out

Sticker books - my little girl loves them, and I think most toddlers do!

Thanks everyone, she was really into building towers a couple of months ago but that phase has past unfortunately as that would keep her entertained for ages. Colouring is great until she decides to eat the crayon or draw on the carpet ;0)
Will give your ideas a go thanks.

a washing up bowl with a little water and bubbles and some containers can keep my son entertained for a while.

supervised obviously - a bowl of water and an assortment of plastic animals and plastic scoops, spoons etc.

A shoebox full of odds and ends-measuring spoons funnel bowl,wooden spoon cotton reels,clean serviette , anything you think of :-)

a bucket of water and things like stacking cups, a mini watering can, sponges, obviously this kind of play is best outdoors! indoors mine can draw for ages, always has loved scribbling or painting.

like the water ideas, think i'll give that a try. Thank you

baby doll and pram

Duplo train set

DS loves his toy toolbox (takes stuff out, puts back in again), small books in a boxset (ditto) and the Hungry Caterpillar sound book. The noise gets a bit annoying though...

Taking a lid on and off an empty bottle will keep ds happy for a good 30mins

A basket, a baby doll and a blanket- DD2 is obsessed with babies!

Otherwise, one of the best toys we ever got is the Happyland double decker bus. Hours of fun to be had putting people in, taking them out, putting them in, taking them out, pushing the bus around a bit, putting them in, taking them out...

His big sister's toys.

And lift the flap books. Dd was a ripper but ds is so gentle with books. He will 'read' on his own for ages.

I have the same issue and posted a similar text a few months ago. DS simply doesn't really like playing with toys so we haven't got anywhere with towers or duplo or wooden blocks or sitting still! We are down to a very limited number of favourites and I find that when he's in the playpen whilst I'm having a shower he will actually focus on books and things like the pig below because he can't run off:
Fisher Price moneybox pig (a real winner)
ELC letterbox (similar idea)
Fisherprice walker/shopping trolley that has buttons to press, lights etc.
Toy pushchair
A couple of massive teddies that are now his friends
little pots and bowls of different sizes with lids and a load of foreign coins (he puts them in his mouth when he gets bored though!)
A drawer full of odds and ends that he thinks is an adult's drawer so he has a good root around (little boxes that you get rings / cufflinks in, comb, brush, defunct mobile phone, torch, whistle - you get the idea)
A mop and brush (Casdon make a janitor's trolley with Henry branding but it's not great quality)

to admit it but YouTube app on my iPhone is marvellous for keeping my DD entertained. She watches nursery rhymes, snippets from tv shows and the odd Baby Annabel advert from Spain .

She does plenty of old School things too like dollies, painting, water and sand play..,

Today it was drawing pictures in chalk on the paving.

Our iPad saved my sanity many a time!

Bit on the pricey side though We got it a couple of years ago when DH had a work bonus.

DS (now nearly 3) has used it from when he was 14/15mo. Loads of age appropriate apps. Some of which are quite educational.

I do limit his access to it now, as he could sit using it all afternoon if I let him. He calls it the mypad

Paid for itself many times over - not least when DS went through an early waking phase.