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Original poster

What toy engages your 2-3 year old for more than 10 mins?

31 replies

lottytheladybird · 03/02/2013 19:41

My DS is 2.5 years old. We have a house full of toys, but he loses interest in them after a while. I was just wondering what your toddler's favourite toys are? What do they play with independently the most?

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Pascha · 03/02/2013 19:42

Cars. Trains.

Starfishkiss · 03/02/2013 19:43

Diggers and fire engines, oh and play kitchen things if in the mood too

BumgrapesofWrath · 03/02/2013 19:45

Mine has started with jigsaws recently, the only thing that can hold his attention!

coldcupoftea · 03/02/2013 19:46

This afternoon- a cardboard box turned into a sledge for all her teddies

Flisspaps · 03/02/2013 19:47

Number flash cards. Musical instruments. Play Doh.

drinkyourmilk · 03/02/2013 19:48

Garage and cars.
Books.

Cakethrow · 03/02/2013 19:48

Duplo.

I have a nearly 4 and a nearly 2 year old and they both love it.

First thing they empty out all over the floor play with every day.

AdriftAndOutOfStardust · 03/02/2013 19:58

Hexbugs! Keeps mine engrossed for ages & has done since age 2.

Also lego but that wasn't till closer to 3.

A sandpit.

It's a tricky age though - they get more able to entertain themselves once they start having more capacity for imaginative play.

Wingdingdong · 03/02/2013 19:59

Dd now 3.5.

For the past 12-18m she has consistently played with Duplo (& now some Lego added), her wooden railway set, Happyland and her "babies" and associated accessories (buggy, clothes, cot). Her kitchen, shop, food and utensils are probably the most used - alone, with us or with friends, and now with 11m DS too, who has been taught to cook, pour tea and eat, but gets screamed at if he pushes the trolley! Books and jigsaws get used every day but particular ones fall in and out of favour.

Balls and her scooter are everyday outdoors items.

Basically I'd say that the most popular toys over the past year are ones that have allowed imagination, self-expression and growth. Most of them needed a high level of adult interaction at the beginning and now she plays mostly on her own near us, but asking us to comment/praise or join in when needed (tricky fastenings, complex puzzles, 'eating' the cake she's 'cooked' etc).

The crap toys (imo) have been the ones requiring sustained adult input (not possible with a baby too) such as wind-up things, fiddly bits that keep falling off, branded ones that tie in to tv programmes she's never seen, or stand-alone toys that hold her attention for maybe 10 mins but then there's nothing more to be done with them. Cuddly toys are a waste of space too - she has millions but doesn't play with them. I put a sackful up in the loft 4 months ago and she hasn't yet noticed their absence.

Wingdingdong · 03/02/2013 20:02

Forgot about play-doh. DD loves it. I loathe it, especially getting it off carpets, so she doesn't play with it as much as she'd like!

Francagoestohollywood · 03/02/2013 20:03

At that age ds loved to play with Duplo.

AngelaCatalano · 03/02/2013 20:04

Jigsaws
Playdoh
Drawing
Sand pit
Duplo and trains but often wants adult help
The washing basket as a boat- probably this one most!

MerryCouthyMows · 03/02/2013 20:10

Nothing. His attention span is roughly 30 seconds at present, maybe 1 min if something REALLY interests him. But he is hyperactive...

baileyslover · 03/02/2013 20:12

Play doh and jigsaws, plus anything gruffalo/ room on a broom related!

Beatrixpotty · 03/02/2013 20:12

Trains.Have wooden Toys R Us train table with track & trains.2&3 yr old DSs play with it for up to an hour at home.And also at any playgroup/activity centre where they have the same one!Best buy ever.

AngryGnome · 03/02/2013 20:16

Toy kitchen.
Also, I put some dried pasta in a biggish Tupperware for him, gave him a mini-whisk and a couple of little plastic bowls and he will play for ages, mixing it up, seeing it into different bowls, putting it all back together again.

amyboo · 03/02/2013 20:35

Duplo, toy cars and track (made by DH with masking tape on the floor), wooden trains (we have a mix of Ikea and Brio stuff), jigsaws. DS is nearly 3.

OneHundredSecondsofSolitude · 03/02/2013 20:36

Play doh

Duplo

Brio train set

Water

notnowbernard · 03/02/2013 20:39

Cars

That's about it

But he'll play with them for ages and ages

omama · 03/02/2013 21:30

Playdoh, gluing/sticking, wooden train set, jigsaw puzzles, just starting to get interested in duplo though we have none at home yet.

I got my 25year old sylvanian families windmill down from the loft the other day (ok a girls toy but i knew he'd like it) & he has played with it non stop since I got it out!

mumofthemonsters808 · 03/02/2013 21:35

Nothing, he refuses to play with anything on his own, his standard response is "2 players".Sometimes when I have lots of jobs to do it really gets me down.My DD from being very young could entertain herself but not my wee laddie.

mewkins · 03/02/2013 22:00

Toy kitchen, playdoh and painting/ gluing/ general mess making. Kichen with some dry pasta etc to move from one pan to another is a winner though. A friend of mine puts bubbles in the toy kichen sink so her dd can wash up. I imagine all little ones would love that.

duchesse · 03/02/2013 22:09

Cutting up- she loves that. Give her a pair of scissors and a piece of paper and she's happy for about 40mn, cutting it into smaller and smaller bits. Has loved doing that for about a year. It's messy but worth it for the peace and quiet. Drawing also- big supply of sheets of paper as her drawing tends to the minimalist some days.

boredbuthappy · 04/02/2013 02:10

oh dear, got all excited when i saw this thread thinking there might be some advice I could use too! Tried all of these things....DS is 23 months old and nothing, i mean absolutely NOTHING interests him for more than 10 secs. In fact, he's doing the exact opposite of what you'd expect a nearly 2 year old to be doing ie doesn't want to try and do anything by himself, everything is 'you do it'. So DH and I play the lego, or draw or colour or whatever it is we'd like him to find some interest in. It's getting really frustrating. I'd really like for him to occupy himself for a short while as well.

I thought little ones liked doing things themselves??!!

humblebumble · 04/02/2013 02:32

DS2 has a mild speech and language delay. He has just turned 3.We also have a house full of toys (very kind relatives, thank you!). The SALT suggested that we put most of the toys out of sight and rotate boxes of toys as then he will be excited by the toys and engaged for longer. We usually have 3-5 available at a time. However we only get one out at a time and try to encourage one box out at a time then do "clean up" (obviously doesn't always work out this way, but anyhow ...)

Themes we have are:

  1. Playdoh
  2. Kitchen/play food
  3. Bricks/building (we have wooden blocks (big/small), sponge blocks, stickle bricks, trio bricks)
  4. Duplo/Lego
  5. Cars
  6. Trains
  7. Puzzles
  8. Happyland/Playmobil/Wow Toys
  9. Arts/Crafts (Drawing/painting/cutting/Crayons/chalk)
10. Magnets 11. Books 12. Music box (noisy toys, drum, triangle, shaking toys, etc.) 13. CD Player/stories 14. Cooking/baking (obviously needs parental involvement) 15. Water play (at the sink in the winter or in the garden when warmer) 16. Sand pit or playing in the garden.

Can't think of anything else at the moment, some have more involvement than others, but. Most of these things he can do by himself for a very short time. However he does best when I "set him up" and then let him play. For instance, I will spend 5 mins or so building something with him and then let him continue. It doesn't always work ...