Rainy day activities for 21mo

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I work 4 days pw. My daughter comes home from nursery at 3pm on those days and I feel useless having to ask am struggling how to entertain her.

When the weather was nice I'd get the paddling pool out or go to the park and whilst we can do done bits out and about I think it's quite important for her to enjoy spending time at home too given how much she's out if the house.

But - I think she's a bit bored at home and I'm feel I should be making better use of our afternoons together. Sometimes she's happy pottering but other times she wants me to do stuff with her and puzzles, books etc only keep us both entertained for so long and she doesn't want to do the same thing every day.

So I'm embarrassed and feel guilty to ask but how do entertain a toddler at home for a few hours before dinner (at about 5:30)?

Maybe watch some movies with her or hide and seek thing like like xx

My DS is slightly older, at 29 months, but since he could walk (from just before 18 months), he has enjoyed 'helping' me round the house - loading & unloading the dishwasher & washing machine, having his own dustpan & brush for sweeping, wiping the table with a cloth etc.

If your DD is already at nursery till 3pm for 4 days, I would imagine they do plenty of craft, music etc with her there.

Also, don't be afraid of cold & wet weather. Just make sure she has a decent raincoat & wellies & let her play out! If there are clothes to wash at the end of the day, so be it We have old, comfy clothes for this purpose.

Ok so today we went to the library and came home and did some colouring. Then nipped out to the post office. Yesterday we went to the park.

DD seems much happier out and about, it's like she gets frustrated at home unless I'm doing what.she's.doing.exactly.how.she.wants wonder where she gets that from!

I feel like I need a list of things we can do so I can alternate stuff and have something planned or something to fall back on if we need extra/different entertainment. I also think prepping dinner earlier in the day (I work from home) will mean that I've got less to do and she'll get less cross with me.

Geez. This parenting malarkey doesn't half call for one to be organised eh?

Oh and you're totally right about getting weather-appropriate clothes and heading out regardless.... This current change in temperature has caught me off guard!

Play doh? I always found that a fairly easy activity, often they'll get so involved with it they won't notice if you sneak off for a cuppa too

I'm in the process of organising a list of things to do too. There are quite a few blogs with people writing about their days and giving details about what a super mummy they are how they did it.

My son goes to nursery in the morning too and I assumed he'd not want to do crafts with me because he does it there, but bought some paint as a backup. He saw it and got really excited, so perhaps the idea of making something at home is going to be good (I hope so because I'm starting to save toilet rolls!!).

He loves washing up (playing with water) and mopping, sweeping.

He also Ioves helping me make dinner. I give him a butter knife and let him cut tomatoes, cucumber etc. he usually ends up ripping it apart and eating it! Stirring things seems to be fun too. He has an apron for cooking and a plastic, sleeved one for painting and seems to enjoy the ritual of putting them on and anticipating the fun he's about to have (used the plastic one for water play too).

We're very lucky in living in a town centre so I can usually pop out with my 21mo for a bit between nap and dinner. The usual activities are park, playground, library, coffee out or a trip to the shops. We also live not far from a pet centre with a big room full of aquariums with different types of fish (massive hit). Oddly one of DS's favourite places for a potter around is the massive cathedral not far from where we live. Entry is free and he loves roaming about and lighting a candle before we go home (me doing the lighting obviously ).

Why not do what she wants for a bit? Then get her to help you (or "help") while you do stuff around the house?

I find messy play works well - dd, 21 months, loves a big bowl full of lentils/rice (dried) and will mess around with that. Just vacuum afterwards. Or a shallow bowl of water in the bathroom with some toys.

But actually going in the garden is her fav (or the park) and getting muddy and wet! I do gardening, she "helps" me.

Watering can and send her into garden.
Washing up bowl on floor with water and toys in
Help cook dinner
Colouring
Putting on all the shoes
Wheelybug
Go to the library
Go to the park regardless of the weather, feed ducks, kick leaves etc
Explore mummy's make up bag and smear lipstick all over the carpet
Lego
Toot a recorder tunelessly

All things my 20 month old likes to do after nursery.

baking? batch of fairy cakes is easy and then can be decorated too.

If you're on pinterest look for toddler activities/crafts, there are 1000s.

Mine was and is still a fan of small world scenes- playdough and bits of safe plants plus plastic animals. Plus train set built for him ready to go.

Stickers?

'washing up' with bubbles in the sink

cantreach, one of DS's favourite crafty things ever was octopuses from toilet rolls- cut down into one about half/two thirds of the way to make legs, curl the legs up a bit then paint the whole thing. When dry you can add eyes/face and hang them up. We have 3 hanging from a shelf in our living room, they make me :)

Can I recommend waterproof dungarees OP? I find them a godsend- can vary the top layer from just a jumper to rain coat to full on winter coat and keep legs dry when they inevitably flop all over the floor on wet grass maybe this is just DS?

My dd has just turned 2 and isn't really interested in crafts/ books but she is really starting to enjoy imaginative play. At the moment it seems to alternate between playing with her doctors set or the little people in her dolls house - sending them to bed etc. It will only keep her attention if I play too though. We do these every day and she isn't bored of them yet (I am!).

I look forward to the day she will sit with play doh for half an hour!