Seriously, how do you occupy toddler boys without TV on rainy days?

[rosalux]

Just that really. DS1!is 2 3/4, DS2 is 4mths. The weather is awful and it's half term so play groups are shut. DS1 has just dropped naps but DS2 obviously still needs his (and long may this continue) so we need to be at home for at least a couple of hours every day. We only have a small (death trap of a) town garden so that's not really an option, any ideas (that won't destroy my house?)

I put my 17 month old in a nall over rain coat and we hit the park whatever the weather, he'd lose the plot staying in all day, even with lots of activities.

When you've run out of steam try this: it alway worked with my little ones:

1. Find an open area of carpet
2. Lay out a few obstacles
3. Show them the course
4. Blind fold them (then silently remove the course) and let them take it in turns to do the course
5. Encourage them loudly
6. Reveal the empty course

Also:
Preferably do this in a hall or corridor

1. Pick an animal e.g. elephant
2. Encourage good elephant impressions down corridor
3. Repeat with many more animals

Then:
Play guess what animal I am:
Each child (could just be you and child) take it in turns to do an animal impression (soundless). When bored of this, do it with sounds.

Then (getting to the pint where they need something seriously physical):
HOP down the corridor
HOP down the corridor with 1 hand on head
HOP down the corridor with 2 hands on head
HOP down the corridor with 2 hands on head and tongue sticking out
HOP down the corridor backwards etc.

Have fun….

'is find my friends with small girls have NO IDEA what it's like with little boys. It's so different'.

Yes I agree, Boys are SO much easier than girls. I have one of each, the girl is so much more work than the boy. A friend has 3 boys and 1 girl. . .she says the same. Another friend had 2 boys, waited 4 years and got her little girl, same story. Girl toddlers are way way harder to entertain. . .period. A massive generalisation obviously.

We used to go on a puddle hunt. Coats and wellies on and compete for who could make the biggest splash.

Also riding scooters in the rain and making a bow wave through the puddles is huge fun.

We also did a lot of baking, playdough and colouring and toddlers love to "help" so I'd give them a cloth to do the sink while I did the bath etc.

I agree it is hard when the playgroups are all closed but we used to make informal arrangements and go to soft play still meet up at someone's house on playgroup days.

Oh another thing we used to do was make a train or plane or car out of cushions and chairs…hours of role play fun.

Just remember the VERY best thing thing in the kitchen … a large cardboard box (washing machine size - you can get one from a supermarket if you ask nicely) and a large felt tip pen. It was a house, a rocket…..

www.waterproofworld.co.uk/

I am stealing some of these ideas!

Successful entertainment here for 2 and 10 month old:
Bubble bath with all the plastic cups in the house.
Making a cardboard box into a robot outfit.
Dancing like a robot.
Watching funny cats on YouTube.
Baking and scoffing jam tarts.
The okey cokey, sleeping bunnies and five little monkeys.
Making popcorn and watching a film.
Playing slideys on the stairs.
Him reading me a story.

Today we have (ds 2&3/4 too)

Done jigsaws
Colouring in (including door when I popped into other room)
Made a den with his tent in living room - put cushions, small books, cars etc in for him to find
Put 'springwatch' on red button and got out bird book and did bird watching!
Went out and jumped in puddles
Played with cars and play mat.

There was a thread a while back about entertaining toddlers - a guy said that he let his DCs paint the leaves on the hedge in the garden. We now do this to our bushes in the garden. DS spends ages perfecting the colours and admiring his handiwork!

It is difficult to get them to burn off energy when the weather is shite. We do a lot of craft activities and cooking, but they are short lived.

We use an indoor paddling pool, fill it with plastic balls - I don't see them for hours!

cooking, cleaning their rooms, storytelling, drawing, playing under the rain, shopping (get out of the house), organizing pantry

Am making notes furiously. Thanks Lovage I will have a look at that link. LOVING the idea to paint the leaves in the garden!! We will definitely be doing that next year.

Pmsl at the idea of a pottering toddler. If i left dd to it she would cause damage or hurt herself.

Mine loved drawing, helping me cook, making dens. I had yo break the day into one hour chunks to survive though.

Ive never understood these "without tv" questions.

paddington you say that and before having a boy I would have agreed, but is find my friends with small girls have NO IDEA what it's like with little boys. It's so different. A massive generalisation obviously, but one rooted I fact.

I have both boys and girls and I would say you entertain toddler versions the same. So, a massive generalisation not rooted in fact, only in your personal experience of your one toddler boy.

So, Playdoh, baking, sticking, painting, drawing, jumping in puddles on the patio (no need to stay indoors!), treasure hunt, dens...

TV.

My favourite activity is using the kids as a bowling ball and sliding them down the hallway to knock over skittles we had made. The kids find it hilarious. They also like to slide down the stairs on my lap. I usually end up with carpet burn but the kids find the bumpiness hilarious.

We do plenty of crafts and plenty of outdoor stuff (my kids love rain...). Tomorrow we're going to start growing crystals using water and salt, today I'm helping the Dc plant their own cacti :)

My kids are limited to an hour of TV a day unless it's "one of those days" for me, so I'll be pinching a few of these ideas too! :)

My favourite activity is using the kids as a bowling ball and sliding them down the hallway to knock over skittles we had made. The kids find it hilarious. They also like to slide down the stairs on my lap. I usually end up with carpet burn but the kids find the bumpiness hilarious.

Dsis and i used to get into a sleeping bag and slide down the stairs crashing into the front door at the bottom. Not so much fun when you were in the bottom of the sleeping bag but we took turns

YoureBeingASillyBilly - Never though of using the sleeping bags! Will have to find them ready for tomorrow .

Waiting for the twins to fall asleep and the kids and I are about to indulge in Lava Fort (I loved that game as a kid "don't touch the floor it's lava!!" )

Oh yes we did that too! Couch cushions on the floor and we had to jump from one to the other. When we had cousins/friends over one person had to be the lava monster and sat on one cushion trying to trip us up as we jumped past. I'm amazed we had no head injuries the amount of falls we had. Great fun that i'm never telling my children about

We played Lava Flow :) had to get from my bedroom, front of house above front door, across the landing, down the stairs, along the hall to the kitchen. We could only utilise stuff that was already on the floor.

We also played Lego Wars where we threw Lego bombs at each other. If you made them loosely, they exploded on impact. :o

We also played Lego Wars where we threw Lego bombs at each other. If you made them loosely, they exploded on impact.

I bet your parents just loved stepping on all those loose legos!

Throwing lego at each other? Not something I would encourage.

Playdates. Invite some friends over of a similar age.

Also my 2nd child had a lot of naps in the buggy while we were out and about so that we weren't confined to the house.