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Behaviour/development

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What do you do with your toddler?

25 replies

davidtennantsmistress · 28/02/2008 11:24

i've noticed mine's watching far too much beebies . so far thou we:

draw
paint
stickers
play with various toys
he's not keen on hide & seek.

we go to groups prob 2 mornings a week now (finally i'm getting him out of the hosue! but these are for 1.5 hours only) and swimming as well which is for 2-3 hours.

so on days like today when it's peeing down what can I do to occupy him, cos i'm already feeling like a crap enough mother as it is right now and will it really effect him badly if I don't go to more groups/for longer/hopefully get him some little play mates? (I realise around xmas time he'll be going to nursery but until then)

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Fillyjonk · 28/02/2008 11:29

i don't really try to occupy the kids much. I read to them and play with them but i also expect them to entertain themselves quite a lot. I think this actually is a rather valuable life skill-being bored and sorting it out.

they are welcome to join in with whatever I am doing and I do intentionally do stuff that I like, like baking or gardening, that they are likely to want to join in with but I wouldn't really worry myself about keeping them occupied as such.

But do turn off the telly. I think some (NOT all) kids do get rubbish at entertaining themselves after too much telly.

davidtennantsmistress · 28/02/2008 11:33

the telly's on for back ground noise really - but I ahve noticed him turning to it more.

I do normally do jobs he can help me with tidying/cleaing his toys etc. I worry that he does play a lot on his own & has good imaginative skills apparently that really I should spend more 'quality' time with him - on a nice day we'd be out wiht the football - but again is he loosing out by being wiht me so much and not other children his own age?

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eidsvold · 28/02/2008 11:34

How old is he? These are for my 3 yo primarily and my 5yo joins in with some of it.

play dough

mercury dough

put music on and dance like crazy - my dds love this and I usually find some irish music and do my very sad river dance impersonation which has them wetting themselves with laughter and trying to join in.

Use cardboard boxes to make cars/boats/ space ships

Not sure if cbeebies do it but our abc ( aussie equivalent) has lots of suggestions and hints of things to make and do as well as games to play. here

or

thishave it organised into age groups.

Make a tent in the house - let him have a picnic in his tent

eidsvold · 28/02/2008 11:36

what about making pizzas for lunch - you can use puff pastry or even bread muffins as your base and he can put the topping on. We make ours from scratch and the dds love kneading the dough and doing the topping.

making biscuits that he can help decorate as well as make .

slim22 · 28/02/2008 11:36

trip to the library's children's corner?

Playdates at home? you can then let them enjoy free play

Treasure basket with new items every week? Maybe with a changing theme (things with solid colors/patterns - clothes - cleaning equipment - music instruments - things to count - animals - etc.....)

Agree free play/non guided activity important and TV hinders capacity to entertain themselves.

slim22 · 28/02/2008 11:41

yes baking/cooking/gardening/cleaning house etc...

Basically let him experiment with everyday life activities rather than trying too hard with toys etc...

My DS loved helping with brooms and vacuuming and loading/unloading/sorting/folding laundry.
He would put on an apron and gloves and muck about around the house.

davidtennantsmistress · 28/02/2008 11:43

sorry he's 2.

any thoughts on recipes to do the biscuits? I should really go back to doing more foodie things with him again, as he does seem to enjoy that.

think our library does it every other week, which would be good.

he's currently playing at the sink in the water! lol - stood on the loo.

I seem to have lost the ability to teach/interact with him.

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Legoleia · 28/02/2008 11:48

If he likes CBeebies, you could go onto the website and read some of the stories together, also have printable colouring pages, things to make and bake etc. Nickelodean has a similar website.

IMO Playing alone, amusing themself etc is really good. How about just leaving him to it with no TV on at all, a CD of kids songs or something if it's too quiet for your liking?

It sounds to me like you do lots of good things with him already and he has an interesting and varied week!

Teddy Bear's picnic (lunch on the floor)?

McDreamy · 28/02/2008 11:49

have you seen this range?

I use the kitchen, bathroom and garden one for DS and he's 2.5!

LadyOfWaffle · 28/02/2008 11:55

I was looking up about this last night - I can't go out much, and we have no garden so was looking for activities for DS and I to do in the house - hard as he's only 23 months so can't do cooking/baking stuff. I wrote down some "areas" of things to do, like : pretend play (pretend cooking, cleaning, play with his kitchen etc.), arts and crafts (even if it just pulling off lids and putting them back on again!), "education" - grouping cars into colours, counting cars, learning new words etc., active play (build tunnels, hide and seek etc.), music (and bad singing!), reading (incl. learning words, stories, him pointing at objects in books etc.) - that's about all I could think of so far. I did find a good website that gives you loads of activities to do, print offs to colour in, crafts to do, games etc. I only looked briefly, but i'll go find it again and link it.

PotPourri · 28/02/2008 11:57

I don't occupy the full day for my kids eihter. They have 2 little toy boxes and a few ride on toys and a mini kitchen downstairs. And I just let them do what htey fancy. DD1 who is 3 often asks if she acn do something - e.g. playdough and I let her. But toherwise they always have access to thier books so spend a lot of time reading htem, adn they play together now which helps. but I let them play in thier imagination as much as possible - with dolls, cars, toy kitchen, lego etc. I agree with someone else that it is a good life skill to be able to amuse yourself. Also, ti gives them alot of confidence if they are in control of what they do day to day (as much as possible anyway).

Oh, and I try to involve them in what I am doing as muhc as pos. if cooking, they can mix, or jsut play with pots and spoons etc, or copy me in thier own kitchen. I talk to them constantly about what I am doing. They have their own cleaning trolly adn brush adn mop the floor with me - that adds more work as they always spread the dirt pile around and I need to be really quick at scooping up - but I reckon they are learning good skills that way, adn I am getting my stuff done at the same time.

Now the weather is nicer, my two LOVE being outside, so I let them as much as I can bear (I am alwasy cold so hate it), adn let them run around and go on their bikes and seesaw thingamy etc.

and there is ltos of hte day spent eating or preparing to eat....

Singing songs, story tapes, nursery rhymes tapes, dancing along to music while you tidy, dressing up (I have gathered old clothes and shoes as well as a few commercially dress up things).

Test yourself, dont' out the telly on AT ALL one day and try not to stress. See what DS does.

PotPourri · 28/02/2008 12:00

Gosh, i really need to work on my typos!!

LadyOfWaffle · 28/02/2008 12:19

wasn't this one, but found this looking for the other site

another one...

more

70 more...

finally found it!

Not sure how good any of the sites are, found most looking for the last one (which I read 1/2 asleep last night) Hope that helps !

LadyOfWaffle · 28/02/2008 12:21

Oh, and obviously just let them amuse themselves aswell - I definatly do not spend all day doing activities with DS!

PotPourri · 28/02/2008 12:30

Great links LOW. Have bookmarked them!

laundrylover · 28/02/2008 12:41

Those look like fab sites LOW.

DTM, DD2s faves at the mo are a tray of dried soup mix and yogurt pots, water play, cafe with plastic tea set and dollies in a buggy. Has your DS got a buggy to push along? If not splash out a fiver - worth every penny. These are things she does on her own or with big sis whilst I cook/wash up etc.

BTW, DD1 just got a Night Garden card game for her birthday today and these were a breakfast hit with DD2 - we played a matching game. She also loves jigsaws but we have to do these together of course.

HTH

Lucifera · 28/02/2008 12:52

I'd endorse playing CDs of nursery/children's songs instead of having TV on, he will pick them up and be able to join in when they sing at nursery, also great for helping memory/concentratio;, but play other music as well - my partner's 3yo grandson, whose parents seem to have TV on all the time (and are brilliant parents, don't get me wrong), is very interested in the classical music he hears chez nous, and says things like "this is sad music, now it's happy" etc.

dontwanttogetoutofbed · 28/02/2008 12:59

turn on babytv instead of cbeebies if its for background noise, there is a lot more songs and music on
and the programs are short so if he starts to watch it will be just a few minutes before the show is over

try to go out as much as possible or meet with other mums and toddlers!

dontwanttogetoutofbed · 28/02/2008 13:00

the babytv website also has a) a radio player you can put on for kiddie music and b) cute little recipes for very simple and fun food that 2 yr olds can make, and you will most likely already have all the ingredients at home

bohemianbint · 28/02/2008 13:08

All DS wants to do at the moment is pull a chair up to the sink and wash up! Can be a bit dangerous though, so I've started putting a clean washing up bowl on the floor with water and all sorts of beakers and jugs and things in it, and letting him make as much mess as he likes. Keeps him quiet for long enough for me to get meals cooked!

MadamePlatypus · 28/02/2008 13:08

Ideally, play with me is doing things that I want to do to - e.g. cleaning, cooking, gardening, sorting clothes.

It IS easier when you have more than one because they can copy what the older child is doing e.g. with lego, riding bikes etc.

If its just you and toddler all day it is more difficult to let them get on with things - apart from anything else it seems a bit rude not to play with their toys with them for a bit! However, I think they learn as much or more from being your little sidekick as you get on with things as when you are sitting down to play.

Ledodgy · 28/02/2008 13:14

What Filly said. I also try to take them out everyday to the park or swings or shops.

davidtennantsmistress · 28/02/2008 13:17

lol @ ds being my side kick!

he's currently napping - tried to stop it (after much pressure from the family - but he went down and out within about 30 secs so pretty sure he was ready for sleep!)

LOW - will look at those sites thanks.

we've jsut made lunch together. i'm finding now thou - before I didn't bother at all about the state of the house or what mess he made, but am now stressed as it's always messy - he's only being a toddler, but i'm getting frustrated at him pulling something out as soon as I pack it away arrrghhhhh! lol.

will check out the baby site - althou I only have freeview now (hence beebies) but really want to cut it right back down to the night garden on a night, and half an hour in the mornings.

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Ineedacleaner · 28/02/2008 13:17

I am worrying a bit about this as well because dd goes to school in August and her nad ds (nearly 2) play togeteher all the time and I am out the habit of occupying him.
One thing I have found and they love it from when they can follow you around the house is music. I put on my own music as well as kids cd's usually in the kitchen or upstairs if I am trying to get on with some housework.

I lost half a stone this way half an hour 3 times a day loading the washing machine/dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom whatever while doing the hokey kokey or some mad dancing copying the dc's. It is a good way to keep the occupied but still getting on with things.

I am probably a bit wary of filling their day with too many activities because I don't feel I am doing them any favours by them not learning to occupy themselves.

Heli1 · 28/02/2008 14:20

Hi - this is all really interesting. I'm a mumsnet newbie and I wondered if anyone here could please help me with a similar dilemma related to entertaining toddlers.

My husband's sister is quite young and has a little boy who is 2. She is very shy and doesn't really like going to mother and toddler groups in case she has to talk to people, but she also doesn't seem to know very much about what to do with toddlers and/or what he should be doing developmentally. I have a little baby (5 months) and I would love to help her, but don't know how to without offending her (we are not really close). I was thinking maybe it might be an idea to get her a book which would outline really simply what he should be doing day to day and includes all the milestones. Is there one that anyone would recommend? Or any other ideas as to how we could help her would be much appreciated!

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