Under 2's - Keeping them entertained?!?

[kayleighj]

I'm in need of some inspiration!
I'm am running out of ideas...
I currently look after a 9m, 21m and 23m old. Any ideas on how to involve them all in activities?
What have you tried? What has worked? What hasnt?
Please help!b

Hi Kayleigh...

heres two suggestions...

• Body painting (non toxic paint obv).

Get a big splash mat on the floor in kitchen. Get some paint out. Strip them to thier nappies. Sit with 9mo. put some paper down too so they can 'print' parts of theier bodies on it too. Stick em all in the bath afterwards.

• Gloup!* Get some flour and water - look up quantities needed on net as not sure. Mix it together in tray and let them stick thier hands in it and make squiggly lines etc...

I cant think of much that the 9mo can do too...except for going out for walk in pram, things like that.

Can you take them to a playgroup near you 3 mornings a week? They will all have great fun, and other mums/chidminders will always watch over them too, so you know thier safe.

Cook cheap pasta (add food colouring to the water) - let them play

Make no eggs biscuit dough & let them play

Shape sorters, train track, building blocks, jigsaws(stick to wooden ones) - yes 9mo will chew everything - thats what babies do

Paint with water on your patio

Use chalks on the patio

Swing/slide/climbing frame(9mo can use it to hang on to to develop his standing skills)

Cutting up fruit for snack (9mo can chew on banana/strawberries/chopped up grapes)

Water play

I have a 3yo and a 9m
they like
building towers for the 9m to knock down
dancing /music/songs
dressing up box

I look after 18 month old twins. One loves to cook! What ever I am cooking he wants to help. He also loves to "wash up" I fill the washing up bowl with warm water and give him an old bottle brush and their plastic plates, bowls, beakers and cutlery to wash up, either on a chair at the sink or on a towel on the kitchen floor.

We do lots of finger/hand painting, every picture ends up like a brown blob but they love it.

They love to be outside and play happily in the garden for hours! I just bring out a blanket, toys and sit, ride ons and balls. If it is warm they will have a bowl of water. They have a sand pit which they throw all over the place!

Invest in a cheap paddling pool, buy a couple of bags of plastic balls and create a ball pool - fab, they'll love it. Can be used indoors or outdoors too - though you'll find the balls in places you wouldn't believe afterwards

Go for a walk round a lake. Little one in buggy and bigger ones on reins (so they don't drown). They can look at ducks and trees and collect all sorts of junk exciting stuff to take home and show their parents .

Trip to the library, must tinnies love books, and many libraries have have story time sessions.

Trip to local sensory room, that's where we are off too today.

Just thought of another Sensory bottles, basically empty drinks bottles, with different fillings/contents, such as:

Colour dry (uncooked) rice
Coloured water with cooking oil
Beads
Glitter
water with glitter
Coloured hair gel

make sure you glue lids on, i use the glue gun.

and anything else you can think of, we have a large box full. All the kids love them even the older ones.

thank you all for the ideas, they are brilliant! It'll keep me going for a while!

Jelly play. Make a big bowl of jelly. strip them down to nappies, Big plastic mat and let them go for it. My 2 LOVED it!

Oh the other thing my 2 loved was 'grown up painting'. Take 1 brick wall or garden fence. A couple of buckets of water and some big paintbrushes and let them do some 'grown up painting'. The water changes the colour of the fence/wall, they have fun and you have hardly any mess to clear up.... my favourite type of activity