Activities for two year old twins

[Thevelveteenrabbit]

I need some ideas of how to entertain my 2.6 year old twins - preferably ones that don't require my 100% attention - so that I can get a few jobs done during the day!

I am struggling with taking them out at the moment because they hate the pram and are not very good at holding hands/staying close and most places are very busy when we get there!

So ideas for indoors or the garden (just in case the weather improves) would be great.

I also have 4.5 yr old dd so if she can join in too that would be great, although she does have a tendancy to be bossy and things can end in tears!

have you got a sand table? 4 of my dcs often play together quite happily outside with our one.

Little ones often enjoy "painting" the fence with a brush and small bucket of water.

One of the mum's on here sent us a game called jitterbugs which my DTs (19mths) adore. I would never have thought to give them something like that to play with due to their age, but they are really good at it (thanks FG) and sit laughing together.

Picnic in/outside with toy food. Or real food they can help to make.

One of my dts loves looking through catalogues/magazines and will sit for half an hour with the green baby one (not sure why she loves that one best).

Also how about making a den, I turn two chairs around and throw a blanket over. Or if you convince your dd it's a camper van she can sit on front of one chair and drive so avoids clashing with dts.

Mine loves a bucket of water and cloth to clean stuff. Bowls, windows, toys. You name it.

my DTs (2.9) have just got back in to playdough and DD1 (5.3) can join in too without too much agro! Apart from that they like our sand table, hungry hippo's game, manic martians (ELC), playing with DD1's Polly Pocket, track and trains, musical instruments, chalk on the patio, bubble machine, kids golf in the garden which they play like hockey, drawing at the table, blow up loads of balloons and let them bash them around, digging in the dirt in the garden and making mud pies!

Ditto Piximon on the sand/water table, ours can keep my 2 year old DTs entertained all afternoon. "Painting" the fence/flagstones with water and a paintbrush also a hit, like a budget Aquadraw! Variations on the above include squirting Fairy liquid into the water and blowing bubbles through a straw, making mud pies/icecreams with sand/water and "washing" plastic babies with sponges in an old baby bath.

We have a cheapie pop-up UV tent bought for holiday which has provided hours of entertainment. Fill with books or colouring things for a few minutes peace.

Digging the garden, finding worms and transporting dirt and horrible things in trike trailers.

Paddling pool great on warmer days, throw in a tea set and they happily spend the afternoon serving and drinking each others wee .

If you're stuck ELC has lots of ideas here.

Thanks for these - if the weather improves I will have them out "painting" everything in sight!

I took them all out today - into Manchester on the train to see the Lauren Child exhibition - it was exhausting but they were quite good = although a little noisy (the whole carriage could hear them and probably the next two) on the train on the way home. I am glad I did it and they should sleep well tonight!