ANY GREAT PLAY IDEAS THAT YOUR TODDLERS LOVE?

[girlygirluk]

Hi.
Am trying to think of some new ideas for spending play time with my two toddlers (3 AND 2YR) and some that they do on their own.
We occassionally do playdoh, painting, baking. But I have to say that all these things are 'only occasionally' because with two toddlers its difficult to keep everything under control and not end up with paint everywhere IYKWIM!
Just wondered if any other mums out there have any good ideas to keep the play we do together a bit fresh and different for them and ME!
And also any play ideas that keeps your little ones amused for a while, that they can get on with on their own.
Thank you

stamping.

Rubber stamps, washable ink pads, roll of lining paper, or big pad of paper.

Handful of stamps each, let them make wall paper!

Sheet over the dining room table - instant tent.

Dining chairs lined up in a row with lots of soft toys and a paper plate - instant bus.

Buy a Tomy Aquadraw - they can draw to their hearts content on the mat, but makes no mess as it's only water ... doesn't "work" off the mat.

Get one of those pop up ball tent thingies with tunnels to crawl through - instant mini soft play centre.

See, I like instant parenting I'm good at low supervision ideas... lol.

Heuristic play is wonderful for this age group and shouldn't involve spending much money to start up as you can scavenge things you have around the house already. It's a great activity for them to get on with while you do things nearby (just keep an eye on them as the materials are not toys exactly)

holy shit .. giving your kid's crap to play with to keep them occupied is now a childcare / behavioural theory ??? ... well I never .. that makes me pmsl (unless I'm missing something)

best thing to give a 2 and 3 year old is a 5 year old in my view .. keeps them occupied for hours

hi miaou

spurious inclusion of miaou's name because she thread checks on her name

am particularly enamoured of the name ... heuristic .. from the greek 'give them crap'

LOL Twiglett! Also delighted that I have been an expert of heuristic therapy for many years ( usually contents of vegetable basket )

Cooked, cooled down spaghetti with a little blue or green food colouring on! Hours of tactile fun. Put it on a tray though...
Pile of cushions, duvets etc in the middle of the room, roly poly heaven.

Twiglett Brace yourself.

I am a specialist in heuristic play. Seriously. I charge £50 an hour to let kids play with my baskets of 'crap'.

I love life

Twiglett how ruuuuuude!!

I am also a fan of heuristic play. It may sound obvious to you to give your children a variety of different types of object to play with, but you'd be surprised at the number of kids who have virtually NOTHING to play with which isn't a garish hunk of smooth plastic which honks or squeaks or says something inane in an American accent when you press it.

You should try it. I give my 17mo a weird collection of items including, say, a pine cone, an onion, a wooden clothes brush, a piece of chamois leather, a brass pig, etc etc... he will sit and play with real fascination and concentration for about 40 minutes. I've yet to see any of his plastic toys achieve that effect, including the Little Touch Leappad, various "activity centres"/ musical/alphabet caterpillar, various Vtech abominations (my mother has different taste in toys from me).... try it before you scorn it!

FMF, the dyed spaghetti is inspired... I am going to try that

Aw poor Twig, I don't think she was casting aspersions on heuristic play itself Greensleeves (the heresy!) but just the fact that it has a special name and a theory espoused by educational psychologists etc.

It is quite funny, I think so too

mine liked "real life" things like washing windows and floors, washing the car (n.b. make sure it's not a hire car and they don't use handfuls of gravel ).
gardening, indoors or out - cress, beansprouts, Mr Grasshead type things.

I always try to encourage "making dens in your own beds" to limit the mess. and then if you can bear it letting them have a tea party inside the den. fruit, raisins etc. it does make a mess but can keep them going for ages.

making "models" from cardboard boxes and sellotape. even a 2 or 3 year old can enjoy this.

playing "shops" with contents of grocery cupboard.

jeez franny .. how d'ya get a cushy number like that

I have been practising heuristic play for a good 5 years now .. can I get paid for it too?

greensleeves .. wee bit touchy there ain'tcha? franny's right .. was taking the piss of the name not the activity .. DD loves peeling onions and hiding my keys .. DS used to really love stones in preference to any plastic crap

Sorry Twiglett yes,I am a tad twitchy this evening. It's that blasted epidural thread

achooally ... didn't think you were serious .. now I'm ed but no worries .. I c'n take it

but then have avoided epidural thread totally

Cushy? Cushy! You cannot begin to imagine the rigours and stresses involved....

Jealous?

Yes GS, I was hovering with the meat hook again but you will out yourself through it; having a major argy on a Sunday afternoon is like some warped leisure activity for you I think...

Sorry, that was put yourself through it

I really should take up zen meditation or something. MN brings out the beast in me.

Franny how, how? I want I want!

How what, fas? How do you become a heuristic play specialist, or how do you get Greensleeves off a thread with a meat hook?

How play specialist, how?

Will learning sentences help?

Sentences optional, I find.

Shall I CAT you, fas?

No CAT's don't work, don't ask... just [email protected]

OK, I should have known that anyway, sorry