Well it looks like the afternoon nap is on the way out - got any suggestions for calm, purposeful play?

[mazzystar]

for a nearly 2 year old?

Trying to think of an arsenal of ideas for little thing we can do together indoors on wintry afternoons.

tv while you btoh have a lunch break
youll find he flals aslep anyway.

then do housework
give em the hoover!

but that would involve me doing housework
i got a cleaner for that
and am vastly up the duff so sedentary would be preferable

Buy a load of art stuff, glue, collage stuff, scissors etc and do cutting and sticking or if you can face the mess, painting.

buy a copy of Shrek - my 2.5 yr old loves it, and is just dropping the afternoon nap too (mind you today he's so exhausted from not sleeping the last few days that he asked to go to bed at 1130 and has been there every since).

How about making cards - cut up any pictures off old cards, out of magazines etc. and build up a supply of homemade cards to use.

Cbeebies,cooking,painting,playdough,jigsaws,splashing about with pans of water on the floor,reading

Cuddling up to you while watching old film. They get bored of it and start to fall asleep while you get to enjoy old film

god NOT GLUE COOKING or anythign messy

I have found that all the following can be done whilst I lie on the floor next to DS: bricks, jigsaws, 'memory' game where you turn over matching pairs, drawing, stacking (cups), playing with farm and animals or zoo etc, playing cars esp buses with little people in, finger or glove puppets telling stories, reading.
Just beware falling asleep yourself unless DS does!