Play date with no toys

[SnailPorridge]

Help! My DD has v few toys. We mostly go out or draw or read books. We occasionally watch telly.
This week we have three play dates at our house which is also very small and has a tiny very muddy garden.
What am I going to do? Visiting children always get bored and the whole thing is a nightmare.
What would you do? Any games I can make? She's 3 but her friends are 4-5.

DD like to roll a smallish ball and try to get it through a hold cut in the side of a cardboard box. Or if you save a few plastic bottles or look roll middles they could decorate them and play skittles.

My DD doesn't have loads of toys either and she only plays with a few of the ones she does have.

Making stuff out of cardboard boxes and den buiding with blankets was my dc favourite thing to do.

Tons of great homemade toy idea on pinterest! Could be fun. Or go down the fort route. Or build a play village out of leftover boxes etc.

Yup, I echo PPs: beg some freebie boxes from stores/ neighbours, get the kids started on building something like this Pinterest suggestion (only outlay needed is a roll or two of heavy-duty tape).

Chuck in some cosy cushions/ blankets...maybe ask each visiting child to bring a torch...guaranteed fun!

Do you have a dressing up box? If not, can you go through all your/DHs/older siblings stuff and find anything you think isn't going to be worn again, or you don't mind if it gets a bit screwed up, and create one? Mine loved dressing up and then it leads to imaginative games, role play etc. Hats, shoes , necklaces and bags are a winner, and if you have an old lipstick or eyeliner pencil, all to the good!

When my son plays with friends it is usually running about/role play games.

• have sheets/blankets to make a fort out of chairs/sofa
• have scarves and old jewellery for dressing up.
• can make swords/shields/wands out of old cardboard box.
• can make superhero masks or crowns out of card.

Drawing
Baking
Crafts
Go for a walk and get things to craft with. Check Pinterest for "nature crafts"
Ice biscuits for snack time
DVD and popcorn
Music to dance to
Teach them to play Snap
Make cards for concentration
Hair clips and bobbles to play hairdresser
Birthdays games like musical statues, Simon says...

Roll of wall paper or lining paper. Get the children to lie down on the blank side and draw round them. Then cut them out and decorate them. My dc and their friends used to love making paper children.

Treasure hunt with household items? Memory game where you put things on a tray, cover up with a tea towel and very them to remember as many things as they can? Collecting up items of different coloured objects and putting them into groups? Giving dollies a bath in a washing up bowl? Cutting out and decorating biscuits is always a winner here. Also, just cutting bits of paper is a winner here too - could be some junk mail or card food packaging? Collecting conkers at the park? Leaf rubbing with a crayon? Pasta picture?

I wish my children had less stuff. My parents won't stop buying for them and it's ridiculous. They have more fun with a stick or acorn than they do with about 80% of their toys

Buy a pack of digestives and make up some coloured icing for them to decorate with.

Get a couple of the free metro newspapers, a pack of balloons and some PVA glue and do papier mache bowls/masks.

Giant chalk sticks - you could have them decorating the pavement/wall or fence? (Normal size chalk is cheaper)

Maybe see if there is a toy library in your area?

Poundland is great for books/cheap craft stuff...

Movie afternoon - with some snacks?

Your house sounds fine. Print some colouring sheets?
The best party I ever did at home was Halloween themed when I had no cash. I made orange and green play doh and printed some themed colouring sheets and read the kids funny bones - get books from library :-) it will be fine

I think it is hard to know what very few toys means..

At 3 I would be encouraging imaginative play. whether that is a tea set, some cars, dressing up clothes.

Toy libraries are great so you can borrow toys short term.

She will also be getting ready for starting to start playing games.Orchard games have some fantastic games.

Other thing I would say at this age they all need guidance in a new home..You have a few years before other people's kids mean you can get on with other things.

OP is there a toy library near you?

Children dont need toys actually - they survived for tens of thousands of years without them!

My absolute favourite game as a child was making dens out of furniture. Lots of adults won't let you so It's great fun when they do.

All you need is furniture and some sheets and blankets. Nice to put cushions in the den a torch if you have one, tedddies or dolls and give them some snacks.

Also PASTA NECKLACES and paintings

Hi OP,

How are the play dates going?!

You could ask the visiting children to bring a doll/teddy for a teddy bears picnic.

Then decorate some biscuits or make fairy cakes.

Or I really like the playdough idea that a few pp have suggested. Great recipe here (and some other good ideas)

theimaginationtree.com/2012/04/best-ever-no-cook-play-dough-recipe.html

It would be a lot easier to pick up a few toys that, say, half a dozen large boxes - esp in a small house.

We got our most play value out of things like duplo/lego and our marble run. Simple board games are also good and don't take up much space.

PS we have ds1 w a Nov birthday and had exactly the same "he's grown out of his toys moment"at this age.

Thank you so much everyone!
It has actually been ok!
One got cancelled because the child was sick. The first one we did the drawing on wallpaper and then decorated biscuits.
Then they ate a couple in a tea party/picnic with dolls.
The other one we made pasta necklaces, played with the train set and then went outside and graffitied the patio with giant chalks.
I think doing activities was definitely the way forward. We never do activities at friends houses and it works ok but it's a good way to make up for lack of toys and me and the mums still managed to have decent chats.

Some brilliant ideas on this thread. I know your play dates are done (glad they went well) but I wanted to offer up some others:

• chasing balloons
• 'snowball' fight using scrunched up paper
• bug hunt
• mud pies

My DD at 5 has actually chosen to give away her toys as, in her words, 'she's not really a 'toy' type of person and would prefer other people to have them'. So not all children want toys. She is more than happy to play for hours with a cardboard box and her imagination. Some crafty things thrown in to decorate the box into whatever she has decided it is for the day and thats it. So, can you get some boxes from the local supermarket and give ideas for imaginative uses? (Cars, airplanes, hotels etc?)

Fantastic, thanks for updating OP.

Chilver my eldest also lived in her imagination but when she had friends round, dressing up and small world etc was very helpful for her having a common currency with her playmates. Not all visitors (or indeed my son!) can work with a cardboard box. Task based activities that don't require too much imagination are good ice breakers too.

Love the ideas - make a den (blankets and clothes horse!) and let them eat pizza in the den..

Glad things went well, OP.

Sounds like the visiting kids must've had a lot of fun at yours.

For future reference, you can also put an edible twist on the pasta necklace idea by threading Hula Hoops and Cheerios instead.