Toddler Activities

[ChaCha]

Any suggestions pls? DS1 is 16 months old. When can we start using playdough for example? And I was thinking of starting painting - what type of paint should i get and any other ideas? Thank you, haven't done this before.
Also thought about buying him one of those watering cans and buying some sunflower seeds, I imagine these are bought at local DIY centre, I am no green fingers so haven't a clue!! Day is very long and the park, walks, toys etc.. are fine but not always enough. Thank you.

playdough is fine, if he eats too much of it take it off him (if any is left)
paint is fine aswell - some people make their own (???) - I buy wilko as it's cheaper than ELC

Just don't expect TOO much out of this sort of activity

crayons are less messy (though can still be eaten) and skribbling can be good fun.

water is GREAT, washing up bowl with water in, few plastic cups, teapot, watering can etc. ds2 (14mo) had great fin with that this afternoon.

sand pit?

have you got any mum & tot groups nearby? they can be clique but worthwhile giving them a try as it can kill a few hours, and you could find some real friends there who you can then kill other hours with.

Not sure what else, ds2 really just spends the day annoying his older brouther

You are brave, I am avoiding playdough and paint cos of the mess

I got a book from amazon - Entertaining and Educating Your Preschool Child - lots of ideas in there

You can get some good pens from early learning Centre called easy painters. They make very little mess , but children love them. Crayola do them as well.

dd was fascinated with lift-the-flap books at that age - don't get pop-up or pull-tab ones, as if your ds is anything like her they will get ripped to buggery in her attempts to find out how they work... there are a series of books of traditional fairy stories (Cinderella, jack & the eanstalk etc) with illustrations by Nick Sharratt - can't remember who wrote them, sorry - but they are in rhyming couplets and have loads of flaps to lift - kept us both occupied for ages!

Otherwise, the ELC soft-stuff is good for modelling, but don't let it get too exposed to the air or it'll go rock hard (especially if it's been trodden into your nice beigey carpet - I speak from bitter experience!).

We did painting with sponges at that age - squeezing paint onto paper plates and then letting her go mad with the sponges - marginally less messy than fingerpainting, but then dd always seems to be channelling 'Braveheart' when she paints and ends up naked, covered in blue from head to toe... but then you can have fun in the bath with squirty toys washing it all off!

DD1 is 16mths and loves to paint and also to 'colour in' with pencils. Panting stuff isnt really of interest to her but Ds loves it and always has done.

sorry for a slight hijack, but when you say painting what's the best way to do that?

we currently get wall paper/wrapping paper (the reallyt cheapo stuff) on the carpet with pens for J to play with - althou he's still liking things in his mouth but will draw a bit. the idea is it's less restricting than the a4 sheets iycwim. also I let him play with the flour - prob not v exciting to most but he makes shapes a nd that in it (on a tray)

If you're nervous of the paint mess then there's a great thing you can do. Get sheets of coloured paper. The really low grade stuff that they used to make jotters out of for school. Then buy a big fat paint brush and one of those pots that don't tip over from the ELC and fill it with water.
When you paint with water on that type of paper it sort of stains it dark and they feel like they're painting. Better still, the water dries and you can use the paper again.

If you make playdough yourself with flour and water and salt they're unlikely to eat it because it'll taste so awful.

The Crayola twistables are good for this age. Crayola are good becuase they make a strong mark.

When he's a bit older and you're going for a walk draw little pictures of things that you might see and put a box beside it to tick when you spot it.
I did one on the computer that I used to print out when we were out for a walk. Things like a bird, a dog, a digger, a ladybird,
a postbox etc.

Make a word book. Take pictures of his things. Teddies, his plastic cup, his bed, you, his dad, a family pet, his highchair, a plant in your house etc and then put them in one of those little albums. My two still love looking through theirs.

Given the nice weather, if you've got a patio, tub of water & a paintbrush outside makes for hours of fun with no tidying up afterwards [smil]

Thanks for the ideas and the mention of a good book.

Chasing Rabbits - We got to Tumble Tots, Rhymetime and sometimes the local drop in, I also have friends who pop in and out with their little ones but hasn't happened much recently as there is always one of our kids with cold/illness/virus etc.. I want to do something more creative with DS as I feel he needs it and want to spend more time with him doing things IYSWIM. Don't particulary like the Drop In but rhymetime and TT is great fun.

Think we'll try the basin and bits in the garden tomorrow, DS loves water. Thank you.

oh, baking - and then you get yummy cakes to eat

Outdoors: washing up bowl, few yoghurt pots/jug, lots of pouring, perhaps some liquid soap in it, shake water to make bubbles, paintbrushes to 'paint' the ground/walls. Pour water on ground, tread in it, make footprints, note how they fade, re-make them...

Emat - Word book - what a fab idea!! A must!

ok, creative things, thinks hard, thinks harder, considers ds12 just spending time annoying older bro, considers again

cutting and sticking? argos catalogues, old magazines, rip pictures out and prit stick onto bif piece of paper.

outside chalk is good too. I think you can get ones with a plastic cover like twistables.

Rainy day activity - Sit him in a high chair with some cornflour and water mixed together. If you mix it right, it's a strange combination of solid and liquid when you move it around. It can get a bit messy sometimes but it brushes off clothes and fabrics so it's easier to clean up than paint etc.

DS12, Chasingrabbits? Tell me that's a typo.

pmsl a DEFINATE typo, there is 2 (JUST TWO) of them, its ds2 annoying ds1.