I want to stay in more with my toddler

[Carrotcakeplease]

I am feeling a bit like my life is a whirlwind of activities and my toddler has sort of forgotten how to play. He does at nursery and at other peoples houses but at our house he just wants to watch TV.

I would love some suggestions of things to do with him. He isn’t really into jigsaws. Sticker books work for a while but then he wanders off. His interests are mostly vehicles - tractors and cars and so on.

What might we enjoy? I really want to get him engaged with toys again.

I don't know how anyone has the energy to set up those tuff tray shenanigans or curiosity boxes, baking and so forth. Even painting i prefer to leave to nursery! We got our son a big Brio set for his 1st birthday and have added extra sets to it over the years, keeps him entertained for a while. That or 'helping' with cleaning or laundry.

I’m not totally sure what a tuff tray is

I am definitely leaving painting to nursery!

I’ve never played imaginatively with my kids, and they are all great at playing on their own (because I won’t do it with them 🤣).

I will draw, paint, cook, do puzzles, play board games, build Lego but I just cannot sit there and play superhero fights or babies 🙈

I suggested curiosity boxes but I didn’t mean anything particularly effortful 😂 just shove some random things in a box, preferably things that don’t look like toys, and leave them in the lounge for the kids to attack!

I was like you OP with a similar little boy. I just accepted that this wasn’t something I could do. I hated playing with vehicles. I read lots of books , went for walks and pointed things out, did play doh etc

some of us parent children better at an older age . It gets easier.

It’s a plastic tray.

I pour out some rice and stick his diggers in there. Or get a tray of water and some washing up liquid and he cleans his cars.

Mixing up a bit of icing to stick on digestive biscuits or 99p fairy cakes.

He does a lot at nursery & enjoys it. I like to make sure he has activities at home, he loves a jigsaw and a book, but I find these really easy 2 min to set up activities that mean I don’t resort to CBeebies.

I love spending time at home with my DS, we chill, we play cars a lot as that's his favourite thing, we read books, Play Doh is one of his other favourite things to do, and he's also into Orchard Toy games, Memory games etc Sometimes we just snuggle on the sofa and watch a film!

DS would throw the water and rice EVERYWHERE 😂

They need to practice, you have to let them get bored in order for them to work out for themselves how to keep entertained.

Sounds like your toddler is totally burnt out. Bit like when we over do it with work and life and just want to sit and switch off.

Blimey, do you think so? Why?

Mine loved things like a big bowl of cooked spaghetti, a bowl of custard, a tray of dried lentils with a digger/scoop/funnel or having a bath with loads of bubbles.

I kept a big box of old packaging and also used to let them draw on big sheets of paper on the floor.

Can't see anything in the thread from to OP that would suggest this is the case

My 2.5 year old loves glitter gluing and sticking foam shapes on card, you can buy the foam shapes from the works, baker ross etc. Also likes ink stamps.

DD and I started making Brio train tracks together when she was 2. She's 5 now and it's still one of those things we love doing together. It's more about making new track layouts and building them than the end game of pushing the train around.

Another really good together activity is playing with a ball.

We also started sitting and drawing together when she was 2.

orchard games are quite fun, esp the shopping one

my daughter really liked these button puzzle/art work stuff.

It would keep us busy for a while

Length of plastic or cardboard tube large enough to take small cars. Prop one end up on the coffee table or a pile of books and show him how if you post a car in at the higher end, it comes whizzing out of the other. It was one of toddler DS's faves!

Some great ideas here, thank you her love the car idea!

Also he had wooden train set for his 2nd birthday, not too young - but you might have to help set up the track at first.

Would also recommend a giant cardboard box...

We got vehicle-mad DS a wooden train set when he was just under 2. He just pushed it round and round and round. Couldn't see the appeal myself but he was utterly delighted by it!

Playmobil 123 was also a hit. And putting cars down ramps. Lots and lots of books. We didn't really do much imaginative play from memory, I feel that kicked in for him more at 3.

Imaginary play. He is a cafe owner and you the customer. He can cook you sausages and make cups of tea for you. You need a teaset, but boxes are fine for tables. He will love it.

Make his teddies other children at nursery and he has to organise their play.

DS has always loved me doing imaginary play with him. Last week we were terraforming a planet and attacked by aliens. Also did a shipwrecked themed play. 🤣🤣🤣. He is much older though and has plenty of nerf guns to fight off the aliens or the tigers on our desert island.

Plus the usual duplo building, art, play dough etc.

Flipping loved the toddler stage

get a 3£ bag of compost from Homebase and tip it in your garden and drive diggers through it and make mud pies and squish it all

My 2 year old (25 months) loves Duplo and will play for hours with it. He also loves his train set (a Duplo one, my dad bought it for him and the trains move round the track) and again will sit for ages, especially if I sit with him,

When my ds was that age we had a basic brio set with a battery operated train that he would watch going round and round. He also loved his toy garage with a ramp to push cars down. I'm considering getting my dn the toot toot twisty tower thing. Also, finger paints, playing shop, pushing a toy pushchair with a doll in it, pretend kitchen and stacking blocks. We also had a pop up fire engine tent and fireman's costume which he loved.

Yea I tried some of those trays during lockdown when DD was about 1 and a half and it was really so much effort and tidying for about 5 minutes of interest from DD