What do you do with them all day though?

[Powerball]

Had an unexpected day off just me and 3 YO DS today and it's been so much harder to fill than I thought! Everything we did filled so little time and while most of it was lovely, I had so many times thinking 'well, what should we do now??'

The day started at 8am and we got ready, had breakfast, went to town, the art gallery, walked round a park and some shops, did some colouring in in waterstones, went out to eat, picked up some bits on the way home, played with his cars, caught up on gladiators, read some books together, watched these little informative videos about dinosaurs he likes and then I really was stumped! It sounds like loads but most of this was before 2pm. What do your solo parenting days look like?

I solo parent every day but I don’t constantly try to be busy the whole day, kids are allowed to just chill out and even dare I say it be bored sometimes

So during that time, what does that look like? I can imagine doing that more when he's a bit older but now I don't know - I feel weirdly a bit guilty.

Mine spend ages doodling with paint pens. One has just drawn a big brown poo...but its been amusing them for half an hour while I cook.

Reading takes up a bit of time as we talk about the pictures.

They playedwith duplo this morning - i asked them to make a castle for a doll (which is not remotely what they ended up building, but they enjoyed it).

We usually go for a fairly substantial walk, preferably somewhere wooded as theres lots to see - takes an hour or two, a pack a snack and do this maybe twice a week.

We often do a group, although I appreciate that's no good if you don't often have time with them. If they don't and it's bad weather we might go to soft play.

I guess it looks like you getting on with stuff you need to do and them entertaining themselves?

Breakfast
Toddler group / soft play / park
Lunch at home
then he generally does a lot of independent playing and watching me cook till dinners ready

Mines 2.5 years old

Independent playing is a really good thing. You don't need to fill every waking moment.

It does drag sometimes!
Today luckily my 2 year old didn't wake until 8, went to a church toddler group at 9.30 - 11. Bit of play and lunch back at home.
Back into town for library story time 1.30 and stayed for a while after reading and colouring. Babychino/coffee trip after then to the park home about 5. Now watching bluey on the sofa together while dinner cooks.

Totally agree that kids should be allowed to be bored at home but I hate it! Especially with other parent WFH and a dog getting in the way.

Seeing friends (yours or his) a few times a week...others people's houses or small no of visitors always s good way to fill the day
Downtime after lunch or even a snooze, story tapes or children's music good back ground if not a napper...keep telly till 4pm when you make tea/food

We always had a short nap...afternoon slump till they went to school at 4years

Doing something slowly and inefficiently (housework) whilst chatting to a toddler always worked as a time filler...they like doing things with you as long as you don't fixate too much on the end result!!

Ours used to be...set up Brio first thing. Breakfast. Out at 10.30 if not nursery or school run. Outdoor walk, park run around. Home for lunch...make lunch. Lunch/clearing over by 1.30. nap /waking rest/story tape/music nursery rhyme tape (you could substitute podcast but should be just gentle sound not too stimulating...radio 3 or 4 are good) I rest too.
Wakeup, snack, play with toys, cars (visitors?) Or go outside again and run around.
Tea
Bedtime routine
Bed with stories.
Seeing other people was really important to me and him.

I have my 4 and 1 year old at home a couple of days a week and I work the other days while they go to nursery. We tend to do:

Wake up, breakfast, get dressed
Independent play - I just let them riffle through their toy boxes and sort themselves out. During this time I do jobs like cleaning, washing, have a shop delivered. No more than an hour

Go out, depending on whether we do a walk to the park, go to play at the library, very occasionally a play date.

Back for lunch, 1 year old has a nap then

4 yo will often do some painting, colouring, maybe baking or she will help me prep dinner or do jobs sometimes.

Once 1 year old is up, again I just get toys out - bricks, duplo, cars and car mat, baby dolls etc. but I generally let them play independently unless I'm requested to take my role as granny when 4 year old is playing babies lol.

As we get towards dinner i put the tv on - they generally start to argue at this point! So we stick on a film and I crack on with dinner.

Post dinner bath and bed!

I think the important thing I learnt was not to fill every second and although it's good to have a couple of things going on it's fine for them to just play independently with their toys

Can definitely drag but I also try not to constantly entertain…

7-8:30 breakfast and we dress, bit of playing or he plays with toys whilst I hoover/tidy/clear up breakfast
9ish usually out the door somewhere for example to a playgroup, swimming, the farm, play date etc
Get back around 11:30 and have lunch
My DS is 2 so I thankfully still get a nap from him from around 1-2:30 thank goodness!! Dreading this ending!
2:30-3 snack and bit of TV or books
3-4:30 pretty much the only time of the day I do a big stretch of full on playing, and even then I often let him potter about with his toys whilst I put washing away etc we might do crafts, play dough, baking or just toy playing depending on what we feel like doing
5ish is usually TV or iPad time whilst I cook dinner then it’s the usual bath and bed routine

Blimey mine would spend ages just pootling around herself - I must have been the shite mum who left her to it.

i hear you OP, it’s a long old day. Last time Dd had a few days off we generally left the house by 9:30, went to softplay, lunch, bit of shopping, came home and did something like make ice lollies (yoghurt and strawberry so it takes longer) then she helped make dinner, did some drawing etc, bit of telly, played some games, silently begged the universe for DH to get home quickly so he could take over.