Rainy-day play for 18month-old

[Gloria42]

Hello

DS is 18 months old and sometimes I wonder if I do enough with him! He's not one to sit and play with toys for more than a minute or two and toddles about the house getting into everything he shouldn't, putting everything in his mouth.
Can I ask what kind of activities you do/did with your LOs at this age?

Fingers crossed ! It's so hard when all he wants to do is eat things!

Someone on here yesterday suggested clearing out your kitchen cupboards or your wardrobe and letting them play. Think that's perfect

washing up (if you have space and a waterproof floor, big bowl of water and bubbles on floor and lots of pots of different sizes)
rolling cars/balls back and forth between you
hide and seek (DS does this a LOT)

any household chores where they can follow along and 'help' (except putting clothes away, DS jsut throws them on the floor)

Painting/sticking
Bag of offcuts of material kept dd going for a while
Teddies picnic with play teaset
Plastic cooking implements/banging on pans
Get wellies on and puddle splashing! (you might no love it but he will!)

16 mo DD isn't a big fan of toys, but can be engaged in "helping" with lots household chores, like loading/unloading the washing machine, making the beds, cleaning the bathroom (lots of water everywhere tho!).

DD also loves all sorts physical horseplay, like tickling and wrestling games.

Choose a safe cupboard, let him pack and unpack it.

Inflatable mattress on the floor - instant 'safe' trampoline

Pots and pans, a range of plastic/wood/metal spoons - make (very loud) music

Play naked in an empty bath with a few dollops of paint.

Make a 'cave' using a table and a blanket.

Put duvet on floor and enjoy crawling under it.

I have one cupboard in the kitchen that has no guard on it. I keep all the saucepans and tupperware and the children's plates etc in. They love rummaging through it and moving it all around. Quite noisy but keeps them amused!

Would also love some tips! My 18 mth old dd is just getting over chicken pox and I'm afraid we have watched too much CBeebies .

Each activity only lasts a few mins but on a normal rainy day when she isn't ill we try to do the following:

Playdoh (pulling to bits, pressing plastic cutters into it)
Reading books - particularly those with flaps
Singing
Drawing with crayons or coloured pencils
Finger painting
Helping unload the dishwasher (I unload all the bottom layer except the spoons and any plastic stuff and she gets the rest out and hands it to me).
Play with Sticklebrix, tea set, duplo lego, hammer bench, wooden blocks, dolls house, toy train etc - I just get one or two toys out at a time then get something different out when she loses interest.

We do struggle if we can't get out for a walk to go to the library/playground/shops - normally do this twice a day when the weather is fine.

Would love other ideas as sometimes we are struggling by mid-morning - I can't wait until she can help me cook and we can make bread and biscuits etc.

Oh, forgot the puddle splashing one - dd still spends hours stamping in the puddles. Wellies with waterproofs, or sandals and shorts, depending on the temperature.

Take a bag for a walk, collect stones, leaves, feathers ... try not to collect dead mice

Take them home and keep them to tell Daddy about later.

So when I thought I was just doing housework, actually I was teaching my toddler a valuable lesson?? This I like!

I guess that children's paint is non-toxic?? He really does put EVERYTHING in his mouth!

oooh i am getting some good ideas, will have toget a tea set me thinks.

With my 18month old we
bake cakes
listen to music
read books
dance
do the housework

but we really do love to go out and about, hate staying in