Need Creative Activity Ideas!

[physmom]

Seriously, anything and everything you do with your DC tell me! You can only read books so many times (or at least I can...), the long winter months are making her toys look booorrriiing, and lately DD spends a good chunk of her going to the front door and asking to go out (sorry dear, it's not going to happen in the middle of a blizzard! ).

So what do you do? She's entertained for minimal amounts of time when I have to cook something or do day-to-day stuff but I need CREATIVE activities/games to do with a young toddlers! I'm not talking about coloring, playdough, or books but something to keep them really busy to avoid cabin fever.

A few examples of what she likes:

Hanging out underneath sheets/blanks. It helps if they are black and white with some design because it makes the light that comes through the white part look cooler. We chat, sing or just push the sheet up and down. She loves sheets for some reason .

Wheelbarrow. I hold her hips and she walks on her hands around the place.

Monkey Bars. She likes to go to the bathroom and grab on to the towel rack (it definitely supports her weight) and hang there and try and climb up the wall.


LOOONNNGGG bubble baths full of tupperware and plastic shampoo bottles. If I'd let her this kid could take a bath 75% of the day.


Those are some of ours. PLEASE share some of yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SeaBean]

These are goofy but have helped to burn off some 19-month-old energy indoors:

- build climbing hill out of sofa cushions. I put the long ones on the bottom to create steps and she climbs up (two levels, sometimes three if we are very careful and surround the area with pillows).

- obstacle course - add a task to climbing like 'now crawl back through this tunnel' or 'now run to this corner and throw the ball. now run back and climb up the hill!"

- baby dodge ball - we have a couple of those light play balls (from the big bin at the grocery store). She runs and we lightly throw the balls "at"/near her as she runs by. She actually thinks it is hilarious if one hits her.

- we have hardwood floors so sometimes if we are in our fleece PJ pants, we sit on the floor with legs out in front of us and push ourselves around on our behinds. Sometimes she sits in front of me and I push us both. I look at it as a workout. LOL

[chipper26]

We dance, even though I can't do it for long b/c it wears me out. I hold her and dance around and spin w/her.

She has a small little tikes slide in the house she like to climb and slide on.

She sits on the counter while I make dinner, load dishwasher, etc and "helps" me. Sometimes she plays in the sink w/ water and other times just plays with the spice rack or the utensils in the container, but she keeps herselF busy. She sits in the corner area for more room and less chance of falling, plus, I'm right there.

We "swim" in the bathtub too.


She has a little touch leap pad that she loves to play with. It has different books that make sounds, say colors and numbers and reads to her. There's music and animal sounds, etc. She absolutely loves this thing... the only toy she has that she plays with consistently. They don't make them anyomre so you have to buy them on ebay.

We take trips to the store...Target, grocery shopping, the mall - just to walk around during non busy hours. Sometimes I'll take her to Chic-fil-a to play in their indoor area.

I know some of the stuff is out of the house stuff, but I don't have many ideas. I'm in the same boat as you are.

[naturechicplus1]

my DS (22 months) loves to help with all the chores (sweeping, laundry, dusting, wiping things down) which makes them take longer, but gives us something to do.

biscuits are something that are really easy to make with kids. we do collages with magazine pictures and glue sticks, glue onto paperboard from cereal boxes or construction paper.

i sometimes put on music and run/dance around the house for exercise, stopping in each room to do a different exercise like kickboxing or jumping jacks...he usually just follows around and sort of does what i'm doing.

sensory box stuff is good if yours isn't too bad about putting stuff in mouth. you can fill a big tub w/ feed corn, lentils, rice, etc, give them measuring cups, spoons, etc and let them pour, touch, scoop away. put down a big sheet or tarp first if you don't have hardwoods that easily sweep up.

hth!

[bstandlee]

We have built a "fort" under our kitchen table (with a large blanket thrown over it) and pretend we're camping and our dog is a big bear who's trying to get in our tent...lots of laughs and fun!

Sometimes when we're bored we'll Skype grandparents on the computer

Sometimes I'll just start going through some of his toys to reorganize or sort through ones he no longer plays with. He sits right beside me and is enthralled with all of his "new" toys! We end up playing for a long time with toys we haven't used in a while.

Laundry basket becomes a boat and he "sails" around the house

I can't think of any others right now! Hope that helps