How do you fill your 2 yr old's day??

[HarperRose]

I'm lost, mamas. (And dads. ) My youngest is 2. My older kids are 8 and 9. When they were little they played with each other. At this point, they're in school during the day so the boy is alone. There's only so much I can do to amuse him before he tires of me.

I know the park is an option and so is the indoor play place at the mall, but what else can we do??

[mrsbrunette]

hey there, i am trying to do "theme days" until my dd is older and can tell me how she wants to fill her days.

what about a day for museums, a day for friends, library day, cleaning house day, park days, baking day, etc. we do these and it really helps break up the week. in each of these days we go for walks and my 2 year old gets lost in pretend play for hours while at home. i think not having a tv helps with that though.

i know how you feel though... i thought for sure id have another child by now and they would have each other to lean on for entertainment.

[pantrygirl]

I have a 20 month old but I guess that's close to 2.
We found museums, libraries, parks and playgrounds great for 1-3 hours during the day.
Since she seems to thrive on routine there are some things we do daily.
A typical day goes like this:
wake up
bathroom (slowly introducing routine and potty, very slowly)
make breakfast with me
playgroup with 2 neighborhood kids/outing/help with chores (laundry is exciting at this age)
lunch
nap
arts/crafts/pretend play/storytime
make dinner with me
dinner
bath
bathroom (brush teeth, potty, wash face, etc)
pjs
storytime/prayers/bed

We try to go outdoors at least once a day if the weather permits. The outdoor time could even be going to the local store.
DH tries to take her to a museum once a week.
We try to have playgroup with neighbors at least every other day to build social interaction.
In short, I think I try to make the mundane everyday stuff that needs to get done a game to help pass the time and teach her that we all do something to pitch in at home.

Hope this helps.

[mommariffic]

I'm pregnant so a lot of my day is trying to find time to rest

We do: craft projects, cooking together, play dates, going to lunch, outside play, museums, free classes, story times, parks and more parks, and things like that.

Try joining a Meetup or something so you can find outings!

[HarperRose]

Thanks for the ideas! I hadn't even thought of theme days. That would be great.

For another week & 1/2 I'm also watching my littlest cousin, who will be 3 at the end of the month. He & ds2 have a good time, but they do even BETTER with structure, of some sort.

I'll look into local museums and stuff. That's very helpful!

[prancie]

mostly ds just hangs out with me while I do the things i do to keep up with our place. He plays and gets into mischief and even helps me sometimes. We go to see family fairly often too.

[K1329]

mostly ds just hangs out with me while I do the things i do to keep up with our place

This! When dd is in school, ds and I just hang out, run errands, and enjoy the day together. I haven't figured out how to have it together enough for "theme days." I wish I was that organized! Probably due to my previously mentioned lack of planning, I enrolled ds in a small preschool a few mornings a week. He absolutely loves it! Gets to go to "school" like his big sister, plays with peers, and does some really cool art projects!

[SparklingGemini]

There are a couple of places that do Waldorf homeschooling curicculums for the preschool age. They're super gentle, non-forced and very sweet. You could always check them out.

Little Acorn Learning
Seasons of Joy(if I understand correctly, this is an MDC mama!)

Also, what we do during the week:

• Dance Class
• Daily walks or bike rides
• The Farmer's Market once or twice a weeks
• Library storytime
• Playgroup
• Baking
• Household chores together(DD LOVES to clean windows, sweep, vacuum and dust!)
• Weekly field trip to local sites(museum, zoo, play cafe, gardens, local farms, etc.)
• Painting(DD's art materials are nearly always available to her. We have tempera, watercolors and pastels, among other supplies)
• Lots and lots and lots of free play with DD's open ended toys
• Work on our teeny garden
• Email daddy
• Read stories
• Have indoors picnics

Really, I could go on. We have very full, very fun weeks. Anything is new and exciting when you're little and doing it with someone you adore.

[HarperRose]

You guys are AMAZING. Thank you!!

We've been going to the park nearly every day and doing A LOT of outside play. A friend is going to be giving us a sandbox soon, and some days we just go for a drive. It's working well so far. These are fabulous ideas!! Thank you all!