Fabulous resources for a 2yr old?

[Emmalina]

Just would like to pick your brains! My dp and I would like to start looking at ways to encourage our ds beyond the usual reading/colouring/naming activities we are doing in the evenings. Time is a factor as ds is at daycare during the day while we work. We would really like to make the time we have together count but are not sure what activities would stretch him but be
1)fun
2) things that we can drop in and out of with him while we make tea and get everything sorted of an evening i.e. he can accomplish some it with help but it will allow him to work alone for 5 mins too which he likes. He seems to like checking in but enjoys independence too.

What would you recommend? I would love to know anything from games to books to toys.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense, just hoping to gain from your wisdom!

[melissel]

Blocks!!!! These are a perennial winner in our house. We also love our felt board (with and without the story sets that go together), and Melissa and Doug pattern blocks (both the beginner kind, where the blocks fit into the pre-cut spaces, and the kind that are free flowing). Also, a big pan of dry rice/pasta and some measuring cups/spoons/small animals are generally a big hit, but my DD2 is a dumper, so we don't use those as much as we used to :

Oh! Also, our play kitchen/food/dishes/high chair etc. see constant use, especially while I'm cooking dinner. And our Little People sets get a lot of use too.

[Lillian J]

I think the most valuable thing you could do with him is to play and just casually talk with him, with no agenda other than that for its own sake - especially since time is of the essence.. Those are the things that will mean most to him, and the moments he'll carry forever in his memory - the things that will nourish all the rest. Quiet time together when you just cuddle together and tell him stories, tell him nursery rhymes, let him into talk to you about his day, read to him from a relaxing and beautiful book without trying to get him involved in the printed text (maybe like those by Margaret Wise Brown - there are some very nice books around with collections of her stories). Play time that's set up with imaginative play opportunities - like a playhouse, castle, puppet theater, store, etc.

All that sort of thing is what lots of professional educators and researchers feel is the really important basis of a good education and development of creativity - not the working through of traditional school subjects. This page on preschool/kindergarten has a number of interesting articles with lots of ideas - and underneath the articles are links to websites that have great ideas for activities with little ones: preschool/kindergarten

Have fun! Lillian

[Emmalina]

Thanks to both of you - keep those ideas coming! I think the time we are finding challenging is that 'in between' bit of the night. After dinner and bath we have lots of snuggling and reading time and weekend are family time which we love. But when he gets home from daycare he is still quite 'up' and wanting to do which can mean frustration when we are trying to get all our evening 'tasks' done.
We are in a rented house which is a bit teeny and I don't like the fact that the only open play space where we can have floor time is down a set of stairs away from the kitchen. Hence the request for things he can do at the table so that he can have something fun to do while I fix dinner. He also seems to be very good with shapes and is getting the idea of numbers so we wanted to make sure that if we give him an activity to do it is something that will help him develop rather than just 'park' him so I can get a couple of things done KWIM? Our usual routines have been thrown out by the move so I'm looking for inspiration!

THanks again!

PS I love the idea of a store! When we move and have more space I am definitely going to do that!

[Shianne]

How about homemade salt dough? You can use cookie cutters, etc. You can even bake them to make them hard and paint them.
A 13x9 cake pan with a little bit of paint, then let him roll his cars through them.
We have a Castle Marble works from Discovery Toys that my 2 year old loves to play with. I know they sell like toys at different stores.
How about letting him help you with dinner? I let Rhett (my two year old) do small things like get veggies out of the fridge, let him wash them, etc.
I also have my computer in the kitchen. He loves Living Books. There are a bunch out there, his favourites are Mercer Mayer's Just Grandma and Me, Berenstain Bears In the Dark, Stellaluna, and Dr. Seuss' ABC's.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by Emmalina

He also seems to be very good with shapes and is getting the idea of numbers so we wanted to make sure that if we give him an activity to do it is something that will help him develop rather than just 'park' him so I can get a couple of things done KWIM? Our usual routines have been thrown out by the move so I'm looking for inspiration!

PS I love the idea of a store! When we move and have more space I am definitely going to do that!

You can have a little store right there at the table, using empty food containers and play food, with a play cash register. I wonder if Fischer Price still makes the one that's used with play coins.... Hm...I just Googled it, and found that it's now considered a bit of a collector's item, and has been replaced by Dora's Talking Cash Register, complete with a scanner and microphone??? It has awful reviews - it apparently doesn't work well. But I know there are some simple little cash registers for children.

- Lillian

[umsami]

My sons (4 and 2) like having little chores to do. We bought them a small dustpan/broom that they like to use to help clean up the floor after dinner. They like to help me set the table... mix things... etc.

They both take a lot of pride of taking their dishes to the kitchen and putting them in the sink.

We have a very small apartment... so after all of the toys are put away... we sometimes make a giant fort in the middle of the living room. That's always very popular. Then, of course, the fort transforms itself into a rocket ship... car... boat... etc.

They both love to sing and play with instruments. We have some tambourines, a harmonica, xylophone, and a drum which are all very popular.

Honestly, I would just make sure that the TV is off... the radio is off... all other distractions are gone (maybe even turn off the phone)... and follow his lead. Just playing really counts a lot at this age (and every age for that matter). If it seems like he's overwhelmed by too many toys... then maybe set out a few different ones for him to choose from... or put some away in a box for a month or two so he can rediscover them later.

[umsami]

OK... I missed the part about things to do at the table...


The favorite toy in our house right now is a whisk. My Mom sent it to my boys. You could pick one up at the dollar store.

We also have a box of wooden food that is held together with velcro. The kids cut the food using a wooden knife. It's by Melissa & Doug.

My eldest son got the Little Tikes DiscoverSounds Toolbox when he was about a year old. It's a little yellow suitcase... with a shape sorter and hammer. Both kids have loved playing with it. (Note: Toys-R-Us usually has buy one-get on sales on Little Tikes, so wait to buy it until one of those sales.)

http://www.littletikes.com/toys/toys...&Ne=1&N=26+147

We also have had this ball sorter thing for 3 years now. It is still played with a lot. I found it at Target, but you can also get it online http://www.littletikes.com/toys/toys...&Ne=1&N=26+147

My 2 year old is also very much into pouring things... playing with spoons etc. You could give him two bowls, one with cheerios, one empty...and a spoon... so he can transfer them.

Also, a small pitcher is nice.... with a cup to practice pouring.

[umsami]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

I wonder if Fischer Price still makes the one that's used with play coins.... Hm...
- Lillian

Toy-R-Us has the Fisher Price Fun to Imagine cash register on sale for $13.99 right now. Looks classic... plastic coins... no Nickelodeon endorsements... etc.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=2674710

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by umsami

Toy-R-Us has the Fisher Price Fun to Imagine cash register on sale for $13.99 right now. Looks classic... plastic coins... no Nickelodeon endorsements... etc.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=2674710

Oh, that's great! I hate to see good toys swept aside. Some of the coolest, most popular toys in playgroup when my son was little were Fischer Price ones that had been discontinued. But wait! I Googled the castle just now, and it's apparently BACK! I don't know when this happened, but it's great - a secret passage, hidden stairs, and all sorts of fun things. They've changed it, of course - I can see that - and it no longer comes with the cute pink dragon. I still have that dragon somewhere... Lillian

[LilyGrace]

I'd like to share one of my very favorite sites - www.forsmallhands.com

Look, peruse, and drool.