[metroames]

My husband is a stay-at-home dad and has told me that him and our son are getting bored of doing the same things day-in and day-out and I can tell it is really draining them both. Grant has tons of toys and we have them separted into baskets and rotate them out every few days. My husband gets outside with him on most days and play around the yard or at the park. They usually watch one video a day. When I am around he likes me to read him books and he has a ton of books! We've gotten him crayons, but he just likes to toss them in a bucket and break them or try to get us to color for him.

So, my husband is desperately trying to find new activities for them to do and I guess I'm not very creative, because I can't come up with anything.

Please help! What kinds of things do your toddlers like to do to keep busy during the day.

Amy

 

[Qestia]

Maybe check out programs at your public library? Ours does story time, which DS can't really sit for, but also a weekly sing-along which is more active.

 

[hapi2help]

Would he be opposed to joining a play group? I know they would be mostly moms, but really would be something else.

I agree with the library suggestion. Also, local bookstores may have story time too. There are mommy & me and daddy & me classes too. That will cost money though. In my area we have an indoor play area that has asection for toddlers.

Awesome dad! My dh would *die* if he had to stay home with our DS. He almost ran out the door to work to get away from our crazy ds this morning......

 

[sunnysideup]

Swimming (the beach, the YWCA, or the wading pool at the park), a hike in the woods, the zoo, finger painting, blowing/chasing bubbles, the library, a walk around the block collecting rocks and leaves... that's all I can think of right now.

 

[proudmamanow]

Does your son like to swim? We have lots of local wading pools, beaches and indoor pools, as well as 'splash parks' that are always good for entertainment. Dd and I go to playgroup once a week as well, which is a great chance to play with different toys & kids. We also like to feed ducks and throw stones (not at the same time, LOL!) in a local river. Also go for short bike rides with dd in the trailer.... We have a veggie garden, dd likes to pick and eat whatever's ready, and a sandbox and water table outside, also popular...
good luck!

 

[BellinghamCrunchie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by metroames What kinds of things do your toddlers like to do to keep busy during the day.

I know exactly how your DH feels. DD is 19 months, and its really, really hard to find things INSIDE that engage her for more than a few minutes. You can get new toys, but they will only last for a short while before they will become uninteresting, too. Two things that held her interest a little bit longer than other toys are the Kangaroo Climber and the ball pit. And these are really outside toys, I guess.

It seems important to us to try to get away from the house at least 4 of 5 days a week.

We're getting a bike seat for the bike; I think she will love that and it will be fun for me, too.

Walks around the neighborhood are fun, too, except since she has no concept of private property there is a lot of redirection. But the more we go around the neighborhood, the more she seems to be learning where she can go and where she can't. So although it was frustrating at first its gotten easier. Also I had to let go of the idea of a linear walk

. It can take an hour to go around the block which would normally only take five minutes if we went in a straight line.

 

[Cardinal]

Do you have Gymboree where you are? Go to www.gymboree.com and check out there music and play classes. We go to gymboree twice a week. It is kind of expensive, but so worth the price. DS loves it.

We go to the pool, the park, take walks, go to playgroups, play in the bathtub, play with the hose, play with anything. I empty the dryer, put Jonathan inside, and he thinks it is fantastic. (I sit there of coruse with the door open watching the entire time). We take out hte bottom rack of the dishwasher and pull it out. The rack for forks and knives is great for play. Refrigerators are also a haven for fun. Taking out the food and putting it back in... there have been a fun minor spills.

 

[Cardinal]

Oh, and pet stores. Do you have pet stores near you? My son loves looking at the fish tanks, bird cages, and dogs. We can stay there for 45 minutes.

 

[SerafinasMommy]

sidewalk chalk

 

[faithnj]

Let your DS do more of the things your DH does around the house. If your DH sweeps, vaccuums or mops-- there are child sized versions of these items at most toy stores. (Even Walmart.) There's even a child sized vacuum that sucks stuff up, but I don't know how much. At this age, kids want to imitate adults. Let him wipe up spills with paper towels. If you supervise closely, you can let him use a butter knife to cut some things. If you have water safe floors, give him a little basin and let him "wash" dishes. I've recently potty trained my daughter. She likes to do the things involved with going potty as a "project." Oh-- and be sure to have your DS put his toys away as an in/out "clean-up" project. And teach him a "Clean-Up" song to sing while he does these things.

The work toddlers do around the house won't be worth a darn to you. It might even create more of a mess, at first. But it will be very fun, educational, important, and self-esteem building to the kid to do grown-up work. And it helps build a stronger bonds, in my opinion.

Faith
(Who learned these ideas from "Montessori From the Start."

 

[reezley]

Here are some things my 21-month ds started liking in the last few months. He suddenly seemed to turn into such a toddler, and his baby toys became boring.

The Little People garage & cars (and people of course) that my sister gave us as a hand-me-down.

The swiffer (sometimes I put a cloth on it, sometimes he insists that I leave it empty - oh well). We also let him push around the electric sweeper, and he likes his little child-size broom.

Toy lawnmower! He spends a long time pushing it around the yard and driveway. It's a great fisher-price one that makes a nice engine sound when it's pushed and also makes bubbles (if you put the bubbles bottle in it). It's our neighbor's, so I have no idea how much it was, etc., sorry.

Sand box! Shovels! He also likes the water table.

Little electric piano, and xylophones.

Crayons and a big piece of paper taped down. Yes, he does make us draw stuff most of the time! But he's starting to get a little more independent with that now.

Beach ball that he kicks around inside the house.

Flap books. Lots and lots of flaps! And alphabet books. Alphabet flap books are the best!

He loves blocks and building sets.

And, we try to get out of the house every day, to a park at least, or for a errand. It's hard to find playgroups and storytimes that are in our budget (like free), but we try to.

Best of luck!

 

[Shanana]

The mall near us has a really nice indoor play area. I took 12 month old dd there for the first time today, and she was in HEAVEN! There were older kids racing all around and she sat there staring at them all agog. And then she just toddled right in and never looked back (the kid has no fear, I swear, lol). Anyway, it's a nice space, well padded, and can be used regardless of the weather!

 

[Babytime]

My 18 month old loves to ...

push a doll stroller or a toy grocery cart around and around the house

color with markers

she loves any type of ball

 

[SortaCrunchy]

I have been wondering the same thing about my 18 month old! This is a great and timely thread.

My DD likes to

color
sidewalk chalk
transfer dry pinto beans from one container to the next (and to the floor, but they are easy to pick up!)
read books
splash in the water (i pull down the dishwasher lid and let her play with measuring cups of water and spoons and stuff - easy clean-up, just have to change her shirt and diaper usually!)
play in the sand

Hope that helps some!

 

[mamajessica]

My 19 month old DD's favorite activities:

Sorting things (I give her a big pile of rags to "lay flat")
Push a shopping cart around (obsessively!)
"Scooping and Pouring" water, sand, rocks, rice, whatever
Anything to do with a ball
Books
General toddling about the yard
Play musical instruments
Talk on her telephone (old cell)

 

[NannyL]

Sensory things are fun:
a water table (or just a few big bowls of water, with measuring cups and spoons to play with)
rice with scoops, etc
shaving cream (watch for skin sensitivity)
goop (cornstarch mixed with water)
playdough
fingerpaint

Cooking! 18 mo is a great age to start playing in the kitchen with dh. Kids love to dump and stir and pour and touch and feel and taste everything. (yes, it will get messy, and yes, things may not turn out right, but it's fun!)

As a pp mentioned, just helping dh around the house, with laundry etc. can be fun.

If you can afford it (and dh wants to), I would also recommend gymboree or other such group. They are fun, and a great way to meet other kids, and great for networking, and I have found their activities to be very age-appropriate, and I love that they're not pushy. (If your dc doesn't want to participate or wants to do something else, that's fine too.)