Toddler activities

Just came across this note on my computer. I do not know the source, but want to specify, the ideas are not mine and I cannot take credit, just sharing, enjoy!






1. COLORED RICE
An idea for indoor entertainment at home is letting them play with colored rice ….if they can be trained not to put it in their mouths.
 
Get a storage container - it's nice if it's large enough for 1 child to sit in cause they'll be determined to do it- I make them take turns- (my container is maybe 2ft long, 1.5ft wide and 5" high?  small enough that I can lift it and store it, but just large enough for 1 child to sit in and many children to gather around) and fill it with rainbow colored uncooked white rice.  Lay down a bed sheet/table cloth/paint drop cloth, put the rice in the storage container on top of the sheet. Give them funnels and jars to fill up, spoons, measuring cups if you want to work discussing full/empty terms with them, a few plastic animals they'll enjoy burying and then finding......when they're done, you can use the bedsheet to funnel in rice that spilled out of the container back into the container, and rice that went beyond the sheet is swept up and thrown away.  To make colored rice, buy many bags of basic white rice, and put rice in ziploc bags.  Drop in food coloring with 2 Tbls rubbing alchol which helps the dye stay and not rub off on hands.  Mix the rice up in the ziplock back then lay out on a baking sheet and let dry for a bit – you could also try maybe low temp in the oven.  This is a winner for many ages and keeps them focused for a while. Then store the container and sheet away to use another time.  We've been using ours for 4 years now, and even with all the rice I sweep and throw away I still haven't had to make more colored rice.  And rice is far easier to sweep than sand, so that's why I champion this as better indoor texture play than a box of sand.
 
2. Large boxes with packing peanuts
Kids love to jump in, hide in and play with packing peanuts in large boxes.  I keep them around until the boxes are destroyed.
 
3. Body painting before bath time.  Use washable paints, strip them down to their diapers, put some paint on some paper plates and let them go.  Messy – yes – but washable paints are quick and easy to clean up. Buy some rolls of butcher paper and cover the floor so they can make footprint art (makes unique wrapping paper).
 
4. Playhut’s indoor pop up tents, tunnels and ball tent.  Playhut has easy to fold and store pop up tents with attachable tunnels, etc.  A ball tent is great – you can pick up bags of ball tent balls at Toys R Us (much cheaper than ordering that online and paying for shipping) – you’ll need at least 200 balls for a ball tent.  I’ll pull out the ball tent for 2 weeks, then pack it up (balls come in re-zipperable bags) and store away for a while.  The other huts and tunnels can be fit into small rooms- I'll even run it down a hallway.
 
5. Magna doodles – my favorite first drawing tool….as I dislike Crayola’s Wonder markers since it takes a second or two after the child has drawn for the line to appear and this confuses the child.
 
6. Make your own playdoh and provide some plastic scissors, small plastic cookie cutters, children’s rolling pins, and pastry wheels to play with.
 
COLORED PLAYDOUGH
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup salt
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
Food coloring
Saucepan
1 cup flour
Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.  Remove from heat and add flour.  Stir, then knead until smooth.  The cream of tartar makes this dough last 6 months or longer, so resist the temptation to omit this ingredient if you don’t have it on hand.  Store this dough in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag.
 
 
7. Colored sand/salt art.  Buy colored sand, or color your own sand or salt using powdered paints.  Put the colored sand/salt in salt shakers. Give each child a piece of paper in a tray/cookie sheet and let them ‘draw’ with a glue stick. Then allow them to shake the colored sand/salt on their drawing, tip the paper up and there is their masterpiece....and toss the left over salt in the tray.
 
8. Even the smallest back yards or condo patios can usually fit a sand box or water table or sand/water table.  Ditto with smaller play slides from Step 2 or Little Tikes.
 
9. HUNTS: 
 
a)      Plastic egg hunts – it doesn’t need to be easter. Fill some with their favorite snacks, place them around the room and let them gather them.  If you don’t have plastic eggs, tie snack filled ziplock bags with ribbon. 
b)      If you have a sandbox, buy some rocks and gold paint spray at Home depot – spray the rocks, bury the rocks in the sandbox and let them hunt for gold.  Or toss the rocks around the backyard and let them hunt for them.
 
10. Begin teaching them how to do playful wrestling – no biting, no shoes, no kicking…the kids will do it naturally on their own but better that you make it an “activity” so they learn how to do it nicely.  And, if any of your children are boys then wrestling is a necessity to burn off “boy energy.”  Any time my son is starting to get whiny, I find spending 5 mins wrestling with him can make a remarkable difference.  I often get trapped into a power struggle with him and then suddenly a lightbulb will go off in my head and I realize I haven't wrestled with him in a while - and bingo, the behavior problems end for the day.
 
11.  Get a gym mat so they can practice tumbling…most mats fold up so you can slide in a closet/behind a bureau, etc.
 
12. They are old enough for imaginary play and cooking/playing restaurant is fun for boys and girls at this age…so if you don’t already have a play kitchen, get one.
 
13. Check out the books by Trish Kuffner.  I love “The Toddler’s Busy Book”
 
I know you specified “at home” activities, but there are 3 field trips that I think are manageable with 1 adult + multiples - plus parking is free and easy.  It's a short walk from your car to the first 2, a bit of a longer walk for Skirball so you may need a stroller:
 
1. Playa Vista Sports Park – it is gated and has a security guard usually posted outside. 
 
2. The Zimmer Children’s Musuem – a small “contained” museum with only 1 exit that has staff posted at it.  So kids can run around downstairs without you worrying about anyone disappearing.  Great for all ages.  Children are free, you pay for the adults but a membership can be well worth it.  They also offer toddler art and cooking classes.
 
3. The Skirball’s Noah’s Ark Exhibit.- you have to prebuy date/timed tickets through their website (look into a membership) but again this is another “contained” exhibit with lots of staff walking around to keep an eye on the kids – so if your kids run in 3 separate directions you don’t need to panic. Great for all ages.  During the summer you can time your entrance along with watching one of their 30min free family conferences on weekends, and when the kids are a bit older…maybe 2 ½ or 3, during the summer there is also a free drop in art studio you can hit after the Noah exhibit, thereby really maximizing your time there.....there are also outside tables so you can bring a picnic lunch, or eat while watching a free concert.