I have a 19 month old, who is as active as anyone! He is always on the go! He loves being outside too! What kind of extracurricular activities can I get him into at this age?
My son is a very active boy, he loves being outside, staying busy and doing, well rather, getting into everything, I just thought some sort of activity would help him out. I live at an apartment so there isn't much for him to do outside, he can't ride his little bike unless we go somewhere else and he doesn't have the patience to wait to go somewhere. That is why I was asking!!!! But Thank you tracyxo...I will check into those!
I think Mommy and Me is geared toward this age. You can do yoga, dance, and tumbling stuff together.
Mother Day Out so he can socialize with other kids.
You can set up playdates and join MOPS.
I had that kid. And a tiny apartment. Whew! EVENTUALLY I turned my living room into a jungle gym (tubes to crawl through, bouncing on the couch encouraged, rings, the whole 9 yards. The only time he STOPPED moving for the next 9 years was/IS when he's plugged in.
Mom'n'me
- swimming
- gymnastics
Is what we did but there are LOTS of classes via community centers / YMCA, etc... We just couldn't afford more.
Some other things we did
- 3mi walk/run every sunny day (used my stroller twice his whole life)
- parked as far away as possible from any store
- put on music while cleaning (and he help from that age; throwing clothes in the machine, wiping down glass, vacuuming, cooking... You name it. Took ages but kept him busy then, and by age 5 I had a whiz bang helper.
- Used a rope handled giant bucket as a portable bubble bath (drug from room to room with me... Heck... I even put it beside the couch and read while he splish splashed
Don't forget 'Baby Curls'!!! Aka where you is your kid as a weight for exercise. The 'dumbbell' arm curl is where baby curls comes from, but also on your legs for leg lifts, back for pushups, etc. They looooove it, and you get a great workout with gradually increasing weight. By last year ( still doing it at age 8) I could manhandle his 80 pound frame any which way. Fun fun 'zahusting!
Take him out to a playground?
Swimming lessons and Gymnastics!
My kids (boys and a girl) did both and LOVED them!
Eh....really? He's not even 2.
Maybe a Mommy & Me class or Little Gym-type place?
Careful what you wish for--it will soon be non-stop activities and sports!
I have a 16mo - and I can't imagine any type of structured activities. Does your city have one of those Gym for Tots type places? Our library also has a reading program for toddlers (one for walking, one for non).
Check with you city or county Parks and Recreation Department. They often have classes (usually short-term, maybe four to six to eight weeks) for "mom and me" at this age -- with names like "Tumbling Tots" or "Wiggles and Giggles" and so on.Usually these are inexpensive, too! My daughter and I had fun with these when she was this age. Usually there was a circle time with songs and finger play (not long -- any good leader will know that kids this age won't sit more than a few minutes), then lots of access to mats, things to climb on, etc. Some guided play, a lot of free play. Gymboree, My Little Gym etc. as others mention are good too.
May I also recommend a group music class such as Music Together or Kindermusik? These are GREAT and designed for this age!! The kids move around a lot, get to shake and rattle kid instruments, dance and have fun (with you participating too). Wonderful.
At home be sure to provide a lot of stimulation -- things to thread on cords (watch for choking hazards), a place where he can play with shaving cream (put in a few drops of food coloring! It's fun! Let him squish and "paint" with it), a place where he can bang on pots and pans, etc. Be sure that you have space so he can safely do stuff and you don't care about a mess -- it's not stimulating to a toddler to hear "no" or "don't be messy" all the time. Have fun with him!
Our boy is very active too. We don't do any formal extracurriculars, but to burn off energy, we do the following-
let him push the stroller for long walks
toss the ball to the dog
run a sofa obstacle course
swing and giggle
bounce on a mini trampoline
have him climb onto our shoulders
toss him in the air
climb up and down stairs
splash
dig
kick
dance
wrestle
open and close doors
do chores
We did a mommy & me class, and he is enrolled in daycare, but neither offered "extracurriculars." The local park has a soccer class starting at 2 years old. We're thinking about doing it, with the hope that he'll have fun and burn off some energy.
good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
At that age I am not sure what you can get him into. You can check into mommy and me classes for like gymnastics or swimming lesson. Other than that try to set up play dates for him. There are not a lot of activities for children that age.
Do you have a YMCA near you? Ours has a pre-school play program every morning in the gym. It is also a good time to start swimming lessons.
sand pit is good but need make sure you cover it. I prefer the above ground ones. Also those wooden or plastic car worlds where they can create roads etc and move there cars through. Finally I think you should get him into a mommy and me class. They do baby gymnastics and climbing. Singing dancing. It will be a good experience for the both of you.
I would check around for gymnastics businesses and dance studios. They often have buddy and me or mommy and me classes for toddlers that are an hour per week for both of you.
He could also do playtime at the Y if you are a member. It would give you some time to go work out or take a swim class while he is able to run amok and have fun.
Gym classes. Around here, we have Gymboree, My Gym, and The Little Gym that are all designed for and are perfect for toddlers. Otherwise, many real gymnastics schools offer mommy & me.
Swimming lessons
Do you have a local community/rec center? Ours offers all kinds of fun classes for toddlers, They have a bunch of tot sports, a balls class, one called Messy Muddy Toddlers, and many more.
Music Together is also an amazing program that you can check out.
