Have been staying home full time with my 18 month old for 4 months now. He has oodles of toys and I try my best to get him out of the house to go to the park, play in the yard, walks and "field trips" to the library, play dates etc. on a regular basis. We read, play with the dog, watch some cartoons, and I give him a good balance of playing with him with his toys and giving him alone time to play. I try to have him "help" me when I'm folding laundry or cooking.
All the same, I feel in a rut! It's getting cold outside and soon will be in the midst of a very cold winter, forcing us to do more indoor things. His toys capture his attention very little and I feel like he and I need some new, fresh ideas for activities that we can do at home together. Any new or creative ideas that have worked for you all? He's very active and doesn't hold his attention too well.
Yes, we have done a swimming class before but a bit too expensive to do again. And we do go to the mall play areas about once per week. Now that I say allll of this, it sure seems like a lot, but it always feels like we need new things to do. hmm
My son likes playing with a "mountain" of pillows too. We also get a sheet and make it make a bubble and then he jumps on the bubble. He also likes to write and color. They have crayons and markers that are washable. We don't have that and my 18 month old does pretty good at staying on the paper. You can get the big roll of paper and cover the table. You can also do finger painting. That's fun but messy. ;)
I think something to keep in mind is.. you may be getting bored with the routine but a kid can usually play the same thing over and over .. it's consistency that they like and attention.. so don't worry that you aren't doing enough..
As for in-house idea. I always thought playing camping was fun.. we'd get a sheet and toss it over the furniture and make a tent.. to me, that was so much funny.. get out the flashlights... and shine them around.. additionally, spent a lot of time drawing .. can you get him an easel.. that will go a long way.. he can use it even as he gets older.. you can also do lite lessons on it and begin to show him different letter and numbers.. my son loved his and still uses it to this day..
Hi! Does your local mall have a play area where kids can play? If it does, you can always take him there a couple times a week just to get out of the house. I know you live some where that it snows so getting out of the house on those cold days will be good and this is where he can run and play with other kids inside where it is warm. If you can afford to do it, look into some Mommy and Me gym classes. This will give you a chance to meet other Mommies while your son learns motor and social skills. Plus, Christmas is coming and that will bring an opportunity for some new toys. Go through the ones he has now and donate the toys he is too young for and hide some that are still age appropriate. In six months when he seems to be getting tired of his Christmas toys, bring out the ones you've been hiding and they will seem new all over again.
You're doing an awesome job. I know how it feels to be out of ideas and I hope these are helpful for you. Good luck.
K.
I agree with the PPers that mentioned piles of pillows and blankets. Also the cardboard boxes. Get a large bag of those ball pit balls and dump in the living room. Pop up tents and tunnels are great. Blow bubbles in the house (I lay a towel down to catch the juice). A small little tykes type slide and a ride on toy. We have this slide http://www.littletikes.com/kids-toys/climb-slide-castle?G... Oh and bathtime with lots of funnels, cups and bubbles.
Remember at this age is attention span is the minutes of his age.. that means 1.5 to 2 minutes at this point.
Boxes, he can build with them, climb into them, color them.. Make a playhouse out of a big one. You can either tape up all sides or leave them with one side open. Cut windows in them..
Big pieces of paper to color on. Follow the leader. Start working on walking side ways, hopping, jumping wave one hand then the other.etc..
We used to play hide and seek with a stuffed toy at this age. Obviously not totally hidden,
puzzles
I had a shower curtain liner I would lay down on the floor under a old coffee table we used as an art table then do crafts like coloring, hand painting, clay, Stickers.
Make a mountain out of pillows of all sizes and cover with a quilt. Presto: pillow mountain - great for crashing, climbing, rolling down.
Go on a field trip to the pet store - after checking out all the animals and fish, let him play in the "parakeet toys" aisle. My son LOVED the ladders with bells and mirrors attached!
Fill a low flat bin with off-brand cheerios and turn him loose with empty yogurt containers and laundry-soap scoops. Great for filling and spilling (and no choking hazard!) Hide little blocks or plastic spoons or whatnot under the cereal and have him find them. Put the lid on the bin and slide it under your bed when he's done.
Get a large cardboard box and cut some stars and a moon in the top. Maybe a window in the side? Open both ends (find a way to brace it with packing tape so it doesn't fall sideways on him) and you've made a tunnel. We put ours under a ceiling light so the starts/moon shone down through the box to the cardboard "floor". He loved it. After a week's worth of battering it was time for a new box.
Get a thicker-style plastic paintbrush and some cheap colored construction paper. Let him paint with water on the colored paper (or make handprints or use a small sponge). The cheap paper fades when it's wet, so the finished dried project actually has two color tones.
Lastly, I joined Gymboree when kiddo was about your son's age - aside from the weekly "moomy and me" class, they offered "open gym" most afternoons for two hours. It was a lifesaver. We could go to this brightly-colored, padded, infant-to-age-5 playzone and he could jump, tumble and slide to his heart's content. It was nice for me to connect with other SAHMs who had clever ideas of how to safely and cheaply entertain their little ones when "open gym" was over!
I think it would help if you had just one day a week for you. Could you get help, a babysitter, or Mothers Day Out? A grown up project, or even a cup of coffee with a friend would help. If you don't want to be away from you baby, then find Mom groups so that you can get a bit of social interaction for your child, and yourself.
A walk in the Mall in the dead of winter will help get those endorphins going. Grab the stroller and find yourself somewhere you can walk.... maybe with another Mom. That 1/2 hour of walking, following by a cup of coffee (muffin or rice cake for baby) can do wonders!
Try this website for ideas. It's productiveparenting.com You enter your child's birth date and it email's you an activity to do with your child as often as you want...daily, every other day, etc. It's great for getting ideas.
Your son sounds like my kids. They had to be doing something all the time.
When my kids were 18 months old we did a lot of crafts involving cotton balls. They loved gluing them to things. At Christmas time I would print off pictures of santa and have them glue on the beard. We put snow on pictures and snow men, fluff on bunnies, etc. It was cheap and easy and if I put down the glue, not too messy.
ANd I learned this from a momma on here. A cookie sheet makes magnet fun portable. My kids both loved that, my 3 yo still does.
A piece of pvc pipe and hot wheels STiLL entertains my kids for hours. Set up a ramp and let him slide the cars down it. When he gets older, he'll start stacking boxes and making contraptions with the ramp.
Boxes and tunnels. (Ikea has a great price on a toy tunnel).
Sometimes we made reading "nests" on the floor. Pillows and blankets in a circle. My kids would pretend they were birds and we'd read stories.
Play doh. I know some moms hate it, but I love it.
Beach ball. It's great for indoor and outdoor fun. Pretty safe to use inside.
The bath tub. Any time my kids got really bored or really cranky, we'd go play in the tub. Instant attitude adjustment. :)
Hammer and nails. Obviously, not the real deal. My son
was two when we did this one. He has always been obsessed with tools. So I would let him hammer his pretend oversize nails into some styrofoam sheets we had. He LOVED this.
Neighborhood walks are great.
U sound like an awesome momma!!!
and you provide a great menu of things to do.
to add to your repetoire, i perhaps would consider:
1. bringing outdoor stuff indoors...that is on those days where you cannot go outside:
a. indoor tunnel he can climb in
b. swimming pool filled with balls or stuffed animals
c. small ride on car he can ride around inside and work off energy
plus
a. books
b. crayons and paper
c. building blocks
HTH
Jilly
You have a million good answers already. I just want to add finger paint!! Most kids (my oldest hated it) love to get messy and have something to show for it in the end.
check out Play at home mom on facebook. They have some amazing ideas! There is also a blog, but I don't remember the address off the top of my head.
Have you considered signing him up for a swim class at a Y or a toddler tumbling class? I'm in the same boat regarding the pending winter and being "trapped" indoors with a very active 20-month-old. That's why I'm going to try some classes and while I'm not working get involved with my local Mom's Club.
