Cardboard Playhouse/Puppet theater. I ordered a double stroller when McKay was born and it came in this wonderfully big box. I cut a window in one side and strung curtains to make it a puppet theater, and then cut a door in the other so that Jadyn could also use it as a play house. She LOVES sitting in her own little space and coloring, or playing with her stuffed animals.
Pipe cleaners and Strainer activity:
Homemade Playdough:
I have always hated the smell of Play Dough, but my daughter fell in love with the stuff at our local library's toddler time. she enjoyed it so much that I decided to try and make a batch of it at home to see if it would smell better than the commercial stuff. Sweet success! Not only does this play dough not stink, but it was a really fun activity to do with my daughter and I don't worry about her squishing the colors together or leaving it out since I know that I can just make more! Here is the recipe:
1 c white flour, 1 c water, 1/4 c salt, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. cream of tarter, Food coloring, Wax paper
Mix the food coloring with the water in a pot and then add all of the other ingredients. Cook over medium heat stirring continuously. When the mixture begins to really "dough up" on the spoon dump it onto a sheet of wax paper to cool. After it has cooled you can store it in a ziplock bag or plastic container. This stuff will dry out fairly quickly, so remember to put it away as soon as your toddler tires of it! We made purple the first week, and then one new color every time we needed to spice up the activity a little.
What activities do YOU do with your toddler?
I LOVE all these, Kym! And, of course, we are always looking for new & fun things to do around here. A few recent hits have been
ReplyDelete1) "painting" toenails with washable markers (started when she saw me painting my own nails & the great thing is she can do it herself AND loves wiping it off just as much as putting it on! Also, she enjoys using her markers to color in catalogues (for some reason that is more popular right now than blank paper).
2) smelling spices. She loves to open and close their little lids & can now identify cinammon, sage, and nutmeg by smell.
3) balloons, bubbles, and playdough -- all pretty self-explanatory.
4) cleaning. We use her wipes to clean her board books (wipe each page), dust the house, etc. etc. It is a big hit right now!
5) Dress up. Specifically, she loves wrapping herself up in a sheet and making faces at herself in the mirror. :)
6) I bought a stand for spools of thread & she enjoys putting the spools onto the pegs. This has not been *quite* as much of a hit as the other activities, but still keeps her happily occupied a few times a week!
I will add more if I think of anything else -- and thanks for all the great ideas of yours. The pipe cleaners are definitely something we need to try soon!!