Shadow Puppets/Flashlight Show (from babycenter.com)
-Julia loved being in the dark bathroom with flashlights. The shadow puppets were fascinating to her, and wearing a headlamp flashlight was a bit hit.
Hide the Teddy (also from babycenter.com)
-Simply hiding the teddy bear in funny places around the house kept us busy for a little while. Her favorite spot to find him was her high chair. Now she's been wanting to feed him at every meal!
Playdough
-An obvious one for most, I am sure! But before this week I had never even thought to introduce the stuff to Julia. Today she played with it for an entire hour. Now I need to get some plastic cookie cutters and other tools to make it even more fun.
Finger Paint
-The Easter Bunny left finger paint in Julia's basket this year. Thanks to him, she had a blast getting messy and making masterpieces.
Pretend Paint
-My sister Cami told me about this favorite activity for her kids. You just get some paintbrushes, fill a bucket with water, and let the kids "paint" the sidewalk, house, deck, whatever! We didn't actually try this one outside yet, but Julia loved "painting" the table and walls with simply the cheap brushes I picked up at the store.
Beans
-I thought to buy a rubbermaid, a bag of beans, and some jungle animals after I remembered playing with such a thing the summers I spent with the Mitton triplets. Julia can't get enough of her beans. Today she found a straggler on the carpet and was begging for "Means! Means!" I finally saw the bean in her hand and figured out what she wanted. This week the beans have been Julia's favorite activity by far. She buries the animals, shovels the beans, and today she realized she can even sit inside the container. (Maybe I'll get a larger container and store it some place where I don't have to lift it. That would be more like sandbox, I guess. Fun!) Personally, I love the beans because I don't have to constantly supervise or participate. She knows the beans are not for eating, and she's content playing by herself for quite a while. Lovely.
These simple activities were lifesavers this week. I'd love to know any of your ideas so we can keep the fun happening around here, especially when the new baby comes and we'll have a lot of time at home. And although Julia wouldn't mind watching WonderPets, The Backyardigans, Blue's Clues, or nearly any cartoon for hours on end, I think we can do better than that. (Don't get me wrong, though. I am by no means anti-TV. Julia typically enjoys a few daily shows. And I enjoy resting on the couch, showering, reading, or actually getting some cleaning done while she is totally captivated. If it weren't for Curious George at 5:00, I might never get dinner on the table!)
5 comments:
What a SUPERmom!! I'm so impressed. Dallin certainly hits that antsy "let's do something fun" mood more often than I do. He's become a pro at washing dishes in the sink and will 'brush' his teeth for an hour if I let him. These are just normal life things, though. You have inspired me to do better and help his imagination and get down to really play with him--on HIS level. Thank you! Julia and number two are so lucky to have you as a mom.
What fun ideas! I remember playing in wheat when I was little (thank goodness for food storage) and loving it! When we get antsy in the springer house we like to...
- build forts. Usually it's just a few blankets over the kitchen table, but jack loves it. sometimes we will have a little picnic or watch a movie on our portable DVD player...sometimes we just need a change of scenery.
- We dance! Being home alone with the kids is the ONLY time you will EVER catch me busting a move. I will blast some up beat music really loud and we go crazy!
-Jack loves magnets, I got some animal refrigerator magnets super cheap at like wal-mart, It's a perfect activity for when I am making dinner.
-anytime I get my hands on a big box...even a diaper box from Costco works, I let jack draw all over it then we make a little hut or bed out of it. the huge surface is the perfect place for a two year old to let loose with a crayon. If I am feeling extremely energetic I will even push him around in it!
Good luck! keep posting any of your fun ideas!
Awesome activities! It really pays off when you think of a few simple things to do, eh? Another thing you can do for long summer days is make a velcro schedule with all your favorite activities. You decide what to do for each hour--either an outing or an activity, etc. It's really helpful when they want to watch TV all the time--you just point to the things you'll do first.
OR simplified, you just make an activity board, put three choices on it (toys or activities) and let her choose. When you're taking the pictures, it really helps figure out all the things you could possibly do.
I really wish I could have a bucket of beans in my house and not have it dumped out. Julia probably doesn't even think about that! I have done that before with Joshua... I guess I forget all of the things I have done. Poor younger kids.. I am just too busy to do that right now, but I should make the time.
Don't you remember when we used to "paint" the bricks on the front of the house?? Of course, by the time we reached the end, the first part was ready to be repainted. Oh, how easy it is to entertain little ones sometimes.
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