MommyInTraining Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I am trying to come up with ideas to keep my 2yo boy occupied. We used to have a rice box, which we had to get rid of because of the mess. I would appreciate if everyone willing could reply with at least ONE activity that a 2 yo boy enjoys. I will list some things that we already do. 1. play dough 2. painting with water on construction paper 3. pouring water into containers at the counter with a big towel underneath :) 4. playing outside 5. coloring 6. sweeping 7. blocks 8. dancing w/music 9. books 10. playing with cars 11. chalkboard 12. Individual playtime with siblings 13. Little People sets I would love to hear some more ideas. He just doesn't seem to know what to do with himself at times and he starts to get upset. Please share things your littles do to occupy their time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Dressing up Stringing beads Sorting buttons (if he won't eat them!) Scooping, dumping dry beans (again w/ the eating) Eating, lol Puzzles Cutting & gluing (but you'd have to be pretty desperate/crazy, lol) Stacking/nesting blocks Looking at books she's memorized, esp touchy-feelies Playing any kind of pretend--mine's a girl, so she likes dollhouse, polly pockets, & babies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 It's been a long time since I had a 2yo, but I seem to recall that at that age they liked stringing beads - the big wooden type with large holes - onto a shoelace type string. They also liked those big cardboard lacing cards to "sew," Lauri foam puzzles, and wooden puzzles with 3-4 large pieces. One thing I did was change venues a lot. I had a high chair I bought at IKEA that pulled right up to the kitchen table. (That high chair could easily accommodate a 5yo) I would plop the little one in it (plugged in with the seatbelt) and put whatever they were playing with on the table. I'd set a timer (I bought one with a string that I could wear around my neck) for 20 minutes and when it beeped I'd set the child on the floor nearby with another toy/activity and set the timer again. Then I'd sit them on my lap and read aloud for awhile. When the child started getting wiggly I'd put them back in the high chair with a small snack. When I had older children to play with the little ones, I would assign each of them a 10-15 minute time slot to keep the toddler entertained. Around and around and around they went until nap time. I never gained weight during those years.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Pillow Party! Pile all of the pillows from the house onto the biggest bed. Bus with kitchen chairs and stuffed animals Picnic on a blanket in the living room (we usually did this during thunderstorms) One of mine at age two loved writing on the walls, but I don't recommend that. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Trains, train tracks, train books, train movies, train games, ride-on train Playing with his sisters' baby dolls, tea sets, and dress up clothes Uno Moo - playing the actual game and just playing with the pieces. Chasing the cats Sweeping the floor Coloring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktog29 Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 My son likes rotating through his older brothers (in our case). DS#3 who is newly 3 loves playing with one brother or another when one of them is finished with lessons (we have a MOTH-type of schedule). He also loves his own markers, matching game, puzzles, etc. for seatwork while I'm doing K with one of his brothers. And he also loves Word World on PBS at 11am :blush: katie in maryland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Mine loved playing in the sink or we did school upstairs while he played in the bath. Anything else he was done in a minute :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanna Tomlinson Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 My youngest is six, but here's one thought... My two year olds always liked having a place to hide. For my older ones, I would get out a card table and make a tent over it with quilts. For my younger girls, I actually bought a canvas playhouse with a frame. They are 8 and 6 and still play in it. I can also count on our canvas playhouse being great entertainment for my 1yo and 3yo nephews when they come to play. We bring that house down to the living room and their mom can keep an eye on them while they play house and we visit. If you're handy, I knew a grandmother who sewed a felt tablecover/playhouse for a card table. She cut out windows and a door and glued shutters, etc to it. That way she could take it down and store it when her grandchildren weren't around, but she had something exciting for them when they visited. HTH, Leanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 You might want to check out what little ones do in a Montessori school in wet practical life and dry practical life. There are a lot of things you could recreate with stuff from home. Here are a few places to get ideas: http://www.montessoriservices.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4423 http://www.infomontessori.com/practical-life/introduction.htm Waldorf type stuff like wet on wet water color, playing with silk (my girls also loved tulle, which is cheap and magical), dress up box (change the content once a week). http://www.achildsdream.com/creative_play/playthings/index.htm Music and movement! http://www.amazon.com/Play-Your-Instruments-Pretty-Sound/dp/B000001DN7/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_lnk http://www.amazon.com/Getting-know-Myself-Hap-Palmer/dp/B00004TVSF/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268420341&sr=1-2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 My almost 2yo's favorite activity is fingerpainting with yogurt on the table.:leaving: I wouldn't recommend it. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 When my ds was 2 he adored playing with felts. We have two feltboards and lots of felts to play with, many of them mommy-made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom27 Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Well mine likes using tongs to pick up large pom-poms and move them from one egg carton to another. Clothespins on a cup that she can take on and off are another big hit. Also I got a huge assorted bag of those little erasers and I let her sort those out in an egg carton or plastic art palette. We pour erasers, beads, pom-poms from one cup to another. And I took a big container of those colored chips from wal-mart and wrote letters and numbers on them. Then you can take cardboard and put pictures on it with the word written below and the kids hunt for the correct chips to cover the letters. Try googling Tot-Trays, I get lots of ideas from there. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 OP, you mentioned a rice box. My friends had a CORN box (they used fuel corn from the local Tractor Supply). It was really easy to clean up, produced no dust or mess, and their boys LOVED it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 It's been a while, but mine all loved big boxes. Check furniture stores. If you really want to keep him occupied for a while you could give him some rub on deoderant or a container of baby powder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 It's been a while, but mine all loved big boxes. Check furniture stores. If you really want to keep him occupied for a while you could give him some rub on deoderant or a container of baby powder. :iagree: Last summer we got a massive box from the free section on craigslist. Add a plie of sheets to drape, even my 11 and 8 yos love it! :) My girls played with these for years as well: http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Play-Tents-Too-Tent/dp/B00000IURZ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1268424742&sr=8-3 http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Play-Tents-Multi-Tunnel/dp/B00009IMAS/ref=pd_sim_t_4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in KS Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 cut sponges into small squares (1 1/2 inches or so), put a half an inch of water in a bowl, show him how to pick up water with the sponge and transfer it (squeeze it) into another bowl get a container of shake out toothpicks. Dump them out. Show him how to put toothpicks in container, dump out and start over again ice cube trays with items to pick up with tongs clothes line with easy to pinch clothespins (some are harder than others), place dry washclothes on them and "pin" them put clothespins in a butter tub, show him how to clip on sides of tub Put an inch of water in a square tub, bath a baby doll in tub with small sponge tong transfer pom balls from one bowl to the next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I bought a lot of Disney books on tape from ebay - they always have a little bell when it's time to turn the page. Get him some headphones and a few books on tape, and it should entertain him for awhile. My kids loved the counting bears with the colored cups for sorting at that age. The coolest toy for that age is also the most expensive, but if you could get the grandparents to go in on it with you, these magnatiles are all kinds of fun! My kids still play with them! http://www.amazon.com/Magna-Tiles-Translucent-Colors-100-pieces/dp/B000CBSNRY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1268426246&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 My 2yo loves to line up my 3 laundry baskets, sit in one, and play "Choo-Choo". He also likes to vacuum with a toy vacuum (it's very real looking). Another idea I haven't tried, but should, is to get him a feather duster and let him dust the house. Oh, and don't forget about putting a sheet over some chairs to make a fort, cave, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 My 2 year old loves playing in a sink full of water and bubbles! As long as there's not too much water, it's not terribly messy. Just throw in some plastic cups and utensils (he loves to "stir" with a spoon) and he's occupied for at least 30 minutes. Wooden trains/train tracks We had a coloring/sticker book with hundreds of train stickers, I took some of them and put them on a magnetic sheet and cut them out. He really likes to play with those on the refrigerator (and a magnetic cookie sheet would make that a portable activity) I'm hoping to get some realistic-looking fish stickers and do the same thing- he's mildly obsessed with fish! Little plastic animals- these are on sale right now at hobby lobby in their "diorama" section- he really likes these too and they occupy him for quite awhile. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I used to let my now seven year old cut scratch paper with blunt scissors when she was that age. It was one of her favorite activities. Of course I would be near her to supervise. It would keep her occupied for at least 1/2 hour. When it was time to clean up, she would pick up the big pieces, and would pick up the smaller ones. Then she would follow up with the lint roller to get the rest. other activities -scavenger hunts (Can you find something red, something square, etc. to add to the basket?) -magnets (we have lots of big magnets: letters, numbers, people, settings, clothes, cars, etc.) -wooden bead maze (I think that's what it's called) That's all I can remember. Thank you for this thread. I now have a 16 month old, and I couldn't think of ideas to keep him occupied. I'm still nursing, and it seems that when he's bored, as soon as he sees me he wants to nurse. I hope to use a lot of the ideas you've posted as well as the ideas of the previous posters to keep my son occupied while we learn. Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 When my big girl was two, she loved to stick those foamy letters and numbers to construction paper. You can get a box of 500 pieces at Wal Mart for about $5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Owen's newest favorite activity is taking all the cushions and pillows off the couch and building a new couch, then jumping up and down on it. Playdough He likes to play with his trains, most days He likes to play with his Dino's Dressing up as Batman and "flying" through the house He likes to play with the Abacus He likes to bang on the keyboard Coloring (for a short amount of time) Watching Leapfrog Letter Factory (a little too much) Playing in the sink with cups and bowls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 (edited) Make a cutting box out of a big box and scraps of paper. He can tear if cutting is too difficult. He sits in the box. Keep the scissors on a long string threaded thru the handle of the scissors and a hole punched in the bottom of the box (so they don't wander off). I gave my 18 mo old little buddy a damp sponge today and had her wipe things--her table, chair, the sliding glass window...Doesn't do any damage. Oh, and add props to the blocks you already have--I like to take full body pictures of people in my kid's life (or classmates, when I teach preschool), laminate them, cut them out, and hot glue them to wooden blocks so they stand up. Block people that you really know! You can also add mats or felt to make a pond or ocean, or grass or just to drape over the block structures (probably just towers at 2 years old, but maybe enclosures). Add in farm animals. Add in cars and make a road with the blocks, or a town he can drive thru. You can open the dishwasher and set a small pan of water on it for water play at his level--but if he can't handle rice, he may need to be closely supervised with any water play. When he can show that rice/beans/texture table stuff is ok, try hiding small objects for him to find and place in a cup or tin of some kind as he finds them. Shells, those plastic sorting bears, small blocks, plastic jewels, fake gold coins, marbles, feathers--there's lots to hide in a texture table! Edited March 13, 2010 by Chris in VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 bump for more :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Sherry Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 (edited) Paula's Archives has lot's of ideas. http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/preschool_activities.htm Here is what some toddler's are up to when Mom is homeschooling the older children. :Angel_anim::angelsad2: Enter at your own risk. http://www.thecribchick.com/2006/04/what-do-your-toddlers-do-homeschooling_28.html :001_wub: Does anyone do this anymore ? When my son was little he liked to play with the pots and pans on the kitchen floor. He mostly liked to bang them around and make noise.:lol: But that wouldn't be the best activity if you're needing a quiet time for school. :tongue_smilie: Edited October 8, 2010 by Miss Sherry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 My almost 2yo's favorite activity is fingerpainting with yogurt on the table.:leaving: I wouldn't recommend it. :glare: My kids liked fingerpainting with shaving cream on the table. It was probably a lot easier to clean up than yogurt. :) And I would always take their shirts off before they did it, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Wanted to add one-- Lately, I've been doing a lot with playdough with her. I will make her fresh playdough about once every 2 weeks--playing with it when it's warm is really fun! I make several tennis ball sized balls and hide things (small plastic animals, coins, erasers, etc) in the playdough. Digging in it is good for strengthening fine motor muscles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 I haven't read through all of the threads, but regarding the rice box, I have a friend who had a seriously great alternative: a CORN box. She bought heating corn (we were living in a rural farming community at the time) at the local Tractor Supply store and filled a baby wading pool in the basement. Heating corn kernels are significantly bigger -- a bit smaller than the size of candy corn. So much easier to clean up, and all of the same pouring and tactile fun. Her boys played in that pool for hours at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 My kids liked fingerpainting with shaving cream on the table. It was probably a lot easier to clean up than yogurt. :) And I would always take their shirts off before they did it, too. That'll actually get your tables nice and clean :) You could also do fingerpainting with pudding. My son is a bit older but loves when I give him a one hole punch and some paper. He'll happily sit there for a long time punching holes out of paper. I also gave him a lock set to play with the other day and he spent quite a while putting a key in and out of the lock and turning it (and then doing the same with our front door). I also agree with the person who mentioned pots and pans- maybe you can dedicate one cabinet to some pots and pans and containers and cooking tools and things that he can just get into and play with. Let him crawl around in the cabinet even. Give him a big, empty cardboard box and a few crayons. Let him play around inside it, color on it, pretend it's a train, a house, whatever he wants to pretend. Show him how you fold a towel and then give him a pile of washcloths or dish towels and ask him to fold them (my 4 y/o LOVES doing this). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaney Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 My 2 year old loves playing in a sink full of water and bubbles! As long as there's not too much water' date=' it's not terribly messy. Just throw in some plastic cups and utensils (he loves to "stir" with a spoon) and he's occupied for at least 30 minutes. Wooden trains/train tracks We had a coloring/sticker book with hundreds of train stickers, I took some of them and put them on a magnetic sheet and cut them out. He really likes to play with those on the refrigerator (and a magnetic cookie sheet would make that a portable activity) I'm hoping to get some realistic-looking fish stickers and do the same thing- he's mildly obsessed with fish! Little plastic animals- these are on sale right now at hobby lobby in their "diorama" section- he really likes these too and they occupy him for quite awhile. HTH[/quote'] I am thinking I need to buy a BIG shower curtain and put him in the living room with a pan of water and some toys! Love this idea!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Stacking empty Folger's Coffee containers (the red ones with a black lid) and knocking them over with fist, beanbag throw, or a plastic baseball bat. Kicking is good,too. Do it at the top of the stairs, and Oh, what fun. Bathtub markers to scribble with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Tent or fort made from anything you've got and a flashlight!! Throw in some stuffed toys, books, etc. and maybe put on some fun music. OR, my favorite, a small stack of construction paper and A LOT OF STICKERS. Let the kid go at it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 watercolors markers stickers make toy animals talk to one another rotating toy boxes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 :lurk5: These are fantastic ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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