3 year old boys.

[gpsings]

What the heck can I do with him? He's not ready for schoolwork like my 1dd and 2dd were, and he's so BORED! He's taking it out on everyone. I am having trouble teaching anything to the girls without him interrupting in some way and causing me to go take care of him. His millions of toys aren't interesting anymore, and he doesn't want to do puzzles or color. Play-dough activities are short lived. He'll spend 3 minutes playing, and I'll spend 20 minutes cleaning up the mess! He's an average little boy, and that means DESTRUCTION if I turn my back.

I know there are activities, but I really need ideas. Preferably stuff that doesn't require a lot of set-up.

Thanks in advance!

[NanceXToo]

At 3 and 4 my son would be occupied for relatively long periods of time if I handed him a pile of paper, a one hole punch, and some child safety scissors.

 

Glue and different shapes cut out of construction paper works too but could get messier. Sometimes stamps and paper will keep him occupied for a while, too.

 

Three is a tough age! I always swear that the "terrible twos" are just practice for having a three year old :D

[gpsings]

At 3 and 4 my son would be occupied for relatively long periods of time if I handed him a pile of paper, a one hole punch, and some child safety scissors.

 

Glue and different shapes cut out of construction paper works too but could get messier. Sometimes stamps and paper will keep him occupied for a while, too.

 

Three is a tough age! I always swear that the "terrible twos" are just practice for having a three year old :D

 

Thank you soooo much!!! and to the bolded....so true! And I never believed it until I had one of my own, but boys really are 10x harder at this age!

[myfatherslily]

The 3 year old boy I babysit and my own 2 year old are so much like this!! Esp. the 3 year old! He has the same 3 minute attention span which, like you said, results in a 20 minute cleaning session. My 2 year old feels the need to whine at me, sit in my lap, and touch everything in front of me while we're trying to do school. They don't color more than a few scribbles, they can't figure out how to use scissors, they mostly like to crumble and throw playdough, and all real toys just get throw across the room because isn't that the way you're supposed to play with toys?!

 

I'll be watching this thread... :) I like the hole-punch idea!

[Pink Fairy]

If he has two older siblings, could you assign them play duty? Sometimes it's just a matter of getting them started doing something fun, and then they go on about their business without a lot of intervention.

[nono]

Lots and lots of train tracks.

 

Oh, and a small quacking duck keychain with a laser that can blind you. Only to be used with much joy and laughter while the Mother is teaching the older sibling. Usually used while hanging off said Mother's back and trying to stuff said keychain in her ear.

 

FWIW :001_huh:

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Lots and lots of train tracks.

 

Oh, and a small quacking duck keychain with a laser that can blind you. Only to be used with much joy and laughter while the Mother is teaching the older sibling. Usually used while hanging off said Mother's back and trying to stuff said keychain in her ear.

 

FWIW :001_huh:

 

:smilielol5: So true . . .

 

At 3, I started playing phonics games with my older son, and younger wanted to join in. Some of them you could set up for him and he can play independently. For example, what I did was make some index cards with various letters on them, and then printed off clip art pictures that began with those letters. Then, they would have to line up the letters in a row and put the pictures in columns underneath the beginning letter. At 3, this takes quite a while. You may get a whole lesson with the older ones in until he gets the pictures and sounds memorized. I have other phonics games, too, if you are interested.

[3lilreds in NC]

Lynne, I would love to see your phonics games! Schmooey will be 3 this fall and I was thinking school was going to be EASIER with him around, not HARDER. :001_huh: Perhaps I will send him to preschool after all...

[kalanamak]

I collected those big plastic Folger's coffee "cans" at work, lids and all, both the big and the extra big. He could stack them and then whallop them with a light, hollow plastic BB bat. He would set them up in various rooms and at the top of the stairs. Kept him busy for hours and nothing was ever broken.

 

A small dirt yard area with oversized construction vehicles in it.

 

A long bath with bubbles and every plastic toy in the house.

 

Mini trampoline.

 

A large, wise, fun dog.

[mom2koh]

Hey! I feel your pain. ;)

 

We found that the new Hotwheel color change cars are awesome. With warm water they turn one color, with cold water another. So I have been filling a squirt bottle, a bowl and a glass with water at different temps and letting him have at it. Just make sure you have a plastic sheet under the water containers!

 

Also we have a train table in the school room to keep him occupied. Just in the past week he will sit and do the shape builder game or the piano on my iphone.

 

I'm :bigear: to any new ideas!

[cjbeach]

Trains. Gears. Legos. Connecting blocks. Chalk and a chalkboard. Markers. Tape can provide a good 20 minutes of quiet time (just keep the cat out of the vicinity...trust me on this one).

 

Now at 4 .. how many lightsabers can one 4yo have? Seriously? I trip over them constantly but they provide hours of amusement. Oh and yarn and electrical tape. OH my mini-MacGyver. (I fear our chemistry experiments one day.)

[3lilreds in NC]

Tape can provide a good 20 minutes of quiet time (just keep the cat out of the vicinity...trust me on this one).

 

:smilielol5:

 

Today, Isaac brought me the towel ring out of the half bath. He just pulled that sucker out of the wall. I asked him why he did it, and he said, "I needed it out!" :confused: Then he brought me all the toilet paper, nicely unrolled, and told me he needed it to make a train. :lol: You're probably wondering what on earth I was doing while all this was going on...

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My older son has always been very interested in words and language, so he was already sounding out CVC words at 3, so I had to do something with him. I got a lot of ideas and games from a book called Words Their Way. It actually came with a CD for your computer where you can print games from there. For my younger son, I made bingo games where I would say a word and he had to put a marker on a rhyming picture, or "memory" where he had to match the word with the picture. We did a lot of word sorts where you separated piles by a common factor, such as "starts with b" or ends with "ack". We had long and short vowel games where you had to sort which pictures represented a long or short vowel. One of the favorite games that they still sometimes want to play- I made a path of pictures that start with sh, ch or th, and then I made a stack of "th", "sh" and "ch" cards which you pick and then move to the nearest corresponding picture. The first one to the end wins. I tried scanning it, but I can't figure out how to do it.

[momof4boys]

cutting paper and using hole punches are a favorite of my 3yo ds. If you can't trust him with scissors, tie them to a table leg so he can't wander off and do any damage. Also water and bean tables are always fun. Just a bit of water in a bin w/ somepouring, measuring type things are great, and dried beans or rice in a bin with matchbox cars are fun, as well as scoops and things. It doesn't have to be a lot (no more than you want to clean up later) but it can entertain for a while. Also, use some of these activities only for a timed session, than take away for another time, it keeps them more interested whe they are available.

[lionfamily1999]

Laundrey basket of socks and clothes pins, so he can make pairs. Laundrey basket of washclothes and hand towels, so he can fold them.

A ribbon tied to a door knob so equal lengths hang down, so he can knot it.

Legos.

A toothbrush, your small change jar, a stool so he can reach the sink, so he can wash them.

A small notebook and small pencil, so he can write in it.

His own bottle of dish detergeant, so he doesn't use all yours playing in the sink.

A bowl with dish soap, water and a straw, so he can blow bubbles (that can last for HOURS). If you're feeling dangerous, throw in some food coloring, so he can mix it.

Cornstarch, water, a plate. He can make magic matter. Fascinating for all.

Chalk.

A spray bottle of water and a washcloth, so he can wash the walls.

I'll come back if I can think of anything else...

 

Oh, and a sponge in a sandwich bag with a straw poking out (use tape to seal everything except the straw) and some small pieces of paper. He can use his air machine to blow the paper all over the place.

[lionfamily1999]

OH, and save all the tp and paper towel rolls you can stand. He'll tell you what to do with them.

[Natalieclare]

:smilielol5:

 

You're probably wondering what on earth I was doing while all this was going on...

 

 

Well, I'm not wondering because 3yo's are so stinking FAST!

[Parrothead]

His millions of toys aren't interesting anymore

 

Get 5 or 6 boxes, sort the toys into 5 or 6 piles either themed (all trucks in one) or so each pile has a little bit of everything (a truck, car, action figure), take all but one box to the garage or basement. Every few weeks or so rotate the boxes.

 

Find something that he can only do while you are working with the older kids. He absolutely can not play with the flashlight until you are helping big brother/sister. But when he has the flashlight he can look in dark places - under the beds, sofa, cupboards, etc. and every once in a while he finds something interesting in one of those places. Maybe a bottle of bubbles, a Matchbox car, etc.

 

Something that gave me 30 minutes here and there was a favorite video. but like the flashlight it only gets played when you are busy with school.

 

Good luck

[Tohru]

Ahhhh...I remember when my ds was 3! This thread is fun. Good memories, those were :D

 

I second the tape. Masking tape is awesome and cheap. You can put designs on the carpet, stick things together, make traps.

 

Kitchen sink full of dish soap bubbles are great.

 

Cornstarch and water mixture in a bowl with small toys. He has to be patient to get the toys out.

 

I taped 2 toilet paper tubes together and told him they were special binoculars. He played with those things for hours (and years.) lol!

 

A cardboard sword and pillow dummy or large stuffed animal (bond with tape of course)

 

Send him on a treasure hunt to look for 1 blue thing, 1 green thing, etc.

 

Outside.

 

Indoor fort with special snacks.

[gpsings]

Oh, thank you all so much. I'm getting SOOO much out of this thread! They are outside right now, but when they come in....we'll try it out!

 

:smilielol5: So true . . .

 

At 3, I started playing phonics games with my older son, and younger wanted to join in. Some of them you could set up for him and he can play independently. For example, what I did was make some index cards with various letters on them, and then printed off clip art pictures that began with those letters. Then, they would have to line up the letters in a row and put the pictures in columns underneath the beginning letter. At 3, this takes quite a while. You may get a whole lesson with the older ones in until he gets the pictures and sounds memorized. I have other phonics games, too, if you are interested.

I am interested! Can you pm me or start another thread?

 

Laundrey basket of socks and clothes pins, so he can make pairs. Laundrey basket of washclothes and hand towels, so he can fold them.

A ribbon tied to a door knob so equal lengths hang down, so he can knot it.

Legos.

A toothbrush, your small change jar, a stool so he can reach the sink, so he can wash them.

A small notebook and small pencil, so he can write in it.

His own bottle of dish detergeant, so he doesn't use all yours playing in the sink.

A bowl with dish soap, water and a straw, so he can blow bubbles (that can last for HOURS). If you're feeling dangerous, throw in some food coloring, so he can mix it.

Cornstarch, water, a plate. He can make magic matter. Fascinating for all. (what is this? Can you elaborate?)

Chalk.

A spray bottle of water and a washcloth, so he can wash the walls.

I'll come back if I can think of anything else...

 

Oh, and a sponge in a sandwich bag with a straw poking out (use tape to seal everything except the straw) and some small pieces of paper. He can use his air machine to blow the paper all over the place.

 

Great ideas!

 

Thank you!

[ScoutTN]

:bigear:

I'm there too!

Great ideas here.

I am just making him entertain himself like DD did at his age, giving him options but not being his entertainment.

 

 

Rotating our toys has helped! When they haven't had something for three or four months, it is like new to them.

[lionfamily1999]

Oh, thank you all so much. I'm getting SOOO much out of this thread! They are outside right now, but when they come in....we'll try it out!

 

 

I am interested! Can you pm me or start another thread?

 

 

 

Great ideas!

 

Thank you!

Oh, magic matter is incredible. It's just cornstarch mixed with a little bit of water. It will pour and puddle like water, but you can squeeze it and break it like a solid............. It's rather hard to explain.

 

:lol:

 

Take a nice big dinner plate. Put a heavy sprinkling of cornstarch on it and then one teaspoon at a time add water. You have the right consistency when you can drag your finger across the plate and leave a clean swipe that will slowly fill in. It's really neat, easy to clean up, and cheap :D

[kmacnchs]

What the heck can I do with him? He's not ready for schoolwork like my 1dd and 2dd were, and he's so BORED! He's taking it out on everyone. I am having trouble teaching anything to the girls without him interrupting in some way and causing me to go take care of him. His millions of toys aren't interesting anymore, and he doesn't want to do puzzles or color. Play-dough activities are short lived. He'll spend 3 minutes playing, and I'll spend 20 minutes cleaning up the mess! He's an average little boy, and that means DESTRUCTION if I turn my back.

I know there are activities, but I really need ideas. Preferably stuff that doesn't require a lot of set-up.

Thanks in advance!

 

I'm not there yet (my boy is only 1) but some suggestions: get rid of the millions of toys. only have 10/room and rotate 4x/year (that's what we do to keep things fresh & interesting) Have toys for school time only so they are special. Work on increasing his attn. span. It takes practice. I really think suggestion #2 does wonders though...

[FairProspects]

I'm on my 2nd round of 3 y.o. boys and I completely understand ;).

 

These cafeteria trays have saved my life, literally. They have a lip to contain the mess, and you can put nearly anything on them because it wipes right off. They are perfect for the cornstarch/water mess. I also put cornmeal on them and let them drive trucks around or just mess around with it.

 

Other suggestions are driving trucks through shaving cream (a perennial favorite at our house), moon sand and hiding/finding toys in Goop (recipe to follow). My boys will never sit still unless entertained by something like this!

 

Goop recipe:

 

1 cup of Elmer's or school glue

1 cup of water

Additional cup of water

4 teaspoons of Borax

 

Stir water and glue together in one medium bowl

Add any food coloring you desire

Dissolve Borax into the other cup of water in another large bowl

Pour glue mixture into Borax mixture

Swirl gently

Lift goop out and squeeze out excess water & air bubbles

Enjoy!

 

This goop has a texture unlike anyother playdough, foam, etc, you can actually hide things in it and it will reseal itself. Have fun!

[duckabell]

My little boy, who will be three in August, loves to line up all his cars and give them something to "wear". So he is very occupied finding bowls, boxes, tupperware containers, etc., to put over his trucks. This keeps him entertained for a long time and the only issues I have are when I need a bowl to cook with, and keeping his little sister from peeking under the bowls.

 

Also, I found this recipe for koolaid play dough on the thread below and we love it!

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153804

[Misty]

Have you thought of setting up some workboxes for him? Here is one of my blog posts with a list of activities for a 3yr old boy..

 

http://livingmynormal.blogspot.com/2009/08/more-on-workboxes.html