Activities for a 17 month old boy for school time

[Aoife]

We use workboxes and I just got DS2 a set of his own that I'd like to fill with busy and fun activities for him while I work with his big brother and sisters. Are there any cool activities I could put together that are safe and fun for a toddler that gets into EVERYTHING? He will be 17 months when school starts for us. i have dones things like bowls and beans with my older DS when ha was younger yet older then DS2 is now but I am kinda afraid DS2 would try and eat them LOL the only thing I have right now are:

 

TAG junior and books

big set of lacing beads

matching donut game

matching cookies game

crayons and paper

[Sue G in PA]

My ds2 loves his Lauri toys. Playdoh, rice and measuring cups/cars, etc., Trio blocks (my ds2 loves these!), Builders and Benders from Discovery toys, ed. DVDs. I can't think of anything more right now...brain dead. I'm sure others will chime in! I have a crate for my ds2 just like all his siblings but I'm wondering if I should use drawers instead. Hmmm....

[NicA]

I just got my ds this Melissa & Doug pattern block set, and he loves it. I only let him play with it when his sister is doing school, so it keeps him busy and he is learning. Can't beat that!

 

[PeterPan]

Fisher Price Peekaboo blocks

Lauri shape and color sorter

puzzles

bin of rice or beans to play in (put down a sheet obviously)

little board books with a picture on each page that you get inexpensively in the bargain section of the bookstore (8 in a bag, that type thing)

Little Bear and Pooh videos (love Little Bear!). Thomas the Train is ok but not as engaging to him yet.

food

 

Now don't laugh, but one of my ds's absolute FAVORITE things to do is use a nutcracker to crack open and eat peanuts. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=nutcracker&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=2978696475558757009&ei=nw9FTLmhM8KB8gbXl-CWAg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD4Q8wIwAw# This looks like the one we have. He can't pinch his fingers in it if you set it right, and it will crack open peanuts in the shell with just the pressure of a toddler. VERY fun, very engrossing. Combines everything a guy loves (tools, food, muscle power)

 

So there you go. :)

[Karis]

age appropriate puzzles with the little knob for easy pick up

cardboard books

cars and trucks ** try to get a "town" rug (the ones with roads)

 

listen to music/ book on tape with coloring book and over sized crayons

 

flash cards baby einstein has some great ones

 

the over sized lego blocks

 

wooden blocks and toddler construction accessories (Plastic hat, hammer, saw, leveler, screw driver)

 

cardboard bricks for building

 

toddler musical instruments

 

scribble on dry erase board

 

huge bright foam letters

[Plink]

My DD loves to scribble with our "Aquadoodle" pens on the chalkboard (better than chalk, which she eats). A few other activities she will do for a good amount of time:

drop clothes pins in a coffee can

play with the largest "Funtastic Frogs"

splash in a small bowl of water on the floor (messy, but worth it)

look at board books

dig through scraps of fabric

play with drums, whistles & other instruments

practice eating peas with a spoon

move beads on the abacus

 

I have heard of a book called "preschool activities in a bag" or something close to that. It is supposed to have lots of ideas for little ones, I haven't seen it yet, but I'm thinking of requesting it from our library.

[PeterPan]

BTW, I just got a Crayola Color Wonder pack for my ds after seeing someone use it with their preschooler. It's sort of paint with water without the water. Some packs are pages they can draw on and other packs have pics to color with the special markers.

[Karis]

OOOhh

 

Let him go fishing!!

 

attach a huge paperclip to "anything" shape cutouts... colored tagboard paper, etc...

 

even fish cutouts with these things on them is good.

 

Let him try to pick them up with a string attached to a stick/ straw (whatever) with a magnet attached to the end of the string.

 

give him a hat and let him munch on some goldfish snacks. If you really want to go all out - put down a blue blanket. He can put all his fish in a bucket and if needed you could set a timer for when his fishing trip is over (when you are done)

[Aoife]

these are some great ideas! I am taking notes and brewing plans :tongue_smilie:

[artchristie]

When I was babysitting my friend's daughter who was a toddler at the time I used the high chair for a portion of the time with counting bears, alphabees (I don't know if they still sell these or not - we bought them for 1st child who is now age 10), crayons, etc.

 

I also had a basket of toys in the school room for her and she would sit and play with them while I was working with the older children. I kept some of her favorite toys in that basket and would switch them out once a week to keep her interested.

 

I also tried to do as much one on one while the toddler was napping.

 

We try not to use the TV very much but I did allow the toddler to watch one DVD during the day so I could have time with the older children. It was usually Baby Sign or and Einsteins DVD.

 

One other thing that I did was work with one of the older children and allowing the other older child play with the toddler then we'd switch. I would still be within earshot and visual of all of the children but it gave me some free time. At the time I had a 7 year old, 6 year old, and a 18 month old.