If you had $40 to spend on toys... er, um, "curriculum" for your wiggly 18 month old

[Penny_P]

what would you find essential? Of course, last year I learned to embrace nap time, but ds18mo is a very busy, busy boy. He doesn't sit still long to look at books. We have a set of blocks which he throws around at this point. He eats play-doh. I'm thinking maybe a water table to school outside might be a good investment. Any other ideas? He really made schooling difficult the last six months, and I want to be more prepared. Yes, I know there are a bazillion threads on how to keep a toddler busy, but my kid doesn't like to sit still, and often ends up on top of the table where the bigguns are trying to work. (That's after he's gone through and pulled books off the shelves.)

[EgoElfWife]

I'd buy some paint and some wooden toys and do Montessori/Waldorf stuff.

 

These people have good prices : http://www.craftparts.com/

[kathkath]

three cheers for a water table

[Penny_P]

I'd buy some paint and some wooden toys and do Montessori/Waldorf stuff.

 

These people have good prices : http://www.craftparts.com/

 

Do you have any specific suggestions? This is an interesting idea.

[hmschooling]

what would you find essential? Of course, last year I learned to embrace nap time, but ds18mo is a very busy, busy boy. He doesn't sit still long to look at books. We have a set of blocks which he throws around at this point. He eats play-doh. I'm thinking maybe a water table to school outside might be a good investment. Any other ideas? He really made schooling difficult the last six months, and I want to be more prepared. Yes, I know there are a bazillion threads on how to keep a toddler busy, but my kid doesn't like to sit still, and often ends up on top of the table where the bigguns are trying to work. (That's after he's gone through and pulled books off the shelves.)

 

I think I have his long lost cousin...two of them actually. :001_huh:;)

[MrsBasil]

Sounds something like mine, yours sounds busier though. :grouphug: Mine will sit still for some books.

 

I don't have any older ones to school though.

 

Will he eat chalk or crayons? Mine loves to scribble, he just needs LOTS of accessible paper.

 

But yeah, water table, water table, water table. I didn't have the money to have a real water table, so I set up a plastic table someone gave me with buckets filled with water, measuring cups, some squirt toys, a couple paintbrushes, and let him go to town.

 

Other random hits. A flashlight, some toy tools and being told that he needs to fix things like Daddy and Grandpa do, and toy musical instruments(drums, bells etc anything that takes minimal skill to produce maximum noise)

[Rosie_0801]

Make playdough out of peanut butter and milk powder and it won't matter if he eats it.

 

 

Speaking for my wiggly, two year old boy, the best fun I could imagine purchasing for him would be a pile of mulch.

 

 

 

Rosie

[Dirtroad]

Another thing is to plan a schedule where you rotate play time WITH the toddler. Older child plays 15-20 minutes with him. Then perhaps an activity. Older child 2 plays with him 15-20 minutes. Then snack time. Then Mom plays with him, etc.

 

It gives older kids a break between subjects and the tot doesn't get so bored.

[Skadi]

You should definitely get On Becoming Toddlerwise! The book talks in depth about teaching your toddler how to play independently.

[Ecclecticmum]

Theres a thing you can get from Montessori places and ebay, a lock box.

 

I think it would be worth its wait in gold, especially for wild, wiggly boys (like mine) I am very close to breaking DH into getting one :D

 

Its a wooden box with all sorts of doors all over it, each door has a different kind of lock.

 

I think it would keep a lot of little boys interested for hours lol.

 

Even one as young as 18months may be drawn to it. Depending upon the ones you get, some have room to put items behind the doors, so they can "Rescue" their toys" :D

[2_girls_mommy]

I would try to make the most out of my $40 by hitting consigment shops or garage sales first of all!

 

One thing that my kiddos liked was a fisher price table that had these stackable block things that fit on the top. You could stack them up or drop them into a hole and then fish them out. I usually see those pretty cheap at consignment shops still.

 

Anything to do with water is probably good. And messy as it is, if you are going to be outside, could you do a sand box? Even my busy one loved to dig in dirt and sand. If you can't get something in the $4o price range, you can fill a plastic storage tub with play sand and toys and let him sit beside it to play.

 

If he wouldn't eat them, a container of rice or beans or corn and measuring things and cars and scoops are fun too.

[tjlcc]

Yes, I've filled our water table with sand and dry macaroni/noodles before. Lot's of fun!

[Haiku]

Playsilks! Hands-down the most-played-with items in our home for about six years.

 

Tara

[littleWMN]

Nap time. Just kidding.

 

Mine is 15 months old and the same way. Water and sand works. Other than that, I'm out of ideas. I'll have to try a rice box for him to play with his cars in. I bought him cars and a car rug and he's not interested. He's interested in books if I read them (briefly). He's never still unless he's eating or sleeping. He adores apples. He may be eating a lot of apples this fall. :tongue_smilie:

[4maybabies]

Yeah...I'm thinking our high chair is going to be moved into the school room soon:) Strap him down and feed him...it's about the only thing that works for us:tongue_smilie: Boys never. stop. moving.

[jmccumbers]

My kids loved the Lauri Stacker Pegs, but a water table sounds great too.

[ereks mom]

At that age, my kids loved stackable nesting cups, shape sorters, and chunky puzzles. Fisher Price farm and train toys were also big hits, as well as those Golden Books that have buttons you can press to make sounds.

 

 

Here is a stackable nesting shape sorter that my kids would have LOVED.

[yellowperch]

Duplo

Bristle blocks

Water table

[prairiewindmomma]

$40....and an 18 month old...

I'd buy a dish pan (to use as a mini sand or water table or for textures)$3

a can of cheap shaving cream (for drawing in on a cookie sheet ) $2

some cool little cars or a Thomas train to drive around $10

a set of Wedgits $15

a cheap little ball from Wal-Mart $1

a cheap calculator (buy 2, he's likely to lose 1) $2

a box of fruit loops (to string onto yarn for a necklace--if he can't string them, you can, but call it a snack) $3

a set of cheapie watercolors $1

a yard of cheap fabric $2 + a bag of beans $1 (to make homemade bean bags)

 

The key at our house seems to be to keep rotating the activities and to have something new to do.

[hmschooling]

I was coming tonsugfest Wedgits but someone already did. My youngest is 19m and really likes magnatiles as well. I love the ideas just above, though mine would eat the shaving cream. Lol.

 

He's my 2nd one like this...my first boy was easy. These last two, not at all. 19m old is turning out to be at least as wild as his 4.5yo big bubba, if not wilder. He's super cute, sweet, and kissy, and much smaller than big brother was at this age so he's been getting away with more. Trouble!! Oops! I never figured out how to keep the last one occupied...seriously. I intend to remedy that this time.

 

I gated our entryway off and put toys in there and a little tykes slide. That has helped. I try to put only a few toys at a time and switch them often. He likes the puzzles, noisy board books (kind with buttons that make sound), and the stacker pegs. But most of all he loves having a playmate in there and tonwarch them slide and then scream at them for being on his slide. Hehehee.

 

I let him nap through our short lunch and then feed him later in his high chair while we do some school nearby. He also has snacks in his chair while we do snacks while schooling while he's in his chair. Playdough gets eaten. Beans and rice and such get thrown and eaten. Though dry pintos are an absolute favorite of his, which I have to limit to his time at OT for sensory processing therapy. By choice...I do NOT have time to search for beans all over all day! Lol.

 

Paper towel and toilet paper rolls with some little cars to roll through them. Dark paper with paint brushes and water (paint with water!). Little pieces of ice while he sits beside me. Frozen GoGurts (melts slowly so keeps him content a while). Popcorn (yes. I give my 19m old popcorn. He stole it from big kids and won't have it any other way now! I'm always close). Baking pan with magnet letters, numbers, shapes, etc. Construction paper and chalk. I'll keep thinking. As you can see, most of my ideas are for "high chair fun". Lol

[leighp]

Sounds like my two year old! The only thing I have found to keep him engaged and still is an iPad. More than $40, but if you have one of those, an iPod, or iPhone, download a few toddler apps and give it a try.

[MrsBasil]

Another thing my 2 year old likes is to stack rolls of paper towels and then knock them over, either by himself or with one of his trucks. Lots of entertainment there.

[Tracy]

Go to appliance stores and ask for big boxes. Put him in a big box with paint, crayons, stickers, etc. and let him go for it.

[Chris in VA]

I wouldn't invest in a water table, I'd use an under the bed style box and put it on two chairs, and use the money for things to fill it with--kidney beans, black beans, lentils, rice (you can color the rice, too), sand, potting soil, water (free! lol), ice, shaving cream, pasta (we like farfalle and rotini--"caterpillars and butterflies")...

Add things like small scoops, spoons, measuring cups, plastic cups, melon baller, strainer (small), tea ball, turkey baster, eye dropper (for when he's older), funnels (you can make them out of plastic bottles you cut down--help him screw the cap on and off and see what happens when he tries to scoop the the cap on vs off), small plastic animals, fake coins, beads, (anything to "find" in the table--erasers, poker chips, colored paper clips, etc)....

He can sort, find, wash (put a little soap in and let him wash play dishes, doll clothes, plastic figures, cars, etc), run his hands thru, pour, scoop, count how many scoops fill another container, measure, etc. You can ask him from time to time to tell you how things feel, or what he thinks of what he's doing, write it down, and make a book to read to him later. You can take a picture of what he's doing and post a collection around the room or on a nearby wall, and put a line of his thoughts under that, and read it to him every now and then.

 

Keep it fresh, rotating what's in the bin every few days--rotate what tools are in the bin, too. Sometimes put a lot of beans, sometimes fewer, for example.

Put a splash mat or towel down under the chairs and change water every day (you can color it different colors, float ice cubes in it (you can color the water you use for ice cubes, too, and have him observe mixing--yellow cubes and blue cubes make green water, for example).

 

There are so many sensory bin ideas, you can use 3 a week and have nearly a year's worth of activity.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Chris in VA

[sewingmama]

I have a kid like that.

 

Hands down the things that keep his attention the longest are ride-on toys -tricycles, etc. He's been outside all morning alternating between these and the sandbox.

 

I wouldn''t waste my money buying a water table - any old large, shallow container will do.

 

Oh and a mini trampoline works wonders too. We have one that has a bar across it for the little ones to hang on to - all my kids were using it as soon as they could walk.

[Year Round Mom]

I didn't read the responses, so if Counting Bears has already been mentioned, read this post as a ditto. If not, well, it's my suggestion!

 

:D

[kesmom]

toy shopping cart or doll stroller - so fun for this age!

ball pit balls in a playpen

mini trampoline

 

find a friend to trade toys with so you have some "new" stuff

[eskibear9]

I wouldn't invest in a water table, I'd use an under the bed style box and put it on two chairs, and use the money for things to fill it with--kidney beans, black beans, lentils, rice (you can color the rice, too), sand, potting soil, water (free! lol), ice, shaving cream, pasta (we like farfalle and rotini--"caterpillars and butterflies")...

Add things like small scoops, spoons, measuring cups, plastic cups, melon baller, strainer (small), tea ball, turkey baster, eye dropper (for when he's older), funnels (you can make them out of plastic bottles you cut down--help him screw the cap on and off and see what happens when he tries to scoop the the cap on vs off), small plastic animals, fake coins, beads, (anything to "find" in the table--erasers, poker chips, colored paper clips, etc)....

He can sort, find, wash (put a little soap in and let him wash play dishes, doll clothes, plastic figures, cars, etc), run his hands thru, pour, scoop, count how many scoops fill another container, measure, etc. You can ask him from time to time to tell you how things feel, or what he thinks of what he's doing, write it down, and make a book to read to him later. You can take a picture of what he's doing and post a collection around the room or on a nearby wall, and put a line of his thoughts under that, and read it to him every now and then.

 

Keep it fresh, rotating what's in the bin every few days--rotate what tools are in the bin, too. Sometimes put a lot of beans, sometimes fewer, for example.

Put a splash mat or towel down under the chairs and change water every day (you can color it different colors, float ice cubes in it (you can color the water you use for ice cubes, too, and have him observe mixing--yellow cubes and blue cubes make green water, for example).

 

There are so many sensory bin ideas, you can use 3 a week and have nearly a year's worth of activity.

 

I love this! I am trying to implement some of these ideas. The only thing that I dislike is that my son loves to scoop out whatever that is in the bin and pour it all over the ground. If I use sand or other small items that I cannot just refresh and reuse, I feel like throwing money away.

 

I want to buy some small plastic animals but have not found the right ones yet. I don't want to spend $15-20 for a good collection. Any stores - online or national chain - where I can get some for a good price?

[MrsBasil]

I love this! I am trying to implement some of these ideas. The only thing that I dislike is that my son loves to scoop out whatever that is in the bin and pour it all over the ground.

 

Could you put a cheap vinyl tablecloth under his play space so you could sweep and scoop things back into containers? My 2 year old doesn't seem to care if there's a little sand with his beans to scoop.

[LydiaG]

I recently bought some Montessori materials for my 3 yo, and my 18 month old loves them too, especially the pink tower and the red rods (which quickly turned into a sword and was put away for the day). Unfortunately, he doesn't handle them with care and the paint has started chipping. So, I put the expensive Montessori materials away and I am looking for unfinished blocks for him to stack.

 

We keep all the 3 yo's school materials in two bookshelves that are connected with hinges and are mounted on wheels (the bookshelves open and shut like a book). When the 3 yo wants to do school, he opens the bookshelves and picks an activity. When he is done, he closes them. The 18 month old has figured out how to open and shut the bookshelves, so he too gets into it. The reason I mention the shelf system is that you could use it to keep activities from being over-used and eventually ignored by your toddler.

 

We use a lot of Montessori-style activities. My 18-month old loves the sensory bins (loved Chris's post above on that!) and transferring lima beans from one bowl to another using a large, deep spoon. One of my favorite blogs for Montessori ideas is countingcoconuts . blogspot.com.

 

I also use my older children to play with the toddler as I work one-on-one with another child.

 

I have seen the lockbox mentioned in an earlier post, and would love to have one except they cost $60+. Instead, try gathering a couple of small boxes with different types of locks on them. I sometimes hide things in the boxes- a life saver, a toy animal, a rolled up piece of ribbon. You could also stuff plastic Easter eggs with something. Try stuffing a box (diaper wipe container, kleenex box) with ribbons for him to pull out. My toddler loves opening and pulling out anything.

Edited June 27, 2011 by LydiaG

[kesmom]

I just thought of another popular item at our house - small rechargeable flashlight. This item is so popular that we are probably going to get a second! They are great combined with blanket forts or a small pop up tent.

[ALove]

so many great ideas! My suggestion: babysitter.

if you have kids old enough to trade off great, if not maybe a mother's helper or poor college kid. I tried tons of the ideas above last year and I will try them again this year, as I have another 1.5 y.o., ...but this time with a babysitter. Homeschooling bliss will soon be mine! Good luck with your crazy, little guy...I know that phase well!

[Penny_P]

So many great ideas!! I think DS would love a sensory type table... outside or things would get everywhere.

 

Thank you!

[PeterPan]

Smartest thing I did at that age (well actually we started earlier, but it's never too late!) was to get him a booster seat with a strap and develop the habit of sitting in it. Start small, really small, like 3 minutes, and SET A TIMER. When it goes off, big praise!!! And while he's in it he gets super-duper things that he never gets otherwise. At that age, honestly it was almost as much work to keep funneling him toys as it would have been just to put him on the floor and play. Didn't feel like we were getting much done, let alone trying to help dd with her math or whatever, lol. But that was just the learning curve. Those few minutes each day, all very pleasant mind you, paid off. Very quickly he was up to sitting 45 minutes! Now *that* is something you could use, eh? 45 minutes where you're not worried about his safety and that he could be discovering scissors or taking dangerous leaps or climbing in another room.

 

And the nice thing is, now that he has this acceptance of sitting when told, there are times we can really use it. Like when we need to sew or have a dangerous spill on the floor or whatever, he knows how to sit in his chair. And he sort of likes it, fiddling with the buckle and all.

 

So you might try it. My booster set with tray cost under $20 as I recall. He'll be three in the fall, and it still fits great. Now it just gives him a boost up to the table to do his work (cutting, etc.).

 

Beyond that, what worked well with my ds were things he could chew and things with lots of parts. So I have this whole set of fisher price blocks, each with a letter of the alphabet and little things inside representing the letter. The Lauri peg/shape set is nice. It has pegs and ways to sort with shapes or colors. We could kill LOTS of time with things like that.

[Penny_P]

Went through bookmarking and making a list. Found a cheap watertable on Craig's list, will hit local consignment stores, will ask for an ipad for my birthday ;), will save used Kleenex/wipe boxes, will get booster back from grandmas, and already started a wish list at Amazon.

 

Thank you! Thank you!!

[La Condessa]

I like to look for ideas on the website 1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com

She has thousands of different ideas.