What is the best toy/idea you've used to keep your toddler amused?

[farming_mum]

I'm very interested to hear what you used to keep your toddler amused during school time. Paper and crayons were the going choice but that doesn't interest the little one any more and I'm not sure what to try next that doesn't involve me too much as I'm busy with the older two.''

 

:001_smile:

[Jess4879]

I recently made some activity boxes for my 5 & 2 year old. I've got things like bean bags, large beads to string, different pasta to sort and/or string, coloring activites that I printed off, etc. I thought it was such a great idea...but alas, it didn't turn out as I hoped. they just aren't holding their interest like I had hoped. They probably enjoy the bean bags the most, but even those only buy me about 15 minutes of quiet time.

[Sharpie]

I used an under the bed tote and filled the bottom with rice. A few cars, measuring cups, etc kept them occupied for serious chunks of time. It was messy but a simple broom kept the rice contained.

 

I also would let them play at the kitchen sink with a small amount of water. They would get soaked but I could get school done.

 

Sheets of aluminum foil that they could make into balls or whatever kept them busy too. Use a pot to throw them in or take them in and out of kept them occupied.

 

If we were outside at all, I would give them a paintbrush, pail of water and let them "paint" whatever they wanted to.

 

Another very messy idea I did on occasion was to pour a small amount of flour on the table and let them use their vehicles to make roads, etc. It bought me quiet time but I had to be in the right frame of mind to deal with the mess! Homemade playdough was a help too.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Rosemarie

[Wheres Toto]

A rice bin. It has been the ONLY thing that kept my dd's interest for longer than 5 minutes. We've had it for a couple of years now and she still loves it. I put down a towel so the mess is somewhat contained but what does get scattered is easy to vacuum up. I colored rice using food coloring and alcohol and put it in a sweater size plastic bin.

 

I add toys based on what we are working on sometimes - Fossil Toob items when we were doing fossils, rocks, plastic dinosaurs or animals - but spoons, cups and funnels work great.

[Tawlas]

Wooden train tracks, blocks, kid sized shopping cart I pack full of intersting finds like a cell phone that doesnt work, a slinky, a little teddy bear that sings when you squeeze him, a few dinosaurs or plastic bugs and a dollar store monster truck (simple and cheap!). I once filled a flat cookie tin with feathers and a few cars and DS 18 months thought that was pretty cool :auto:.

 

My problem is I don't understand boys :tongue_smilie:. The strangest things amuse, especially if they involve wheels.

 

I think the big thing is to keep a selection of toys put away. Each evening, pull a few out.

[Iucounu]

The "pound of sugar" toy is usually good for an hour or so of free time, until the paramedics arrive.

 

Some other ideas: educational videos, within reason (Leapfrog Letter Factory and Planet Earth are hits here); blocks; Magneatos; wooden trains; puzzles; magnetic pattern blocks; Fisher Price "Flip Flop Egg Drop" / "Tumble Tower"; Little People; jumbo plastic animals; Play Doh; play doctor's and construction tool sets.

[Lily_Grace]

We use an old waterproof crib mat and I put a "new" toy on there each day.

 

Cool whip container with a slit in the lid and a bowl of large coins

Large nuts and screws

wooden cutting food

things hidden in playdough - small toys, spoons..

mini pitchers with rice and cups to pour it in

foam paintbrushes, a bowl of water, and dark construction paper

bubble wrap

"themed" items - Blue's Clues had a garden show on the other morning so he got beans, a pot of dirt, and a mister.

 

 

It only keeps him occupied for 20 minutes at the most but it's 20 minutes of teacher intensive work for the older one!

[littlebug42]

My daughter always loved playing with our math manipulatives. She could only have them out during "school" time and they always kept her interest. She still uses them sometimes to help her listen. Doing something with her hands helps her focus better.

[SailorMom]

Stacking cups, play doh, cars with a road mat, boxes - lots of big boxes :) You'd be amazed what a toddler can find to do with a fridge box.

Allow them to build forts with sheets in the living room (or build one for them and stash it with toys)

pots, pans, spoons

[MerryAtHope]

dump trucks and a pile of dried rice (unless said toddler might eat them), big boxes, empty 2-liter bottles, standing on a chair at a sink full of water with some spoons and plastic bowls (the mess is easy to mop up later, child can even "help")....check out www.paulasarchives.com, lots of ideas there for toddlers & preschoolers.

 

Merry :-)

[SweetMissMagnolia]

kiddo really loved learning toys at that age---leapfrog-he had one that was a block and when it rolled over it would talk in spanish if I remember correctly? oh and a spinning-type bumble bee that would do a high pitch giggle/baby goo-goo when it rocked he still likes that thing LOL-I have it put up in the closet with his other baby things :tongue_smilie:

[yvonne]

Haven't read all the posts, but one of my children's favorite things as toddlers was a rice box.

 

I filled one of those plastic, wheeled, under-the-bed storage boxes with rice and put in measuring cups, a ladle, funnel, etc. They could spend an entire hour or more sitting there playing with the rice. I rolled it out on a sheet to play. When they were done, I picked up the sheet and dumped the rice back into the box, and rolled the box back under a table. Had to sweep up some rice afterward, but that was a small price to pay for an hour of toddler amusement.

 

You can also color the rice with liquid watercolors.

 

ETA: Another activity that kept them busy for an hour or more was a large set of those big maple "unit" blocks and a box of nice, large animal figures. It's worth investing in nice blocks and nice animal figures for the play value. Don't bother with the cheap tiny plastic animals. My kids used those for years past the toddler age. They'd build animal parks, zoos, aquariums, "houses" for the animals, etc. Huge play value!

Edited February 24, 2012 by yvonne

[5LittleMonkeys]

The biggest hit here recently has been a big double batch of homemade playdough that I hide little toys, buttons, coins, keys, and marbles in. I give her a plastic knife and a pair of tweezers and she carefully performs "brain surgery" to remove all the things. Dd9 modeled how to look for the hidden things carefully so dd3 wouldn't just rip into it. It keeps her occupied for atleast an hour.

 

Some other activities that have worked are:

 

Big bowls of rice and the play kitchen\cookware set up on a big tablecloth.

 

Washing dishes in the kitchen sink. (I put down beachtowels under her to catch all the splashes.)

 

Poster paint mixed with flour to make it really thick. I tape down a couple disposable tablecloths to the dining\kitchen floor, put down some big sheets of paper, put the paint on paper plates and strip her down because she usually ends up painting herself.

 

The above ends up getting me another chunk of time when I put her in the bath and we sit on the bathroom floor and do school while she spends about 40 minutes washing all the paint off.

 

If the weather permits she plays for a long time in the sandbox on the patio.

 

Safety scissors, paper and glue sticks. (This also usually results in bath time right after.)

 

Then of coarse there are the standard things like puzzles, books, coloring, dollhouse, babydolls, barn and animals, cars, etc.

[Tracy]

When my ds was that age, I would build a marble run, and he would play with it for an hour. He also enjoyed puzzles, lacing beads and lacing cards on occasion. I once saw a great suggestion for putting towels on the kitchen floor with containers of water on them. I tried that, and he liked it until he realized he was all wet, and then he wouldn't ever play with the water again. :tongue_smilie: But I think that is a little unusual, and this would still work for most kids.

[Barb_]

I will admit to using DVDs. A lot.

[Tracy]

I will admit to using DVDs. A lot.

 

 

Actually, we really liked the Signing Time videos. I never felt guilty letting him watch these over and over, because he had a speech delay, and signing was him primary mode of communication at the time. But my older dd loved them, too, so I couldn't really use them for school time.

 

Oh, and I also had ds playing on the computer by 12mo. It came in handy to have a 1-2yo whose mousing skills were as good as mine.

[alisoncooks]

I will admit to using DVDs. A lot.

 

My 3yo is really liking the Letter Factory dvds.

Our living room (tv) and our dining area (school) connect, so I generally don't allow tv watching during school time (too distracting for big sis)... but we bought a set of those headphones that have wireless transmitters (have you seen the commercials?) You can turn the tv volume all the way down so it doesn't distract the school kids, but you can turn the headphone volume up. We love it! (Bought it at an office supply chain but I've seen them at Walmart.)

[bbcooker]

a nerf gun and one bullet

[Barb_]

My 3yo is really liking the Letter Factory dvds.

Our living room (tv) and our dining area (school) connect, so I generally don't allow tv watching during school time (too distracting for big sis)... but we bought a set of those headphones that have wireless transmitters (have you seen the commercials?) You can turn the tv volume all the way down so it doesn't distract the school kids, but you can turn the headphone volume up. We love it! (Bought it at an office supply chain but I've seen them at Walmart.)

 

Yes, the Talking Words Factory is good too. I also just bought all three seasons of Charlie and Lola because we don't have cable or satellite. Charlie and Lola are very sweet and model excellent sibling behavior. I can usually keep Keira entertained until about 10am. Then it's TV time. 11am is quiet time (room play) until she falls asleep. She usually emerges around 2pm. The TV goes back on at some point between 4-6 (dinner and homework time for the school kid).

 

Barb

[Barb_]

a nerf gun and one bullet

 

:lol:

[SweetandSimple]

Magna-Tiles have been the best toy that we've ever invested in-- even tiny kids can build things with them. I also like that the creations can't last that long (not like legos, etc.) without falling apart-- that way they build new things all the time instead of wanting to keep and display something forever.

[arghmatey]

1) A home made geoboard made out of peg board, nuts, and bolts. I give her a ball of rubberbands and let her at it.

 

2) A colander and twenty pipe cleaners in assorted colors.

[ThelmaLou]

Our favorite: A spray bottle full of water. He usually uses this outside, but occasionally sprays it on the windows inside.

 

A feather duster.

 

A pile of dish towels/washcloths to fold.

 

A small hand vac with a removable hose to suck up crumbs, etc...on the floor.

 

I wasn't going for a theme, but I'm realizing these are all cleaning projects, ha!!

 

I haven't done rice, like others, but have done pinto beans with measuring cups, spoons, whisks, etc...

 

Play-doh, old-fashioned (wooden) Fisher Price little people, lite brite, Orb Factory sticker mosaics (this has kept him occupied for hours at a time!), Playmobil, marble run, Legos, sticker books (Lego Star Wars theme by Dorling Kindersley purchased at Costco), tub bath with tub tints, forts made with blankets, sofas, and chairs.

[NavyMommy]

I just joined a preschool busy bag swap, and I'm hoping it will be something I can use time and time again to keep the younger one busy. Things like lacing cards, matching games, just little things they can use by themselves. If you're on Pintrest search for busy bags and there are lots of great ideas. Plus, I store them in gallon sized plastic bags and they all fit nicely in a plastic container to come out only at school time.

[momsuz123]

love the ideas. I have go to try the rice. We also get a cookie sheet and cover it with shaving cream. Then my little guy runs his cars in it. Also, we bought Superstructs from RR - those are awesome - and not too expensive.

Here is a link of how bad things have sometime gotten:tongue_smilie:

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7610783748179237193#editor/target=post;postID=8837827522152728135

[GingerPoppy]

I used to cover my daughter's hands when she was around 12 months old with little stickers, and she would be occupied removing them carefully one by one. With an older toddler, I'd provide a piece of paper to place all the stickers as they're removed.

 

The best activity for us was one that involved water. In the nice months, I'd half-fill an old baby bathtub and put it on the porch. I provided a bunch of containers, spoons, sieves, and little people to play in the water. To the side, I filled a few plastic cups with water and food colouring in a few different colours. She spent many, many hours engrossed in pouring and mixing.

 

Oh, and once when I really wanted to sleep, I let her destroy a large piece of styrofoam. She mutilated it. It was literally in tiny bits the size of popcorn kernels. It kept her happy for a long time! On the down side, it kept me cleaning for a long time, because styrofoam bits do not clean up easily. :( On that theme, bubble wrap is usually good for a while.

 

Tiny containers with screw-on lids were another hit, when accompanied by little tiny things. She liked to put hair elastics inside them, and then take them out again... and repeat. Maybe that's just my kid, though.

[ScoutTN]

pots and pans or a cabinet full of tupperware! and the dog! ;)