plain jane Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I am placing an order from RR and am looking for any and all suggestions for "things" to get my 2yo to keep this crazy little one busy while we do school. What have been some of your favorite items that have kept your little ones occupied for bits of time? Playdough is still out as this one will either eat it or shove it in places it should not go :glare: but really, I am open to any and all suggestions that have worked for you. I am willing to weed through and pick what I think will work for us but really need some suggestions to begin with. Also, I have a K'er who will not be doing a full day of school like my older kids and some game/activity suggestions for him would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Schleiss animals with lincoln logs I'm investing in MagnaForms and Wedgits this year .for Olivia (2) and Daniella (3.) A short table is great for them working at while you are busy with big kids at the big table if you have the space or inclination. Magnetic board and magnetic things. Pouring. Pouring is never ending JOY to my 2yo. I'm less than enamored. ;) Our 5yo and 6yo girls like to trace. They take plain computer paper and put it on top of coloring pages and trace and trace and trace. This actually can take a couple of hours of their day. Outdoor school - Having a table in the backyard is LOVELY. If it's an option I encourage it and a sandbox. A chicken is also nice for chasing around but I can understand if that's not doable for you. ;) My current 5yo knows how to read and I can tell you, it's worthwhile. I had a couple we delayed teaching and a couple that read late, but for Sarah, who enjoyed reading lessons - her being able to read now is WONDERFUL and very freeing for me! Is the 5yo a boy or a girl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Dd liked the Bambino Luk system at that age (still does). http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?subject=12&category=9318\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Um...well...my almost 2 yr old DS loves to open tea bags. I grab a large handful of individually wrapped bags, put them in a bowl, set them on the floor in front of him, and voila....20 minutes of occupation. He also loves water play. So, old bath towels on the kitchen floor, soapy water in multiple, different-sized bowls, some measuring cups/spoons, and again....20+ minutes of occupation. Not really anything you can buy on RR, but these are two things that work in our house. Oh...and window crayons. He can't get enough of them. Neither can my 3 yr old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emcap Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 My almost 2 yo and 4yo both love this http://www.rainbowresource.com/proddtl.php?id=045028 It came last week and its been played with multiple times everyday. I like that it can grow wih them too. I love getting new little things every so often, it's fun to keep it fresh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emcap Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I need to look into the bambino luk, my 6yo loves his mini luk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Punchie says: He also loves water play. So, old bath towels on the kitchen floor, soapy water in multiple, different-sized bowls, some measuring cups/spoons, and again....20+ minutes of occupation. Ooooo! I am SOOOO doing this this autumn. And as a plus, my kitchen floor will finally get washed!!!! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 The top 5 things that I love most for my just-turned-3-year-old are: - a dry erase board and washable markers - an art station with the "safe" stuff in easy reach (paper, glue stick, tape, collage materials, markers, colored pencils, crayons, stickers) and the supervision required stuff out of reach. I realize what is safe is very dependent on the child in question. - a pile of colored tiles for sorting and counting - a stack of library books - Duplo The top five things this child loves for herself: - the art station listed above - a big bin of fabric of lots of different sizes, colors, patterns, and textures. This is used for all manner of creative play. You would not believe all the things those fabrics are used for. - play kitchen - sandbox (in a fenced backyard I will now let her go out to on her own). This would make my top five if she weren't so talented in turning herself into a sand-covered monster. - my iPad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 My twins just turned 3. Things they like, M&D magnetic dolls (they have magnetic clothes) Infantino word puzzles (I'll get the link, the don't play with them as much now, but they loved them at 2.) Magna doodle Stickers "washing dishes" Any games you can think of with tongs Duplos Believe it or not, their favorite toy by far, to this day, is my salad spinner. :laugh: they put Thomas trains and little people in for rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Munchkins Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 My youngest will turn 2 in September so I'm interested to read everyone's suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Wooden Puzzles Washable paints The Melissa & Doug Memory Fun game M&D bead stringing set (with big chunky beads) Frog patterns (they don't carry this any more, but Teddy Bear Math is similar but also weighted so in a way more versatile) Megablocks Alphabet blocks Those big cardboard blocks Any kind of ball or car His stuffed Blue (the Blue's Clues dog) TOY KITCHEN (this is the thing that keeps DS playing independently the most) with various sorts of play food (some etsy crocheted, some Ikea, some M&D). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Great ideas!! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaCEmom Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 A tub of rice with random kitchen utensils and cups has been what's kept my little ones busy the longest, but I do have to watch them carefully with something like that. This set has also been popular in my house http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/036051/f7fbaf539a360bedb0eccedf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetterthanIdeserve Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 My 3yo was given a small dry erase board (black on one side, white on the other) for his birthday. It came with dry-erase crayons that out are washable I believe. I only pull it out when I am doing handwriting with his KG brother. Since we do most of our homeschooling at the kitchen table, I also let my 3yo play in the sink a lot. Sure he gets wet, and I sometimes have to have him dry off the floor with a towel, but he is so happy to play in the water. Duplo legos! Puzzles. Starfall.com. Monkeys in a barrel. Audio stories from the library. Counting bears (with strict instructions that they don't get carried off). When I have a few minutes, I sit down and we do "math" with the bears before I have him sort them and put them away. Let him play in a sheet fort in the room next to us. Bubbles outside. Sidewalk chalk on the back patio where I can watch from the kitchen door. His own notebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justme824 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Thanks for the ideas! Toddler school time entertainment is on the budget for August :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Duplo...the one toy all my kids play with daily. Other then that...the IPAD was my biggest entertainer. Also magnetic letters. Might have just been my 3 yo but he loves playing with letters and pretending to spell words like the big kids. Other then that I just let him play with the school things we were using at the time. The HWOT manipulatives were a hit...as were the AAS tiles and the math blocks lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy Ann Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Timberdoodle has great stuff, you can still order from RR but just get ideas from them. They have this new thing at Timberdoodle they started a few years ago with organized curriculum packages by grade. They also do toddler and preschool. They have some really great ideas!! If I didn't already have a bunch of stuff I would order one of their curriculum packages. In fact if it had been around when my son was younger I think he would have really thrived with their choices. Atleast until about 3rd or 4th grade, not sure I really like their older kids stuff. But for the younger crowd I really like what they have to offer. Here is a link, just scroll down a bit and see the packages. This may give you some ideas for your RR order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Duplo...the one toy all my kids play with daily. Other then that...the IPAD was my biggest entertainer. Also magnetic letters. Might have just been my 3 yo but he loves playing with letters and pretending to spell words like the big kids. Other then that I just let him play with the school things we were using at the time. The HWOT manipulatives were a hit...as were the AAS tiles and the math blocks lol. The iPad here as well. Which is actually a problem because we also utilize it for MM and various subject schedules. :p. I'm seriously considering a 2nd, refurb one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 The ipad reference reminded me that our smartphones are a popular distraction for DS. We have an app called "Kid Mode" that let's you set up what apps the child can access and locks them out of everything else, plus comes with a bunch of games and short videos, coloring pages, a recordable storybook, etc. They have both free and premium versions. We use the free one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justme824 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Timberdoodle has great stuff, you can still order from RR but just get ideas from them. They have this new thing at Timberdoodle they started a few years ago with organized curriculum packages by grade. They also do toddler and preschool. They have some really great ideas!! If I didn't already have a bunch of stuff I would order one of their curriculum packages. In fact if it had been around when my son was younger I think he would have really thrived with their choices. Atleast until about 3rd or 4th grade, not sure I really like their older kids stuff. But for the younger crowd I really like what they have to offer. Here is a link, just scroll down a bit and see the packages. This may give you some ideas for your RR order. I just did some shopping using Timberdoodle ideas. There really are some great ideas there, and many will grow with your child which is always nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 My 2.5yo is obsessed with math manipulatives. This has its pros and cons. I'm missing about 20 counting bears and, after tearing the house apart (for reasons beyond missing bears) I fear they may be somewhere in the plumbing system. Also, the majority of my linking cubes have been fashioned into guns, and many dominos are now sticky. But he has a great time! White board doodling is also a favorite. Our new 4x8' shower board can take him nearly 20 whole minutes to "finish". He's also a fan of "washing dishes", which is fine, since my kitchen floor is already warped. My real sanity saver is the well-app'ed iPad. Having all of my icons rearranged is a small price to pay. Toddler #5 is kind of doing me in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Legos, wooden puzzles, dry erase markers and a lapboard, chalk/chalkboard, EDIBLE playdough, books, lacing toys, stacking toys, Kid K'nex, pattern blocks, reusable sticker books, crayons/coloring books, dressing up, shape sorters, Color Wonders fingerpaints (mess free and only show up on special paper!), felt play sets, LeapFrog DVDs.And she loves this site: http://kneebouncers.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reflections Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 My 3yo loves TOPS Lentil Science. I originally bought it for my 8yo but, with some mini construction toys and such this has kept him busy for hours. Really though you don't have to buy it from TOPS to keep your kids busy, if you get a long shallow box, a bunch of bags of lentils, some scoops, some cups, some funnels, a few trucks and VIOLA! Beware, the mess it makes will make you want to cry some days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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