moonlight Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 I need ideas to keep my almost 2 year old busy. He desperatelto seems to want me to give him things to do. It makes him happy to walk away with something in his hands! <3 I am a bit tired of making things or assembling things. I just want to buy a few smaller things to keep in a basket for him and a few big things to pull out separately. I have some lacing cards already that I think will work and these: http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/Design+%26amp%3B+Drill+Activity+Center/032754/45498079b879f7f64d2721af?subject=19&category=6112 http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/Magneatos+Better+Builders+%28100+Pieces%29/010691/45498079b879f7f64d2721af?subject=19&category=6281 More ideas would be greatly appreciated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 :bigear: ditto!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Hmm, 2yos often like to be in the middle of what you're doing and are notorious mess makers when left alone. If there is anything he can do and be near you, he may be easier. My all time favorite thing to occupy toddlers is homemade edible play doh in a high chair. Don't make a production out of the fact that it is edible: they figure it out. So, they can play for awhile with little shape cutters and whatnot and when they are bored they eat it up. My favorite is peanut butter. Lauri Primer Pak and other Lauri toys are not typically loud and could be used beside older siblings. Wedgits are easy for little hands, but they are loud. My youngest loved anything with wheels- another loud activity. Oh, also, he had some Baby Einstein videos and card sets that he liked. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justme824 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 I've got a two-year-old. He prefers to be with us, but I do give him something to do when there if he hasn't brought his own things with him. We also take school outside whenever possible. He stays busy longest when I am engaged with him. So, if we are working on math with my older, I will play with him while the older works through problems. This is as simple as a couple minutes dumping and scooping rice. I also try to fill up his cup of mom time first, which is about 30-45 minuts of 1-on-1-time with just my toddler. Then I find he will play on his own quietly, right next to me of course, for longer stretches. I've got tons of ideas, here are some recent favorites. Rice or lentils in a big tub with a scoops, bowls, funnels, animals, dump trucks, etc. Puzzles, lacing cards, magnets, etc. Hammering golf tees into styrofoam Dot markers, regular markers, watercolors, finger paint, etc at the table with us Cups and bowls with water to dump from cup to cup Anything he can easily pick up with kid tweezers (cotton balls, pompoms, etc) and cups or something to it them in Play dough with something to use - scissors, plasti knife, rollers, cutters, plastic animals, gems, rocks, google eyes, anything! Pipe cleaners and a strainer to push them into I have a variety of building toys I rotate through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 Peanut butter is out because older DS has a nut allergy. Liking the looks of the Lauri toys. Looking into the toddler pack. Thanks! I have Leap Frog Letter Factory as well as oher fun videos, but he doesn't watch any tv at all and I am happy about that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 Love the pipe cleaner and strainer activity. I want things that I don't have to supervise him with so I can really focus during the short stretches. Not sure I would trust him not to put smaller items in his mouth yet... But I do have scissors that only cut through paper. Will put that in there and if it doesn't work, he will be able to rip up paper... Keep these ideas coming! They are wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 These are such great ideas!! ..snip..My all time favorite thing to occupy toddlers is homemade edible play doh in a high chair. Don't make a production out of the fact that it is edible: they figure it out. So, they can play for awhile with little shape cutters and whatnot and when they are bored they eat it up. My favorite is peanut butter....snip... HTH-Mandy Would you pretty, pretty please share your play dough recipe? :) This sounds great! And could double as a snack!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 I have a pinterest board full of ideas here for my 2 1/2 year old http://pinterest.com/plath/just-for-adelaide/ My two girls aren't terribly far apart in age, (a 5 year old and a 2 1/2 year old), so I try to include the 2 1/2 year old whenever I can. She does all the same art/craft stuff as the five year old, I made a calendar book for her (she just scribbles all over it, but loves to be included), etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabinfl Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Have you seen the No Tme for Flash Cards (http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/) website? Tons of great ideas, some more involved than others, but even the more complex nes can be simplified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 My 2yo plays with toys, mostly, or he looks at books; he loves books. Puzzles too. Right now, he really loves this Duplo set and plays with it for hours and hours and hours, truly (we also have a Duplo table and multiple basic Duplo/compatible MegaBloks sets so he has tons of pieces): http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-DUPLO-Creative-Cars-10552/dp/B00A88DRYU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376610620&sr=8-1&keywords=creative+cars+duplo I am really impressed at how much play value it has and how much he loves it; it is a lot of bang for the buck. He also spends a lot of time playing with the wooden trains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 My boys liked the building toys with slots at that age. Something similar to this link http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C928%2C397&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1376613514879 They were playing with trains and Legos too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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