I was wondering what other mommies are playing with kids that are young (mine are 3 & 5) and I need some ideas, it has been raining a lot so we are staying indoors pretty much.
Would love to hear ideas :) we usually do puzzles, read books and other than that they play by themselves (i'm usually close by studying...) but I want to have a few activities to do with them to reconnect so they know mommy also plays with them and mommy is fun :)
thanks!
Play Dough
Finger Paint
Hide & Seek
Dance
Cut out things from magazines and paste into a collage
Bake cookies
Scavenger hunts are always fun. Finding treats along the way....even better!
When my son was 3 to 4 yo we belonged to a playgroup. We would go to one anothers' homes and play indoors or out, go to parks and go to local gyms. One friend had a small trampoline that fit in her garage and the kids would play there. We each would plan a snack and an activity like a craft.
When not doing playgroup, we had a small 3 step (step 3?) slide fort that we had in an extra room my son played on, and we would build forts with blankets and pillows. Also, puzzles are fun as well as games.
I also remember taking my son to the local mall with a play area when the weather was really bad.
www.starfall.com is a fun learning website that both of your kiddos should be able to use.
With all that said, if you have a fenced yard and can monitor them, just bundle them up and send them outside. My son loved being outside regardless of the weather, so I let him. Honestly, things haven't changed much and he's soon to be 7.
Me and the kids would, using chairs, blankets, sheets, boxes, pillows and stuffed animals... "build" stuff in our family room.
And left there ALL day! And we'd go into the "rooms" or "tunnels" they made with it and hang out and "sleep" and play and it was real cozy.
And some days, we just left it like that for a couple of days.
It was FUN.
I never "played" so much with my kids as they were pretty good at doing that on their own, but we did read a lot, and watched some TV (mostly Sesame St) and select movies together.
I would have plenty of fun things for them to do, play doh, paint, whatever, and they would often "help" me cook and work outside in the yard.
They also loved, loved, loved to build forts in the house, out of couch cushions, chairs and blankets mostly, but I would go out of my way to find large clean cardboard boxes for them to create houses or castles. They loved that!
We also went out a lot, even in the rain. What kid doesn't love puddles and mud?!
There are tons and TONS of ideas on pinterest for children's activities. That's where I get most of my ideas these days.
Good attitude mommy! I feel the same way!
For indoor play, we do:
-board games (toddler version)
-play carnival
-have a picnic (or tea party when his friend, who is a gal, comes over)
-make forts
-do crafts
-he's now into helping make cookies (Yikes!)
-build blocks
-play w/cars, down ramps, up the Matchbox 3-story garage
-pretend we are in a car going on a trip, pretend we are camping (we pack
a blanket, mini pillow, snacks etc under a tent/fort)
-play store coomplete w/shopping cart & register for his gal pals
-paint (on paper, canvas, fingerpainting)
-race cars
-do puzzles
-watch a bit of cartoon movies on the DVD player
Here are some things we do with my twin 4 year olds:
- board games: We have done a Zingo Bingo game, Hoot Owl Hoot, Don't wake Daddy, Candyland, etc. We started when they were 3. Sometimes you might have to help them with the rules or just let them play the way they want.
- playdoh: The 3 year old might need help with some of the playdoh tools, but still a fun activity.
- indoor soccer: we have a long-ish hallway and picked up some plush soccer balls that are close to real size (from ikea). We kick them up and down the hallway. Or frequently, my husband and I end up as "goalies" at the end of the hall and the kids are the players.
- hide and go seek: We kind of hide in an easy spot, but they still have fun looking for us.
- balloons: blow up balloons and bat them in the air. It works on some motor skills if you make a game of trying to keep them up in the air.
- decorate cookies: We do this once in a while, but you can bake some sugar cookies and then let them decorate them with icing and sprinkles.
We get our rain boots and jackets on and splash in the puddles! The kids love it. Then when we get home we strip down in the garage, get warm cozy clothes on and have a little hot coco and sit by the xmas tree and play. They love to play Santa and wrap presents and put them under the tree. My kids are the same age. Then we do all of the usual indoor games. But they both are into "performing" and we do a lot of singing and dancing.
My son (5) and I play a lot of board games, and have been since he turned 3. He loves them. He still likes Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders, which are great for a 3 year old too. Sequence for Kids is also good, though the younger one won't get the strategy.
I am a Discovery Toys consultant and we have a few brand new board games that are really fun for kids in the preschool/younger elementary age.
1. Race to the Treasure - this is a cooperative game (no winner, everyone works together so you all win or all lose together). Build a path to collect keys and beat the ogre to the treasure chest! http://www.discoverytoys.com/PUBLICSTORE/stores/karenchao...
2. Stone Soup - Another cooperative game. This one is a memory-style game where you try to match pairs of vegetables to finish cooking the soup. You have to find them all before you uncover the "fire out" cards that extinguish the flames. http://www.discoverytoys.com/PUBLICSTORE/stores/karenchao...
3. Willy's Wiggly Web - Another cooperative game, where you work together to cut all of the bugs free from the spider's web before Willy the Spider falls. Uses real scissors; comes with 50 paper webs and you can buy 50 more whenever you run out. Includes child-safe scissors. http://www.discoverytoys.com/PUBLICSTORE/stores/karenchao...
4. The Sudoku Family - similar to a number puzzle that adults do, this one uses faces in a family to create a grid where each row, column and square has one of each family member. Can be played individually or as a competitive game. http://www.discoverytoys.com/PUBLICSTORE/stores/karenchao...
5. Games on the Go - a deck of 50 cards with fun games and activities that are great for the car, restaurants, waiting rooms, etc. The collection includes guessing games, word games, memory challenges, trivia, searching games and much, much more. http://www.discoverytoys.com/PUBLICSTORE/stores/karenchao...
6. Flip Flop Faces - great for when you need something more active. It comes with six cups, each with a face showing different emotions and matching beanbags with the word for each emotion (ex: cup shows a smiling face, beanbag says "happy"). Toss the beanbag into the cup - one point for landing it in the cup, bonus points for flipping it over. http://www.discoverytoys.com/PUBLICSTORE/stores/karenchao...
Happy playing! Contact me if you have questions or want more information. These games are a lot of fun and perfect for keeping busy in the winter (spring, summer or fall)!
View all of our products at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao
When my kids were that age we played a game called "Elefun" (just Googled it - they still sell it at Toys 'R Us). You put these butterfly-type things in the elephant and turn it on and the butterflies shoot up into the air and then everybody tries to catch them with nets. Honestly, my kids got a good hour or two out of that game every time we took it out.
Baking is always really fun. Cookies, of course, but popovers are REALLY easy for little kids to make, and they're SO MUCH FUN when they come out of the oven because they're all poofy. Tasty, too!
Like somebody else posted - forts made out of chairs and blankets are endless hours of fun.
Good luck!
My kids have actually always loved to clean, so that's normally something we turn into a game.
They like to play games (board games, computer games, Wii games).
They like to read, watch a bit of TV, nap.
They LOVE to cook/bake.
Even in the rain, I'd take them out somewhere too a few times a week....the library, and indoor play place (Chick Fil A is the only one we'll go to), movies, etc.
My son just loves making doggy treats. It's basically just like playing with play-doh, cookie cutters, and a rolling pin. But in the end we have an actual treat that dogs love. My son will make designs in his dough - using a fork, a straw, a wisk, a toy .... We made Christmas treats just the other day and put them in the freezer. As we see our friends with dogs, we are tying up the treats to give to their dogs as a Christmas gift. So go find your cookie cutters, or even play-dough letters and make the cookies for dogs. If you have no cookie cutters, make designs with your hands - worms, candy canes, letters, swirlys, pound out balls and put designs into them with forks and what-not. Recipe is below
• 2 cups whole wheat flour (you can use another type of flour if your dog is sensitive to wheat)
• 1 cup rolled oats (quick cook)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth (I recommend smooth)
• 1 1/4 cups hot water
1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Mix in the peanut butter and hot water.
3. Knead the dough well with lots of flour on your surface.
4. Roll out the dough into 1/4" thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. With the extra dough, either roll out with rolling pin again, or make balls and flatten them with a fork or your fist.
5. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a 350 degree preheated oven for 40 minutes. They should be crispy, but not super-dark brown. If they’re really thick, they’ll cook longer. If you want to, you can brush on some whisked egg on top. It will give the treats a nice sheen once they’re baked. Cool before giving to dog. Makes 35-45 treats.
I know what you mean about reconnecting. My son always seems very happy after I've sat down and played at something he enjoys. It validates his own experiences with those activities and gives value to them because we do them too.
So I always start with something he'd like to do. Some things for my five year old are:
Playdough. Your 3 year old can do it too.
Legos.
Cutting out snowflakes. Your three year old could do circles of paper halved, so it's not too thick.
Sitting and drawing together.
Building with blocks.
Cooperative games. Family Pasttimes has many that your children might enjoy. Young children usually do better with cooperative games and working as a team than they might at competitive. When you are wanting to reconnect, it helps that they aren't playing against you.
Making forts/blankets over chairs, etc.
Have fun!
