Things to Do with Toddlers

Updated on February 22, 2010
M.E. asks from Woodbridge, VA
10 answers

Hi, does anyone know or have any ideas or suggestions on activities to do with Toddlers at home and in Norfolk? My husband went on Deployment until July and him and our son usually spend the weekends watching sports center, they love it; sadly for me, I'm not a sports fan. In the summer, I usually take our son to the beach, zoo, gardens, parks, boardwalk, but it's too cold for that stuff now. My son is 2, or will be in April, he loves to read; sports, especially football; dancing, and painting. I will take him to parks on days it's not bone chilling cold and we read a lot, he also has those "baby can read" videos he loves to watch and we do finger painting, but he seems bored of the same things all the time; and until warm weather comes and since it will just be us two until July, I don't want us to be too bored or end up couch potatoes.

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So What Happened?

Thank you all for your responses. They were all great. I went and looked at tourism site for VA and found some great places to go with my son and did a few things like get some playdoh (wow, never knew playdoh could be so much fun, after teaching him it's not food of course), more painting and I looked up the mommy groups; a few caught my interest, so I will definately try them out. I found a toddler time at a library near us on wednesdays and story time at MacArthur sounds good too when I have that day off. To answer some questions, he does go to a babysitter during the week, about two to three days a week, so he has playmates there and I have the weekends off now that my husband is deployed, usually I worked them. But thank you all for your responses, they are greatly appreciated and informational!!

More Answers

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E.C.

answers from Norfolk on

My daughter will be 2 in April also. For things to do outside of the house in winter we go to the Childrens Museum in Portsmouth and they love to go to the mall to play with other kids in the play area. Also they have story time at the Barnes and Noble at McArthur I believe on Mondays and Tuesdays (Im not a 100% on that, Im having a brainfart right now lol).
Just some ideas for you.
And if you would ever like to meet up and let the kids play I would be glad to. I also have a 4 year old son and I am also a military wife.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.T.

answers from Norfolk on

Hi M.,
I have a two year old also. What I have started doing is taking him to the storytime at the Public Library. Check the city website for the library's information and see what Norfolk's libraries have to offer.
MacArthur Center has a play area in the food court where you can go when it is too cold to go to the park.
There is also the children's museum in Portsmouth.
I hope you find activities for your little man. Enjoy!

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S.

answers from Spartanburg on

Hi M.. In my opinion it's a little too soon to have your son spend hours (even only a couple) in front of the tv. I understand watching sports with his father, which is very sweet and a bonding thing between them two, but i would limit the amount of time he spends basically sitting down and staring at this light coming from the tv, whe his father is not around. The reason why is because there's no real interaction between the tv and the child, so he is "passive" and he isn't doing anything worthwhile for his development.
Plus, there are some images on tv that toddlers (but I would say children in general) cannot comprehend (for example those commercial about the latest trashy reality shows) and can cause discomfort or aggressive behavior. For my son, I let him watch a couple of cartoons in the morning while having b/fast, he knows that after cartoon no. 2 I turn the tv off and it's time to get ready for school. During the week, if he has been a good boy and deserves a prize, then I'll take out the dvd player (a portable one) and will let him watch a Disney's movie of his choosing (I have many that I have selected for him) - that happens usually when I need a nap (so he doesn't roam in the house without my supervision) and when he needs some resting too. Never during the weekends because then is when I keep him busy the most. There's a series of excercise books called "high five", you can sign up and they'll send them via mail: there are so many activities in those magazines, they'll help him to find hidden objects, learn shapes, numbers, letters and ethical behavior. Also we do coloring, playdough sessions, we play "memory" with the matching cards, we play ball and read books.Obviously he has some playtime alone by himself in his room with his toys, but often I try to invite other children over, so he' s happier. Could you pair him up with a friend of the same age?

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C.D.

answers from Norfolk on

Have you checked out some of the local museums? Lots to do and if you get a membership (military discounts available) You can go back again and again. I always like to combine fun and learning.

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D.W.

answers from Gainesville on

Check out your local library-they usually have storytime for little ones and other fun activities. Also, do a google search for a moms group in your area. Most are very busy with lots of activities every week and they are tuned in to the local happenings for families.

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J.S.

answers from Cleveland on

I agree with the mom who said library time - many book stores, either privately owned, or chains like Borders and Barnes and Nobels also usually have storytimes. We used to go all of the time, look at books together and sometimes pick one out to bring home, go to a storytime, (many times they have a train table to play with, so I got to peruse the adult books to pick out a good read), and even have a snack at their cafe. It is a great way to spend an afternoon with your little one.

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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

Our zoo has a place called the Hamil childrens museum it is indoors so they can do face painting etc. Are there any childrens museums in your area? I just got a flyer for a park district in our area that has soccer for 18-24 mos. and up. I think we are going to call. A lot of park districts have tumbling at that age as well.

Do you have a tunnel? My son loves his. (and so does the cat). We also got him the giraffe that you ride in the house, it is like a stationary bike it teaches them numbers, colors and animals.

Do you have any puzzles? My son loves his puzzles, and his shape blocks. We also got him the Dulpo blocks they are bigger for their age.
D
Does your park have any mommy and me classes? It will get you both moving and it is a lot of fun.

Not sure if you are a stay at home mom or not, but maybe a day or two a week in daycare would be good also. He will then have some kid interactions?

C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

play doh!! we love it and there are always new "toys" to add to the collection for a small amount of cost. playing hide and seek, of course i'm sure you play cars and trucks with him, blocks, etc. make a blanket fort, do shadow puppets with a flashlight. have him help you do chores, he can help empty the dishwasher by putting things in drawers for you. i give my son a spray bottle full of water and he "helps" clean the tub while i'm working on the bathroom. i wouldn't encourage him to spend weekends watching sports center - two is way too young. i'm surprised he even sits still for it, but i wouldn't encourage him to. dad needs to be outside throwing a ball to him instead (once he gets back). if the weather is bad and you need to get him out of the house take him to the local mall (if there is one?) and just let him run around. the ones around our home have children's play areas.

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N.K.

answers from Chicago on

My heart goes out to you! I am going through the same thing right now. Another mom told me recently about a website called Meetup.com and it has been wonderful for both me and my son. It is basically a forum for people with all different kinds of interests to start a specific "meetup group" in their area to get together and do things (ie stay-at-home moms of young kids). Membership and use of the website is free. My group charged a $5 fee to join to cover administrative costs for the group organizer.

Some examples of my recent meetups have been all of us meeting at a local pool during kid time or going to a local kid-friendly restaurant. It is fun for my son to play with the other kids and get out of the house, and it is also fun for me to talk to other moms, get tips and parenting advice, vent, etc. You can participate in as many or as few of the meetups as you want (our group is constantly posting new ones... sometimes as simple as just meeting at someone's house for a group playdate). I would recommend that moms of kids of all ages check it out.

P.S. I checked to see if there is a group in your area and it looks like there are several. Either way, good luck with your challenge!

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A.G.

answers from Norfolk on

I think the McArthur center story time is on Wednesdays. Lots of the local libraries have story time on Mondays and Tuesdays - my kids like to do that and in Chesapeake it is without parents so I have 20-30 minutes of quiet time. There are lots of great moms clubs in the area also. You would look it up by MOMS club - they usually offer activities almost every day from playgroups and craft days to outings. We do a lot of playgroups with other children or even stop in at Mcdonalds for a snack and a little running all over the place. The military has a group called "Heroes at home" that offers playgroups and activities. The phone number for that is ###-###-####. They also offer to send parent educators to your home once a month to teach you how to do fun things with your child. Don't forget the Armed Services YMCA - they offer awesome activities for kids and I think most are free (they give first preference to enlisted families). At home, we do a lot of playing with our toys and the activities you mentioned like play doh, painting, reading etc. It is a good idea to teach your baby how to play by himself also so make sure you leave down time for that.

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