What to Do on a Day Too Cold to Play Outside

Boys like to cook too. Think of the Iron Chef. The 2 year old could mix cake mix or roll up cresent rolls.... The 2 year old could make funny hats for his little brother.... You could read to them and have the 2 year old make the sound effects....Put on some music and dance....

PLAY-DOE!!!! I know there is even an edible play doe receipe. Probably find it from the moms here. My 2 year old loves it! If you made the edible even the baby could play with no fear of "what if he eats it!"

Depends, where do you live?

The Danbury Mall (CT) has a GREAT toddler play area indoors and free, parking is also free. Also has a carousel but that does cost a few bucks. Bathrooms are wonderful and built to accomodate families.

Pet stores are also a free cheap thrill for kids.

Arts and crafts stores usually have free or low cost classes that are kid friendly.

And of course, libraries have child friendly programs.

Look in your local paper and websites for free or low cost happenings in your area, lots of great stuff!

My two year old LOVES building forts with our couches and coffee tables. We turn all of the furniture around and cover the couch/loveseat with blankets, which gives him a fort (or a tent) to crawl and play in. He brings pillows and his favorite toys in there and plays for hours. It's a special "cold weather" treat that he looks forward to.

I also save Play-Doh for cold days, and he has special markers that he can color with when the weather is bad. We draw a lot of pictures for Daddy, his grandparents, and his aunts/uncles/cousins when it is yucky outside. =)

Hopefully the weather will start getting warmer soon!

Check out Barnes and Noble or Borders. They often have a free story time once a week. Also look into local drop in gyms. They are usually $5-7 for an hour or so. The YMCA is another good option. Monthly memberships aren't so expensive, and they have drop in times included! (Added benefit, free babysitting while you work out!)

Finally, check out www.meetup.org. There are a ton of local mom groups, with scheduled playdates at people's houses. Free, and a great way to socialize (both of you!) and get tired for the afternoon nap. :)

Hi K....I'm going crazy right now too with this weather. It's so deceiving!!! Blue sky and sun and then FREEZING and crazy wind when you go out. Hopefully it will get warmer soon!!!

I don't know about you, but I've pretty much exhausted the indoor activity list. We've done everything a million times. Check out story time at the library or Barnes and Noble. I know in the past they also had free crafts at Michaels but I haven't been there myself in a long time. It's something that I want to check into as well. I don't know where you live, but in Manalapan on Rt. 9 there's a place called "Party Gym" that your 2 y/o would LOVE. It's $5 though. For us it's a once in a while kind of thing. But they have "Open Play" there from 10 am till 3 pm and you can stay as long as you like during that time frame. Then there's just good 'ol McDonalds...I got there sometimes and just get an ice cream or a french fry for us to share and let the kids burn off steam...but I don't know if your 2 year old is able to climb up that thing yet.
Yesterday I took my kids to Chuck E Cheese...I registered online and they give you some really great coupons. If you don't stay there to eat lunch, but just get some tokens and play, it's pretty inexpensive.

Hope that helps.

With the 2 year old, you could teach him good old fashioned games like Simon Says, Red Light/Green Light and do active things like jump up and down, run in place, run in a little circle. That way, he's burning off that energy he normally would running around outside, AND working on listening skills!

I try to do something creative with my 2 y/o each day - dancing, playing with clay (which I make myself from cornstarch and salt), sticker fun (the foam stickers are great for this age because they're easier for them to hold), painting, stamping, etc.). We also like gymnastics /aerobics.

Take them to the library, a play gym, a mommy & me class, even Barnes & Noble has story time once a week. You can also go on http://www.meetup.com and search for moms groups in your area to get together with. I love the group I belong to and I'm sure there's something like in near you.

Call your local library. Most of them have free programs that are divided by age group. My son has gone to one since he was 1. And my daughter has one for her too. Also, look online and see if you can find an FRC (Family Resource Center) group. My daughter goes to a play group at the local school one day a week.

My kids love to build forts. Grab some blankets and pillows and have a picnic on them. Get out the pots and pans and march around (or have your 6 mo. old hit the pans as he sits). That never gets old.

K.-
winter is tough for sure. sometimes i would take my kids to a local mall and let them run around. i would bring lunch and sit at the food court and feed them. you don't need to go in any stores, but just let the 2 yo run up and down the aisles.

Have you tried stroller strides? It is a great workout for you and you can bring the children with you...and they get to play with kids their own age. Class meets inside at the Stamford Town Center at this time of year. There is also a playspace near the food court there that several of the moms take their kids to after class. You can find stroller strides on meetup.com or google Fairfield County Stroller Strides.

This winter we have been building forts with blankets and pillows and sofas, special art projects, baths in the middle of the day. Whatever it takes to break up the day.

Put your 2 y/o in a highchair/booster & let him fingerpaint w/chocolate or vanilla pudding - a friend of mine had an at home daycare and we would do this at least twice a week during the cold weather & the children had a blast. As far as w/your little one maybe try going onto one of the sites for crafts around his age (w/your help). Some of the ones we did included making snowmen out of cotton balls, coloring & stuff like that. Have fun!

what abt. in home art projects

2 year olds should enjoy making tents w/ blankets and furniture. Like the kitchen chairs turned to all face outward and put blankets over them. The 2 year old and you can go inside the tent and read a book. Bring in flashlights. Or you could put music on and dance silly. You can even do that while holding your baby. My boys loved to do these things. My nieces who are 2 & 4 love to do it too.

I'm not sre what area you live in but Princetonkids.com has a website and they send a list of local activities each week. I do the library, mall, coloring, play in big boxes, gonna do camden aquarium next week, which is great during the week cause it's not crowded... Also, playdates are a lifesaver!

crayola makes that new color stuff... your older child can color (i think its color wonder) and only color goes on the paper... also go to Michaels or AC Moore.. they have some great ideas. Sometimes you can fill the sink with a little water and a lot of suds.. and they can play with the suds.. also rent a movie and serve popcorn and a drink. have an afternoon snack at the living room.. put out a blanket and use a picnic basket.. and have a picnic in the living room... also fun is letting them sit in the laundry basket,,,, while you fold the laundry.. and pull them along on the floor in the laundry basket.. my kids loved the laundry basket.. good luck.. have fun.

Luckily the snow is gone (at least where I live), but something for next winter: put some snow in a tupperware container, give your child some spoons, measuring cups, other containters, etc., and set him/her up at the highchair or booster seat at the kitchen table. All you have to clean up is water and refill the snow every so often. My son LOVED this activity this winter!

I would investigate your local library and the programs that they have for children. Even if they do not run classes, you could take them there and read to them. If you live near the broadway mall in Hicksiville, they have an indoor play area by the food court that is fun and free.

Hi,
My 2 yr. old is really into colors. So we put down a big piece of paper- like 3x4 feet big on the floor. I usually tape it down with painter's tape. And then its finger painting time! Super messy and fun to mix the colors and and feel all that gooey paint. If he is too into putting things in his mouth, you can use food- spinach, mashed potatoes, ketchup. And just put a plastic mat down instead of paper. Then the 6 month old cna play too.
After that I just take him into the bath tub and rinse him down. We try to read a color book after the wash down to "talk" about the fun we just had.
drawing in the bathtub is fun too- there are cool washable crayons.
we also make pictures by gluing dry pasta to construction paper, and adding paint or stickers.

and my kids love to "cook". so just stiring up pancake batter is fun.

hope this helps.
-M.

On www.onestepahead.com there are arts and crafts activities for two year olds. I bought the one that has four animal cutouts and it comes with a glue stick and all sorts of stuff (stickers, feathers, colored papers, crayons, googlie eyes, etc) to decorate it with. It was around $12 and came with four cut outs. My daughter loves it.

My daugter, who is two, also loves to "help" me around the house. I have her help me "wash" the dishes. I put her on a chair by the sink and she washes stuff and loves to do it. We also sweep and mop the floor together. If you have a swiffer you can take apart the top part of the handle and it becomes kid sized. I put a swiffer duster on it and she sweeps the floor. then when we mop I pretend to get it wet. It is great because she has fun and I get some cleaning done.

I bought newsprint paper pads at Michaels (big pads of blank paper relatively cheap) and we use those to paint on. I bought her paint brushes and I put the paper on her easel.

Malls are great too. They can play on the cars or if there is one with a PotteryBArns kids they are allowed to play with the toys there. Check out libraries and Barnes and Noble and Borders.

my kids love Dance Party! We put on the radio and dance crazy and play the freeze game, plus i count this as my cardio!

good old fashioned color book and crayons. you color with them too mom.

my grandson loves cars. we play cars together all the time

third idea, get a couple of those animated movies, cars is a good one, but now walle is good too. they will watch them over and over and you can sit with them with a bowl of popcorn and some juice or vanilla milk and they will love it.

just remember, it is not the cost that is important, it is the quality of the time spent together. communication is the biggest quality you can incorporate.

We loved playing with Place and Trace by Discovery Toys.
First, do the puzzles (pieces are a safe size for your infant, too), then use the puzzle pieces as cookie cutters and bake cookies in dinosaur shapes, cats, cars and more.
This can be found at www.toysofdiscovery.com