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Toddlers: 24 Months+
CourtneyRenee9109
member
Activities for 2 year old
CourtneyRenee9109
member
My little man has always been very independent and enjoys playing with his toys by himself.
He used to watch maybe 30 minutes of TV a day...but now that's all he wants to do! I try and distract him and tell him no, but I have to admit, I give in too often.
I'm having a hard time coming up with new things for him to do.
He likes to color...but that only lasts about 5 minutes and he's over it.
I have him help me with household chores such as picking up/throwing away trash, helping me cook, "vacuuming" with his little vacuum, "sweeping the floors" with the broom.
I'm looking for things we can do together and also things he can do on his own; it would be wonderful to have something to keep him entertained for a good 30 minutes while I do the dishes every day, at least!
How do you distract your LO from wanting to watch TV?
What kinds of activities is your 2-year-old into?
Any arts and crafts ideas? Any advice is appreciated! TIA!
He used to watch maybe 30 minutes of TV a day...but now that's all he wants to do! I try and distract him and tell him no, but I have to admit, I give in too often.
I'm having a hard time coming up with new things for him to do.
He likes to color...but that only lasts about 5 minutes and he's over it.
I have him help me with household chores such as picking up/throwing away trash, helping me cook, "vacuuming" with his little vacuum, "sweeping the floors" with the broom.
I'm looking for things we can do together and also things he can do on his own; it would be wonderful to have something to keep him entertained for a good 30 minutes while I do the dishes every day, at least!
How do you distract your LO from wanting to watch TV?
What kinds of activities is your 2-year-old into?
Any arts and crafts ideas? Any advice is appreciated! TIA!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Activities for 2 year old
I don't really distract her - once she reaches the limit for the day, it stays off. She knows I'm not going to turn it on again until the next day, and if she just wants to whine about not watching TV, so be it.
Some other things we do - play hide-and-seek, read books, have pretend picnics (she will do this on her own now too), play with stickers (she will do this on her own now too, especially if they are gel window clings), draw cards for people (she will do this on her own now too), play with her LittlePeople or with stuffed animals (she will do this on her own now too), play chase. Sometimes we play with cars, or with legos, or paint. We also go outside and play in the pool, or dig in the dirt, or chase, or draw with chalk/blow bubbles, or she just plays around while I do some work in the garden.
Asking a 2yr old to self-entertain for 30 minutes, for most kids, is too high of an expectation. My daughter's pretty darn good at independent play, and 30 minutes it really pressing my like. Do your dishes in 10 minute increments, and give him time to mature his independent play skills. As he gets better at imaginative play, he will go for longer stretches himself. But this skill will be building over years of practice.
My SPD 2 year old needs to be engaged most of the day. Honestly, I just roll with it. If he has found something to catch his interest, great - I go do dishes or a load of laundry. But mostly, I save chores for when he is sleeping.
When I need to keep him busy for a few minutes, I pull out puzzles and games that he doesn't usually have access to, sensory bins (water, rice, beans and cups/scoops/buckets), or non-toys (tupperware, utensils, cups - he had a ball stacking strawberry containers from the u-pick place a couple days ago). We do a lot of fine motor stuff and crafts but those usually require supervision or intervention from me. A couple of his favorites that could be done independently include: milk caps in a wipes container, pipe cleaners in a parmesan cheese shaker, and scooping cotton balls or poms into/out of bowls with a ladle or big spoon.
I would wait until he goes to sleep to do chores, but he doesn't get to bed until about 8:00-8:30, then I barely have time to do my school work before going to bed...I have to get up at 6:45 every morning too. I'm just exhausted with this pregnancy, along with a super active toddler. lol
I think I have some good ideas now though. So thanks for all the advice!
When I was pregnant and had an 18 mo old, I would go to the thrift store or consignment shop and get new toys frequently. Something new always peaked his interest.
Maybe a friend would be interested in swapping toys for a bit to save some money and change things up for your son?
I once but LO in his high chair (have I reached the point where he's too old for that now?) with some crayons and an egg carton and punched holes in the egg places so the crayons would stand up in them. He entertained himself with that for over an hour. Sometimes, inside or out, I'll give him some bowls and a cup of water (or a squeeze bottle) and let him play with that. Makes a mess but he has fun. Finger paint sometimes keeps him busy for a while...but then he's mad he's messy and wants a bath. Playdough also keeps him busy.
I find it's easier to keep the TV off if it's never turned on. Once he's watched one thing he wants to keep watching.
One of LO's fave things to do is play in water. We have a screened porch right off the kitchen and I'll give him a little bucket of water with measuring cups, spatulas, and extra kitchen tools to play in. It's a hot mess, but I can get things done in the kitchen and he's entertained until the water's all gone.
~*Jenna*~
TTC since November 2009.
Currently licensed foster parents with the hope of adopting! Also pursuing pregnancy through IUI! First IUI scheduled 10/3/13
Currently loving our placements:
A 1/08
C 4/11
K 6/12