New Activities?

spainy17 · January 2014

Ladies, DD and I are BORED. I feel horrible putting the TV on when I have her home during the day (in the background for me, not her) and I realized that I am doing it way too often lately and I want to change that. Thankfully DD just had her birthday party so we have some new toys in the house but I feel like she is in a phase where she gets bored quickly with toys and I am looking at activities that we can do at home.

Currently we have tried drawing with crayons, putting things through paper towel tubes, playing a lot of mommy-fetch, balls, etc. I just feel like they are SOCLOSE to being of an age where we can do a ton of fun things but not quite there yet (for example, DD mostly tried to eat the crayons when we played with art supplies). Mostly my days off play consists of moving from toy to toy and then proceeding to emptying drawers, hampers, etc. Anyone have any brilliant ideas that shook up the monotony? I actually felt happy for her to go to daycare this week so she could have some fun without being with her boring mommy!

littleheaven · January 2014

dd is trying to color, but it's really just poking the paper with the crayon and then either eating the crayon or dropping it somewhere....we just picked up one of those color magic book things where the marker only works on the paper.....we'll see how many times i have to pull that out of her mouth too...

codeaard · January 2014

DS the other day pulled a pen off of DH desk and started coloring on a the table. Thankfully the pen was closed but then I grabbed him some crayons and paper and he colored. We are getting there! My guy loves to stir. He will walk around with a mixing bowl and spoon for hours. Or a small pot with a lid. Or a cup and spoon. He also loves magnets on a cookie sheet. Just a few ideas.

ReeceFamily · January 2014

I realize that I am speaking as someone who lives in California where we had virtually NO winter this year (not to mention no rain), but I try to get out of the house with DD for an hour or two during the days that I have her full time (i.e., on weekends or when daycare is closed.) It really helps break up the day. And even if it's just going to the grocery store, we'll stop at a playground on the way to go on the swings, slide, etc. (she is just starting to be able to enjoy these, even though she's not walking). I wear her in the Ergo in the grocery store and let her handle the produce, etc., and talk to her about things. She always seems to enjoy it! I'd go crazy trying to keep her entertained for a full day at home without getting out.

Meeting up with other friends (with babies or without) helps, too!

brachysira · January 2014

We could never do sensory things because all of that stuff just goes in her mouth. Same with coloring, although she will mark on a paper for a second angrily because you insist. So I am boring and rely on toys. Some of the inexpensive things we have: big puzzles. She can put the pieces on top of where they go, but not in. Good for vocabulary building. We also have these touch and feel cards from Amazon. They are kind of chewed on, but one of her favorites and also good for vocabulary. We take a bath when things get really boring. She likes to clap and splash in the tub. We play patty cake and sing other songs with actions. Putting things in is also now big. She likes to get out her socks and put them in containers. Hair bows too. She likes to go to the kitchen and play with her baby food. She eats what we eat, but for emergencies we have a bunch of boxes of things that have Elmo or other pictures on them. We go outside if it's over 30F (or a little lower and not windy) and I pull her in a sled or we take the stroller if it's dry. We go to the park and swing even if it is snowy. We go to the pet store. We go to baby time at the library. And I'm not sure I advise this, but I have apps for babies on my phone...like "where's puppy?" or something from Fisher Price. But that kind of exacerbates the phone obsession. She also likes when I take the couch pillows off and make kind of an obstacle course.

ReeceFamily · January 2014

@brendamndz, you are not alone. I am so tired of this damned weather. I dream of moving somewhere with an actual fall and winter. I was raised in the northwest and I miss weather

. And the no rain thing is getting a little worrisome.

spainy17 · January 2014

Thanks ladies for the ideas, i am totally going to do the magnet on the cookie sheet idea and last night I took a christmas box and cut a circle hole in it and she and I spent a while putting small balls and the small spice jars through the hole so that was fun. I am going to put together sensory bags i think since that is something she can feel without me constantly having to take it out of her mouth. We played with putting things through a paper towel tube the other day and I have to remember to save those things so we can make something with a bunch of them. I hear you guys about the weather, that sounds scary is California only I am in Wisconsin and it has been snowy and cold forever here so we are feeling cooped up. My Target bill has been astronomical this season simply because we keep going there to shake up the day!

82Sonia · January 2014

DD painted with colored ice cubes at daycare the other day and apparently thought it was awesome (they sent pictures and she looked like she was having a blast). They just froze some food-colored water and let them push them around in a shallow white rubber maid bin and also on some paper before it all melted. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

When we’re home we just go for walks, build block towers that she knocks over, and dance. But I also have the TV sometimes on for some background noise so I probably am not winning Mom of the Year for that.

ConstanceGoodspeed · January 2014

Here is where I go for inspiration, lots of ideas with stuff you have around the house:

https://www.productiveparenting.com/aspx/ActivityLibrary.aspx?aid=0C

Chappy_jr · January 2014

We play a lot of hide-and-seek, both with each other and with toys. I'll take two bowls and hide a toy under one of them and ask him where it is. He always finds it. Then, i switch it up, like a magician mixing up the cups, and he's always shocked that it isn't there. We could do this for 15 minutes.

He doesn't draw yet, but I often draw for him and he loves it. He also loves to pull things out of drawers so I'll sometimes hide things in his drawers that he wouldn't expect.

We do watch TV *sometimes* and he LOVES Super Why on Sprout. I'm an educational psychologist so I know all about the recommendation of no screen time before 2 but I refuse to feel guilty about it. I love the cuddles we have during Super Why and the interaction that we can have when I'm not dragging him away from the trash can can only be good for his development.

New Activities?

Re: New Activities?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards