Toddler - Preschool at-home activity ideas

[scrub-jay]

DH is on a rotation where he probably will not have any weekend time at home for the next month, so I would love a list of ideas for toddler-preschool (2-4) activities that dd and I could do to keep from anxiously watching the clock. Shoot me your best ideas or resources.

Thanks in advance!!

[GrayMatterWife]

DH is on a rotation where he probably will not have any weekend time at home for the next month, so I would love a list of ideas for toddler-preschool (2-4) activities that dd and I could do to keep from anxiously watching the clock. Shoot me your best ideas or resources.

Thanks in advance!!

Finger painting
Sidewalk chalk
Making stuff in the kitchen together (pudding, cookies, etc.)
Throwing kid in the shower--drain not stopped--with a jillion toys (we called it "water play time!" and my kids loved it)
Making a card for Daddy with pictures, etc. cut out of magazines--why DO toddlers love cutting stuff up SO much???
Household chores (no, seriously, my girls love to "help" make beds, fold clothes...I even them "scrub" the toliets--no bleach products, obviously)
Catching bugs (big fav in my house--now I am saddled with a spider that I have to feed live crickets once a week...)
Dress up

[Auspicious]

We've been all about the Pinterest ideas during these dog days of summer. Are you on there?

[spotty_dog]

On the days that we're home with no Daddy (at least half the day most days) my kids make couch forts, build Legos, kick a ball outside, play pretend, wrestle, help me in the garden, help me cleaning, we read books together, we go to the park, they help me make dinner, we go to the grocery store/bank/post office/pet food store, we go to the farmer's market, the library, the beach. I do everything I can to avoid coming up with activities, to be honest, but sometimes they corner me into teaching them to knit, or spin, or helping them to design a Butterfly Kingdom, or learning about crustaceans.

[MrsK]

I so dread spending entire weekends without daddy. Mind you, I am crazy for my kids but those days are so long. Especially since my boys start asking for daddy and waiting by the window about an hour before suppertime. And I hate telling them that daddy will not be home at bedtime either. And it's hard to plan things because the rest of the world assumes that you are busy with your family. For me, taking the kids to the park, pool, or children's museum is not an option because they scatter. YMMV. We do chores - they love following me around with a dust rag and spray bottle of water. Cook/bake, color/stamp/playdoh/stickers, play with pipe cleaners/cotton balls/dried pasta, hang out in the pack yard playing basketball/making paper airplanes/washing tricycles/wading in the kiddie pool/collecting rocks and bugs/blowing bubbles/sidewalk chalk/pulling weeds (assuming it's not too hot which it often is), play inside with puzzles/megablocks/trucks/or break out a new toy that I've been hiding since the last holiday or birthday, go to the library/read books a lot, quiet games where they sit at the kitchen table and play quietly with small toys that I break out only during quiet time, watch SuperWhy/Nature Films/Scholastic Book DVDs, take a bath, make/eat snacks, go to the Children's Theatre, go to Parents As Teachers play groups/field trips, go to the indoor playgrounds at the mall or McDonalds, run errands (If I'm feeling brave). . .

[Michele]

Bingo/scavenger hunts. For the mall, driving, neighborhood walks.

Fro-yo date

McD pancake picnic

See if there are any local festivals/happenings.

[ladymoreta]

We get out of the house as much as possible. Is there anyone you could go visit for a couple days? It's too hot here to do much outside for very long, so I try to have some indoor play places in mind. Chick Fil A usually has a play area for toddlers. Malls sometimes have stuff to play on or at least have carousels. Lunch or dinner at the food court is also a fun treat.

[alison]

We have a schedule with ballet, French, and a play date every Monday with some friends. The other time we fill up with stuff around the house, which admittedly is hard! We do library story time, our city's
symphony orchestra outreach program (the library runs it--orchestra member introduces their instrument and plays for the kids), bus rides to other neighborhoods' library story times, beach, playground, water our garden, coloring, reading stories, watch tv, lunch dates. I will start my fourth week of single parenting. Dd has been waking up in the middle of the night, not taking a nap, and is oh so cranky because of these sleep disruptions. I can't wait until it cools down around here (80-degree weather is not for the PNW weather wimp!), and we can all get some decent sleep.

Good luck!!!

[hanginginthere]

Love the above ideas! We go out as much as possible to community rec centers and splash pads...We also do a lot of sprinkler and kiddie pool in the back- we have a slip and slide and we paint a lot with sponges...

[samssugarmomma]

Here are some of the things my 2 year old loves to do:

- use a spray bottle to water the plants either inside or outside (outside is preferred) 8 )
- look for bugs
- make pudding or jello
- help me cook in the kitchen - I give her her own pot and wooden spoon
- paint
- use dry erase markers or crayons
- color with chalk on black paper - blows her mind every time!
- tea party with stuffed animals or babies
- pack to take her babies on vacation
- ride around the house in a laundry basket
- go for a walk in the wagon
- water balloons
- sand box
- clean the windows with a water bottle
- take a bath in her bathing suit
- put glow sticks in the bathtub and take a bath in the dark
- magnetic paper dolls