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Angie Mc
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| Posted: April 29 2007 at 5:58pm | IP Logged
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Inspired by the incredible Carnival of Toddlers, - thanks so much, Meredith and all contributors! - I thought we could share here our favorite toddler tips with an emphasis on activities and behaviors...both mom's and toddler's  .
Provide photo albums for littles. Include pictures of family, friends, and even pictures from magazines, etc. Little photo albums work well with little hands.
Include toddlers in chores. Provide their own broom, mop, feather duster, etc. to work with.
Collect boxes of all sizes to stack and knock down.
Provide a secret place but putting a sheet of a table or between chairs.
Mom can get down on one knee throughout the day to look eye-to-eye with child, giving complete attention while smiling and reassuring the child.
Next!
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Meredith
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Thank you Angie, so much and what a great idea to expand and talk this up here!!!
I know this is kind of a no-brainer, but for my little guy, it's imperative that he spends a good amount of time outside, even if I have to put him in a play-yard, he just NEEDs to be out!!!
Sandbox, shovels, pails, diggers, balls, whatever it takes for some outdoor time is great!! Right before naptime works well too for a really good nap 
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Meredith
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Maryan
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This will be a great resource! Here's one from me:
In my kitchen, I have a little table/chairs set and then one of my cupboards is stuff just for my toddler. It's filled with Motessori-type stuff (pouring, how to set the table tray...) and then pans, bowls, spoons etc. that are his size.
It helps keep him busy while I'm cooking, teaching, etc. and I can see him.
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Maryan
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Suzybelle
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OK, these aren't the neatest of suggestions, but boy, were my DD and DS occupied when I let them help me shred some papers, then they played in the "snow" (paper shreddings) for a long time, making snow angels, etc. Then they got the broom and swept it up for me :)
Secondly, I gave them some glue, craft pom poms of varying sizes/colors, and construction paper and they were amused for about 45 minutes, just covering the paper with the pom poms.
I also let them "wash my car" a few times a week (our car is parked right by the back door, so I can keep my eye on them out there) - I fill pails with soapy water and give them sponges and away they go. The car doesn't get that clean, but they sure have fun, and feel so proud!
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ShawnaB
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Check out these great post on Angela's Three Plus Two...many wonderful ideas and a great post about Montessori and Toddlers. Thanks Angela! I love what you say about watching your toddlers to see what they are most interested in, and adapting the activites you have available to those interests. Great stuff!
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Shawna, wife of Jacob, mom to Abraham 8 Amelia 5 and Jillian & Jonathan age 3 years http://www.psalm121family.com
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Meredith
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| Posted: May 05 2007 at 10:52am | IP Logged
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Thanks for linking Angela. She always has such great things to say!!
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Meredith
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Jordan
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My kids love playing with water. If I set up a dishpan full of water and provide things for pouring and filling, at least an hour of pure toddler bliss will follow. There's quite a bit of water on the floor afterwards but it's only water and it's worth the fun.
I like the other ideas posted.
Jordan
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Angie Mc
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Welcome, Suzybelle and Jordan. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Water really is a toddler soother. My mother sent some California Baby bubble bath for ds's 2yo birthday. It is a lovely product.
How about a paper bag road? Cut paper bags so that they lay flat. Color ponds, roads, other scenes then drive vehicles down the road.
Maryan, I love having my littles in the kitchen with me. I love watching them take their kitchen duties very seriously...it is so cute.
Thanks for the link, Shawna. Meredith, my boys need a ton of time outside...almost a reason in itself for us to home educate. Pretty soon it will be too hot to be outside most of the day (other than in the pool.) When we move inside, we need to get creative and channel our energy. Wish us luck .
Suzybelle, I'm keeping the "car wash" idea plugged into the back of my mind for an afternoon activity. Pretty soon, I'll need to switch the car washing to late at night or very early morning...it is starting to bake here  .
Jordan, I don't get to visit blogs as much as I would like, but couldn't resist looking at yours...awesome blog name and content! Our boys' birthdays are only a few days apart...time sure does fly.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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MelissaClaire
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*After I typed all this put I realized most of these aren't toddler friendly--3-5 year old stuff. Hopefully it can still be of help!*
Last summer I made up a "stations" tub for my kids. All are stored in quart sized ziplock bags with the zipper to make them easy to see what they are and have the kids clean up after themselves. Here are some things my kids have been enjoying: (some are my own ideas--some I picked up through various sites)
-I bought 3 small plastic jars with lids at the dollar store and a pack of plastic pastel clothes pins. The kids sort the clothes pins by color as they put them into the jars.
-I bought (also at the dollar store) a microwave cupcake maker (just a plastic dish with 6 muffin openings.) The kids have a bag of large pom poms and a large bouncy dice (or is it die) from Lakeshore learning. The roll the die and count the number of spots. They pick a color of pom poms and using a tweezers put the correct number of pom poms in a section.
-Using 1 inch squares of colored cardstock I made patterns using 3 pieces on an index card. (I think I made 10 different patterns on different cards and glued them down.) I also made the same amount of the same colored squares that aren't glued down, so the kids recreate the pattern they see on each card.
-Another one with index cards. I wrote a number on the front. On the back I put the same number of small stickers. Then I gave them smallish foam craft pieces. They look at the number on the front and count out the correct number. Then they flip the card over and place the foam over the stickers to see if they have the correct amount.
-I made BINGO type cards with a different letter in each square. We have foam craft letters in that bag as well as foam shapes. They pull out a letter, see if they have a match on the page and place the shape over the letter. (Or if I'm playing with them, I'll say the letter and they have to see if they have it.)
-a small ziplock bag of froot loops (it's just a treat!) ;) and a pipecleaner to make a bracelet.
-I took index cards and wrote the capital letter on the left and the lower case on the right then cut down the middle making different cuts for each card making them puzzle pieces.
-I have a bag of different shapes, size and colors craft foam (YES we have a lot of craft foam--best $4 we've spent!) and the kids will sort it by shape, size or color.
-I taped 4 different kinds of pasta to their own index cards with clear packing tape. Also in that bag is more of those same pastas that they sort.
Melissa
Mom to Rebecca 5, Thomas 3, and Andrew almost 2
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: May 16 2007 at 11:22pm | IP Logged
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Welcome to 4Real, Melissa! Thanks so much for your contributions... a small ziplock bag of froot loops (it's just a treat!) ;) and a pipecleaner to make a bracelet...how sweet is that  ?!
Our 2yo ds is playing baseball, just like his older brothers. It's starting to heat up here in AZ, so the game has moved inside. He has a fat wiffle bat and his older brothers throw balloons at him like a ball. He hits the balloon, starts running, slides, we yell, "Safe!" and clap for him. Too sweet. Oh, I forgot to mention that he hits his imaginary home plate with the bat before he gets in his batting stance...just like big brothers:).
Another game he is loving these days (although not all of his siblings are loving it  ) is to squirt everyone and everything with a squirt bottle, that is filled with water and used only for this purpose. He especially loves surprise attacks .
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Mackfam
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Ditto on the water and outside theme. My little guy who's 2 loves using old paint brushes to paint outside. We give him the old, ratty brushes that we won't be using any more, and a bucket or tub full of water and send him to the driveway. Since it's water, it doesn't matter where he migrates, but he likes seeing the things he can "paint" with his water.
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JenniferS
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This is wonderful. How did I miss this post before. Thank you so much!!!
My toddlers also LOVE water play. Keeps them busy for a REALLY long time.
We also make salt dough for lots of fun play. The 18 month old only throws it around, but the three year old pretend to make pizza's and stuff. He is really into cooking.
The littles also love to play with pots and pans. We bought them a plastic set, but they love the real pans in the kitchen.
Outside play is importanthere, too. We have kid-size rakes, shovels and hoes. They love to dig for worms. Dh gets a little frustrated with the holes, but most of the time the bigger kids help the littles fill the holes back in. None of the kids holes are as bad as the German Shepherd's!!!!
I really appreciate the ideas I've gleaned here. Thank you so much for starting this thread!!
Jen
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missionfamily
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Water and outside are huge here too...we let the toddlers clean the driveway after the older ones have colored it with sidewalk chalk! Give them a bucket of water and some paint brushes or even the hose. Sand had proven a nightmare during Lousiana summers, so instead of a sandbox, we have a rock box filled with pea gravel...shovels, pails, dump trucks, all still apply!
Shaving cream is another outside favorite...the kind that starts out as gel and turns to foam when you rub it...amazing to my little Evan...I squirt it in an aluminum pan and he rubs and squishes til his heart's content.
For activities during school time or cooking, I put a little intereting item in each compartment of an ice cube tray and sit them down with it...like a few craft pom poms in one, an ice cube in another, a fishing lure, a ping pong ball, etc...it's fun to explore and leads to all kinds of games.
Song and dance entertain all ages here too, and ke e laughing during stresful times of the day, like while cooking dinner or when my afternoon doldrums set in (3-4pm ia a nightmare for me...I'm so moody until I get some warm tea and protein!)...we sing songs w know with hand motions and see who can get the toddler to mimic him/her or make up songs about what we are cookng etc...and see who can make the babies laugh...usually, we all end up laughing.
Okay, I have lot more, but I am suppsed to be using this time to order summer books...gotta refocus!
Colleen
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Jordan
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 7:08am | IP Logged
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I really like some of the other ideas mentioned. This thread is fun!
I wanted to add a couple of ideas that my mom used when I was a kid. I am looking forward to warmer weather so my kids can do these things too.
As a substitute for a Slip 'n Slide, my mother put an old vinyl shower curtain on the ground and sprayed it with water. We would wiggle and squirm all over it and run and slide on it. I think she used some kind of soap but I'm planning to use tear-free shampoo for my kids. I think older kids would have fun with this too.
We also used to coat things with shaving cream. My mother would pull the highchair outside and we'd rub shaving cream all over it and then wash it off with the hose. I remember having a great time with that as a little kid. I'm sure we spread shaving cream on ourselves and other things too.
I am excited to read more ideas.
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ALmom
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A squirt bottle of water (or vinegar and water) and rag. They generally do all the squirting and you do the wiping (or have an older child do the wiping). They are great at getting their own fingerprints off of the windows and it doesn't harm the paint if they go to doing that too (at least not if you have the paint that you can wipe clean). Again, the spots on the doors, walls, windows are just at their heighth and mine think the squirt bottle is the best thing - and it is real as they see me use it all the time (though mine doesn't always have just vinegar and water ).
Janet
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 5:34pm | IP Logged
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Make an obstacle course. (OK, I'll admit it. I didn't set out to make an obstacle course but...)
I moved a table between the bedroom walls and bed to clean in the corner. 2yo ds climbed up on the other side of the bed, ran across bed, slid down other side, climbed under table, climbed back up on bed, stood on table, yelled "1,2,3, go" (in 2yo language) and fell face down on the bed. After I said "Wow!" he proceeded to do this routine, over and over while I folded clothes and gave my "Wow!" at the precise time. Too sweet.
Here's another "just sorta happened" idea...
2yo ds found a bag of blue and green fish tank gravel (that was supposed to be returned to the store...another story.) He proceeded to pour it onto our beige tile floor in the dining room. Since the damage was done we added stuff to it to play with. The gravel is big enough that it is easy to see and clean up. I like it!
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Toddler Activities
