Fun Activities with Toddlers/Preschoolers

[LitigatorChick]

I am always trying to come up with fun things to do with my mini man (20 months old). He loves to go swimming and play at the playground. Play dates are a blast - he loves hanging out with other kids.

What do your little people like to do? I always like to hear ideas of fun activites to make my little guy smile.

 

[ephemery1]

I babysit a little girl who just turned 3, and we spend HOURS at the bookstore each week. We live in a city, so the Barnes and Noble children''s section is sort of a "winter hangout" for moms and babysitters in the area. She knows where all her favorite books are, sometimes they do story times or have crayons out for coloring, there are lots of stuffed animals to play with, and we see the same kids there each week... definitely a fun (free) time for kids ranging in age from barely walking to kindergarten.

 

[laine]

Growing up, one of our favorite treats was to take the kid-sized table outside, empty a can of shaving cream on it, and play in the foam. You can build it up into towers, make fake beards, etc, plus it feels so neat to touch. One 99 cent can kept us entertained all afternoon!

 

[LitigatorChick]

Laine, what an awesome idea!!! Ephemery, I love going to the bookstore with my little guy. There is usually a coffee shop in the store, so good news for mommy too!

 

[KimberlyH]

Painting
Collecting leaves (and using them to make paintings, rub art, etc. so much fun!)
Coloring
Shaving cream (this is a great sensory activity, we use it a lot in the ASD program at one of the schools where I work)
Walks (playing silly games on walks like jump over the line, stop and go, and Simon Says type stuff, but w/o the Simon Says because that''s beyond a toddler''s level)
I Spy ("I spy a yellow car, do you see it?")
Reading
Chalk Art (on the sidewalk)
Bubbles (a great speech activity)
Books on Tape (for car rides)
Where is it? (Hide things and have the child find it)
Drums (a coffee can works great)
Silly Putty/Playdough
Songs with motions (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Little Red Caboose, etc.)
Follow the leader
Water play
Stop and Go

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh, I totally used to entertain my baby brother with shaving cream foam! I used to look after him for my mom in the summers so that she had time to work on her thesis, and a designated day - I think it was Tuesday - was for doing stuff mom wouldn''t approve of. Oh, the epic shaving cream fights that ensued! And potion making! And I think I taught him how to make prank calls too, although I''m not proud of that. Plus, with call display, those days are so over.

But he was a little older... 5?

What I loved as a toddler, or so my mom tells me, was to go to the technology museum and play on the trains they had there. I had a little train conductor outfit, complete with Osh Kosh overalls and a stripy hat, and I would play for hours pulling the levers and opening and closing the coal chamber. So, are there interactive museums in Calgary? Where kids can have hands-on fun?

Another idea: some art museums have toddler activities where they can sit on the floor of the gallery and "draw" together with other toddlers. Might be worth looking into.

At that age I also used to love to go to a public farm near my city where you could see the cows and sheep and things.

 

[somethingshiny]

Ditto to everything Kimi said!

Also, my little guy (who''ll be 2 on Thursday) loves to dance. Like old fashioned Hokey Pokey stuff. I think his favorite part is Mom looking silly. He hunts bugs, chalk draws on the sidewalk, collects pine cones (leaves, ears of corn, etc) in the warmer months. In the winter months, we do indoor activities. Candy Land (although not played EXACTLY according to rules), tinkertoys (the little things they build with, supposedly not for his age, but he loves it and I watch him so he doesn''t shove them in his mouth). Another big thing is boxes. We make boxes into forts and toss balls at each other, or draw train stuff on the outside and "choo-choo" around the house, or make airplanes, boats, etc. We also make "crash zones" out of various things. (stuffed animals, soft boxes, blankets and pillow, etc.) Then he crashes into them on his riding toys, or runs or jumps into them. He really enjoys the rough-housing (it''s a boy thing) and it lets him experiment with motion, speed, etc. Plus, it wears him out, which is usually a very good thing.

We live by the river, so another of our activities is going down and watching boats, fishermen, barges, etc.