How can i keep my 22 month old girl busy??!!

[taaniwha]

I don't want to seem like an overproud parent or anything, but i think my little girl is very clever, and therefore challenging to amuse. Activities and toys we have for her just seem to bore her. Whilst this is probably a good thing, it is also proving to be very streeful right now, with only eight weeks till Number two arrives, and a very grumpy bored little girl. I would really appreciate some ideas on ways to keep her happy, learning, and stimulated. I just dont think she is getting enough stimulation, and feel like I am letting her down:(

[nemosmum]

Hey your not alone:D

My 20 month old little man is much the same very curious and active and always looking for something new and interesting to do..........this is why I love day care LOL only half joking (he gets alot of stimulation and social interaction at day care and does heaps of interesting experiences I dont do at home etc.)

But there are heaps of things you can do at home if you have the energy this late in your pregnancy:D

My son loves messy play (dont know if your DD is interested in it but here goes) we do experiences like Slime, Goop, playdough, baking, finger painting, water play etc

Slime and Goop is a fave of both mine and DS coz you make it up in a tub (a little bucket will do) strip your child down, put them in the bath tub with the tub of slime or goop and let them go for it:eek: :smiliedance:
Its messy and fun and really easy to get them clean again as they are already in the tub!

Heres the recipe for Goop and slime:

Slime

warm water mixed with a cup of soap flakes,add some food colouring to make it even more inviting lol beat it with an electric mixer for a few minutes, let it sit for an hour and then play with it.
It will last a few days if you cover it at night and its better the 2nd day as the soap has time to set. It feels awesome and is heaps of fun.

Goop

Water mixed with corn flour, mix it with a spoon and add some food colouring, mix it till its a nice consistency not too runny not too hard.
This feels like playdough mixed with water it is such a great experience to help strengthen children hands and encourage developing fine motor skills etc

I also take my little guy to soft play centres every now and again to burn up some of that never ending energy he seems to have!

Good luck with the ideas Ill be watching this thread very closely oh and good luck with number two as well!

[rynosmum]

My DS is 22 months old tomorrow and he too loves more 'hands-on' play.

He loves
. Drawing - big crayons and lots of paper
. Chalk to draw on the driveway with
. Sandpit with a few plastic buckets and cars
. Play Dough
. Painting (he just painted some canvases for his room and is soooo proud)
. Fill a bucket up with water and give him a few plastic cups of different sizes so he can pour it into each
. Trays of ice cubes to play with
. Big walks (him in his pram) so he can point out boats, cars and puppies etc. We do this every morning
. He's really into counting at the moment so any books with numbers etc in that he can try to recognise

Another thing is to take their regular toys somewhere else so take the blocks outside etc. Different scenery, different interest.

Good Luck !:D

[Chickadee]

Flash cards are great and you can do new games with them as your daughter learns them. For example, we have a set of animal cards which we sometimes go through and group them by environment (land, water, flying) or by colour, or I hide the picture and just show her the word.

Puzzles are always a favorite here. You can pick up number and alphabet wooden puzzles for under $10 each - I've found that having DD handling the pieces really seemed to help her learn them. She also moved up to regular jigsaws at around the 24 month mark so you might look at that for a new challenge. I found the simpler 3, 4 and 5 piece puzzles were a good way to start.

Cooking - toddler tasks can include stirring, shaking herbs in, counting ingredients, helping to pour liquids, putting cut up vegetables into bowls.

Anything with a balloon is still a favorite game. We play catch with them, practice kicking them, bounce them on our head, balance them on our head, balance them on an upside down frisbee, hit them with fly swatters...

Bubble play - either blowing bubbles and catching them or just fill up a bucket with warm soapy water and let your DD wash her plastic cups, plates, dolls, toys etc. Throw some large seashells or colourful stones into the bottom of the pail and have a treasure hunt. You can do the treasure hunt in the sand box too - I bought a cheap sieve so DD could shake the sand through and find the shells.

[kiwibird27]

I would recommend a "special box" That is just for her because she's a "big girl" She could paint an old shoe box, then fill it with different craft items, like textas, crayons, stickers etc, little stuff u change all the time, and save it just for special moments when mummy needs 10 minutes
Because................... when the baby is born you will need moments where u can leave her to do something safely, while u feed etc, this box will also be "just for her" its a way of making her feel special when often a new baby may make her feel neglected! It can really help - make a big deal about her special box, show friends that come over her special box - in front of her - but don't use it all the time, maybe once or twice a day

Activities need to be more things she can do herself, because your going to be busy and its important u get her used to doing things alone - some people tend to do the opposite and spend every waking moment with there toddler which makes it more difficult when baby is born

Get a small table and chairs she can use (not on carpet) and put things like playdough and cutters in a low safe cupboard that she can acces herself after she asks u
Ask her to put washing in the laundry basket for u, fetch nappies, pj's etc (this will come in handy) a little plastic tea set with some water at her little "special" table - (water doesn't stain!!!)
Put away all her toys and bring out 3-4 different ones every week, train sets are great at this age (as well as sets of things - dinosaurs, insects, soft toys, blocks) - she is old enough to put the track together herself - keep it in a plastic box so she can get it out herself - and expect her to put it away again!!!
She probably is looking for more responsibilty (girls love this for some reason) and it will really help u after the baby is born, so expect her to tidy up, but rubbish in the bin, she can get her own plates, cups etc

Good luck - let me know if u need more ideas - also see other thread here about activities for toddlers

[taaniwha]

These are all great ideas, thank you. I am kinda new to bub hub and didn't expect such a response...cheers!! Can't wait to try the slime and goop, she looooooves mess, and playing in the bath sounds like easy peasy clean up:) Will also try splitting up her toys, and making her a special box for feeding times etc when our new bundle arrives, I'm not sure how well an new member of the family is going to sit with her...hmmmm LOL

[bbem]

When I was pregnant with our 2nd child these were our favourite things to do:
Rough cut shapes and strips of coloured paper (found a pack of 5 different colours at Woolies for $2.50) and let her paste them with clag glue (or home made glue). As we did this I let my DS choose colours and shapes and he would tell me what each colour and shape was. Also can use Alfoil and what my DS used to call fluffies - cotton wool balls. We used to make some lovely pictures for family and his unborn sister.
Also, we would 'garden' - we would walk through the garden picking up palm fronds, sticks and anything that took his interest. Sweeping the paths and patio was and still is a big hit.