what to do with 15 month old boy?

[TwoBlue]

Hi all

I am stuck for good ideas to do at home with my 15 month old son Samuel.

He is too young for so many things.. colouring, playdoh, reading
and his attention span is still not great.....
Mainly he just wants to run around and when trapped inside for too long (due to rain) he starts throwing his toys and having tantys!

Winner so far is Hi-5 dvd's but i hate him being in front of tv too much.

Bring on the ideas..................

Cheers
Tracey

:p Samuel 21.3.2004
:rolleyes: #2 EDD 30.11.2005

[Chickadee]

Tunnels & tents out of sheets and chairs make for great (& active) games of peek a boo.

Stacks of cushions and pillows for him to climb, providing there's a safe soft landing area (spread them out at the base).

He's not too young for crayons, you just have to be vigilant about him eatting them. Get the fat ones. Finger painting also tho I haven't done this one.

If you pick times when he's naturally quieter he might actually enjoy being read to. At that age I didn't actually read the words but did a lot of talking about the pictures and pointing things out so that pages turned fast enough to suit a short attention span. Books with lots of pictures of other babies are a good bet. My dd also has a small photo album with pics of herself which she likes.

Fat outdoor chalks and a $20 piece of blackboard from the hardware store which can either be fastened to a wall/cabinet or just laid on the floor & then put away when not in use. We did this when DD was 13 months. I thought my hub was mad but she loved it.

He might also like obstacle courses. With your help and encouragement he can step over low things (broom handles raised a few inches) and crawl under higher ones.

We play chase alot. Simple & gets me some exercise too :)

[Rell]

jigsaw puzzles

banging on pots and pans

singing and dancing to music

Blocks

bubbles

finger paint - here is a simple recipe
3 cups water
1 cup cornflour
food colouring

Bring water to boil in saucepan then remoce from heat
Disolve cornflour in a little cold water and add to hot water, stiring constantly
Boil until clear and thick (aprox 1 min)
Add colouring

"games to play with toddlers" is a great book

[Chickadee]

Narelle,
Can you just use regular paper for finger painting, or where do I find the glossy stuff that I vaguely remember using once upon a long time ago?

[Rell]

I just use buy a large scrapbook from a cheap shop and rip the pages out or reuse old computer paper.
Have fun its messy but im sure son will like it.

[TwoBlue]

Thanks for the great ideas guys

knowing my little boy i think the "obstacle course" ideas will be most popular :D


Keep the ideas coming people........

Tracey

:p Samuel 21.3.2004
:rolleyes: #2 EDD 30.11.2005

[Chickadee]

Turn a frisbee upside down and show him how a small ball rolls around in it, and then give him a chance to balance it himself. He might not be interested for very long but helps balance and coordination. We also did this with a small balloon.

Games of catch with balls. Also balloons but you have to be vigilant - my dd kept trying to taste & bite them at first. A tip is to inflate it bigger than you want and then let some air out so that the rubber is pre-stretched. When it pops it's not quite so explosive.

Practice sitting on a large ball and having it roll around under him. He'll need your help at first. Humpty Dumpty is a good accompaniament song for when he falls off.

Ribbons and streamers on short fat pieces of dowel, for dancing with and waving around. Anything that makes noise is usually a winner too.

I know a lot of mums who keep a "rainy day" box with games and toys that only come out occassionally, so that they're always relatively new to the kids and interesting.