Dear Gen,
Now that it’s winter, I’m having trouble keeping my toddler busy. What are some activities we can participate in together?
-Cabin Fever in Chicago
Go Bowling
Again, you don’t have to leave the house to get the effect! As long as you can find several empty plastic bottles (soft drink liters or smaller bottled water works fine) and a light ball, you’re set. You can create an alley using cushions and help the toddler bowl - great way to work on hand-eye coordination too.
Creative Painting
Find a big piece of paper (this could get untidy) and some child-friendly paints. To make painting more creative, use a doily, some marbles, a straw and anything you find that has an interesting shape. Put the doily on the paper, paint over it and remove - such a fun pattern to see! As for the marbles, put blobs of the paint on the paper and roll the marbles all across. And for the straw, put another blob of paint down and she the toddler how to blow through the straw to create more original designs.
Visit a Virtual Zoo
Who says you have to take a field trip to get a good look at pandas, peacocks and komodo dragons? ToddlerToddler.com has a neat online zoo that you can take the tots to without even leaving the house. Visit the virtual zoo.
Masking Tape Painting
Having a toddler paint isn’t going to result in a easily understood result. To give the toddler that additional thrill of actually recognizing a “painted” image, grab some masking tape and “draw” a shape by laying the tape down on some paper. Give the toddler paint, a paintbrush, markers, a sponge - whatever - and let her go crazy. When she’s finished, remove the tape and reveal what she created!
Alphabet Posters
Complete with pictures, and upper- and lowercase letters, these coloring posters are wonderful for older toddlers. Print the black and white versions so the kids can color the pictures themselves - and engage them to think of other things that also start with that particular letter (maybe print out the letters that spell the toddler’s name and put it all together when they’re done!). View the alphabet posters.
Hope these ideas keep you busy this winter.
