The Mom Crowd

If you have a toddler, then you know how eager they are to explore everything they come across. This is a fun and exciting time in their little lives but your son or daughter’s thirst for activity can and will wear any adult down in a matter of hours when you aren’t prepared for endless play.

Tricks for Working with Toddlers
Here are a few tricks of the trade I learned when working with roomfuls of toddlers. The following activities are age appropriate play ideas that can help any parent keep their child occupied and entertained.

• Roll of butcher paper: A roll of butcher paper has a variety of uses. They are inexpensive and can be found at craft or home improvement stores. They can also be purchased on Amazon and shipped right to your front door for about $10; and moms, this may be the best $10 you ever spend. Taped to the table top, this surface is perfect for drawing, coloring, or painting with much less mess than when we try to get our toddlers to stay on a small piece of paper. You can trace shapes one day and finger-paint the next. Whatever you decide to do with your blank canvas, your toddler will be thrilled with the freedom to color all over the table!

• BUBBLES, BUBBLES. BUBBLES! This is an often overlooked cheap activity that will hold your child’s attention for a long time. You can blow bubbles while they pop them or you blow them and see if they can then blow them through the air. After they tire of chasing the bubbles around, you can give them a bubble wand to try. This can be done outside or inside, but if you are doing this as a rainy day activity, I recommend laying down a sheet to catch all those soapy explosions.

• Kiddie Pool: Still have that Kiddie Pool hanging around since last summer? Toddlers love it when you fill the pool with unexpected items for them to explore. Crumple up old news papers or magazines and throw those in the pool, you will see your toddler has a lot of fun crawling through them or stomping them beneath his feet. There are as many possibilities as you can imagine.

• Scarf Play: Round up all of your old scarves and bring them to your play area. Toddlers love the feeling of all the different textiles and will enjoy a little “dress-up” play with all the different ways you can wrap these fabrics around them and yourself. Put on a little music and now you have dance party props!

As you can see, an added bonus to these ideas is that they will most definitely not break the bank! Hope you have fun with these easy ideas that keep the good times rolling!
Feel free to add your own ideas in our comments section. We can always use new ways to keep our little ones happy, learning and exploring!