good indoor activities/crafts for 18 month old.

JuliaB

Wed, Jan 21 2009, 8:29 am

Hey all,

So I have a very busy 18 month old and I'm looking for different craft ideas for her to do at home in this cold weather when the park isn't an option. She's in day care/toddler program 4 days a week and is used to a very busy schedule.

Things we have done:
- regular coloring
- decorate things with stickers
- we tried play dough, but she didn't quite get it
- had her lie down on a big piece of butcher paper - traced her (and our hands and feet) and then she colored all over
- sing and dance to music
-books, blocks, trains, toys, mr. potato head (which she loves!)

Any specific ideas would be greatly appreciated!

mummiedearest

Sun, Jan 25 2009, 5:39 pm

start saving recyclables. decorate empty oatmeal containers, fill them with rice and you have a rattle. use it to play along with music. paper towel tubes are fun to decorate and hum through. put different thickness rubber bands around an uncovered shoebox. that's a guitar. yogurt cups are good for stacking toys. yogurt lids string together for nice windchimes. buy some bells from a crafts store and glue them onto the yogurt lids.

I got my son a gluestick last week. we ripped construction paper and decorated an oatmeal container. the extra rippings are in the container along with his new glue.

seriously, use what you have and your kid can invent things. you don't have to be too creative.

octopus

Sun, Jan 25 2009, 5:40 pm

mummiedearest wrote:

you don't have to be too creative.

that's what I love about little kids- really, if you use your imagination, ANYTHING is an activity. Guess I have to go cultivate that imagination of mine...

mummiedearest

Sun, Jan 25 2009, 5:45 pm

yeah, my kids' favorite thing to fight over right now is a little duster that came with a can of pledge. they spent friday dusting my bedroom. really, don't work too hard on the creativity thing.

sky

Sun, Jan 25 2009, 8:21 pm

We recently made fingerpaint. but he didn't like touching the paint with his fingers so we used q-tips. You can find a recipe on line. (I think its equal parts water and flour and some food coloring)

Check out the dollar store. The craft isle has a bunch of fun stuff with a lot of potential.

JuliaB

Sun, Jan 25 2009, 8:37 pm

thank you ladies, great ideas. I especially love the oatmeal - rattle - music shaker idea. And then decorating it is another activity. DD will love it!

yo'ma

Mon, Jan 26 2009, 10:15 am

sky wrote:

We recently made fingerpaint. but he didn't like touching the paint with his fingers so we used q-tips. You can find a recipe on line. (I think its equal parts water and flour and some food coloring)

My kids painted with regular paint, but it ended up being handpaint, shirtpaint, tablepaint, etc... LOL

sky

Mon, Jan 26 2009, 10:57 am

There is a great CD called Musical Movements by Morah Music (I only have the 2nd one). ds loves it. There a lot of songs with activities - like shaking rattles, making a choo choo train, simon says type of game. We have a lot of fun with it.

YALT

Wed, Sep 09 2009, 11:59 pm

I'll need to try that new edible paint. The idea I've been given was to paint with pudding. But that paint is better bec. it doesn't taste good, so they'll realize that we don't eat paint. At the same time, it's not dangerous. Where my paint tastes yummy. IYH I'll have to try that.

Anyone have any more ideas? I'm doing a little playgroup and need ideas of what to do with them.

For now some of the things I have planned, is davvening, something from morah music/dancing/singing, play dough, coloring, matching game, reading, some kind of project to do with yomtov or something, playing with toys, naps, eating, lace cards/beads, bubbles, walks, bikes, chalk,

any more ideas?
Thanks.

sofaraway

Fri, Nov 05 2010, 3:19 pm

Do 18 months old really do all of that???
My 16 mo DD is barely interested in crayons and paper!!!! embarrassed

YALT

Sat, Nov 06 2010, 8:45 pm

I was going according to what my DD did at that point. I didn't end up doing playgroup in the end, since I couldn't get enough kids. But I did do a bit every day with DD and the other kid her age. At a certain point I had 4 kids 16 months and up. they really did enjoy it, although 1 of the kids didn't comprehend the coloring part. So she played on the floor when they colored. But I think it has a lot to do with where that child is in the family. All of these kids were not firstborns. So they see their older siblings doing it, and want to join.

cip

Sat, Nov 06 2010, 9:16 pm

my son loves to stand by the sink with some dishes and pots (nothing breakable) and play with the running water. just wipe everything up with a big shmatte when done and change into dry clothes. will keep entertained for over an hour.