Too cold to go out...activities for inside

RedVines

Mon, Dec 05 2005, 11:01 am

Wondering what you all do.

Now that it is cold here I cant take them to the park, too unenjoyable embarrassed

I know I could let them paint, run around with them, build, play, bake.

Ages are 3 and 1 1/2 ka"h. I work in the afternoons so besides for taking them on errands with me...and there is no indoor play area Exploding anger

Rivk

Mon, Dec 05 2005, 11:52 am

I have the same problem. I take my kids to the library sometimes. But one thing I've done with my three year old is Cheerio necklaces. He literally spent close to an hour stringing cheerios onto a string. I tied one end into a knot and the other end I made like a shoelace with a piece of tape. And then he wore it for a few minutes before eating it all up!

shira

Mon, Dec 05 2005, 1:10 pm

I'd have a great time to activities with my 3 yr old- he's tons of fun. My problem is finding activities that my 1.5 yr old would enjoy as well. My 3 yr old could spend HOURS playing with his train set but its no fun when your little bro pulls it apart. Baking is not too bad until the little one looses patience....
I have found that they both like coloring with markers and playing with playdough (except that the little one likes sneaking bites of it- ugh!).

zigi

Mon, Dec 05 2005, 1:57 pm

my son he's 20 months he likes to use the computer I let him play with it, paint shop, making a scenario on age of empires etc, for 10- 15 min, he likes to color but I have to watch him and do it with him because he colored all over the chair, a doodle pro is good because he can color without making a mess!!! I put on a rebbe video and he dances around to the nigunim, or also an exercise video and he tries to copy me while I do it, we also dance to regular music, he aslo likes to play with a casio. tzivi had the good idea to make peunut butter balls it is like play dough but its edible, its really yummy!

chen

Tue, Dec 06 2005, 1:28 pm

Have a picnic at home: lay an old sheet or blanket on the LR floor and serve sandwiches and other picnic foods.

For the older child, teach and practice "Stop, drop and roll." Then, if he's not afraid of being blindfolded for a while: blindfold him and have him crawl on hands and knees from his bed to your house's fire exit. (Of course you first make sure the path is clear.) You can add excitement by timing it and seeing if he can make it faster each time, as well as by having a little surprise waiting for him at the end.

What you have just done --in a fun way--is train your child to smother a fire if his clothes ignite, and to escape quickly (through practice and familiarity with the route even when he can't see where he's going) and safely (low to the ground where it's cooler and less smoky) in case of a fire or smoke condition in your house.

shoy18

Tue, Dec 06 2005, 1:32 pm

zigi wrote:

he likes to color but I have to watch him and do it with him because he colored all over the chair, a doodle pro is good because he can color without making a mess!!!!

did you ever here of crayola color wonder?? they have markers and finger paint, with speical paper and the paint/markers only work on the special paper, it really works!

elisecohen

Tue, Dec 06 2005, 2:10 pm

Long baths? You can even give them some shaving cream or bath crayons or something and just let them have at it. You can sit in the bathroom with them and read a book or something. I guess they're too little for you to leave them alone. My boys (they're 7 & 9 now, a little older) will spend a full hour in the bath just playing, but I can leave them up there and get other things done as long as I give them very clear reminders about not flooding the bathroom!

Tefila

Tue, Dec 06 2005, 5:00 pm

Invest in an indoor small trampoline and wave slide by little tikes. A life saver in these wintery months Exclamation

. Also we have a sled homemade so u can imagine Rolling Eyes

and my older kids made a snow mountain in our backyard and slide down this uh mountain w/h babies and all Tongue Out

. For inside playdough, markers, cutting sticking materials all must be washable is too a life saver. And I put butcher paper up on my playroom wall and let my babies and toddler color and scribble and paint to their hearts content they love coloring this way , rather then flat on the table. Legos and cars incl ride ons r alos a life saver. U see these r things that r educational good for motor skills and don't need mommy all day long also they love to make tunnels and crawl thru them, yep the imagination is endless if u will just let them.

Last edited by Tefila on Tue, Dec 06 2005, 6:07 pm; edited 1 time in total

Meema2Kids

Tue, Dec 06 2005, 5:31 pm

Let them take all the cushions off the couches and build whatever they want and climb on it. Very Happy

I also take my kids to a grocery store here that has child size shopping carts, usually I do my grocery shopping with only the baby but this store I save for the older kids too.

Chanie

Tue, Dec 06 2005, 8:18 pm

I took my 2 boys today to one of those indoor playgrounds that they sometimes have near the food court in malls. They had a great time, and I had no stress of an afternoon mess.

SMG

Tue, Dec 06 2005, 9:27 pm

My 2 1/2 yr old is kind of funny and is really into laundry. I save the socks and lay them all out on the bed or the couch and let him make a game of matching and folding them. I usually have to redo most of them, but it keeps him busy for a while. I also will put him at the computer and bring up some of our pictures from the digital camera and set it up like a slideshow. His job is to tell me who is in all the pictures or where they were taken, etc.
My kids are also very into legos. I give them a building assignment, or tell them to try to build something using all of the blocks. This also keeps them busy for a while.
Similar to what Freilech suggested, we have a large playhouse and a firetruck, both by playhut. They fold up flat (like those wire laundry baskets) so I have enough room to store them under a bed or behind the couch, and it is only crowded when I take them out. The kids love them and they're not nearly as expensive as Little Tykes.