Hi all – Laura here from First Two then Blue
Big Thank You to Rebecca for letting me guest post on her lovely Blog! I am mummy to Amelie, 7. Lottie, 5, and my troublesome tot Kier, 18 months. As a well experienced Mummy and Childminder, I would love to share with you some great Tips on entertaining little minds.
Top 10 fun things to do with a Toddler
1. Messy Play
If you don’t mind a bit of mess in the kitchen, try Gloop. Tots love exploring new and exciting things, what could be more fun than Gloop?
How to make Gloop
You will need 2 cups of cornflour, 1 cup of water, two drops of food dye and a large container. Encourage your child to mix and play with the gloop before it is completely mixed together, the fun and learning starts here. Explore the texture and talk about what it feels like – sticky, slimy, cold and powdery.
2. Arts and Crafts
For toddlers some Arts and Crafts can be too tricky. It is hard to keep a Toddler to sit still for more than 5 minutes, so if you are thinking about doing some Crafts with them, it needs to be something to really grab their attention! Try getting some bright colour paints, and rather than using paint brushes try cutting up Apples into Half and using them as Stamps to make a funky looking Caterpillar picture like this. Give him some googly eyes and maybe add some spots and feet.
3. Attend Local Toddler Groups
Your local Village hall or School may host a weekly drop in Toddler Group suitable for babies and toddlers usually up to 4 years. Sign up to Baby Gymnastics or Music groups for Toddlers if you want your tot to get really involved and socialise with other children.
4. Go Swimming
Swimming is a great way to spend quality time having fun with your toddler, some leisure centres have daily parent and child sessions, a great opportunity to meet other parents. If you are more serious about teaching your tot to swim, ask your local leisure centre for information on Swimming Lessons, most are happy to start teaching little ones as young as 1 year!
5. Go for a Stroll
6. Soft Play Fun
7. Water Play
If you are lucky enough to have some outdoor space at home, you might want to buy a Water Table for your tot to play with on a nice sunny day, alternatively you can fill up a Large tray or tub (Not too deep) and add some boats, empty bottles, squirty toys, plastic cups. Make sure you don’t mind your little one getting his or her clothes wet before you start.
8. Go for a Picnic
Another great way to spend time outdoors with your little one. Toddlers and young children will love preparing a Picnic. Take plenty of healthy snacks and maybe some story books. Pack a blanket too and head to a nice Park or Garden.
9. Take a trip to the Aquarium
If you don’t mind spending a little money, the Aquarium is a great day out for your little one. He/she will love looking at the large tanks filled with Sea Life, it’s a great way for tots to learn about what creatures live under the Sea. Most Aquariums will cost between £10 – £16 per adult, and will be free for children under 3 years old.
10. Go to the Beach
This is probably my favourite thing to do with my Toddler. Obviously, it is best done in good weather! But we have been known to take a stroll along the Beach in the milder Winter months too! There is so much to do at the Beach. Digging, building, paddling, playing Ball, flying a Kite. It is all good fun, good learning experience and best of all, it’s FREE!
So there are my Favourite things to do with my youngest child. I like to make the most of my time with Kier while the 2 older children are at School.
As well as these fun days out and Activities, we like to spend time playing with Lego, Puzzles, colouring, playing in our Garden, and Kier enjoys watching Baby TV when he is getting tired.
There is so much fun stuff to do with Toddlers, remember to enjoy it and make the most of it while they are little. Take plenty of Photo’s and create an album of all the fun things you do together.
Oo gloop! I think that will be on our list of things to do next week! #sundaystars xx
Fab! Lots of fun x
Reading this makes me realise I have done a lot less with my second child than i did with my first! She has a playmate though so is always happy and loves playing on her own at home more than her brother did. Going for a picnic or walk is always a good one, and i like the pasta on a tray idea! #sundaystars
I’ve tried a few of these with my ten month old, swimming and the aquarium are definite favourites (our aquarium offers free re-entry for a year). I’m so excited for her to be old enough to enjoy a couple more of these ideas though, especially messy play which she currently gets confused with snack time. #sundaystars
Gloop and dried pasta are going on the list for us – but DEFINITELY NOT at the same time :/
Thanks for the ideas!
#SundayStars
x Alice
This is a great list, we love a bit of messy play in our house, luckily we got rid of the carper years ago 😀 Thanks for linking up with #sundaystars x
ha, the best idea! Not sure what we were thinking getting cream carpets haha
What a great list! So many things to do. I will definitely do all of these when my 10 months baby is older. Thanks for sharing, xx #sundaystars
Thanks Franca, enjoy x