Toddler Time...Water Table and More!

Need some ideas to keep your toddler occupied during the long winter months? I do! Here's a few things we've been doing to keep busy.

Water Table

Colin (age 16 1/2 months) loves the bath, so I thought, hey, let's play in the water without getting too wet! My friend, Courtney, had made an impromptu Water Table a few years ago, giving me the idea. She made hers outside during the summer months, but I adapted it for now.


What do you need?

• a shallow plastic bin
• bath toys, measuring cups, spoons, anything for fun in the water!
  
• a toddler sized table
• towels (lots!)
• a raincoat (I learned the hard way, Colin got soaked through the first time we tried it!)
• water (obviously!)

It was a success! He loved it. Of course, he has a short attention span, so he kept running away with the spoon and the measuring cup, but he had fun! I tried it a few days ago with the three year old I babysit and he was entertained for quite some time. We even had the opportunity to add in a little science lesson - why do things float? will the ball float? will the block float? It was great!

Inside Slide

Too cold to go to the park? Slide inside! I bought this used plastic slide off of Craig's List last fall for $10. Colin wasn't really interested in it until about 2 months ago, at 14 months, but now he loves it! Seems pretty straight forward and it's great for his motor skills development.

In the Kitchen

This tip is for older toddlers - aged three and up. As I said, I babysit two other little boys. One day, when Colin was taking his nap, C and I made a pizza and some cookies! These were tasks I already had on my to-do list for the day, but we did them together. It was a fun activity for C and a great way to teach him about measuring, cooking, baking and just spending time together. He helped roll out the dough (fine motor skills), poured flour, etc in the mixing bowl (coordination), as well as stirred the flour mixture (fine and gross motor skills). Here's a picture of the pizza we made together!

Go outside!

I know it is cold, but little kids need to go outside and run around! Hundreds of years ago, children spent most of their day outside; exploring, helping with chores, playing, and walking to and from school. Now, not so much. A book I've been reading, The Happiest Toddler on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D., states that toddlers need to be able to go outside and run around at least 2-3 times per day! Wow, that's a lot! So, I've been trying to get outside more with Colin and the other boys. A perfect time to go play - right when we get home from school pick -up! The winter clothes are already on (which is half the battle most times!) and a quick play time in the yard is super fun and very rewarding! Try it next time you come home from grocery shopping or another errand. Your kids will thank you and the outdoor air will do you some good, too!



What do you do to keep your kids active during the winter months? Let me know!