Let’s play, Mommy!
As the weather gets colder, we tend to spend more time at home. But antsy little kids always need to be entertained! Here are a few ways to keep them occupied at home.
1. Bring out the cardboard boxes and just create! Let the imagination flow. A box can be anything: a train, a ramp for cars, an airplane, a house.
2. Tape up the doorway and throw some newspapers (or cotton balls!) at it to see if you can stick them. A great indoor activity for gross motor practice!
3. Instant pudding mix is a wonderful indoor sensory activity that toddlers love. Mix some with water on a pan and just let them have fun. Add food coloring if you like. You might want to put them in an old shirt and maybe put a towel down. It does get messy.
4. Bowl indoors!Grab one of the kids’ balls. Set up a few items for pins. Lots of things will work for these – pop bottles, paper towel tube, toilet paper works, too! There you have it, a bowling alley just for you and the kids!
5. Create a necklace, toddler style! Use a piece of string (a shoestring works well because of the hard end) and something to thread on it. Big beads would be great. But other items, such as straws or large pasta noodles, work, too. This would be a great fine motor activity.
6. Take out the old newspapers and have a ball throwing party with them! Add a target to the mix and practice counting, too. All great gross motor practice.
7. Here’s a sticky, but clean and easy sensory activity! Squirt some hair gel (lotion would work, too) into a baggy and zip it up! Add also some random items to the mix for more Just look at your little one having fun, while trying to grab the slippery items!
8. Use tape to draw a line on the floor in different ways (zig zag, curvy or straight) and have the toddler walk on it, trying their best to balance. Can they do it forward, how about walking backwards? Another fantastic gross motor activity that can be done indoors.
9. Have your toddler poke pompom through an opening a small bottle, or cut a small hole in a box. Pompom and other small items can be used for fine motor practice, but always be careful with small kids and watch them closely.
10. A play dough alternative (although it`s great, it`s fun to throw in something else sometimes) is the cloud dough. The texture is awesome and the kids will love to explore Furthermore, it’s easy to make! Just add one cup of baby oil to eight cups of flour and let your kid enjoy!
