Fun Twists on Ways to Play with Toddlers & Preschoolers

As a stay-at-home mom, it can sometimes be hard to find new ways to have fun with your children. I love to play and enjoy the time I have with our daughter. I thought I'd put a list together of some of the ways we find to enjoy the day, rain or shine.

We like to:
1. Have a party-for no reason at all. We get out streamers and hang them from the doorway, and now that she's a little over 2 I let her hang them along the hall as well. Then we make cookies or some kind of snack and "party." By party, we simply enjoy our day and walk repeatedly through the streamers saying, "Ta-Da!"

2. Play with sidewalk chalk...try this, draw white lines all over your driveway making shapes of all sizes, then have the kids color every shape in solid! It looks very fun when it's all done.

3. Cook together. No matter what you're making you can let your little one help. From cookies and cakes to mac-n-cheese I let her help. Typically she is simply standing on a chair next to me stirring some water in a bowl while I do most of the cooking. Sometimes I pour some sugar in the water for her to stir around or some dried herbs. When we bake I let her hold the mixer with me and stir the batter while I add ingredients.

4. Read books upside down on the couch with both of your legs up on over the back of the couch as you look up at the ceiling and read and snuggle.

5. Run up and down the halls playing chase or kickball with a beach ball. Chances are there isn't anything in your hall that can get broken and if there is, move it for the afternoon!

6. Lay your toddler on the floor with white computer paper taped together covering the ground underneath her. Trace her whole body and then color it together...then of course hang it on the wall!

7. Plant flowers together and let her water them...and the side of the house.

8. Color on the windows with washable markers made for glass.

9. Paint...paint with fingers, paint with brushes, paint with feathers, paint with grass, paint with wadded paper, paint with sponges, paint with fabric pieces...paint with anything and everything you can find-then frame your work!

10. We frame everything. This week, for example, she wrote the word mom all by herself and traced mine and my husband's hands as well as her own. I'm framing it all. I have framed her paintings from the time she was 5 months old. I framed her drawings of 'girls' and circles and lines a few weeks ago. Framing is a great way to capture the moment and the stage that your child is at currently. It also totally makes them feel proud when they see it up on the wall.

11. Find several parks in your town (if available) and go to a different one each time.

12. Get a zoo pass if there is a zoo near you. By having a pass you typically get free parking plus if you only stay for an hour you haven't wasted your money on individual passes. We often go in the winter for an hour or so and just visit all of the indoor exhibits.

13. Put a sandbox in the basement for the winter. Our daughter LOVES her sandbox. Having it in the basement is so handy. I go down to do laundry and she enjoys playing in the sandbox. As sand spills out we simply vacuum it up. It's not as messy as you think, it never gets wet and is a fun indoor activity.

14. Pretend together...pretend you're talking on the phone, pretend she's the mom, pretend her toys are her friends, pretend everyday objects aren't what they seem...ex. a pool noodle is a purple dinosaur to be ridden through the house, pretend you're a famous singer or that you can dance. Just pretend!

15. Let her help often...you know it will take longer but it teaches your child a sense of ownership and confidence. I'm grateful for the time my dad spent letting me help him...I thought I was the one being patient! lol It takes patience but it's great fun to watch them succeed when helping you with an adult task.

16. Talk "silently"-this is one of my daughter's favorite things to do, it cracks her up. I love to make her laugh. We simply talk without speaking, just moving our lips. She started out just saying, "momma" with her lips but now she'll have a conversation with me as she has learned to read my lips. Very fun.

17. Play hide & seek...in the car. :) Our daughter loves to do this, it works well when children are at the stage where they believe they are hidden when their eyes are hidden. It's great fun, she'll "hide" in the car by covering her face, then I'll "look" for her while I drive saying, "Is she behind the steering wheel???? Nooooo..." on and on until I "find" her-all the while never taking my eyes off the road and cracking her up.

18. Have conversations in the car in fun voices. I love to tell stories and sing songs and talk to her in the car using all different voices to, again, make her laugh but also increase her creativity and imagination as she then will talk to me in the same manner.

19. Go outside and watch the ants. It's very entertaining for all. Ants are amazing to watch, they work so hard and as a team. It's a great way to have conversations about teamwork and sharing. It captivates our daughter for a good long while. If you really want to have fun, break up some crackers into tiny pieces and feed the ants! It's very cool to watch them carry off the food and so exciting for a toddler.

20. Go fly a kite! You can get fantastic kites for $2.88 at your local department store. They stay in the air and are great fun for your little one. Our daughter likes to fly the kite herself for a while, then she runs off and plays on the playground with dadda and I continue flying it for her and the other kids to enjoy. It doesn't take much wind so get out there and fly one!

These ideas are just our twist on your typical, every day activities for little ones. The bottom line is, we like to have fun. Playing helps the brain to develop so we play...daily.

Enjoy each day & each other!