Need Activities for 16 Month Old

Stacking blocks, plastic coffee cans, plastic bowls & spoons from your kitchen cabinet and laundry baskets are all great fun! My son is 18 months & loves his Little People Noah's Ark. He takes the animals in & out, we call them by name (lion, zebra etc) & make their noises, he "feeds" them & puts them to bed. It keeps him really busy. He also like leggos. He has the ones that came in a wagon, so he fills it, empties it & pulls it around the house. Wooden puzzles also help with hand eye cordination. Craft are also good. He can color, finger paint & play with stickers. Here's a couple fun sites:
http://www.crayola.com/ & http://www.familytlc.net/index_toddler.html
Have fun playing & learning.

Hi K.,

I would say play-do, blocks, something like a coffee can and put blocks in it so he has to find them, coloring, any balls like tennis balls little round balls things like this.

Kids need some down time. If you constantly spend time trying to get them involved in something then you're setting yourself up for a big problem later.

If you really think he has to have an activity for every minute of the day, then get him involved in your cleaning. Socks on hands can dust just as well as other stuff.

Boredom is good. It teaches kids how to handle those down times at school and work. Triggers their imaginations. A child that's easily frustrated with boredom is harder to have in the classroom.

The washable Crayola crayons are great! Just get out some old newspapers and let the kiddo go nuts. At about that same age, I would limit my daughter to 1 or 2 colors at a time. An other idea is play-doh. It is great for eye-hand coordination. Oh, my favorite one....READING! Go get signed up for the summer reading program at the nearest library and earn free books! My youngest is 3 and loves me to read simple chapter books to her already. Even if they do not have pictures.
Hope that helps or spurs some other ideas!
S.

Do you think he might be ready for a sand box? We got one for our boys (ages 3 1/2 and almost 2), and it has been a lot of fun. Messy, but fun. My youngest also LOVES water. I can just let him play in a sink or I fill some big bowels with water and let him play. I often have to pull him away from it before he is ready to stop. Of coarse, I can't leave the room or anything while he is playing. Just like a bath. Anyway, I went through this with my oldest right before his little brother was born when he was 20 months. Now we have built in entertainment. Good luck.

Hi K..

I do agree that some down time is important, it is also important to have a wide variety of activities to help little one expand their world beyond four walls. Lots of different types of activities also help to develop gross motor and fine motor skills.
I have a few ideas for you:
- Kaleidoscope at Crown Center is free http://www.hallmarkkaleidoscope.com/
- The Nelson Atkins during the day is a great way to just see a lot of great things! Check out the new sculpture garden!
-Kauffman Gardens is down by the Nelson too...free
-Check out Kansas City's Children's Garden http://www.kccg.org/beanstalk.htm
-PBSkids.org has great learning activities for free
-FisherPrice.com has great educational online games for free
-The fountains at Zona Rosa are always fun...and free
-During the school year, check into Parents as Teachers through your district...it's free!
-Your local library will give you a ton of finger plays and ideas for free!
-Story time at Barnes and Noble and Borders.

Good Luck and Have fun!

Hi K. have you tried a pool for your son? I bought just a simple pool for $5 at the dollar store and my daughter loves it. There are somedays where it is a fight to get her out of it. My daughter is 21 months old. I put her in a pool for the first time last summer when she was just under a year old. She loves it!!! On the rainey days we usually find things inside to do. She loves to help mommy with the laundry, watch cartoons (only for about 30 minutes), read books, color, play hide and seek. Her favorite thing to do with her dad is to build a tent and hide from mommy. Throw some blakets over a couple chairs and have fun. Use your imagination the tent could be a magical forrest or a tropical island. My daughter Emma sometimes just likes to play by herself. I hope you find something for the little guy. If not maybe find a playmate for him. You can get together with someone maybe once or twice a week. Good luck with your adventuring!

Hi K.,

I just joined a company called Discovery Toys as a consultant. I got a large package of toys for a low price. There are some AWESOME things that you can buy, and there's a summer sale going on right now. You can check out my site: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/home/lizwendel

You might find something you like!! These toys are GREAT for learning. I got a few things for my 8 month old son, and there are also many things available for older children, too. My 2 1/2 year old and 4 1/2 year old found some great things too.

If you go to my page and click on Summer-Sensations on the left-middle side of the page, it will take you right to the sale items. They also give full product descriptions of everything.

Have a GREAT day!!
Liz W.

Hello,
Here is a great website my kids love it even though they are older. http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/sitemap/ This site helps with abc's and learning.