Uncreative Mind

Play dough, water colors, finger paints, if you don't want the mess use crayola magic paints, stickers and paper.

Let her help with house work, kids love to "do" dishes or try to dry them off (plastic only). Mine are crazy for the laundry basket from helping to hiding in it, using it as ball pit ...

Collecting leaves, rocks, sand box, toys with water (a bucket and some empty bowls from the kitchen or empty bottles from shampoo, ...) in the yard. For outside also hand her a little bucket and a big brush, she can paint the fence (with plain water).

Their attention spam is not so long at that age yet and with some activities you need to sit down with her.

Its because she is alone. My son does the same thing. He is now 5 and has to be everywhere with me. I suggest you find some toys that will get her playing even if its for a little bit of the time by herself. you can play with her too but try and walk away so you can do the house work too. My son has to be attached to my side 24/7 and I think thats because I played with him all the time and he never played by himself.

Good luck

Hi Yadi,

This is a list that I came across when my DD just turned 2. Some of the ideas might be above your DD's age level, but there are many others. I'm not sure who the original source is for the list, but here it is (my suggestion would be to copy & paste it into a word document & then print so you have it handy whenever)...

50 At Home Preschool Activities –

1. Button Sorting – Buy a bag of buttons at your local craft store and have your child sort them however s/he wants to, by color, size, number of threading holes, etc. An older child can count the sorted piles. I use little plastic cups from the party store that I think are for condiments or something. But they are shallow and non breakable.

2. Placemat per Night – Buy a stack of blank paper placemats from the party supply store. Have your preschooler color a new placemat to eat off of for the evening. S/he can make a new one each night as make on for other family members. Great during dinner prep.

3. Wash Day – This sounds silly, but kids adore it. Fill a large bucket with some mild soap, like Ivory. Allow your child to wash washcloths or dish towels. Provide another bucket (or rinse the first out) to rinse, and then hang them with clothes pins and a string in the bathroom. This helps the child learn that clothes get clean via a process, not just “magic”.

4. Shaving Cream Cars – Put a mild, unscented shaving cream on a cookie sheet with a lip (sometimes called a brownie sheet or jelly-roll pan). Allow your child to drive cars and trains through the “snow”. Those learning to write letters can attempt their letters with an index finger and erase to try again easily.

5. Painting the driveway or deck – On a sunny day, give your child a container of water and a real painter’s brush (wide with a thick handle) and allow h/her to paint away. The sun evaporates the water quickly, and the kids love to see the cause and effect of painting. My own kids would do this for hours in the summer. If you are really easy-going, feel free to add a dash of liquid washable watercolor. You’ll have to wait for rain or hose off the masterpieces!

6. Big Paper Bag Hats – Using a large, shopping-sized paper bag, cut a large shape and staple it closed except for the bottom portion. Invite your child to decorate however h/she wants, then the child can try it on and you can adjust with staples accordingly.

7. Aromatherapy Play-Dough -- Homemade play-dough is easy to make and when you add a couple of tsps. Lavender oil (or eucalyptus if the child has a stuffy nose), children get the benefits of calming scents while they knead and create. A very “downtime” activity.
Play Dough Recipe
1 cup flour
¼ cup salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil (of your choosing)
1/8 cup cream of tartar
Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook and stir over low/medium heat until play dough is completely formed and no longer sticky. Allow to cool slightly before storing in an air tight container or zip lock bag

8. Matching Pasta – sorting and matching are pre-math activities. Glue a different type of pasta (shape, color, whatever) to the bottom of a plastic cup – clear works well; then provide the child a bag or cup full of a mixture of all kinds of the pastas to sort. Counting can be added when the child is ready.

9. Cutting Lines – Preschoolers and scissors = hours of entertainment. To teach fine motor skills, draw lines (all kinds – dotted, swirly, straight) lengthwise on a piece of plain paper. Ask your child to follow the line you’ve drawn with scissors. You can even put a sticker at the end as a goal target. Start easy, build gradually.

10. Collage Mania – This also makes a great homemade gift for a friend. Get a small tackle box and fill each compartment with a different glue-able item (pom-poms, rickrack, magazine cut outs, pieces, feathers, beans, buttons, pasta, etc.) add a glue bottle or stick and you have the makings of a collage activity at a moment’s notice. You can even bring this to a restaurant to ease the boredom/restlessness factor there.

11. Lacing – Lacing cards are easily made. Take some cardboard and cut a shape or animal that your child likes or needs to learn. Punch holes around the perimeter (less for younger children, more for older), then tie a shoestring to one end and show the child how to lace. Great for small motor skills, great for a restaurant.

12. Tweezers – Give your child a set of blunt tweezers. Fill a small bowl with items like a tissue, a cotton ball, feathers, pipe cleaners – get creative. Invite your child move the items from one bowl to another bowl using only the tweezers. Super small motor strengthening activity.

13. Musical Drawing – Invite your child to draw to match the mood of music that you put on – marching music, classical, rock – whatever. This can be done with watercolors too.

14. Choose the Mood – Draw a plain head with no facial features. Make many copies. Allow your child to draw the face with different moods: happy, sad, disappointed, hurt, etc.; another good restaurant activity. For kids who have a hard time articulating their feelings, this can be a tool to let them show how they feel.

15. Animal Doctor – The word veterinarian is a hard one for preschoolers. But Animals doctor works just fine. Provide a small Tupperware container of bandages and other first aid items obtained from the drugstore (or even the dollar store). If your child needs something to do or you need a moment to breath, bring out the box and say something along the lines of “I think I just heard Brown Bear cry, I hope he’s okay. Will you check?” This is good for teaching empathy as well as just plain fun, my kids always love trying on the role of sole caregiver.

16. Easy tambourine – this is an oldie but a goody. Have your child color or paint on the underside of 2 paper plates. Staple the sides together leaving a small opening. Using a funnel, allow your child to pour about ½ cup of beans or rice into the pocket, then staple the hole up. Instant fun – add some music and your child will be loving life.

17. Ladle Fishing – Using a large bin or wash basin (dollar store is great for these) – drop toys or household items into the bin and invite your child to “fish” for specific items. Can you get the yellow block? Oops, looks like you got the blue alligator, try again! Helps to teach shapes and colors without the child even knowing it!

18. Tupperware Galore – Tupperware is of endless fun to this group. Keep you family’s supply in a low cabinet that the child can easily access. Ask for your child’s help in finding a matching lid to a specific container – even if you don’t really need it. This not only teaches matching and provides tactile stimulation, but lets the child feel the pride of being helpful.

19. Pace It Out – How many steps is it from your bedroom to the stairs? How about from the kitchen to the laundry area? How about when I pace it or Daddy does? This is a good one for line-waiting boredom. I wonder how many steps it is over to that water fountain. One of my kids even made a little journal listing the paces to and from various places.

20. Nature Bracelet – Using very sticky tape like packing tape or duct tape, make a “bracelet” by reversing the tape so the adhesive side is out. Go on a walk and let your child create a bracelet with what h/she finds along the way. This can also be done at home with feathers –a quick and easy craft.

21. What’s in the Bag? Using any bag that isn’t transparent, put 5 or so items in the bag such as a spoon, a cup, whatever you find. Have your child close his/her eyes and feel in the bag to guess what is inside. This is a good family activity too as the child can add things to the bag to stump mom or dad.

22. Spin the Bottle – Not the traditional kind! Spin the bottle, and whomever it lands on has to pay the spinner a compliment, even if the bottle lands back on the spinner! Kids love this and it teaches them to notice good traits in others, as well as feel good about themselves when others compliment them!

23. Hide and Go Find – Place objects around the house in a fairly obvious way. Then ask your child to go find something red in the living room, etc. This is fun and can be played with any number of kids.

24. Shoebox Wagon – The next time you have an empty shoebox, punch a hole in the side, tie a yarn or ribbon line to it and set a teddy bear or stuffed animal in it. Let your child discover it in your home and h/she will adore pulling it around and making up scenarios with it and stuffed animals.

25. Large Craft Stick People – Using a handful of large craft sticks, draw faces on each one (perhaps representing family members) and wrap them up in a pretty bag for your child. Allow him/her to add details with crayons and even provide extra sticks for older ones to make his/her own nation of stick buddies. Another good one for restaurants.

26. What Sifts Through? A messy but fun one, perhaps for outdoor time. Using a colander and a basin, give your child a variety of cups filled with various things – rice, sand, blocks, beans, etc. Invite him/her to explore what can fir through the colander’s holes. This is great for pre-math and visual spatial relationships.

27. What floats? Using a basin of water, give your child a cup or container of items to see which ones float. You can discuss heavy and light and how size doesn’t always indicate weight.

28. Paper Bag Puppets -- Using brown paper bags (an inexpensive necessity!), draw faces of a dog, a cat, etc. and invite your child to do the same, on the bottom of the bag. You can even glue items like yard and feathers to make fun and funny puppets. These puppets have taught lessons in our house, as I have put on little plays with them to teach the importance of being kind, or manners, or cleaning up after oneself.

29. Produce Printing – Using washable tempura paint, fill a paper plate with paint and cut a number of produce items in half in front of your child. You take one half and give your child the other. Dip in paint and print on paper. This makes nice gift wrap!

30. Large Paper Tabletop – Buy a roll of shipping/packaging recycled paper. Roll it out onto a table or breakfast bar for the day or week, securing it with tape or clothespins. Provide a cup of crayons, a small basket of stickers, washable stamps, etc. An instant, easy activity that is great when a buddy is over as well.

31. My Journal – Buy a journal at the dollar store and a beautiful writing pencil or interesting crayon and give it to your child to doodle, write, or simply scribble. Let him/her know that it is for him/her only and that it doesn’t need to be shared or shown to anyone. This makes the child feel so grown up.

32. Pasta Necklace – Another oldie but goody. Using strong string (not yearn) and tube shaped pasta, let the beading begin. Be prepared to be asked to wear these creations, and do so!

33. Straws and Cotton Balls – keep these in a bag together and invite your child to make the cotton ball “run” using only his/her breath through the straw. H/she can use different colored straws to see if one makes the cotton ball go further than another color.

34. Volcano World – This is a production, but whenever I did it, the kids played with it all day long exclusively. In a small jar (baby food sized is ideal) put in enough baking soda to fill the jar halfway, add a few drops of red or orange food coloring if desired, build a “mountain” around the jar, leaving an opening to pour vinegar into the jar later. Using plastic animals or dinosaurs let your child play with them on the mountain and then, with great drama, add the vinegar. A containable and safe “explosion” will occur. SO fun!

35. Paper Chain – Using strips of construction paper, let your child make a loop garland using tape or a stapler. Make sure you are near if a stapler is being used. Older kids can write on the strips – my kids write what their favorite things are, or colors, etc. And the chain becomes a monument to that list, “My favorite foods chain”, etc. – to hang in a bedroom or playroom.

36. Magnets Galore – At the craft supply store, purchase a dozen or so painted wooden figures. These are very cheap - .25 cents each, I believe. Super –glue a small magnet to each one and purchase a small cookie sheet for magnet play. When you are cooking, you can bring this out to occupy a little “helper”. Store this on top of the refrigerator and only pull it out occasionally to keep it fresh. You can add magnets as your child develops new interest. This also makes a lovely homemade gift.

37. Lunch a New Way – For a casual lunch, use a 6 count muffin tin and put a different food in each spot. You can use one of the spots for the child’s drink. This is great on rainy or indoor days when some excitement is needed.

38. Bread and Dough Sculptures – making a simple pretzel or pizza dough is easy and when kids can make shapes or animals out of it before it bakes, all the better. Here’s a recipe I use:

Pretzel Dough:
1 tablespoons quick-acting yeast
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon oil
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Measure the water, sugar and yeast into a bowl and mix. Wait two or three minutes for the yeast to soften. Stir in one cup of flour, then add oil, salt and remaining cup of flour. Sprinkle flour onto a wooden breadboard and place the dough on it. Knead dough for about five minutes. Place dough in a bowl and cover it, letting it rise for about 45 minutes in a warm place away from drafts, open windows, etc. Punch the dough down and work it into a ball. Next, separate the dough into smaller portions and let the children use their hands to roll the dough into ropes or snakes to mold dough into different shapes. After combining ingredients, show children how to knead the dough and let them try. There's no need to wait for it to rise.
Let them brush their pretzel with a beaten egg, sprinkle with sesame seed, and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, until light brown.
39) Frozen Ants -- Ask your preschool child to peel a banana and cut into two or three small pieces with a plastic knife. Spread peanut butter on each piece then roll each piece in raisins. Wrap loosely in waxed paper and freeze. Your young child may want to eat right away so have more than one banana available.
40) Teddy Bear Fort – Kids always make forts for themselves, but what about their favorite doll or stuffed animal? Help your child get started and h/she will take it from there.
41) Can You Find It? Hide a variety of small objects in a basin of rice or sand and ask him/her to find specific objects by feeling alone.
42) Which is longer? Cut strips of construction paper to different lengths. Ask your child to find the longest green strip, the shortest red one, etc. Categorizing options are many here and easy for the child to do without frustration.
43) Pajama Day – Let your child stay in his/her jammies all day and eat breakfast foods all day. Gather up all of your lullaby music and nighttime books. Let your child use a flashlight all day and make a teddy bear bed out of a shoebox.
44) Animal Search & Find – Give your child a stack of a few magazines and ask him/her to find as many animals as possible. H/she may choose to cut them out with safety scissors.
45) Cup Tower -- Have your child stack paper or plastic cups into a tower and then knock them down. Watching them all fall around is half the fun!
46) Make a rainbow streamer. Take a paper plate, punch 5-6 holes next to one another along one side of the paper plate, cut out the middle, and tie ribbons to each hole. Encourage your child to run and dance while trailing his/her creation.
47) Tea and a Tea Tree – Buy a very fancy tea cup and saucer for your child – Ross or Marshall’s works well for this. Buy a collection of herbal teas and perhaps some stevia, honey or agave nectar to sweeten. Let your child choose from a variety of teas. After you have your high tea together, hang the used tea bag on a tree outside. When it rains, it will “rain” tea!
48) Giving Back – Every once and awhile, make cookies for the mail carrier or garbage truck workers. If it’s hot, hand them a Gatorade box or popsicle. When you do this, be sure to talk about how hard these people are working and how thankful we are that they do what they do. This remains one of my kids’ favorite activities and memories, and the mail carrier thinks it’s pretty great too!
49) Tissue Box Mailbox. When you have an empty tissue box, gather up some junk mail, write your child’s name on the side and allow him/her to play with opening mail, putting it through the slot and feeling like a grown up. H/she can decorate it as well.
50) Weather Chart – Make a circular pie chart Party supply stores have cake making supplies that work well for this), punch a hole in the middle and use a brad to secure a sturdy cardboard. Making as many sections as you wish, draw simple weather shapes. Encourage your child to notice the weather and change the chart whenever h/she notices the changes. How many different types of weather can happen in one day? Hang this low or on the refrigerator so h/she can access.

A Last Couple of Notes:

Messiness – It is hard to watch your home become a chaotic mess from preschool activities. Try to let that go. These are the years that they need to learn with all of their senses and curtailing that only means stunting learning opportunities. That said, they shouldn’t be allowed to rule the roost either. Designate an area in your home (ours is the kitchen table, which I figure I’ll be cleaning anyway) for any messy activities. Encourage your child to help you clean, even in the most basic way, such as; will you pick up that spoon while I wipe down the table?

Restaurants – We have always had a restaurant bag that lives in the car. Whenever we go to a sit-down place, it comes with us. Really little kids love to have a set of extra-small legos usually reserved for bigger kids, but that you can monitor their use of easily at the table. Little Dover books (available at bookstores and toy stores) are the best for restaurants, and almost all ages can use these. Play-dough is so easy and perfect for restaurants that some even provide them for your child. A set of plastic cooking tools (keep it to a small number) can keep a little one occupied easily.

Activity Bags -- Many years ago, a friend suggested this and we ended up hosting an Activity Bag Exchange with 25 moms. Take a gallon sized zip-loc bag and have an activity in it such as the pasta or button sorting, cutting activities, very simple crafts (that require little or no parental help). Put the bags in a basket and bring it out when you want to make a phone call or use the computer, etc. Our exchange went like this: Each mom was assigned an activity bag, of which she made 25 exact copies, bag included. We then placed them in a box or tub and each mother collected one of each bag, for a total of 25 different activities right at hand.

Block Crayons – Having only discovered these a few years ago, I cannot say enough about them. They are long lasting, unbreakable and a child cannot use one without automatically using the proper grip for future pencil and pen use. The proper grip seems easy enough, but many children struggle with it when beginning elementary school. We use Stockmar brand, they can be found at variety of places online such as atoygarden.com, finnandthatcher.com and even eBay.

Paint – Our family finds watercolor the easiest to use. There are all levels of quality out there, and we like the mid-priced. The cheapest don’t have enough pigment and it’s hard to get the ideal consistency, which frustrated the child. Expensive sets are wonderful to work with, but costly to replace if your child loves painting like some do. The brand I use most often is Prang.

The Dollar Store – or Dollar Tree or 99cent store – these are a huge resource for all of these activities. They have so many things you can use at an obviously very attractive price. If you make a list of everything you want for your own activity “database” from craft sticks to paper to wooden spoons; look at these stores first.

Get her to help you do certain house chores, fold laundry, put away plastic dishes, dust, etc. She can also mimick you doing certain things at the same time: she cooks in her kitchen. It will be more trouble to have her help you with your chores, but it will be good for her. I even gave my kids a spray bottle with solution in it and had one spray the floor and the other mop up the spray with a spiffer. (I don't have carpet.) Have her organize your tupperware, pots and pans, clean mirrors, outside of refrigerator doors and dishwasher door, etc. Disinfect all the door knobs,

You could set up a schedule, help mommy time, chores time, "homework" time (where you ask her to draw things while you're doing something else), quiet time, fun time with mom, outside time, tv time, dance/music time, etc.

Teaching her to play by herself is just that, teaching her. You have to train her in short intervals. I need you to play in your room for 10 minutes and you cannot interrupt mommy. Set a timer that she can see and hear. Once the timer goes off, then you can come out, or talk to me, or whatever. Gradually add minutes.

Also, my mom gave me the best book for fun activities to do together: The Wiggle & Giggle Busy Book (365 fun activities for toddlers and preschoolers) by Trish Kuffner). It is great and simple!

When I worked in my daughter's daycare we had "sensory boxes". Basically get a shoe box or larger and fill it with different things each week... like pasta, rice, beans, sand, etc. Then you put things in it for her to find like little animals, toys, etc. Also put in some measuring cups and spoons so she can scoop and pour. It somehow develops the mathematical side of their brain- something about measurement that does that. Anyways, the kids always loved it and each week we changed it up. Sometimes we would color coordinate it, so everything in the box would be green, for example. Then they were also learning the color green. Or everything in the box started with a "b", so they learned the "b" sound. We also had fun in the summer putting it outside with shaving cream in it or jello ! But inside on the kitchen table is good, or on a matt on the floor is good. It will keep her busy!
good luck...
L.

Absolutely sit and play with her. My daughter, now 20, at the age of 2 was very immaginative. We read alot, I bought finger paints and we put trash bags down on the table and painted. I had made flash cards and colored them all the basic colors to teach her. We played with play dough and the list goes on. You can look on-line these days and find many creative things to make at home that will give her an early start to enrich her mind. My daughter turned out to be and honor student who loves to read. My son, now 17, I missed out on those things with him and he struggles for a passing grade. It makes a difference starting NOW. Check your local library for summer programs. Ours here have it once a week for an hour. They bring in a clown and have story times for all ages. It would be good for your 8 year old too. After story time, they get to make a craft project. You would be surprised at what you have at home already that could get you and your child being creative. Give it a try!! I am against watching tv all day. My children were never allowed a tv in their rooms. Best of Luck!!
B. Marshall
momsNcharge.com

Good Morning Yadi;

A two year old child is at the right age to start training
her mind! I know that sounds strange, but, at 2 they absord
things so fast it is unbelievable!
Take a "Special" one hour per day to spend with her, ignore
all else during that special time! Let her know it is a
time just for you and her, that's she's your special little
girl.
This time can also be good for you, make it fun. Get some
alphabetical blocks, teach her the ABCs. Then get books like
Cinderella, Snow White with pictures and read to her. If you
know another language besides english take that time to teach her that language, if you don't, then it might be good for
you to also learn that other language.
All kids like games, hide and seek, hopscotch, checkers,
go outside and draw a hopscotch pattern with chalk and teach
her to play.
Watch her closely, if she doesn't like what your doing she'll
give you signs, like reaching for her dolls or doing something else distracting, when that happens, switch to something else!
You'll be totally amazed at how fast her little brain absorbs
things!
When she reaches 3 then there are several Children's theaters
in town that perform children's plays live. But not till she
3.
Have Fun!
B. C

Hey Yadi,
this is a fun request to answer. My first concern is that you are 30 and feel like 50. So my suggestion is to quit doing so much house work and get on the floor and play with your baby. Enjoy life you already know how quick they grow up. When I was a stay at home mom, I made a schedule my daughter's nap times were like clock work and I believe its because they adjust well to a schedule. She'd get up at 7 am we'd clean up, eat breakfast then do some play time. I bought those wooden puzzles with 4 pieces and as she grew I'd get puzzles that were for her age. We'd read, play with play-do. Then we'd do a stroller ride or bike ride, I had a baby seat on my bike. If the kitchen was a big mess I'd do less of the other things and clean it while she was still up and not at a nap. I kept her occupied by putting together one of the lower cabinets that I could do without and putting plastice ware, wooden spoons, dishes that she couldnt get hurt with. She'd sit inside the cabinet, or outside the cabinet and be content and I could clean the whole kitchen. In the living room and den I put together one of in tables and had all her stuff in there. She'd be content while I cleaned in those rooms. The bathrooms I'd do while she napped. Back to the part about feeling 50 though. I wish I was 30 again and realized its alot like being in your 20's. You sound like alot of my friends when we hit 30, I didn't feel old, I was just thinking that I'm going to be 40 then 50 yikes, but I actually had a couple of friends that were in dead in relationships and they felt old. Not that is what yours is but I wanted to tell you that 2 of my friends recognized their rutt by me telling them to start doing the things that made you happy in highschool. One of my friends started camping, fishing and joined a softball team and if you ask her today she don't remember feeling old!!! The other friend picked up photography and biking. They both started doing things for themselves instead of just being mom and wife and recognizing who they were again. Hope this helps but yes don't do too much TV our kids like it much more when we get on their level and play with them. Hey I bought paints safe for toddlers, colors, glue ect and we had a good ol time and my kids have always felt important and smart because of it. I also bought hooked on phonics and they could read really well before they started school. Giving your children yourself is the best you can do for them. Your 2 year old will sleep with a smile just like my youngest still does he's 12, but I make whatever is important to him important to me. Do this tomorrow go outside find some leaves with your 2 year old come back in a get crayons and paper put the leave under the paper and let her see how the leaf will appear on the paper where she scribbled over it.
Hope this helps, oh another thing they like to do is exercise with you, my daughter use to do my work out tapes with me. I promise when you alow them in your day and do things it makes them feel important, smart and it builds their self esteem. Kids learn from us, so this will also give them good habits for later on.

Basic is best. You don't need fancy toys or ones with all the bells and whistles. first of all, letting her play by herself is great...mine never would and wanted to constantly be entertained. She will develop a sense of imagination if she has to play alone. It is really good for motor skills and language ability for her to play with you though. There is a gymboree book called "baby play" that has a ton of ideas. Give her laundry basket rides, play roll-the-ball, stack blocks, give her a bowl of rice or dried beans hide small objects down in it, or give her containers and measuring cups so she can pour the beans into different containers. READ TO HER. She will learn vocal patterns, and words and concepts...great way to spend time and bond. Quality is better than quantity so just let her know you are there and spend some time, then let her play on her own.

Take her to the park! It's free and it's outdoors. This will help get her energy out and makes for better naps.

I had the same problem with my oldest. My youngest however hates TV I know...really weird. To get my oldest when she was born away from the TV. I made homemade play-doh. The recipe is online somewhere. It was easy and I let her pick out the colors she wanted them to be. Then I gave her plastic cookie cutters and a plastic cup (to roll it out with on its side). She would play for a hour or so and this gave me time in the kitchen to clean up. For the living room, I gave her a big cardboard box and some crayons and let her draw on the box. I had already cut out windows and doors. (It was a filing cabinet box) while I cleaned up the living room. For the bathroom...easy I put her in the bathtub and I cleaned the rest of it. Then later I had to clean the bathtub. Remember all of this cleaning has to be done with cleaners that are safe for your daughter to breathe. They have a new product from Clorox I think it is called Greenworks. It is great. I hope this helps. Believe me...i have been there....

If you want to help her learn Bible stories in a fun easy way at home, check out biblepreschool.com The activities are to be done with your child, and sometimes then turn into independent play for the kiddos. However, at two years old, I would say that is pretty normal for them to not be able to play more than 10 minutes alone. She will get better as she gets older-- even in the next year. Just hang on and do your best.

God Bless

My 2 yr old daughter loves to sit at the table (or high chair) and play with play dough. I bought a small tool package that has a roller, scissors and cookie cutters. She can be entertained for hours with that while I am cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry or cooking. It's also an excellent way for their creative side to come out and build motor skills.

Yadi,
I have a soon to be 3 year old son and while he only watches an hour or two of t.v. a day, I think that's entirely too much as well. When I get home from work, I definitely take time out and play with him (on his level), whatever that may be. We read books together sometimes as well. If I'm busy doing chores and he wants to watch t.v., I tell him flat out "no, go play in your room with your toys or play outside." (We have a fenced in playground.) He's an only child and so he has had to learn to play solo. We have a dog that "hangs out" with him and provides some type of company too. You may want to consider getting your little one a pet (if you don't already have one).
I've gotten my son involved in some of my chores because he likes to think he's helping. So when I'm gardening, he'll play in the dirt beside me, thinking he's helping momma garden. Or when I'm in the kitchen cooking, I'll let him hang out in there with a toy nearby and sometimes I let him stir a little, add an ingredient, and even lick the spoon as a reward if he's been a "big help" and it's cookies or a cake we're making. I let him help me with a few other chores here and there. If you get your child involved in what you're doing, you'll find that they prefer that bond time with you over t.v. anyday. :)
Hope this helps,
Jen

I would definitely get more involoved with your child/children. TV is only a good thing in small doses, like 1 or 2, 20 minute shows a day. Noggin and NickJr. are pretty good channels. You can check out story times at local libraries, go to parks, play playdough, color, sit and read to your child at least 30 minutes a day. If the tv is off and stays off then she will play more by herself and interact with you more... guaranteed!!!

~H.

See www.houstonsahm.com. There are tons of resources for stay-at-home moms (and working moms like me!). There's also a link for theme-based lesson plans for infants and toddlers. I use them with my son and they've been loads of fun =)

And yes, it goes without saying that you do need to sit with your daughter and play. Play dress-up. Blow bubbles with her outside. Fly a kite. Sing. Make up songs. Make cupcakes (let her stir some). Teach her how to count to 10 in a foreign language. There's lots to do! Just some thoughts!

I was in a similar situation due to the fact that my daughter was an only child. I went to an art supply store and bought her a watercolor set and colored markers and art paper. This changed her life and mine.

Go get those art supplies!

Hi Yadi,
I have a 3 1/2 and a 19 month old and I learned early on that my kids' favorite toy is me. It doesn't really matter what we do as long as I do it with them. They'll help me pick up toys, put away their shoes, even sweep the floors with our electric sweeper (best present my mother-in-law ever gave me--seriously). Then we can move on to fun stuff like play-dough and art projects. And by art project I mean wooden beads on a show string and stickers on construction paper. I've learned that the house doesn't have to be perfect as long as my kids can say at the end of the day that we had fun as a family. By the way, Ace Hardware on North Bell in Cedar Park has kid sized carts. My boys couldn't care less about going to Home Depot but boy do they love Ace. I get what I need and then let them cruise around the store for 15-20 minutes. The sales people know my oldest by name.

deffinately play with her. I use the tv too muchh for my kids and I've noticed their attention span has diminished. If you have housework to do (as all of us SAHM do) incorporate her into it. while I'm folding laundry I give my daughter (age 2) a stack of wash cloths to fold. If I'm wiping stuff down I give her a spray bottle with water and a towel. We are spending time together and at this age she loves to clean so she is learning how. My kids love to read books too so I just sit down and read a few books with them instead of turning on the TV. It then gives them ideas to play. Although, there are those days when I just have to use the TV.

My MIL found an art easel at a garage sale and when my daughter is over there she spends hours drawing pictures for everyone. We also have a kitchen set for her with dishes and play food and she "cooks" for us and plays restaurant.

I agree with PP. Turn off the TV. She will figure it out. Maybe turn on some music instead. WHat TV she does watch make sure it counts. I love the Leap Frog movies. They are about $10 at Walmart and teach the letters and sounds and begining reading. They have a math one also.
Play dough is great. Dols and such are great. When she puts it down, ask her to take her baby and run a pretend errond for you. That will get the ball rolling again. My DD likes to clean with me. I use vinigar water, so it is safe for her to be around. I just give her a wet paper towel and let her go to town. There are lots of preschool curriculums online. Some are great and come with everything that you need for the crafts and such. Also there are learning stores everywhere. I'm sure that the sales people there could help you find things to do. Good luck and have fun.

I have a son who's ADHD and I think you're LUCKY to have a child who WILL sit and watch TV. Haha..But we both know it's not healthy. I have to maintain a structured day every day to keep him occupied. We do letters and numbers flashcards, coloring, drawing, play with letter blocks, read books TOGETHER, and many others.
It is wonderful to spend time with your daughter. They crave attention(even though it seems she craves TV). Even if it's just a chit chat with her, you've gotta spend some quality time with her every day for like 20 minutes (time that only involves YOU and HER and you let her do whatever she wants (within reason) and don't dictate this time together) It will do wonders for your bonding time and stimulating her mind.

Yadi, i found that with my daughter(10yrs now)having all the Leap Frog toys were very helpful. She is so very smaart too now. Of course you have to sit with her a bit but even by her just pushing buttons on these games, believe me she learned a whole lot. My daughter just received the Presidential Award at school for being commended on all her TAKS test and maintaining an A average all year and being on the Honor Roll all through elementary. Hopefully this will help you a bit. Cuz i know being a mother of two older children when i had her was not easy to just sit and pay attention to just one child.

You're young and more creative than you give yourself credit. First things first: turn off that TV. You already sense that it's not a good idea, and it's incredibly detrimental to a young, developing mind. She will quite possibly have learning and attention problems later on if you allow her to watch too much at this age. You don't want that.

You also don't need elaborate toys. Use what she has and make the dolls pretend talk to her - just be silly! Read to her everyday, several times a day. Play with Play Doh, color on the back of printer paper (try to avoid coloring books), roll a ball back and forth. Go for nature walks and discover and stop and smell the flowers. Sing songs, listen to classical music, dance around, play finger games like Itsy Bitsy Spider and Peek-a-boo. Visit your local library for toddler story time each week. Go to the park.

If you feel silly at first, that's normal because you're not two years old. She will love it though and this special time you have been blessed with won't be wasted with chores and inane television viewing.

Good luck discovering your inner child, and remember the chores will always be there, but your sweet little girl is only two once!

Good morning Yadi,

It sounds like your daughter just needs more interaction. Definitely turn off the tv...or at least limit it. I'm a big fan of Montessori teaching. A really useful book for me has been "Teaching Montessory in the home: Pre-school Years". Me personally, if I left my 2 yr old doing anything watching a show or helping me when I wasn't able to play with her, my house would be destroyed! Why not involve your daughter in the day-to-day chores? I know she's young; but she's old enough to help mommy. I'm not saying that I think she can mow the lawn or scrub the bathtub; but she can certainly help you fold a wash cloth and sort laundry. Believe it or not, those are wonderful learning activities. When she's folding a wash cloth, you could show her how then ask her to fold it in 1/2. Sorting is part of math, so why not have her help?! The more you speak to your child the more her vocabulary will grow. What about cooking? Can she help mix or pour some of the ingredients? Or dusting? Every waking minute can be a learning experience if you turn it in to one. You could sing the ABC song or count to 10 while washing hands, count apple slices or raisins, etc. Learning can be fun and creative.

I'm sure you'll find what works best for your family. You had some great responses! Best of luck!

Turn the TV off.

She'll get those creative juices flowin'.

Margaret

I hear what you are saying girl. I have different buckets of toys that I pull out perodically during the day. My 2 little ones get 1 hr of tv every morning and thats it. Dora and Barney. The rest of the time they do puzzles, or play kitchen, or do playdough. The key is to do one at a time. Hope my advice helps.

D. Mattern-Muck
Be blessed; Live informed!
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Yadi,

May I suggest getting her a toy broom, dustpan, and mop. Even and old towel to dust with. Make your daily chores a game with her. It will teach her about helping, and it will start her on the road to learning responsibility. I did this with my son at her age. It is fun for both of you. Good luck.

website www.childcareland.com it is great you get an email everyday with an idea of the day. I run a home daycare I just love it.

I agee with everyone on the 'turn the TV off'.

She'll probably have fits the first few days, so I'd suggest lightening your load (e.g. try to use paper plates, make something easy for dinner, just put off a load of laundry, etc.) for those days and take her outside to the park for an hour or so on one of them. It's cheap, it's easy, and it will help both of you to make the adjustment.