Activities - Cleveland,OH

My girls are 3 and 5. I work at night, so usually in the morning, the girls play while I get some stuff done... like laundry, cooking and dishes, maybe vacuum too. Then, when i'm done with that, we usually go out and do something... we may walk/ride bikes to the park, or go to the zoo (on my days off), or library storytime.
On sunday mornings before work, if we don't have any other plans, I take them swimming at the local community college (indoor pool).
At home, we play card games and board games, and I'm helping them learn to ride bikes and rollerskate. I'm also trying to get them more involved with helping me to the laundry and dishes too.
I was trying to squeeze a tv workout in as well, but I was starting to feel like I was getting everything done in time to leave for work, so I haven't worked out in a few weeks (oh well!)!

Just remember in 20 years your kids won't remember if the house was perfect, but they will remember all the things you do with them. if i were a SAHM, I think I would try to set aside a time for the housework, and then time for going out to have fun!!!

I hope this helps!!!

I work now, but I generally have a 3 day weekend and I was a SAHM for a time. I TRY to do something outside everyday, even if it's just in the driveway with sidewalk chalk or the oversized blocks to make a castle that we can do together.
We've made some awesome castles and I find myself really getting into that for some reason. We've also found fun things to do with chalk besides just doodle - Alphabet practice, shadow tracing, body tracing, car tracing, foot track tracing to lead into the house for daddy, etc.

If it's an "inside day" we use watercolors on paperplates or I get a posterboard from the dollarstore & cut it in half.
We also craft stupid things - I'm always making paste out of flour & water & glueing things to stuff. (Especially colored cereal.)

My 3 year old is already a pro at making muffins and cakes - he can hold the mixer (of course I'm right there), mix the batter with a fork or the handheald, crack the eggs into a bowl (so I can retrieve any shells), add the other measured ingredients, etc.

It also just got warm enough to go outside & play in the sprinkler - we got a super cool one that is a caterpillar. His arms wave up & down & so do his antanae - it doesn't get you soaked, so it's PERFECT. He squeals. I sit on the patio with my phone or a book & he will play for an hour or so.
Probably too cool in Ohio yet for this though.

Good luck,
C.

my 3 year old really likes to help. she loves to help with putting things in the laundry, for example.

With it being nice outside, finally, her favorite thing is sidewalk chalk. She could sidewalk chalk all day, which I like, I just sit and read my book while she goes to town, in the evening we hose the driveway off so we can start again the next day if we get time. :-)

I work, so it's even worse. Not only does my daughter spend all day at daycare, but the few hours I have at home, I also have to squeeze in all of the housework (DH is not really a big help...).
Have you thought of letting them help you? My daughter loves to help, she can unload the lower shelf of the dishwasher, put dirty laundry in the washer and if I give her a soapy sponge, she will go nuts with it.
When I fold laundry, I am currently working on teaching her how to identify sock pairs. She's only two and a half, but she will pick all the socks out of the laundry, we name the colors together and count them too. So it's fun educational and housework combined... and best of all we spend the time together.
Things take a little longer than when I do them myself, but we have sooo much fun!

There are some things you can do with your kids while you are doing "chores". We LOVE "I Spy". Not only do we spy colors, but we do shapes, action smells, things that start with..., my kids (6,4,3) play all the time. They Spy everything and it ends up being very entertaining when they start spying "something that is cute" or "something that I like to eat".

Arts and crafts and board games are fun too. They don't have to be store bought, you can just make them up with stuff you have around the house.

My kids also love to just put on some music and dance! They think us all dancing together is hilarious(me especially :) ).

Of course reading with your child is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable activities you can do together!

Playdoh is very popular in my house. I have a 4 and 6 year old and we often do playdoh together. Also we like to do art and craft projects. Outside we have a couple of soccer balls and a goal. I'm the goalie while they try to score on me.

go for a walk and collect leaves, twigs, etc from nature, then take clear contact paper, peal off the back, tape down the corners with the sticky side up, let kids arrange the nature stuff, place another sheet on top so the nature stuff is sandwiched in 2 sheets of contact paper-- hang in window

google other simple non-messy art projects (or do messy ones, too!)

google simple science projects that can be done with materials you can find in your home