With the Fall weather moving in, and less and less time to play outdoors due to the weather and the light, we are forced indoors. This means I have to come up with creative and fun ways to entertain my two year old. So I came up with 10 ideas on how I could incorporate fun & play into his daily activities and I want to share them with you:
#1: Breakfast- Instead of just getting his breakfast while he watches his morning cartoons I decided to start having him help me. I let him pick out what he wants for breakfast all the way down to what he wants to drink. I then let him do the little things to help like buttering his toast or arranging his pancakes on his plate. He is always smiling because he is helping.
#2: Daily Chores- Sometime my little guy doesn’t think that chores are fun, but sometimes he does. So I like to make a game of it. I ask him to help mommy unload the dishwasher and I run down the hall. He then comes running after me and is very eager to help. It really is all in the way I approach the task at hand. If I make it fun, then he thinks it’s fun.
#3: Lunch-We like to pretend that the kitchen is a cafe and he sits up at the counter and orders his food. I then put on my apron and proceed to talk to him in a funny french accent. He giggles and thinks it is so much fun. I even give him a bill at the end of his lunch and he pays me with his pretend money.
#4: Afternoon activity- Instead of just sending him off to his toy room to play, I decided to start doing an afternoon activity with him. One of his favorites is coloring. I ask him if he wants to color a picture for daddy or grandma and he gets very excited. I even let him color on an envelope and seal it up. Then when daddy comes home he gets to give it to him and his dad always hangs them on the fridge.
#5: Singing time- My little guy loves to watch tv so I had to find a way to get him active while indoors. So I will take him into my office and turn on my i-tunes and we will sing and dance. He loves it and it helps keep him active while we can’t be outdoors. You should see him move. It’s adorable.
#6: Dates with Mom and Dad- I recently started a fun activity where my hubby or I will take him out on a date. He feels so special and we let him do a fun activity like help with grocery shopping (he loads and unloads the cart), or even dinner out to eat at his favorite restaurant. It’s one on one fun time with mom or dad and it makes him feel so special.
#7: TV time- I am really trying to limit the amount of time I let my little guy sit in front of the tv. But when I heard about the New hub I was very excited. I can actually feel good about letting him watch a few shows in the morning because I know it will spark his mind and help him learn.
#8: Dinner- We have really cracked down on the sitting at the table as a family for dinner thing. We did not use to do this, but recently we have been better. I let my little guy set the table and although he doesn’t do the best job he sure enjoys it and it is fun for him. Dinners are a lot better when we all sit together and talk. My little guy just smiles from his booster as he sits with mom and dad for dinner.
#9: Evening Walks-My little guy loves the outdoors so whenever we have a chance we try to go outside for an evening walk or even playing in the backyard. He loves animals and birds especially so we made a game of it by asking him to find the birds. He looks high and low and when he finds them he shouts “bird”. It is such a fun and easy game that he loves. We even do it with kitty’s, dogs, and airplanes.
#10: Bedtime- Instead of just shuffling him to the bathroom for his bath and pj’s I decided to make it a fun time for him to learn to take care of himself. I start by running his bath, let him wash himself, and even have him clean up his tub toys. I then taught him how to get his pj’s out of his closet and we are working on him dressing himself. I am so proud when I see the accomplishment in his eyes when he completes a task. He is now a master of brushing his teeth, all because I have made it fun for him instead of a dreaded task.
It really is all about having fun with your kids. If you make the situation fun and energetic, then they pick up on that and want to help out. What creative fun ways do you incorporate into your child’s day? We would love to hear them.
