Hi all,

I have two kids, one is four (a girl) and the other is two (a boy). My wife and I both work full time and as a result the kids are in day care all week. The daycare is excellent and they get plenty of the right kinds of stimulation etc.

My problem is on the weekends and holidays I have no idea how to entertain them and either end up putting on a movie or just letting them play by themselves. I do read to them and try to spend time just being with them but I always feel I should be doing more.

What do you do to entertain and spend time with your kids?

Play peek-a-boo, but my son is only 6 months ;)

But my first suggestion would be to ask your kids what they feel like doing. Puzzles? colouring? going to a park? playing with a ball? dress ups... any number of things. I guess things that stimulate their imagination are always are a great way to go. Build a fortress or a tent with chairs and sheets. But yeah I got no real idea. I think different activities would probably appeal to a four and two year old, but I am sure there are some both would enjoy. Cowboys and indians?

Also it depends on how tired you are or want to get. Some would require more of your energy then others.

Anyway I am sure you will work something out. Have Fun :tucool:

some of the best things i used to do with my dad. Of what i can remember. Building chair tents with sheets... Toy Sword fights, soccer, sand pits, bowling, backyard cricket. Hope that helps a bit... Think back to when you were a kid.

Hi all,

I have two kids, one is four (a girl) and the other is two (a boy). My wife and I both work full time and as a result the kids are in day care all week. The daycare is excellent and they get plenty of the right kinds of stimulation etc.

My problem is on the weekends and holidays I have no idea how to entertain them and either end up putting on a movie or just letting them play by themselves. I do read to them and try to spend time just being with them but I always feel I should be doing more.

What do you do to entertain and spend time with your kids?

I think its fantastic that you think about it enough to ask for help in this! I have the same problems. Here are some of the things I do:

- When my kid was three, I would print out words like "hat", "jug", "rug", etc in 96 point Helvetica font and cut them out. Then, I hide the word "rug" by the hat, and hide the word "hat" by the jug, and hide the word "jug" under the rug... and so on. Then, I give him one printed word as a clue, and he needs to read it to find the next clue... At the end of all the clues is a prize (usually a paper airplane or similar). By the way, the website "starfall.com" can capture his attention for HOURS and he learned to read quite a bit from that. Now he is 4 years old and can read almost anything.

Other ideas: Play make believe. Basically treat it like an improv night. Play cowboys and indians, or pretend the ceiling fan is a propeller of an airplane... and build on that... THe kids love that.

Building things with legos or blocks is fun. Im thinking about trying out reading stories and then drawing pictures of the stories.

I agree with the hashmonkey: Tents with sheets, bowling. If you have a yard, backyard cricket is cool.

I take them to the mall playground on occasion, but thats still a bit like putting on a movie.

I'd love to hear more ideas from others!

Lego, Magnetix (always good)
Build forts out of couch cushions
Wrestling with Dad is always fun
Hide and Seek
Dance Parties (don't laugh)...put on music and videos

Look for a local children's museum
The library often puts on activites for tots
McDonald'a playland....yeah it's Mcdonalds but the indoor playland ain't bad....have a coffee while they play.
Crafts: Painting, glue sticks paper, crayons, popsicle sticks and the kitchen table = hours of fun.
Go swimming at the Y or city run pool. Any water parks nearby?

I had trouble with that age too.

I collected tons of books and stuff to help give me some ideas.

Here are some of the suggestions I have saved on my computer. Sorry, I don't have time to reformat it for easier reading. I'll see if I can find some of the rest of my files later.

Activities for 2 to 5 year olds
I’m an Animal (eg. Rabbit) Pretend to be an animal. As your child to hop to the chair, hop to the door. Give your child a carrot
Peekaboo Book Choose five picture familiar to your child from magazines. Glue or tape each picture onto a piece of cardboard. Place a piece of lightweight paper over the picture and staple down one side. Attach the pictures with staples or yarn. When she lifts the paper, say “Peekaboo horse” or “Peekaboo Grandma”
Inside and Outside Spread a string in a circle on the floor. Ask child to jump inside the circle, then to jump outside the circle.
Where’s the Nut? Put a nut under one of two small cups. Ask “Where’s the nut?” Lift the cup and say “Here it is!”
The Colored Circle Game (for moving from one room to another) Cut out large colored circles and put one in the room that you wish the child to go into. Give the child a matching colored circle and tell her that you are going to look for another colored circle in the bathroom
We are going to the kitchen Sing to the tune of “She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain”
We are going to the kitchen right away, etc.
Travel Trail Tear up pieces of colored paper and make a trail behind you where you want child to follow. Help your child follow the trail as you go along.
Shapes Go through a magazine looking for as many circles as you can find. Then try squares.
Animal Puppet Stage Take a large piece of cardboard or stiff paper and fold edges in so it stands on its own. Have child draw in the plants, soil, and sky. Cut out pictures from magazines and paste them on stiff paper, or draw animals on stiff paper and decide where they will go. Cut slits in the background and add tabs to the bottoms of the animals.
The Biggest and the Smallest Have child look around the house and report on the biggest and smallest books in the house, (or house plants, or towel, etc.)
Balloon Volleyball Tie a string between the back of two chairs. If you like, decorate it with streamers, yarn, and decorate a balloon with markers.
Cable Cars Attach a two inch piece of straw to a toilet paper tube, draw windows and decorate with crayons and markers. Feed a string (about 8 feet long) through the straw, and attach each end to a chair back, making sure one end is higher than the other. Place a weight in the tube (a piece of play doh), set it to the high point, and let it go. Small toys can take rides in the cable cars.
Bean Bag Basics Pour half a cup of uncooked beans into a small bag and tie up. Place inside a sock. Set up an obstacle course, and place the bean bag on each player’s head while one tries to catch the other. Another game - each person must see how close they can get to a line without going over it.
Magnet Fishing Attach 2 to 3 feet of string to a wrapping paper tube and tie a horseshoe magnet to the other end. Draw pictures of fish on stiff paper, or cut pictures from magazines. Attach a paper clip to the fish. Fish from a boat, or out of a pail. For porch fishing, make the fish out of styrofoam, add the paper clip, toss them in a bucket of water.
Bedtime for Animals Make beds for stuffed animals out of small boxes and supply bedding (material scraps and cotton balls).Child can rock them to sleep, sing them a lullabye, or read them a story
Box Car Find a box about two and a half feet long and a foot and a half wide and deep. Seal the top and bottom with tape, and cut a large hole in one side, big enough for child’s feet to go through. Cut a large door on the other side, and fold it up to be the dashboard. Cut two hand holes near the top and glue some paper plates on for wheels. Cut an x shaped slit in the dashboard to insert a knob on a pot lid for a steering wheel. Use a cooling rack for a grill
Restauranteer
Body Trace Trace outline of child’s body on posterboard. Child can then decorate with crayons and markers, even glue on some fabric.
Bas Relief Pancakes
Color Mixing
Flashlight color lab Find a red, blue and yellow balloon. Stretch the rubber over a flashlight, and hold it taught with an elastic. Shine the light on a wall or ceiling. You can mix colors by using two filters on the flashlight, or by using another flashlight.
Home Planetarium
Hollow Eggs Poke a pinhole in the top and bottom of an egg and blow out the insides. Allow to dry for a day. Decorate with markers and watercolors and glue on pasta or beads
Green Hair Decorate a styrofoam cup with facial features. Fill with potting soil and sprinkle with a layer of grass seed. Moisten and place in a moist area. In a week or two, they will be ready for haircuts.
Spray Bottle Painting On glossy fingerpaint paper, draw a picture and/or design with washable markers. Tape it to the wall of the bathtub and spray it with a plant mister until it looks done. Let dry.
Outside games
Looking for Green and Treasures Tie a strip of cloth around child’s wrist, or a strip of masking tape. Go outside, and look for the same color as the bracelet, in the grass, on the trees, or stick anything you find to the bracelet.
Ring that Bell Hang a bell from a low branch on a tree. Give your child beanbags or sof balls and show him how to throw it at the bell
Splish Splash Fill a bucket with water and throw a ball into it, saying splish splash when it lands
Outside driving Bring toy cars and trucks outside. Draw roads on the sidewalk with chalk. Drive to the market and say beep beep

Exercise the children. Take them for walk, preferably in a park, talk about things on walk, what they have been doing and what they want to do. Make it short less than 30 minutes.

If they watch a movie, talk to them about it. what did they think it was about.

Let every thing be a learning experience and teach them to express self.:cool:

My 2 are nearly 3 and 6 months. Getting the bigger one to push the little one's pram to the park [supervised of course!] takes twice as long, tires him out better, and allows me time to look around more to have more observational stuff to engage him.

Counting and letters games also. He's 3 in March, and can get to 30 'all by myself' now.

Andrew.

Jokat, 4 and 2 are great ages!

Explore, Experience, Record.

They are at the age where things are still new to them. Taking them places like parks, playlands, petting zoos, aquariums or even the backyard are great. Playgroups are great too. Bring a camera and take pictures or record moments. You only get to see that "first-experience reaction" once. It's great to reflect back on and see how much they've grown.

Most important, make sure they Have Fun!

- Lar...

What do you do to entertain and spend time with your kids?

I do a lot of things, but the biggest one is to read to them.