It has just occurred to me that the other day, I had written a post which alluded to writing a future post about indoor activities for toddlers. Before I forget to write that post (again), here it is. Cooler weather is here, so get ready to get cozy and have some fun.
Keep a box full of interesting pieces of clothing that the kids can use to dress themselves up as whatever characters they wish to create. Encourage them to give their characters unique voices, and listen as they entertain you with their stories. Dylan has not done any in – costume drama yet, but I amazed at the stories that he makes up about “Benny”. A few weeks ago, he created a character in his mind named Benny. Benny is a giant dump truck and digger with a crane. Benny does all kinds of things. Yesterday, Dylan told me a hilarious story about how Benny found an old library and scooped it up. As he told the story, he emphasized certain words and presented the story in very dramatic fashion. Some kids love to entertain, so if yours do, sit back and enjoy the show.
Mix up mealtime by taking it into another room. Lunch can seem so much more interesting if you pack it up and take it to the park, the beach, or whatever location you decide to call your living room that day. Choose finger foods that are not too messy, and eat on a blanket to catch stray crumbs and make cleanup even easier. As you enjoy your meal, ask the kids to tell you about the things that they see in your pretend picnic place.
Other fun things to do indoors include making boats, houses, or whatever else they can think of out of big cardboard boxes, having dance parties to their favorite tunes or new funky music that you discover together, making cards for friends and relatives for any occasion or no occasion at all, and building blanket forts.
Photo by ppdigital on morguefile.com.