Sunday, February 15, 2009

Preschooler Play: No Batteries Included

I've been thinking of ways to make our lives a little simpler. And I've realized that sometimes the hardest thing in minimizing tv and video game time is coming up with fresh ideas. The weather here is still far too chilly to be outside for long, so we have to find ways to entertain ourselves indoors.

Here's a few of the things we have done to keep busy and have fun:
  1. Read: a book, a magazine, anything.
  2. Grab some crayons & color
  3. Build with Legos
  4. Play with a box-it can become a rocket, a car, a cave
  5. Tell stories
  6. Play dress-up
  7. Count something, count everything
  8. Have a picnic, indoors or out
  9. Bake and decorate cookies or cupcakes
  10. Make a card for someone special just because
  11. Write a letter
  12. Play “I Spy”
  13. Make fossils
  14. Make homemade clay
  15. Create fun and edible necklaces
  16. Create your own sand art
  17. Play with playdough
  18. Play ball-roll it, kick it, throw it
  19. Play “Simon Says”
  20. Sing a song
  21. Finger paint
  22. Play in a sandbox, or with rice or birdseed inside
  23. Let them dig through a glob of shaving cream, or run cars through it
  24. Make a treasure hunt for them to follow
  25. Race cars
  26. Make slime
  27. Make your own music
  28. Dance
  29. Build a fort
  30. Create your own pretend store
  31. Play with or make puppets
  32. Make an obstacle course
  33. Play sink or float in a tub of water
  34. Make masks from paper plates
  35. Sorting games, using anything
  36. Paint with string
  37. Play with flash cards
  38. Play bean bag toss
  39. Play memory or matching games
  40. Just talk!
What's your favorite thing to do with your kids?

5 comments:

Trish said...

That is a great list! I have such a hard time thinking of stuff to do inside that doesn't involve TV with my daughter. She's not quite two, so she has a very short attention span.

Melissa said...

We are big fans of play doh, coloring, and playing tea party! Great list- thanks for sharing!

ChefDruck said...

This is a great list! I love to have breakfast for dinner with the kids and to make cookies.

AmyMeli said...

clever list with lots of fun activities! Our favorite indoor past time is board games, candyland, go fish, checkers... anything!

AJ @ A Little Bit Nutty said...

That's a great list. I know my kids love the simple things the most. I like to take shaving cream and let them draw on the counter tops. It helps clean them too. Well that's what I remember our teacher in elementary school telling us.

They also like to help me mop the floors with old socks...they could do that all day.