Salem

I've babysat these two little girls, Evyn and Gracyn, several times. I love them to death, but they're so active! Evyn is 2.5 years, and Gracyn is 3.5 years. They're coming over tomorrow and I'm wondering if anyone has any cool ideas for things to do with them?

We all get bored when all we do is watch movies or read stories, because they're pretty young, and they have a small attention span but a lot of energy.

I'm not sure what to do with them. I don't have Kid friendly scissors, so I'm worried about crafts, unless I pre-cut things, but when then I'm not sure what kind of crafts to do. If anyone has an easy recipe for homemade play dough, that would be great. Or some kind of plaster we can make foot or hand print moulds, which I think would be really neat. Or maybe even foot prints from paint, or finger painting, face paints.

I'm just looking for 2/3 year old, friendly, fun, preferably cheap activities.

inBOIL

Make oobleck. You just mix cornstarch with water and a little food coloring until it makes a gooey puddle that gets hard when you press on it.

Or get some straws and some milk, blow bubbles in the milk and make bubble castles.

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And you believe Bush and the liberals and divorced parents and gays and blacks and the Christian right and fossil fuels and Xbox are all to blame, meanwhile you yourselves create an ad where your kid hits you in the head with a baseball and you don't understand the message that the problem is you.

Martian

Homemade, non-toxic play dough would work for crafts.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Pearl Trade

Playdough? Legos? You can even get a kit to make stepping stones with their handprint or footprint in it. Hobby Lobby has all kinds of good stuff.

__________________

Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.
Give me convenience or give me death!

seamaiden

Is there snow where you are? Kids love to go sliding or build a snow fort.

little_tippler

you could do a little theatre with your story telling. Find a few objects from around the house like pillows, pots, spoons, artificial flowers, and just any sort of 'safe' trinket. Then make up a story with them, where you get to all act and use the objects as other pretend things, like a hat, a magic wand, a pet, whatever comes to your imagination. This can make a crazy but very fun story and take up a lot more time than just regular storytelling.

Find a few kids songs and teach them, with actions for each line of the song. You could start with Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and then make up your own silly song with actions. You could also sing 'Here We go Round the Mulberry Bush (has that line 'we all fall down’ which kids love).

Play ball tag, one person runs around with a ball trying to tag another. When one of you gets tagged, that person has to go tag the others.

Choose a song the girls like and make up a little dance routine where you all do things together but then also get to stand out individually. At the end you could show it to the parents. Kids love doing things to show their parents.

Play Duck Duck Goose. There are only three of you but it can be fun even so.

Make a short obstacle course - jump over pillows, crawl through the chair tunnel, run around the couch, roll over the carpet, leapfrog across the hall...and whatever else you can come up with.

Musical statues - you all dance and when the music stops (you need to be doing that), whoever moves is out.

Have a teddy bear's picnic and pretend you're having tea and cakes and chatting and making the teddies chat too.

Last two I can think of are Red Light Green Light and Hopscotch.

It was fun thinking these up heh.

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

noodle

shaving cream fingerpainting on non-wood surfaces.
sugar cookie baking or decorating.
washable paint on the windows or glass doors.
"dress up" in your closet--pick out what's "okay" to wear and take silly pictures "for mommy".
glue is awesome. construction paper with glue and googly eyes.
a quick trip to the library can be fun even with littles, then read the books at home.
dancing always rocks.

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eribrav

This would be my vote.
I take my 2 year olds out in the cold for an hour, we play in the snow, then bring them in and feed them and get rewarded with a 2-3 hour nap!

wooÐs

Can't beat hide n' seek. But it gets quite tiresome after about 10 minutes of it lol.

My bf's kids love it when I sing to them. I don't 'perform,' but just make up goofy songs. Then I pretend I forgot the words and they remember and fill them in for me. Good for their little 'brainz.' Like:
"I'm gonna take you home with me -
I'm gonna put you in my purse -
I'm gonna get you to color me a picture -
It's gonna go on my ..........................{forgot the word}...............REFRIGERATOR!!!!! {they scream}"

Bath time. Kids love baths. Hit the dollar store for new toys and / or bubble bath.

Sticker books. I've purchased a few near the school supplies at Walmart. But you've got to watch them here. Like crayons, they'll get the stickers all over the place if they're not being watched.

And you SOOOO need to make forts! Use blankets and pillows and chairs and stuff. Then make some popcorn or something and eat it under there with them while watching a movie or something. Forts are awesome.

fresnelly

You'd be surprised how long a sink full of water, some bowls, cups and some kitchen tools will occupy a toddler.

Add some bubbles and you have yourself a party!

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Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life

snowy

Probably too late, but Simon Says is a fun one. Toddlers love to mimic their siblings.
Cardboard box. Trust me on this one. The little one will want to climb inside; with the older one, you can decorate the box.
Definitely second the fort notion; forts are always popular.
Random dance party. Put on some oldies and get down with your bad self.
Pots, pans, and wooden spoons spoons=impromptu band.

This thread is a goldmine!

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Glory's Sun

PBS KIDS Sprout | Coloring Pages, Online Games, Videos, and Crafts for Kids

all the crafts you need.

I'll second the sink of water thing. My kids will play (and destroy in time) in the bathroom or kitchen sink for hours. If you don't want to clean up, then put them in the bath.