Need help from SAHM's

Up until now, our morning routine goes like this:
8 - wake up
8-9 watch show while mom changes diapers and makes breakfast for the 3 of them
9-11 Mason naps - mom get's stuff done, cleans, pays bills, laundry, shower etc...while boys watch shows
11-11:30 play with them
11:30-12 make lunch and they watch a show.


So, this is FAR too much TV and as a matter of fact we're cancelling TV altogether for the summer next week. If I don't have the TV on though, I can't get anything done. I would like to change things and play with C&C while Mason naps but honestly have no idea what to do. I went back to work full time when they were 1, then when I was off again I had Mason so things have been pretty crazy! When I turn the TV off, they just seem bored.

Give me ideas for somethings we can to for fun!

 

We have started limiting TV too...or if I want it on for noise, I turn it on like a talk show or something that the girls have NO interest in and they will get up and go play.

Now that it's getting warmer, I put the baby in the stroller and the twins walk...we go to the park in our neighborhood, or I take them to one a few miles away.

we go on walks
we have little bug catchers that we catch bugs in
play with play-doh
Color (that color-wonder stuff is awesome for kids this age...it can't make a mess)
bake cookies
Read books
Go to the library


Those are just a few ideas. I'm also printing off some ABC color pages from the Internet and making an ABC book for each of them. THey are loving learning all the letters and stuff now, so it's fun for them.

 

My twins are 20 months old and I try to limit their tv also. I actually got them their own sponges and I will take out the broom and mop and they will "help" me clean while I clean, they can even "help" unload the dishes (non-breakable ones) or clothes while we goof off to music. They enjoy "helping" me much more then they enjoy their toys.

 

Great ideas! Do you have the link to the ABC pages?

 

Maybe try joining a local moms group? Momsclub.org is fantastic
Play-doh
Sand/water table (for summer)
Sidewalk chalk
Park dates
Coloring
Aqua-doodle

I am always out of ideas too!

 

Jen,

Some of the stuff we have been doing for a while:

Coloring
Crafts
Walks (nature walks)
Playing outside
Sidewalk Chalk

Check out the Toddler Activites from the Resource Guide Stick above!

 

ours love chalk
going for walks, in or out of the stroller
water table or just a dish pan with an inch of water in it and some toys on the deck.
reading books
once the rain stops i want to let them paint outside, it will be very messy but i think they will love it

 

I have a little craft bin that I put together. It's really handy for when my three year old gets bored or I need some time to get things done. In it I have crayons/coloring books, paints/paper/smock, playdoh, stickers, safety scissors (seriously, he would sit there and just cut up paper for 30 minutes straight), puzzles and I just added some pipe cleaner. I can easily pull it out and give him a few options. It always buys me an hour or so of time to get things done without turning on the tv!

We also just got this little bug-catching kit at Target and it is a riot. He looooves looking for bugs. I even have a little pith helmet (the safari-looking hat) that I got from a party store that he puts on when he goes out. Also, I highly recommend a sand/water table or regular sandbox. I got one of those bags of little plastic knights and he plays with those in the sandbox endlessly.

There are lots of great ideas at http://familyfun.go.com They have printable pages, craft ideas, games etc. I go there a lot when I need inspiration! good luck!

Reyna

 

My kids got a paint with water book for their bdays and they love it (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0766612929/ref=pd_luc_0000107666129100766612929). I love it because it keeps them occupied and water can't make too much of a mess. My kids love anything water, so sometimes we will just take a bath if we are bored. We also like to get outside...take walks, draw with sidewalk chalk. They love dandelions...so we go on dandelion hunts. If I have to get chores done I actually try and involve them and they enjoy helping. For example, they like to throw the clothes into the washer/dryer or push the buttons on the dish washer. I have an 8 mo old as well, so I know it's hard to keep everyone happy and entertained.

Good luck,
Amy

 

we're in the midst of dropping naps so I try to plan the TV time to be down time Either after lunch or after dinner. the girls play together almost constantly. our latest diversion has been pretending to be Black Beauty, after watching the movie over 2-3 days. We each take a turn being a particular horse and run and jump around, or being Joe (the care-taker) and then blankets go on and off the "horses" . Add in the little stuffed animal horses and we have quite the round up. SO I try to use TV as a jumping off spot for role play.

today we took a trip to the library and my goal was to have them get themselves dressed and buckled in the car no matter how long it took. We were up at 7 and out the door by 1020. LOL.

I just purchased a multi-drawer unit from Office Max. Each drawer has different art supplies, paper, coloring books, aqua doodle. they will help themselves to these art supplies any time. Another thing we do is cut paper. The floor is full of confetti after a few minutes but they will sit and cut for quite a long time. my parents worked with them and taught them to cut over Christmas holidays.

If you want to play with them, play the stop and go game (they run or jump till you say stop. then you say go and they start up again). You can play Simon Says, Mother May I, and Mr Fox what time is it?

Folding towels, scrubbing/mopping the floors, wiping/cleaning things, and doing dishes are the chores they "do" with my help.

Puzzles are also interesting for them. they will work and rework the same simple jigsaw type puzzle over and over.

 

we have tons of toys and have a large basement that we have their play room in. I work from home, so they play alot and I take tons or breaks to get them snacks, lunch, and to do activities. We read, color and do flash cards. My kids are close in age-- two (twins) and four (ds). They love the flash cards and we also do a matching card game I bought.

We bake sometimes too, go to the park, play outside with chalk, do bubbles.

 

When my twins were at that age, we limited tv watching to 30 minutes a day. The rest of the day, I took them to the park, took them to playdates, played with Thomas the Train, building blocks, read books to them, played with stuffed animals, etc. When I was picking up their toys, I made it a game and had them help put things in their toy bins.

All the housework stuff, like paying bills, cleaning the house, laundry, cooking, etc. happened after they went to sleep for the night or during naps. I would even pre-make sandwiches or cut up all the vegetables I need the night before in order to minimize my cooking time during the day. For breakfast, my husband was home so I could take time cooking. For lunch, I tried to take no more than 15 minutes. For dinner, I didn't make anything that required more than 30 minutes of hands on time. (This was their tv time.)

It sounds crazy, but it's only temporary. As they got older they would spend more and more time playing with each other instead of hanging around mommy. Now that they are almost 3 1/2 I think they have more fun with each other than with me.

 

We watch one show in the evenings before bedtime...Sometimes, I will give them a 15 minute show if they are cranky and tired and I do not want them to nap. When I need to clean or do whatever around the house, they "read" books, play tea party, play with an indoor sandbox, mess with water in bowls (which causes more of a mess ), or they "help" me fold clothes.

Ask them to help or tell them that mommy has to do this now...Let's read a book right afterwards...etc.

Good luck!!!! It is tough sometimes, isn't it??

 

Read stories to them.
Work on teaching them their ABCs. Big foam letters are great for that.
Make up a color game to work on colors.
Build a Kleenex box fort.
Work on stacking skills with blocks. Have contests to see how high you can build.
Let them help you prepare lunch or make cookies.
Play with their cars or trains.
Play with Mega Blocks.
Work puzzles.