Need things to do for my 2 and 3 year olds.

You can spray your (cleaned) counter-top with shaving cream. Kids love the texture and making finger pictures in the cream. As long as they don't get it in their eyes, it cleans up nicely and smells pretty good...

Have them string fruit loops or any cereal with holes onto string. It's great for fine-motor skills, but you can teach them patterns, colors and counting. And they can eat the necklace when they are done.

Play-do is great for strengthening fingers. You can google play-do recipes. I used to make mine and added a kool-aid packet to it to make it smell great and give color.

Make collages. Have them tear colored paper (great for fine-motor skills/strength) and glue them to a poster board. You can make this a collage in progress...have them put on alittle everyday to see how it changes.

Have fun!!

I have mine help me make playdough. They get to choose the color and they love it. Or games like Red Light, Green Light or Simon Says.

Shaving cream, corn meal, beans are all good ideas for kiddo's to practice writing/drawing with their finger

OK, 2 and 3.5.
Question, do they show any interest at all in what you are doing? For example, what happens when you go to the laundry? Do they want to "help"? When your in the kitchen, what are they doing? Do they want to "help"? When you are in your garden, what are they doing? Do they want to"help"?
You are raising future citizens of the Kingdom. Now is the time to train those citizens.
We involve our two girls in everything we do. Why play with play dough when they can "play" with cake mix? In the kitchen, whilst you are preparing the dinner is the ideal time to teach them about food textures. Our two girls have taught us so much about what they can and can not do. There isn't much they can not do. It just takes time. And do we always have time? Then we best make time.
It typically takes about twice as long to do a task but it is time, for us at least, building a strong relationship with our children.Hopefully we will have a better relationship, and more contented and obedient children than our parentsdid.

I must admit my kids love helping in the kitchen. I generally don't let them help with every day things like cooking dinner. but I definitely let them help me with baking. In fact it's an essential lol. Because as soon as my dd even thinks I am baking she is right in there with me. Last night I was cleaning out the pantry and she thought I was going to be baking (as I had all the flour and dried fruit out) lol. She was there with her little chair ready to help stir everything.


Depending on how you feel about your kids on the computer I found the crayola site to be great for my 3 year old. We obviously don't do this every day, but she loves the colouring in pages on there (to print and colour) and also to colour online. They also have some craft activities which will be tricky for little ones but you could help them with it. Also the Fisher price site has some good toddler online games.


When we are bored, the best thing to do is get out and go to the park, not something you can do in bad weather though, but we don't get a lot of that here. Also we love playdough. Even my 7 year old loves playdough. You could also get them to help make it and they could even choose a colour (even colours that go together, like red and yellow make orange, blue and yellow make green) and get them to mix the colours to see what colour you end up with.

Also save up a whole heap of empty boxes, milk bottles etc. Clear some space on the kitchen floor, let them loose with coloured pencils/ crayons/ glue/ tape etc. and see what they can make, or even just let them climb in the boxes or build towers with them.

I guarantee it will keep them busy for ages.

I agree with having them help you with the work. They love to help with that stuff. I have a 4 year old who can do laundry, dishes, all housework actually, better than my husband knew how when we married. :o

Also I would make it a priority to find a playgroup or something like that.

Is it nice enough where you are to play in the backyard a lot? I can't wait for spring!

Picture.Of.Obedience said:

I would love a playgroup but we dont have a car. the one we have matthew has at work from 5am to 5pm most days. we are saving for a car and then we can make library trips and playgroups and stuff but until then i have to try to make due. it is frusterating

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Don't feel bad
I did the playgroup thing ONCE. Our kiddo's HATED it! They preferred playing together at home vs. in a group setting
I do agree with incorporating them into every day things. Helping them match socks from the laundry, teaching them to separate (ask them - does this go in the lights or darks?) laundry, even at 3 they can make their own bed My kiddo's helped put groceries away, laundry away, make dinner...

If you can't get to playgroup is there a group of mums at church or something that might occasionally like to call in at your house?

We do playgroup but it is more for my sanity than the benefit of the children. I am an extrovert personality and wouldn't cope at home for the 7 years I've been at home if i weren't for playgroup ROFL. I love it.

Sure my daughter benefits (ds is 7 and at school) but I think she gets enough socialisation from church and playing with her older brother and her cousins when we visit. I also have a background in child care so do a lot of the activities with her at home that she would get in child care anyway.

I agree on the 'helping' with chores idea as it's fun for them to be with mummy and they'll also learn the importance of being tidy and responsible. You could even buy the older of the children a toy vacuum cleaner or iron.

Crafts are always a good thing as people have said.You don't even have to spend that much money- you could use leaves and petals from the garden or little twigs and bits of moss. All you need to buy then is glue and some cheap paper.

Also, as a musician, I'd suggest some simple musical instruments, which you could buy or make yourself. Things like tambourines and rainmakers are good for all young children, and drums, tambourines and even a xylophone could be bought easily, either from 'early learning' type shops or music shops.


I can give you a guide to making the musical instruments if you want- just PM me.

I bought a game of Candy Land and play with my son and the daycare kids.

Read books

sing songs

Make a hop scotch board on the carpet with masking tape.

Have car races [all line up and put 1 car and see who's goes the farthest]

Take a walk and hunt for a color, like red or blue

DS loves to help and he does help me sweep, vacuum, fold clothes etc

LOL! I forgot what it was like to only have a couple little kids. Thanks for hearkening me back there. LOL! Every now and then I only have the two youngest of my kids and it's so different from having them all around. It's way more work!

I would suggest in addition to these wonderful suggestions- making sure that you all go outside together everyday-no matter what the weather.

I recently read The Creative Family and I really enjoyed it. It was chock full of ideas to ignite the creative spark in one's family and leave one with too many fun activities with not enough day to do them all....lol Her website is: http://amandasoule.com/