Thousands of parents have found themselves braving a new world—working with little ones at home in this new found reality. Following are a few ideas to engage your little ones and perhaps even rediscover your inner child.
Entertaining energetic kiddos without the option of a real change of scenery is not for the faint of heart—toddler energy a is force of nature.
As someone who has spent all of nap time this week googling “ways to entertain a toddler at home,” I’m personally thankful for a community of moms who are more than willing to share ideas and swap advice—especially moms like Maureen, Molly, and Amy.
The creative minds behind Purpose Play KC, this trio have built an entire community-focused business dedicated to keeping children entertained and parents sane.
Not only do they host pop-up play events throughout the metro, but they also offer creative and fun products you can do with your kids at home, birthday party opportunities, and use their social media channels as a resource for parents anywhere.
“We‘re passionate about all types of play, but sensory play is our favorite,” Amy shares. “It’s been fun to see all the memories and strong community that have formed from our events and products.”
Our current quarantine situation brings new meaning to “at home play”, so Amy is sharing her best piece of advice for all the moms and dads out there now trying to navigate through new parenting territory.
“Kids are going to be bored if they are used to lots of structure and activities,” she says. “It is important that you allow them to be bored as that will push them to create their own fun and get you off the cycle of having to come up with tons of activities everyday to entertain your kids.”
One of the best ways to do this? Loosely structured setups that can be recycled throughout the week.
“These activities are easy to set up for you and provide open ended play opportunities for kids. You can do these activities multiple times a week and the kids will find new ways to have fun.”
Three favorites to start: nature soup, salt painting, and washing station.
And—bonus—each uses stuff you already have at home.
Nature Soup
This activity combines two childhood favorites - playing pretend and an outdoor adventure.
Grab a bowl and a spoon and head to the backyard. Let your child collect natural items as soup “ingredients” before adding them to the bowl with water. You can extend this playtime by adding more utensils and bowls to create a whole nature kitchen.
Salt Painting
Have your cookie sheet sub in as an easel for this one.
Start by drawing some simple pictures or shapes on a piece of paper and then tape it to the cookie sheet. Next, sprinkle some salt, sugar, and/or flour on the paper. Your little one can use a paint brush, gift card, or q-tips to “paint”
Amy adds that you can draw numbers, letters, or site words depending on age of your kid.
Washing Station
Since cleaning is top of mind for all of us right now, might as well make it a little fun.
Gather a bin, water, some soap, and splash in some toys. Amy recommends cars, animals, baby dolls, or any favorite plastic toys.
If you’re able to play outside, add another bin with a little dirt to get the toys a bit messy before they get their scrub down.
Let your kiddo go to town scrubbing with sponges, old tooth brushes, spray bottles, and wash cloths.
When the weather isn’t cooperating you can set it all up in the bath tub.
If you’re looking for more activities, Purpose Play KC is currently sharing videos on their Instagram page, @PurposePlayKC.