Afternoon activities

Hey I’m in a similar position. I’ve done things like have him help me wash up. He makes a huge mess but he loves it. I find the afternoons are good for baking. We have a trampoline so we have a bounce and do some gardening together. We have rabbits so he goes to see them and give them treats. Afternoon baths if it’s really bad weather and forts made from the sofa cushions and watch something together or have snacks.

In the exact same boat! My son has been going to nursery. But i am now on maternity leave with a 5 month old. So feel guilty sending him nursery so end up keeping him home most days. But then whilst im busy with the baby he just ends up watching his ipad or making a monstrous mess of the house. Really running out of fuel too. Would love to know wat everyone else does.

Playdoh, my mum was a childminder and I always remember her pouring rice into a tray and then putting cars diggers or dinosaurs in and the kids would play for hours

We just go out to different parks, walks in different woods/forests, walk into town and look at the shops. Remove the iPad and maybe make a deal that he gets it and hour before bed however it's time to play so like Lego, magna tiles.. Also we go to the library which is good fun too x

@Kath Yh I make messy plays like that too, any toys into it and they are on the floor as he doesn’t like to play with toys😫hahah

@Natalie lovely, yh we have trampoline too I am just not into the same thing all the time lol I just did later afternoon bath and he loved that so will probably keep with that till he gets bored😂

@Lucy Yh I am thinking about taking him for a walk once he wakes up from nap to take some time off. I hate being out once it gets dark and now is dark too soon😩 What library you go to? I might try it as we never been x

@Nada Tariq it’s so hard to keep them busy😫as they are so active too, and he only sits like for 1 or 2minutes with something.

I've got an active nearly 3 year old, too... recently removed him from his nursery because his key person suggested he has ADHD... I made a complaint and pointed out he is only 2 years old and I don't appreciate anyone labelling my child because he is active. Anyways, he has been home for a month now, I do try an take him out daily to parks or play group.. the more we outside the cleaner my house lol.

@Carla Yh that’s what happens these days, just cuz child is active doesn’t mean something is not right, agree with you. Yh mornings were out all the time, it’s the afternoon I struggle with as we’re mostly at home and doing the same and he won’t sit down hahah

@Carla well done!!!

Walk with wellies on to splash in puddles, collect dry leaves to glue on paper to make autumn pictures, sellotape a black bin bag on a table and use shaving foam. Kids have so much fun playing with that. Can spread it out and write or draw on it with their fingers. Painting but use things like apples or potatoes (cut in half) to make shapes. Decorate a pumpkin or paint it. Make little obstacle courses to climb over, under and through (could pretend you going on a bear hunt, like the book) I have a big under bed box with the lid. I filled it with play sand and put in cars and diggers etc to play inside with. Baking. Bike or scooter ride. Could you get a free or cheap play kitchen off marketplace and make it into a mud kitchen in the garden. Little blackboard or black card with chalks and make fireworks pictures

@Nic tried it all😂 my son is not into crafts activities at all. We didn’t shaving foam and now has outdoor table with it so he can get as messy as he wants to, as he likes to put it into water tray and add food colouring haha. Obstacle courses are daily thing for us, he just makes it himself lol thank you, defo I will try the painting with apples or potatoes that might keep him occupied xx

My son is just active non stop and super intense. But I notice that less kids have toys or screen time, they better play. I allowed only watch 1h for my son per day and sometimes I just take hald of his toys away to make him to use his own creativity. But for us, sports helps so much. We go on balance bike every second day. Take even balance bike and let him to go through paddles. And make him so tried after hours on it. Than we take my son to football as well. Than I kick a boll with him at home. Do some slalom etc. And my boy loves cleaning. So I give vacuum mops and wet wipes to wipe anything. I put my music ( electronic ) and i tell him to copy my movements and jumps as much as he can. Or go to park and tell him to find the biggest rock leaves and than try to pain it at home.

@Angelica thank you lovely, Yh I am cutting down on his iPad now, and he has minimum toys too as he doesn’t play with them. So he only has his fav and then I rotate the rest of the toys. That sounds good, wish my son was interested in bike as he’s got 2 and never use one and i tried so many times x