Category Archives: Fun Activities

Cheap Dates with Toddlers – Winter Outings to the Playground

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winterplayground

During the summer, the most obvious place to take your toddler is on an outing to a playground.

But in the winter, parents hesitate to go.

Playgrounds are just as fun in the winter – you just need to plan ahead!

Bundle up your child for the weather – gloves and hats help a lot. Even more important for your enjoyment is to bundle up yourself! Your child will be kept warm and distracted by running around – you’re the one more likely to get cold. Bring along an old towel or two to wipe down wet slides and wet swings to keep your child’s bottom dry. And bring an extra set of clothes, just in case!

I keep our rain boots in the car to allow for spontaneous outings in the winter. Some day I’ll remember to keep old towels in the car so I always have one available. (Instead, I’m the one whose kid gets soaked pants every time we go – good thing I always have extra clothes in the diaper bag!)

In the Seattle area, you can also take a quick and free day trip up to Snoqualmie Pass to sled and make snowmen.

For lots more ideas for fun, cheap outings with a toddler, click on the category Toddler Date on the right…

Cheap Dates with Toddlers: Going to the Dog Park

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img_20160724_152718837I have an on-going series of easy, cheap or free activities that toddlers love. Here’s one in honor of today’s lovely sunshine…

Off-Leash Dog Areas: If you’re feeling down and lonely in the winter, when the sun comes out (even if it’s cold) head to the dog park, and you’ll find lots of people and lots of very happy dogs, which always lightens my mood! It’s great for exercise, socialization, and learning new things: Dog parks are a great place to teach your child adjectives: big dog, little dog, white dog, fluffy dog, and so on. (As they get older, you can work on memorizing dog breeds – it’s a great way to train their brain to notice distinctions between things, categorize them, and remember those categories.) FYI, you don’t need to have a dog of your own to go to the dog park. Even if you do have a dog, you might find it easier to leave him at home when you take your toddler on her first few outings.

Note: wear boots for puddles, and wear clothes that can get wet and muddy, as you may encounter a dog shaking off, or a friendly dog who jumps with muddy paws.

A few important safety notes: even the friendliest and ‘safest’ dog can bite if circumstances are right. Consider carrying your child in a front pack or back pack that puts them up and away from the dogs. If your child is walking, tell them they need to hold your hand whenever a dog is nearby. Never approach a dog without its owner’s permission, and once you have permission, have your child first hold out a closed hand for the dog to sniff before petting the dog. Here are more tips on teaching your child to be safe around dogs.

For folks on the Eastside of Seattle, here’s where to go:

We love Marymoor Park‘s off-leash area in Redmond, because you can go for a nice long walk. But you’re definitely in the middle of the action when you go for a walk there, and should expect close encounters with 20+ dogs of all sizes and behavior as you walk. If you’d rather view dogs with a little more distance, check out Jasper’s in Kirkland. There is a fenced off-leash area where you can keep your toddler outside the fence where they have a good view of the action, but may feel safer to them. Another option is Robinswood in Bellevue, which is a smaller “corral” where on weekdays, I often find only 2 – 3 dogs and their owners, so it’s a little more low-key.

For more animal fun, check out Pet Stores and Farm Parks. Considering a pet of your own? Find my recommendations on Best Pets for Kids.

Cheap Dates for Toddlers – Pet Stores

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petstore

[This series is filled with “cheap date” ideas for something fun and simple to do with your toddler. The big picture ideas apply to any locale. Specific examples are on the Eastside of Seattle.]

Every time we need dog food, it’s an excuse for my son and I to go to “the small animal zoo” which is what we call our local pet stores. It’s great for 30 minutes of rainy day, educational entertainment for free.

We listen to the birds and watch them flutter, we count the fish in the tanks and talk about all the different colors we see, we search for the reptiles and talk about the ways that animals hide themselves from view, we admire the kitties that are up for adoption, and watch the dogs play at the day care. I find it easiest to put my son in a shopping cart rather than letting him walk around – he gets into less trouble that way.

As children get older, you can talk about what makes the reptiles different from the fish, and how the rodents differ from either of them. You can talk about the characteristics of mammals. You can talk about herbivores, insectivores, and carnivores. The pet store becomes a biological science class. (Here’s a kid-focused post on animal classification.)

If you don’t have a pet of your own, consider picking up a treat to share with a neighbor’s dog, or buying a toy to donate to the animal shelter. (These offer excuses for future outings!)

On your trip to the “small animal zoo”, don’t be surprised if you run into other parents of toddlers enjoying the same thing!

If you’re considering getting a pet for your child, check out my recommendations on Choosing a Pet for Your Family.

This ParentMap article recommends a few specialty pet stores you can check out: http://www.parentmap.com/article/critter-fix-for-kids-in-seattle.

Fun and Learning with Pipe Cleaners

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For under $1, you can buy 25 pipe cleaners, which offer lots of opportunities for fun and learning. All these activities build fine motor skills (learn why that’s important.) Some also have additional cognitive benefits.

The activity ideas at the top of the list are where to start with a younger toddler. As they master those skills, you can move on to the more complex tasks near the end of the list. (Please click on the links below for LOTS more ideas for great activities to do with toddlers and preschoolers!)

Find a block of Styrofoam, or floral foam (the soft green foam in floral arrangements) or play-dough. Show your child how to stick pipe cleaners into it. They will soon learn that it works better when they hold the pipe cleaner near the end. This will help them later learn that they have better control over a pencil when they hold it closer to the tip. (you can also add straws, as shown in this “first sculpture” from http://craftulate.com/2013/03/first-sculpture/)

sculpture

Take out the colander: show your child how to thread a pipe cleaner through the holes. (http://teachingmama.org/20-ways-to-keep-toddlers-busy/) You could also use an empty spice jar if the shaker lid has big enough holes. (http://ayearwithmomanddad.com/2012/04/tot-explorations-easy-motor-skill-activity/) This takes concentration and builds hand-eye coordination.

colander  spice jar

Buy plastic beads (or use cheerios, penne pasta, or cut-up straws). Show your child how to thread them onto pipe cleaners. This is MUCH easier than stringing beads onto a floppy cord. Here’s three stages you can try: first, cut pipe cleaners into shorter pieces and plant one end into some play-dough or foam so your child only has to hold the bead. http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/2012/09/i-can-week-in-preschool-fine-motor.html  Once they’ve mastered that, show them how to hold the short pipe cleaner and thread beads on. http://theimaginationtree.com/2013/03/threading-with-pipe-cleaners-and-beads.html Once they’ve got that, give them a full length pipe cleaner. They’ll have to figure out how to work with it when it bends.

stringbase  string

Cut pipe cleaners into small pieces, and put them in a plastic bottle. Show your child how to use a magnet to pull the pieces around the container – good for teaching the basics of magnets.
http://pre-schoolplay.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/discovery-bottles.html

magnet

Bend pipe cleaners into letters, numbers, and shapes. Seeing and playing with physical representations of these academic concepts helps reinforce children’s learning.  http://www.makeandtakes.com/learning-letters-with-pipe-cleaners

letters

Make wiggly “worms” with the pipe cleaners, and have your child “catch” them with a clothespin. Great for fine motor control. You can also add in imagination skills by talking about the clothes pin as a bird catching the worm.  http://seevanessacraft.com/2012/12/30-busy-bag-swap-ideas-part-1/

worms

Put out three colors of pipe cleaners and three colors of beads. Encourage your child to string the beads on the matching pipe cleaner. This teaches colors and sorting skills, which are vital to lots of academic learning. Once they can do three colors, move to four, then five. http://skellyskindergarten.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-my-pinterest-inspiration.html

You can also teach patterns with beads and pipe cleaners. http://mattbgomez.com/patterns-with-perler-beads-and-pipe-cleaners/ Start with simple patterns – blue, yellow, blue, yellow. Then get more complex: blue blue yellow, or blue yellow white… Pattern recognition is an essential skill that allows us to recognize and solve problems of all sorts much more quickly.

Get the Styrofoam back out and try building bead mazes.www.teachpreschool.org/2012/04/colorful-pipe-cleaner-bead-mazes/

beadmaze

Have your child shape the pipe cleaners into letters and numbers themselves. They learn more by doing than by watching. You can start by writing the letters on paper and having them “trace” it with a pipe cleaner (http://seevanessacraft.com/2012/12/30-busy-bag-swap-ideas-part-1/), then build up to them creating the letter from memory.

trace

Get alphabet beads, and build words on the pipe cleaners! Stringing them together helps reinforce the order of the letters.

Safety note: Pipe cleaners are wires, and the tips can poke. If you’re worried about this, some people recommend folding over the end (If you happen to own needle-nosed pliers, you can make a nice tight loop. Or you can just use your fingers and fold over a little more.) Some people tape the ends. I personally don’t worry about it… kids can get a small poke with a pipe cleaner, but it’s unlikely to injure… I have found that after my kids poke themselves a few things, they learn a good lesson about handling things carefully.

Safety Note #2: When using beads, or other small materials, do supervise your child closely so they don’t swallow beads, or put them in their noses, or in their ears. If they swallow a plastic bead, it’s likely to pass through in a few days. If they put a bead in their ear, that can be there a very long time without anyone noticing. (Please don’t check my family’s medical records to see why I know that. 🙂 )

Here’s lots more ideas for older kids: http://spoonful.com/crafts/25-easy-diy-pipe-cleaner-activities-kids#carousel-id=photo-carousel&carousel-item=16

Cheap Dates for Toddlers: Sushi-go-round

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sushi

[This series features “toddler date” ideas for something fun and simple to do with your young child. The big picture ideas apply to any locale. Specific examples are on the Eastside of Seattle.]

If you have a baby or young toddler who is not-yet-very-mobile, and you’d like to have a meal out with your partner or a friend, try having lunch or dinner at a sushi bar with a conveyor belt that goes round and round. This ever-changing view can be a great mesmerizing distraction for your child.

Another advantage is that the food comes immediately, so you can eat quickly. If your child melts down pretty early in the evening, you can make a fairly quick escape. But it’s also self-paced, so if you’re lucky and your child stays happy, you can slow down and relax and wait for that éclair to come around a couple more times before you decide to take it.

Note, once your child can stand and move, sushi places are NOT much fun. You may find yourself frantically trying to prevent your child from grabbing all the plates of food as they go by! Wait to go again till they’re old enough to know that’s not OK.

The best place to take kids for sushi? Kura Sushi in Bellevue. They have robots that bring your drinks, and a system where every time you turn in five plates it shows a video, and when you reach 15 plates you get a prize. There is often a long wait, so go at off times like a Tuesday afternoon.

[Photo credit: from yelp review of Sushi Maru in Bellevue, WA)