There's less than a week left until I get the chance to take care of my three year old grandchild for a week, while my daughter counsels at a local camp. I'm actually fairly excited about getting to spend time with him as I haven't seen him as much since my daughter started working. Excited. Really. I am. I am, but at the same time, he has such an active mind that I'm more than a little concerned about what we can do to keep up with his active mind and energy. I don't want to sit him in front of the TV all day, but at the same time can't really take him to to many theme parks or other activities at the moment. Any suggestions?
You don't need a theme park. Grandma's house IS a theme park. lol At that age, kids are quite easily amused. If you give him a dishpan and let him play over it pouring water from one cup into another, he'll be happy. There are many simple things like this that you can do to play with him. Also, little kids tend to love coloring. If you color with him, he'll probably like it even more. Crayons and color books are cheap and easy. You can grab some bubbles at the dollar store too. He'll probably be delighted if blow bubbles and chase them with him. What toys do you have for him? Those big, giant Lego's are almost always a hit.
There are always free events in malls during the holidays so it's worth looking some up in your area to make a day of it. In addition there are usually cheap theater shows during the day as well. Lots of communities do free events in the park too. Sometimes companies sponsor events, so you should look out for those too if any are nearby. I used to work on promotions during summer time where children would come and play and the company would give out freebies.
I'm not sure how old your grandson is, but kids find ways to entertain themselves based on their personalities. For example my 8 year old is an artist so I can give her a pad of paper and paint or sidewalk chalk and she'll be entertained for hours. My 3 year old is a terror so I can give her scissors and things she can just cut up and she'll be happy. They both like bubbles and playing in water.once you get a feel for his personality I'm sure he'll let you know his interests.
Well, the dishpan was definitely a win. Two cups a bit of bubble soap, and he was happy for more than two hours and wants to have a repeat again, today. To my surprise, he also enjoyed scanning through the project Gutenberg library to download illustrated children's books. Before we were finished, we downloaded more than fifteen, and read the first two last night. As for Toys, though, I'd expected the legos to be a win too, but at least last night, they weren't even noticed. He seemed to be far more interested in the kitchen, so we made a fruit salad, breadcrumb rolled cheese balls, and sausage dippers, with lots of spills and clean ups involved, but no stress. The malls, libraries, and parks are a good idea, too. I'll check the local sites to see what's up. Thank you.
rees We would take the cans out of the pantry and put them in brown bags like we were in the store, lots of fun. We also played restaurant taking food orders from each other and acting like we were being served. Long walks in the neighbor hood looking at the gHave fun with your grand son, you will have a lot of fun with him.
My suggestions are: playdoh, painting, playground, blow bubbles. If she is okay with it, I suggest taking her to a children's museum, swimming pool (youll need to get in the water), or even just walk around the mall. Take her to the library too for storytime or other activities and read her lots of stories!
