This weekend has been challenging for me since Jorge is out of town (and it is only Saturday!) During a normal week, he helps with the kids and their daily routine. I realize that mothers all around the world do all the tasks on a daily basis and to them I say: “You are Amazing!” also “Do your children misbehave continuously?”
In anticipation of what I knew would be a very long day, I planned some fun toddler friendly activities that both boys could enjoy without fighting. I hope some of these ideas help you keep your littles ones entertained. These are all activities that will need supervision from an adult.
Arts and crafts
This clearly doesn’t need an explanation. You buys some crafts and make some art. I opted for pasta art (also known as painting macaroni) If you purchase washable Crayola paint, it’s safe for your little ones and so easy to clean. The kids really enjoyed the painting process.
The next step included making jewelry with the painted pasta. We made necklaces but you could easily make bracelets, head pieces, and many more. You could also have the kids glue the pasta to create an image or outline a letter. Here are some ideas (link at the bottom of each image)
They wore them all day long and complained about taking them off for bath time. They were also very aware of the entire process and knew they had painted them. Not a single piece was placed in their mouth and they did not try to pull them or play with them. Worn like a true piece of jewelry.
Outside scavenger hunts
Getting them outside was important and a plan was needed. I didn’t want them playing with dirt or throwing things. The solution, a scavenger hunt. Angelica and I brainstormed some items big enough to hide around the backyard. We needed two of each so they both had an opportunity to find the same item. After we had all, I found images of said items, added them to a word document, and printed them.
I explained the activity: We will be looking for each of the items (blue car, rocket, yellow cone, dinosaur, walkie, and tomato)
Here is a snap of our paper. This was a total success with Yoyi. He understood right away what he was supposed to do and found most of the items. They also didn’t need a lot of supervision. Depending on the child’s age, you can trick them into finding the same items more than one time by placing it back outside after they find them.
Simple recipes
This one made me a little nervous at first but they did a great job. Because they are very young I decided to do a simple recipe that did not include any actual cooking. I had baked with Angie in the past and didn’t think the kids were ready for any sort of heat, so we made apple donuts.
Yoyi helped with cutting the strawberries and other toppings, and showed me all of his strength when removing the center of the apple with a plastic cap. He also had lots of fun decorating.
We ended the night with a relaxing bubble bath and I am happy to report that the kids are asleep.
A video with more on all of our activities today has been posted on my instagram account.
