It doesn’t have to cost money to keep your pre-schooler entertained. Children often have the most fun when things are free, and activities simple.
Here are a few ideas of how you can spend your afternoon without spending a cent!
Blow bubbles in the garden
Blowing bubbles and chasing them around to see if she can catch them will be a hit with your child. This is not only entertaining, but it also improves hand-eye and hand-mouth coordination.
Homemade Bubble Solution: Measure 6 cups of water into one container, then pour 1 cup of dish soap into the water and slowly stir it until the soap is mixed in. Try not to let foam or bubbles form while you stir. Measure 1 tablespoon of glycerin or 1/4 cup of corn syrup and add it to the container.
Curl up on the couch with a book
Head on over to your favourite couch and grab your child’s blankie, and snuggle with your child while reading a book. Make reading interactive by collecting books with flaps and asking your tot questions about the story.
Click here for a round-up of 6 great interactive books for little ones.
Construct a triple tower
Stacking wooden blocks helps improve grasping skills and hand-eye coordination.
Build a puzzle
Simple puzzles, as well as shape-sorting ones, reinforce your child’s ability to learn colours.
Have fun with a pack of playing cards
While your little one might not be ready for complex card games, you can still have fun with cards. Take an empty ice cream tub, cut a slit in the lid of the container, big enough to slide cards through, and then let your toddler post all the cards. She’ll love it.
Build an obstacle course
Stack up piles of pillows to make an obstacle course for your toddler to climb over. You can also build a box tunnel for your little one. All you need are a couple of empty boxes. Open up the bottoms and the tops of the boxes and tape them together to make a long tunnel.
Try catching eachother’s shadows
Take advantage of the sunny days, and head outside when the sun is out. Stand still as your little one traces your shadow and plays a guessing game. Ask her to guess what your shadow looks like – a tree or an animal, maybe. Change positions and trace your little one’s shadow, and start the guessing game again. Otherwise, try catching eachother’s shadows, while you tell the story of Peter Pan to your child!
