IDEAS FOR ACTIVITYS FOR 18MONTH OLD

[marlee1986]

Hi all, ive just recently started with my first mindee, hes 18 months but not very arts and crafty, i feel im not doing enough with free play. we go to toddler groups and park, and wen we get time at my house it always seems to be free play, i will get certain toys out like bricks or happy land farm/ people, aqua draw etc and i talk through all our play with what were doing, what to do next etc etc.

i would love to do an autum them thingy with leaves and paint n that but hes just not in to it.

i just feel im not doing enough????

but mum and child are very happy would like to just turn around and say m done this today ( something new)

[The Juggler]

take him to the park and let him roll around or kick up all the leaves and jump in puddles.

don't worry too much about autumn - he's young. smallworld play is fab for this age, as is block play/construction. if he likes this, try a wooden trainset, so introducing a different type of contruction skills (might spark an interest in jigsaws) and magnets if you have the magnetically joined trains.

Also, get him outside with a sandpit and a water tray. Loads of learning, supports, PSRN, KUW, PD and creativity if you add stuff to the sand and water. You can pop smallworld in the sand (dinosaurs, diggers) or shells and maybe leaves, bark cones (to brign autumn in :thumbsup:

[marlee1986]

thankyou :) fab ideas, off to charity shops to find some train tracks :) x

[Toothfairy]

I drew an outline of a tree on white card and then my mindee's (2.5yr, 22m and 10m) handprinted leaves onto the tree in Autumn colours.

I have also cut out a squirrel from grey card, used a split pin to attach the tail so it moves and Mindee's finger painted brown paint to decorate it.

We have also done the Owl craft mentioned on here. Mindee's painted two paper plates brown. When dry, cut one plate in half to make wings and attached to the sides of the whole plate. I then cut out big eyes and a beak from card and Mindee's stuck them on. We then covered in PVA glue and sprinkled Gold glitter over them.

We have collected conkers and use them for counting and I also bought a pack of small plastic flower pots from the 99p store which we use for stacking and also for hiding conkers under, moving around and getting Mindee's to guess which pot the conker is under.

HTH :thumbsup:

[rickysmiths]

thankyou :) fab ideas, off to charity shops to find some train tracks :) x

If you are near to an Ikea they do a fab not expensive wooden train track.

[Maza]

Children that age tend to love pouring and scooping - you can link this to any theme/season. For Autumn with mine I give them a tray of Autumnal coloured things to pour and scoop (orange lentils, kidney beans, yellow split peas) and add jugs, spoons, melon scoops etc and let them pour and scoop to their hearts content. If you put pans next to it they might use the stuff to do some 'cooking' which would make a fab observation under 'creative development'. Mine also love making 'leaf soup' in the garden with the leaves and sometimes real water. They also love dropping and posting things. You could cut a few holes in a cardboard box for them to post conkers into, or provide different sized containers for them to drop conkers and acorns into. They also love ramps - you could put some old tin foil rolls next to the conkers for them to slide the conkers down. Great for physical skills and investigative skills. You could make your playdough in Autumnal colours. Think 'sensory experiences' rather than finished art and craft products. Sing '5 Little Leaves So Bright and Gay'. Finger painting with Autumnal colours as someone else suggested. Mine also love putting conkers in little weaning plastic pots, ice cube trays, muffin trays and cupcake cases - great mathematical activity for developing one to one correspondence.