There's always the electronic mammary gland, the good old glowing baby sitter.
3 year olds *love* to watch the same video over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and ad infinitum, or rather, ad nauseum.
Just stick a "Beauty and the Beast" DVD in, or "Aladdin", or any of those kiddie movies. That will keep his jaw slack for a while.
One of my kids seemed to sleep the most soundly in a moving vehicle- but at today's gas prices, I dunno. Don't know how much that will help.
Another option is to exploit the "insanity". I used to let the kids jump off the back of the couch- to my waiting arms.. and they could jump over a five or six foot stretch. And they'd keep at it for quite a while- really wear themselves out. If I watched somebody do that today, I'd probably have heart failure..
When I had four young children at home, which more often than not included a baby, I had a schedule for us to follow. I don't remember the exact schedule, but I do remember the gist.
The reason I did a schedule was because young kids, when they know exactly what to expect, do a bit better at self-directed play.
I would have story time, bible verse time (when we memorized a bible verse), music time (we'd dance, sing, make up silly songs, etc.), craft time (we'd draw, paint, use playdough, etc.), nap time, video time.
Interspersed would be self-directed play in a certain area of the house, helping mommy with clean-up and putting away laundry, snuggling...LOTS of snuggling, and just time to talk.
There was also nap time, meal times, and snack times.
I would also have the kid-sized kitchen, broom and dustpan, and all that kinda stuff. Kids LOVE feeling grown up and helping mommy clean the house!
Our library had videos on every subject you can name...so once a week or so we'd go there and each child would pick out one or two and everyone would watch them. We learned about different countries, how to cook all kinds of foods, how to fix all kinds of things...just any how-to or educational video would get watched over and over again.
And one night a week or so, each child could pick what the family would do (my husband at the time did not participate in this).
These things were good for them on many levels. Not only did they have a chance to learn and practice new skills, but they learned how to plan things, and how to schedule themselves so they would be ready for the next activity.
*Had to go supervise in-school suspension before I finished this.
Boxes of every size your living room or his bedroom can handle. Especially one or two he can get in and make a fort out of.
Noisy papers
Boxes
Playdough
Boxes
Give the kid jobs. You might buy an hour or so letting him clean the tub. You'll have to come behind him later and mop the bathroom floor of course. Sweep all the floors, get a kids vacuum toy. Kid size broom and vacuum for a few bucks at a dollar store.
Boxes
A camera without film that he knows how to wind and click 400 times.
At that age my kids (3) all would spend up to an hour at a time taking things like cardboard boxes, then lay on their backs and just study it (hold it above them and stare at it). I'm no professional, but I suspect that that age is when kids figure out a lot of cause-and-effect type stuff, like repeatedly stepping on the matt that opens the automatic door at the grocery store just to see that it does work over and over again.
I doubt if anything is guaranteed to hold his attention for that long, but if you see him playing with something like that that isn't actually a toy...well, who knows.
My kids liked open ended toys--doll houses and other Fischer Price type 'sets' with tons of little happy meal type people(which could be bought in bags for cheap at second hand stores)and cars. We also had a great set of homemade wooden blocks that could be used with the house type toys. My kids would play for hours with those. Sometimes for variety we moved some of those outside to the sandbox.
Some threes like kiddie computer games.
One child can learn to play alone with toys and get quite involved in the play. Duplos, tinker toys and other building toys are great. They don't need tons of supervision for that type of play, either, unlike arts and crafts. Also, cross play--building toys with cars and people etc, can really extend the child's interest in playing, though it does take a little longer to clean up. But sorting is a valuable activity for a 3 yr old.
I also had a swing set and bikes etc in the back yard, and my goal was to get the tot outside for a couple hours a day(1 am, 1 pm). All my kids were more liveable if they spent a couple hours outside everyday. We were a one car family for a long time, so I rarely went places more than once a week, though we took walks with the stroller. I also tried to arrange a playdate every week with another mom. They usually came to my house because we had the big fenced yard etc.
Like Cindy! I followed a daily schedule that didn't vary much from day to day. If my oldest was bored and I had chores etc to do, then I would let my oldest set up toys in a fort under the dining table, or use blankets across furniture in the living room.
When I was nursing I could read books to the older child, who quickly learned to turn pages. Or we would watch kiddie tv.
George--blocks, wheels and ramps ARE physics activities for a 3yr old!
Oh, and I had a gate across the kitchen, so the kid couldn't get in there if I was busy with baby(the HFC hated this, but it worked for me!)
Yeah. And I found Schrodinger rather dull at that age.
I had a cat named Schrodinger once, but mostly to save time I called him "dammit" - "dammit, your litter box is over there!", "dammit, the door's open, are you coming in?", "dammit, you knocked over a plant again!".
Some of the things we've been doing but they've gotten old or whatever - seems like everyone mentioned their kids liked to play with boxes - mine likes the boxes the toys came in the best - he could look at the pictures and ask, "Mommy, what does that say?" for hours on end!
(Daddy just took one his favorite boxes to the dump last week - we were in big trouble for that!)
Just this week Kristopher discovered "Rescue Heroes" - we had someone give us a bunch of the toys and movies. He now loves to rollplay - I'm "Wendy Waters" and he's "Jake Justice" - it's too cute! (I asked him which Rescue Hero that Andreas was (our 8 week old baby) and Kristopher said, "He's just a baby who needs to be rescued!")
3 year-olds love discovering the real world. They don't need fairies and dinosaurs, because everyday things are just as magical.
Go on a nature walk around the block. In fact, make sure he goes outside every day. The fresh air and running around will help tire him out, too!
Teach the little kid songs and dances: "Old MacDonald," "The Hokey-Pokey," "The Wheels on the Bus," etc. Be prepared to sing them a zillion times.
Put on some music and let him bang on the kitchen pots and pans. Buy earplugs.
Let him help you match up socks and sort laundry. Give him some old clothes to play dress-up in. But put away the scissors unless you're watching him -- this is the age they try to cut their hair!
Have fun -- it is a wonderful age. You might feel like you aren't giving the next baby enough attention, but the baby has the added attention of big brother. Priceless.
A box. TV size, or something where he can crawl in. Crayola markers to draw on that box. Targets used to have cardboard castles that were remarkably inexpensive, where the kids could draw on them and play in/on them. If I recall correctly, we paid about $5 or $6 for them last Christmas when we got one for some neighbors -- it was the favorite of their 3 girls (6,5, and 2). Helped keep sanity in that family for a couple of weeks!
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Steve!
Well, you could leave him alone with a roll of duct tape and a tube of super glue . . .
bad steve
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Steve!
There's always the electronic mammary gland, the good old glowing baby sitter.
3 year olds *love* to watch the same video over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and ad infinitum, or rather, ad nauseum.
Just stick a "Beauty and the Beast" DVD in, or "Aladdin", or any of those kiddie movies. That will keep his jaw slack for a while.
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Ham
From my experience, three year olds do not need any help to be "busy", heh heh.
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Ham
One of my kids seemed to sleep the most soundly in a moving vehicle- but at today's gas prices, I dunno. Don't know how much that will help.
Another option is to exploit the "insanity". I used to let the kids jump off the back of the couch- to my waiting arms.. and they could jump over a five or six foot stretch. And they'd keep at it for quite a while- really wear themselves out. If I watched somebody do that today, I'd probably have heart failure..
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Cindy!
Chas..
When I had four young children at home, which more often than not included a baby, I had a schedule for us to follow. I don't remember the exact schedule, but I do remember the gist.
The reason I did a schedule was because young kids, when they know exactly what to expect, do a bit better at self-directed play.
I would have story time, bible verse time (when we memorized a bible verse), music time (we'd dance, sing, make up silly songs, etc.), craft time (we'd draw, paint, use playdough, etc.), nap time, video time.
Interspersed would be self-directed play in a certain area of the house, helping mommy with clean-up and putting away laundry, snuggling...LOTS of snuggling, and just time to talk.
There was also nap time, meal times, and snack times.
I would also have the kid-sized kitchen, broom and dustpan, and all that kinda stuff. Kids LOVE feeling grown up and helping mommy clean the house!
Our library had videos on every subject you can name...so once a week or so we'd go there and each child would pick out one or two and everyone would watch them. We learned about different countries, how to cook all kinds of foods, how to fix all kinds of things...just any how-to or educational video would get watched over and over again.
And one night a week or so, each child could pick what the family would do (my husband at the time did not participate in this).
These things were good for them on many levels. Not only did they have a chance to learn and practice new skills, but they learned how to plan things, and how to schedule themselves so they would be ready for the next activity.
*Had to go supervise in-school suspension before I finished this.
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Shellon
Boxes of every size your living room or his bedroom can handle. Especially one or two he can get in and make a fort out of.
Noisy papers
Boxes
Playdough
Boxes
Give the kid jobs. You might buy an hour or so letting him clean the tub. You'll have to come behind him later and mop the bathroom floor of course. Sweep all the floors, get a kids vacuum toy. Kid size broom and vacuum for a few bucks at a dollar store.
Boxes
A camera without film that he knows how to wind and click 400 times.
Boxes.
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rascal
videos...lots and LOTS of videos.
learning games on the computer have kept mine occupied for hours at a time.
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johniam
At that age my kids (3) all would spend up to an hour at a time taking things like cardboard boxes, then lay on their backs and just study it (hold it above them and stare at it). I'm no professional, but I suspect that that age is when kids figure out a lot of cause-and-effect type stuff, like repeatedly stepping on the matt that opens the automatic door at the grocery store just to see that it does work over and over again.
I doubt if anything is guaranteed to hold his attention for that long, but if you see him playing with something like that that isn't actually a toy...well, who knows.
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DaddyHoundog
mine loved mud and dirt...gave 'em a whole big area for tonka trucks etc....an water..yep it was messy...but i dont mind that.
lianne
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GeorgeStGeorge
A textbook on elementary particle physics should keep him entranced for hours.
George
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GeorgeStGeorge
Or, you might try comic books (though they cost about $2.00-2.50 each these days).
George
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Bramble
My kids liked open ended toys--doll houses and other Fischer Price type 'sets' with tons of little happy meal type people(which could be bought in bags for cheap at second hand stores)and cars. We also had a great set of homemade wooden blocks that could be used with the house type toys. My kids would play for hours with those. Sometimes for variety we moved some of those outside to the sandbox.
Some threes like kiddie computer games.
One child can learn to play alone with toys and get quite involved in the play. Duplos, tinker toys and other building toys are great. They don't need tons of supervision for that type of play, either, unlike arts and crafts. Also, cross play--building toys with cars and people etc, can really extend the child's interest in playing, though it does take a little longer to clean up. But sorting is a valuable activity for a 3 yr old.
I also had a swing set and bikes etc in the back yard, and my goal was to get the tot outside for a couple hours a day(1 am, 1 pm). All my kids were more liveable if they spent a couple hours outside everyday. We were a one car family for a long time, so I rarely went places more than once a week, though we took walks with the stroller. I also tried to arrange a playdate every week with another mom. They usually came to my house because we had the big fenced yard etc.
Like Cindy! I followed a daily schedule that didn't vary much from day to day. If my oldest was bored and I had chores etc to do, then I would let my oldest set up toys in a fort under the dining table, or use blankets across furniture in the living room.
When I was nursing I could read books to the older child, who quickly learned to turn pages. Or we would watch kiddie tv.
George--blocks, wheels and ramps ARE physics activities for a 3yr old!
Oh, and I had a gate across the kitchen, so the kid couldn't get in there if I was busy with baby(the HFC hated this, but it worked for me!)
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GeorgeStGeorge
Yeah. And I found Schrodinger rather dull at that age.
I was serious about the comic books, though.
George
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Steve!
I had a cat named Schrodinger once, but mostly to save time I called him "dammit" - "dammit, your litter box is over there!", "dammit, the door's open, are you coming in?", "dammit, you knocked over a plant again!".
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ChasUFarley
HA!
My child is the reason why Mr. Clean Magic Erasers were invented!
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ChasUFarley
Thanks for the ideas -
Some of the things we've been doing but they've gotten old or whatever - seems like everyone mentioned their kids liked to play with boxes - mine likes the boxes the toys came in the best - he could look at the pictures and ask, "Mommy, what does that say?" for hours on end!
(Daddy just took one his favorite boxes to the dump last week - we were in big trouble for that!)
Just this week Kristopher discovered "Rescue Heroes" - we had someone give us a bunch of the toys and movies. He now loves to rollplay - I'm "Wendy Waters" and he's "Jake Justice" - it's too cute! (I asked him which Rescue Hero that Andreas was (our 8 week old baby) and Kristopher said, "He's just a baby who needs to be rescued!")
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shazdancer
3 year-olds love discovering the real world. They don't need fairies and dinosaurs, because everyday things are just as magical.
Go on a nature walk around the block. In fact, make sure he goes outside every day. The fresh air and running around will help tire him out, too!
Teach the little kid songs and dances: "Old MacDonald," "The Hokey-Pokey," "The Wheels on the Bus," etc. Be prepared to sing them a zillion times.
Put on some music and let him bang on the kitchen pots and pans. Buy earplugs.
Let him help you match up socks and sort laundry. Give him some old clothes to play dress-up in. But put away the scissors unless you're watching him -- this is the age they try to cut their hair!
Have fun -- it is a wonderful age. You might feel like you aren't giving the next baby enough attention, but the baby has the added attention of big brother. Priceless.
Regards,
Shaz
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markomalley
A box. TV size, or something where he can crawl in. Crayola markers to draw on that box. Targets used to have cardboard castles that were remarkably inexpensive, where the kids could draw on them and play in/on them. If I recall correctly, we paid about $5 or $6 for them last Christmas when we got one for some neighbors -- it was the favorite of their 3 girls (6,5, and 2). Helped keep sanity in that family for a couple of weeks!
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herbiejuan
A big sheet of fly paper kept mine entertained and out from underfoot fer hours, a bit of kerosene makes unsticking them easier
:D-->
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