Things to do with a toddler.

anyone with ideas for me - my 11 year old grandson arriving this afternoon - Please ! !

My little grandson loves a full sink of water with bubbles filled with loads of plastic dishes for him to ‘wash’, keeps him busy for ages,I put a little plastic apron on him but be prepared for a very wet floor.

Right time of the year to plant sweet pea seeds indoors, or broad bean seeds outside, or for quick results plant cress seeds on kitchen paper, a single broad bean seed between glass jar and absorbent paper, or an amaryllis bulb planted now should flower for Christmas.

Snap

I remember food colouring pasta shapes. Lots of colours Fir mixing in a big bowl.
If you feel adventurous and don't mind the mess a tray with Cornflour and water. The texture changes from runny to hard at touch.
I have some cutters like home punches that make different shapes - hearts, stars, bears etc. Cut out on different patterns and make a collage.
Collect conkers and pine cones - decorate for Christmas.
Make Christmas bunting.
Tent/den and a tea set - hour of fake cake (sadly) and tea.
Finger paint and add glitter before it dried.
Playshop with packets and tins.
Water play in the sink or bath. Tea set?
Chalk pictures on the fence and garden path.
Sensory jar making. Liquid or noisy.
Cardboard box with different materials in - cotton wool, piece of cotton, wool smoke, paper, card, corrugated card, baking paper sample, sand paper all in the box to take out and feel.
Mine loved putting socks on the washing rack. Folding vests etc.

Exhausting age.

Google Tuff trays. You can put anything out on them to follow your child's interests or to celebrate seasons or Halloween etc. i.e. if he is into dinosaurs you could put some out, then make a habitat with sticks & leaves you might find on your travels.
Lots of open ended play to feed his imagination. You could add water, stones, sand, the list is endless!

I used to save round pieces of card from food packaging so the we could make paper pizzas. I just used to cut tomato, pineapple, ham shapes and so on out of appropriate coloured paper and make shreds of paper for cheese so that he could stick them on.
I also kept a few empty food packets, supplemented by full tins and packets so that we could play shops.

I make 'cakes with my grandson who us nearly 2 years old. Chocolate cornflakes cakes and cake mixes. Try to keep it simple. As he gets older we will progress to proper cake making. The mixes are nice and simple for a little one and all different types with different decorations all in the packet. This week it was brownies

Grandmabatty. What you are providing already sounds perfect!
Another idea. Do you have a fence or shed? He can 'paint' it with water on a fine day.

I designated one low kitchen cupboard as my boy’s. He spent happy hours with pans, Tupperware, wooden spoons etc, banging them and taking them in and out. Might work!

I had a Wheels on the Bus cd when I looked after my GD and we would dance/march around the house singing and acting out the tunes She loved it and I got a bit of added exercise. Because of Covid I have not looked after her baby brother yet but now I have Alexa the ideas are boundless.

Grandmabatty , what a wonderful start you are giving him, you can be sure of that !!

By the sound of it he has a lovely time so I shouldn't worry too much. If you're feeling really brave (and calm!!) You could try something like collecting autumn leaves and glueing them ? onto a big sheet of paper, but he may still be a bit young for that I guess.

Sing nursery rhymes with him, even if you have no singing voice to speak of.

He will love it, and by passing on the old rhymes you are preserving folk culture, too.

I remember my great aunt sing "Clap, clap handies, Daddy's coming hame, pennies in his pockets for his ain wee wean" when I was two and we both clapped hands.

Wee Willie Winkie and the Lion and the Unicorn sound quite wrong to me if they aren't sung in Doric Scots!

how about making fairy cakes ,toddlers love to mix things ,and get gooey at the same time., or if you can stand the noise a box of musical instruments. or a long cloth over the table for a tent...

Once he's past the 'eat everything' phase, try 'trucks on a tray'.

We'd fill the tray with rice krispies, bread or biscuit crumbs etc. and GS would transport them on his various trucks and diggers.

Easy enough to vacuum up - or play in the garden, the birds will enjoy it too!

Lyndie, we made a little 'gate' (piece of wood) across the corner of the room - then filled it with the balls.

Should say play not okay!

My granddaughter (3) loves to play with small balls (like in a ball pit). Although she is a bit older she loves to throw them into a target (waste paper bin) and have a competition with grandad. As they are light they bounce off things and don’t cause damage. They okay in the garden on nice days and dining room when wet.

Sorry if someone has already mentioned this but a ball pool. A paddling pool and you buy some bags of very light balls. He can jump in them, cover himself with them. Obviously throw them but very light plastic.

Make paper boats and sail them in a washing up bowl or the bath, also make paper aeroplanes or make paper hats and decorate them according to the time of year.
Have some nursery rhyme cassettes and sing and dance to them. Old MacDonald and ringa ringa roses are good for actions.

Sounds like he has a pretty full-on time with you GrandmaBatty. Why do you need more?

I looked after one grandson from 8 months. Even before he could walk he was obsessed with cars and took to carrying one in each hand wherever he went including up to bed.
I filled a tray with small pasta and he pushed his diggers and trucks around for ages at the kitchen table while I cooked. When he was old enough to be trusted not to eat stones I substituted gravel (which I had washed very thoroughly) and he still enjoyed playing with it from time to time at age four.
However all children are different and the grandson I now have responsibility for can’t see the point at all. He just wants to draw and build.

All my gc have enjoyed bubbles and playdough ,and setting up brio tracks youngest gs plays with cars always brings one car and swops it for one of ours to take home ,he doesn't like jigsaws or books he is 3yrs .

Play doh goes down very well with my GC, and painting (big plastic sheets on floor, table, chairs, walls, ceiling...)
Indoor water play with little tea sets. Setting up a cardboard shop and contents to go shopping
For older children there’s a brilliant web site with lots of free printable projects made from card or paper plates it’s valled
’Easy Peasy and Fun’