Creative Ideas for Play – Toddlers

A few of the roles of a full-time nanny are to keep the children safe, busy, and ideally, entertained on an intellectual or otherwise creative level. Parents dread, and will most likely not want to welcome back, the nanny or babysitter who plugs the child or children into the television or Wii for the duration of the afternoon. What do you do if you are a new nanny or babysitter without kids of your own and the parents have left it up to you to find ways to entertain the kids? Here are some tips for your nanny or babysitter toolkit for the next time you find yourself in trouble because the toddler in your care begins to whine out of boredom.

Get the chores done: A good way to teach kids ages 2-3 responsibility while keeping them occupied is to involve them in the daily chores. If one of your chores is grocery shopping, for example, it is a good idea to give the child something to shop for. If your nanny or babysitter is looking for new things to do for the kids, maybe think about purchasing a toy vacuum cleaner and have her do some pretend housework with the kids. If you are in the produce aisle, for example, give the two year old something green to look for; the three year old might be asked to shop for the broccoli. If you are putting a meal together, have a toddler help wash vegetables, or name the foods you’ve laid out. Have the toddler help set the table, wipe the table, and clean up the dishes. If doing laundry, a toddler can help by sorting the laundry by colors. Try to get toddlers to help take responsibility of their toys by picking up after themselves after they are done playing.

Move it: Dancing along to music is a good way to get a toddler to fine-tune their motor skills while dispersing some of their energy. If the parents are okay with it, use household items to turn the house into a toddler playground, for example, use the couch cushions and blankets to build a toddler fort. Play hide-and-seek in your fort. Build a simple obstacle course that requires the toddler to jump, sit, squat, sway, crawl, or roll. If the weather is good enough, take a ball outside and play with the toddler, or simply go for a walk, naming things along the way. If there is a park in your community and you are able to take the toddler out, make sure to stay close to the toddler while in his/her care. Ashley, a Baltimore Nanny, said “I love to bring my Abba collection and dance with the little girl I watch. It’ s silly, but we love it!”

Get crafty: While the attention span of toddlers may make it seem like clean-up takes as long or longer as the painting/drawing/cut-out activity, it is nonetheless important to engage toddlers in this type of play. Make sure that the coloring area has a lot of paper laid out and that non-toxic, washable crayons or markers are being used when doing arts and crafts with toddlers. If painting, it is advisable to either do this outdoors or, if indoors, lay down newspaper and cover the child with an old apron or t-shirt so as to make clean-up easier on you both.

Read a book: If you are a nanny or a babysitter, make sure to read at least one or two books a day to the toddler in your care. This is a great time for the child to snuggle up on your lap or sit close to you while you share in the love of learning.