for the love of a two year old

[queenireneof3]

I am sure there is great advice on this site about homeschooling with a two year old (and next year a newborn) underfoot, however, I can't find any threads yet. We are doing well for the most part: my two year old will play quietly in his room while we do table work and will sit on my lap (mostly) quietly while we read a story (if his older sister doesn't fight for my lap first!). I try to limit his toy choice to a couple/few at a time and rotate what I give him. I have also recently been starting to sit down with him and read whatever books he wants for awhile so he doesn't feel left out of all the school activity.

I am looking for more simple ideas to keep him busy. How to structure his day so that he does not get bored? Also, he usually would rather get into trouble in the kitchen (climbing up to play with what is on the counters, etc) than play with a few simple toys. I chalk it up to being two and curious, and someday I will gladly accept his help in the kitchen, but for now would like to learn how to keep him busy with age-appropriate things! How much freedom in the house during the day is a good idea for two year olds? He spends quiet time in his room in the morning while we do some school work, then a long afternoon nap. Not sure how much free house-roaming time vs. room time, is appropriate for two year olds. There probably isn't a right answer..ha ha...just looking for some more ideas!

Thank you!

[StephanieU]

Here are some ideas that have been posted here before, I think many under "Share Your Schedules" maybe:
When working one on one with an older child, have another sibling play with the toddler
Use blanket time (or bedroom time)
Give them paper and crayons while others are doing seat work at the table
Do reading/phonics during nap times

We do any workbook things while the youngest is awake. Some times the 2 and 4yo join us at the table. Some times they play in the other room or outside. Then, when the youngest naps, I do any reading things with the oldest. The 4yo is good at either sitting quietly and listening or playing in the other room. Then if the rotating box is one that all three would enjoy, we save that for after the 2yo wakes up. Otherwise I try to do it while she is napping. If needed, I will do reading with my oldest right before phonics and soon to be Emerging Readers) when husband is home and can help distract the other two.

[MelInKansas]

Ha ha ha. Your subject was pretty funny and I can totally relate. My son is ALMOST 2 and he is a very busy little guy. I have read some really helpful threads on here, sometimes they get buried and can be hard to find.

Basically one method is to have a schedule for your 2YO and a bunch of toys/books/activities that are reserved for school time. Things that will be fun and exciting and several of them so that they don't get old. There are even many ideas if you search the Internet for DIY things to keep toddlers busy. One great one that I read recently was tape a paper towel tube to the wall and put a bowl underneath, and let the child drop pom poms through the tube into the bowl. I haven't done it yet but based on how he has responded to similar things, I think this would fascinate him. Many of the ideas do use small things like pom poms, or cotton balls, things that for me need to be supervised with a 2YO. So these would be things the child would do in the room with you while you are directing something like math, spelling, something that maybe requires less concentration. When my children need to read to me, they need to focus and interruptions are usually not good so we do those types of things during room time. Sometimes my oldest reads while everyone is still eating breakfast (because she always finishes first). Her siblings love listening to her read (the DITHOR books are so wonderful).

My guess is your older 2 would not be good for playing alone and entertaining the 2YO. I know that would not work in my house for those ages. Occasionally the 4YO and 1YO can play together and it not result in crying or an injury, but it is not something I can count on.

Then there's always videos and audio books. I like these as a last resort, but I do use them. But of course some 2YOs don't really sit and listen or watch.

Okay back to the schedule idea. Rotate around every 20 minutes or so to different things or different types of things. Plan where the littlest one will be while you do each activity with the older ones. You do need "transition time" for these things also, it does take a minute to get the 2YO installed in their location and started with whatever you have them doing. Snack is a great thing to kill some time. My true confession: my son gets a Dum Dum almost every school day. He sits in his chair and gets himself completely sticky and it makes him so happy.

I think for me, right now with my 1YO as he is, what I really have to do is pray for peace and patience each and every morning. Pray that the Lord helps me handle interruption well. I also do try to take short breaks from schooling the others to interact and engage with the 1YO. Sit down and play or read him a short book while the girls are finishing up a workbook page or copywork. I think this really helps him not to be clinging and climbing my leg while I am doing read-alouds. My son does also like to sit at the table and scribble with crayons, markers, or pencils while the other girls are at the table working. But then I basically end up standing by him and wiping marker off the table (because the markers are by far his favorite). He also loves the (very chokable) teddy bear counters and so I am working on teaching him colors with them because his older sister is using them a lot for math right now. Again, all of these things (trying to manage him while still doing things with his sisters) is what I pray for patience with because I know, it is not easy!

[daybreaking]

When my daughter was two, I had her play upstairs for a half hour in the morning, but I mostly used her naptime to homeschool. I also developed a rotating schedule of tabletop activities that she does near us, for three half-hour blocks during the day. For example, on Mondays, block 1 is puzzle-time, block 2 is stamps, and block 3 is play-doh. On Tuesdays, block 1 is pattern block activities, block 2 is lacing boards, and block 3 is Cuisenaire rods. Each day has three different activities, so there are a total of 15 activities I have scheduled for a week. I have two charts, so the activities alternate every other week. This has kept interest alive and has worked well to have her a part of our activities, while still allowing us to work.

[queenireneof3]

Thank you all! I love the idea of the rotating blocks. Would you mind sharing your 15 blocks, daybreaking? I have a feeling next year I will need that even more when my older two move on to Beyond. I am blessed that my kiddos get along well and I can trust both of them to play nicely with my 2yo for small spells, so I do alternate time with each older sibling while I work with one or the other. I have recently discovered that my oldest son works best in the afternoon when my toddler is down for a nap. So I save his 3 Rs for then. I can actually get more of my chores done in the morning while all three play together, so this is very nice! LHFHG is pretty easy on the schedule, so I might be in for a shock next year when the work ramps up a bit and we need to spend a longer amount of focused time on school.

I will have to work on toys that are special to school time. That has been hard to make work for some reason. I appreciate your help and advice!

[Samuel'sMommy]

You have gotten some great suggestions! I know there was a post a while back where Julie shared some of the activities she rotated her youngest through when he was still too young for school. It had great ideas in it. I'll see if I can find it or maybe Julie will pop in and update!

Edited to add: this isn't the one I was thinking of but it has some ideas. Scroll to the bottom to see Julie's post viewtopic.php?f=5&t=198&p=33557

[daybreaking]

Thank you all! I love the idea of the rotating blocks. Would you mind sharing your 15 blocks, daybreaking?

I tried to attach the charts I made, but it didn't work.

I made two charts, one for each week. Each has 15 blocks (3x5). The blocks name the activity and also have a picture of the activity, so my daughter knew what came next, even though she couldn't read.

Since attaching the file didn't work, I'll make a list and hope it makes sense. I have periodically modified these charts as my daughter has gotten older, so some activities listed might not be appropriate for a 2 or 3 year old.

Block 1:
Monday - W1: Floor Puzzles; W2: Board Puzzles
Tuesday - W1: Pattern Activities (Color Beads or Color Cubes with Pattern Cards); W2: Pattern Blocks with Patternables Book
Wednesday - W1: Melissa and Doug Preschool Type Toys (Stacking Train, Stack & Sort Board, Stacking Rings, Bead Maze); W2: Lauri Toys
Thursday - W1: Mighty Mind; W2: Tangrams and Tangramables Book
Friday - W1: Sticky Mosaics; W2: Wikki Stix

Block 2:
Monday - W1: Stickers W2: Foamies
Tuesday - W1: Melissa and Doug Magnet Toys (Puzzles with Doors, Dress up Wooden Doll, ABC Book); W2: Lacing Activities (Lacing Cards or M&D Lacing Animals)
Wednesday - W1: Magic Nuudles; W2: Stamps
Thursday - W1: Puzzle Patch Flat Puzzles; W2: Melissa and Doug Box Puzzles
Friday - W1&W2: Coloring Books

Block 3:
Monday - W1: Watercolors; W2: Play-doh
Tuesday - W1: Wedgits; W2: Cuisenaire Rods
Wednesday - W1&W2: Kumon Books (Tracing, Maze, Coloring, Folding, Cutting, Drawing, etc.)
Thursday - W1: Magic Pen Painting W2: Color Wonder
Friday - W1: Never Bored Books; W2: Draw-Write-Now Books

Other activities I've used in the past:
Leap Frog Fridge Magnets
Leap Frog Alphabet Pal
Read Along Books
Microsoft Paint
Etch & Sketch

I hope this helps! Enjoy the early years. If we hadn't miscarried, I'd have a two year old underfoot like you. I'd give anything to have a little one around again, even with the challenges of keeping him/her occupied during schooltime!

[MelInKansas]

That is wonderful that you are so organized daybreaking! Even having it all planned out like that makes it easy to go from one thing to the next. I have a bookshelf in my laundry room that is the "School time only" toys. The laundry room door is almost always closed, and none of the kids look in there for toys so it really does keep them separated. Then it is a fun time during school for my 4YO and 1YO to go pick out a special toy or activity to do. Occasionally the older ones even want to play with those, though most of them are really geared towards toddlers.

[queenireneof3]

wow, daybreaking. that is quite a thorough list. We don't have nearly as many fun activities as you do, so maybe we will come to your house and play! So it looks like you have two weeks of activites, so that they rotate? Is that correct? I will have to figure out what toys I can rotate in a list like that.

I love the pom pom idea, MelinKansas! I will have to figure out how to incorporate that!

I'm off to look at the other link from Samuel'sMommy now. Thank you!

[queenireneof3]

Thank you for the links! I never thought of getting him his own scissors! He does want so badly to do big kid things. I guess I will so look for that at the store. I am making a list of other great ideas from you all, thank you!

[daybreaking]

wow, daybreaking. that is quite a thorough list. We don't have nearly as many fun activities as you do, so maybe we will come to your house and play! So it looks like you have two weeks of activites, so that they rotate? Is that correct? I will have to figure out what toys I can rotate in a list like that.

Sure, come on over any time!

If it makes you feel better, I didn't get the activities all at once, but rather I've gathered them over the years, many as birthday or Christmas presents.

You are correct that I have two weeks of activities that I rotate.

[my3sons]

Those little ones are such fun but do need some things to do, so homeschooling can happen successfully! You are so not alone in this quest for what to do with the little sweet pea. Here are some great ideas shared on the board...

What to do with toddlers while schooling:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=198&p=33557
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4987&p=36744#p36744
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9569&p=69865#p69865

Carrie’s post about what to do with Toddlers (pasted from previous thread)...
I agree that schooling with a 2 year old (or any toddler) can be very interesting! It will be even more important to figure out a routine for that particular child than it is to schedule your older two. This is because a 2 year old can make the best laid schedule come apart at the seams very quickly.

So, with that in mind, I would begin the schedule thinking of how to keep the 2-3 year old moving from thing to thing every 20-30 min. I would take time to truly train that child with his/her schedule, as this will make your school day go so much better! This can be done in stages, so don't get overwhelmed with my post below as it just full of ideas that you can gradually consider doing whichever ones might work for you! Just think that anything you do for your 2-3 year old will really pay off! I'll combine some of my previous posts below of things we've done with our schedule for our little ones at that age, and you can see what might work for you.

A few things that we've done that may be of help to you as you ponder your 2-3 year old's day are as follows:
We usually let our little ones sleep later in the morning and get up when they wake up. This means we do two shifts for breakfast as the older boys do get up and get started on time. The little ones eat when they come down. We make oatmeal and leave it on warm on the stove, as it can be eaten easily anytime. Our other breakfast is eggs in the microwave that the boys make on their own. Just crack one-two eggs in a microwave safe cereal bowl, stir, microwave and add a touch of salt or shredded cheese when they're done. We add yogurt and peanut butter toast and breakfast is a quick affair. This allows us to eat in shifts as needed. Our meals where we typically sit down together to eat as more as family are lunch and dinner.

Another thing that helps is for us to start the 2 or 3 year old early on his/her lunch. The little ones are usually hungry earlier than the older ones, so having them begin eating early is helpful. It buys me about 20 min. more work time with my other children. We usually work right at the table where the little one is eating, so that child feels a part of what we're doing, but is happily engaged. Once the little one finishes eating, he/she is happier as we read aloud with the others at lunch and is more willing to either go play or play with cupboard toys while the rest of the kiddos are eating.

I often read aloud at lunch to my kiddos when they are all eating, as full mouths are quiet mouths (and their minds are listening)!

Another wonderful thing that is well worth doing is to clear out a lower cabinet in your kitchen and stock it with just your 2-3 year old's toys. I only allowed my 2-3 year old to have one toy at a time out of the cupboard. We placed child protectors on the cabinet doors to enforce this. Then, I filled the cabinet with all sorts of quiet items that the 2-5 year old could get out (one at a time) and play with quietly at the table or on the floor by the cabinet. Often my boys spent much time just getting one thing out and putting away, so they could get the next thing out of the cabinet. The rule was only one item out at a time, and it must be put away prior to getting out the next item. This easily took 25-30 min. and can be used anytime you need it. Many days my son just spent a lot of time taking out one toy, scattering it on the floor, picking it up, putting it away, and getting out another one (which is great for fine motor muscle building and for practicing the skill of picking up)! We did put child protectors on the cupboard doors, which my son could open, but it slowed him down and kept him from just unloading the cabinet. We tried to put the toys in the cabinet that had many pieces in storage boxes WITH LIDS. This kept my son busy every morning, again in the afternoon, and in the evening. It is still the first thing he heads for when he comes downstairs, as he knows it is his. We also have a playroom with his toys, but for years he often only ever wanted what was in the cabinet.

Some examples of inexpensive things to place in the cabinet for a 2 year old that you may already have on hand would be a bucket of cars, a lidded container with macaroni noodles and a measuring cup, play food that he can cut or put together, a can of tennis balls with a lid, a container with a tweezers and small objects to pick up with the tweezers (like small pieces of yarn), a Cheerio book if you have one (where kiddos put the Cheerios on the openings in each page, if no Cheerio book make your own using coloring book pages and drawing circles where your kiddo should place the Cheerios (and then eat them), a container with trains and a track in it, a magnadoodle, anything he can pound like a ball pounder, an empty egg carton with a big button or other object in each slot (make sure they're not a choking hazard though), colored cups with a small container of legos chosen to be the same color as the cups (sort the colored legos into the matching cup), a lidded tub filled with stuffed toys, a container of megablocks, possibly some tractors or other vehicles, etc.

Toys for a 3 or 4 year old could have smaller parts and more involved steps like simple puzzles, possibly playdough or moon dough, large gears, objects for sorting, alphabet letters, foam blocks, large tangram shapes, a dry erase marker board and low odor marker (only when supervised , stacking cups, nesting boxes or other things that nest, large lacing beads, snap cubes, patterning cards,etc.

Another help for a two year old is highchair time. This usually buys about 15 min. We tried to have a highchair time each day for our kiddos when they were that age. We also attempted a playpen time and a play at the table time each day. Here's just a few ideas we used in the past for our highchair time for our busy, busy boys at that age:

1. Save the plastic eggs that snap together from Easter and place a Cheerio or other edible object inside each one. Then, have the child open and eat them, or if possible have the child put the object in and then take it out.

2. Do paint with water books in the high chair. Tear one page out of the book and tape it to the high chair tray. Give the child a small plastic container of water (flatter is better than taller, so it doesn't tip) and a paintbrush to paint on the water, and watch the colors appear on the paint with water page. Often the paper ended up so saturated, you couldn't see the picture but the time it gave me was worth it!

3. Cheerio books you can get at almost any book store. These have an indented spot to place a Cheerio in on each page creating a scene. We bought them for our first son (who is now a freshman) and have had them for each child ever since. These work great in the high chair as well. Simply give the child a small cup of Cheerios to place on each page, reusing the Cheerios as they go. Then at the end they can eat them (or eat as they go sometimes too.)

4. Tape a white piece of paper to the highchair tray and sprinkle a bit of kool-aid or Crystal light powder on the page. Then give the child a paintbrush and some water and let them paint the powder.

5. Give the child a singing book to look at while in the highchair. Ours have the buttons you can push down the side and sing different songs or make noises.

6. Try having the child look at a pile of lift-the-flap books with very large flaps while in the high chair. Some of my boys liked this better than others!

7. Use dot paint markers. These markers have paint inside them and make paint dots on paper when pressed down. Just tape a paper to the high chair and let them dot away! Make sure the paint is washable though, as they often dot the tray and themselves!

8. Magnetic train cars to push around on the highchair tray work well if you happen to have any of those. Each of our boys have loved these.

9. Sometimes a combination works too. Start with one highchair item and when the child is finished do another one. We tried for 15-20 min. in the highchair at a time mid-morning.

Playpen/Crib/or Room Time is another great help. When the toddler is doing this is typically when I do the left side of LHFHG or Beyond all in one sitting (as it takes about 30 min. to do the left side). One idea from Managers of Their Homes that I really liked and used was the Mommy Tape or CD. I recorded myself reading short Bible stories, nursery rhymes, counting, saying the names of family members, singing short little songs like "Jesus Loves Me" etc. to last 1/2 hour. I said my little one's name over and over all throughout the tape, like I was talking to him. I played it every day while my little one had time in his room with his toys (we do that time in his crib for safety reasons). When the tape ends, the child knows the time is up. We also used this during playpen time when he was younger. Playpen time amounted to a singing tape/CD with toys in the playpen. My boys were required to stay in the playpen for 20-30 min. at that age. When they outgrew the playpen, we moved it to time in the child's crib. Then, later we began assigning an older child to play with the younger one during that time instead. Once the child was not such a danger to himself, we switched this time to being playtime alone in his room. This happens around age 4 at our house.

Another thing to consider is having an older child play with the younger child. We required the kiddos to play in one room for that time. I rotated the room by day, once the older child was responsible enough to be out of my sight with the younger one. For time with another child at this age, we had the older child have an assigned card with an order in which to do things with the younger child. The card for each day usually included some of the following:
1. Read two board books to the child.
2. Do 1 or more fingerplays with the child. ( I had a list and taught the older child how to do them.)
3. Walk around with the child in the house and point to and name 10 objects, having the younger child repeat back the name of each object.
4. Count from 1 on up to... (whatever is most appropriate) with the child, having the child repeat each number after the older one says it.
5. Sit on the floor and roll a soft air-filled ball back and forth. Then, stand and bounce it back and forth. Last, gently throw the ball back and forth.
6. Stand back and toss beanbags or rolled up socks into a laundry basket.
7. Follow along in a book with an audio book while having the younger child sit next to the older child or on his/her lap.
8. Play with an assigned toy. (I assigned a different toy to each day, so the older child knew what to play and where to play it.)
I also have assigned an older child to sit and do educational computer time with my kiddos aged 3 or 4 and help and guide them, so this is an option as your toddler gets older.

For our younger boys, we also have had table time, which is similar to the cabinet idea but gives another thing for a 2 year old to do each day. This is where we have used 5 different tubs (that slid under my bed for storage when not in use). We numbered the tubs Day 1, Day 2, Day , Day 4, and Day 5. Each day we took out a different tub and the boys had to play with the items in the tub. I just placed things in each tub that we already had on hand. By placing them in the tub to only come out once each week, the items seemed new and exciting. Then, if anyone ever gave us something new, I placed it in a tub. Tub items included puzzles, books, toys, short books on tape/CD, etc. We set the timer and required the boys to play with the items in the tub for 20 min. at this age.

Once the younger child is 3 or 4, I have scheduled an older one to do computer with the younger one, sitting by to aid and talk through the preschool type educational computer CD's (like Jump Start or Reader Rabbit toddler or preschool).

Last, I've found that if I schedule some time to be one-on-one for 10-15 min. with my little one, early on or mid-way through the morning, then he is more willing to go play on his own. Even reading a book or singing a couple of songs with him will give him that one on one time.

You can see that as much planning goes into the 2-3 year old's day as goes into any part of HOD! There is also much training there too! But it pays off big dividends in your year all year!

Blessings,
Carrie

My post about learning stations for Emmett (when child is a little older):
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10565&p=76777

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie

[queenireneof3]

Wow! Thank you for this! I will be rereading this many times to establish some new and fun routines for my two year old! What a very nice reply! We're off to try high chair time while I make dinner!

Sara