Keeping Toddlers Busy in the Kitchen

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

21 Jun 2008 02:18 PM

There is something about late afternoon and toddlers. I've even heard it called the witching hour. Everyone is tired and cranky. I remember trying to fix dinner and the kids didn't want to stay in the kitchen where I could see them. Or they wanted to help. And some nights we just didn't have time for them to "help". My own children are now way past the toddler stage, but I thought I'd share my favorite fun tricks from back in the day.

All my boys loved stirring a handful of cheerios in a large mixing bowl. Sometimes I even threw in a couple of goldfish crackers, or pretzels. And if they stopped stirring to have a little snack, that was okay too. Sometimes they even shared with their favorite stuffed animals. Very cute.

Water is also a great thing to stir. Adding a couple of ice cubes makes it more interesting and makes a fun sound. The kids liked to scoop up the ice cubes with measuring cups. When they played with water this way, I would spread out a beach towel on the floor first. Toddlers are going to spill things, and with a towel the floor didn't get slippery. On that note, you don't need a lot of water in the bowl to make toddlers happy. A full bowl is just asking for trouble.

The bottom drawer in my kitchen is still the Tupperware drawer. In the old days, I'd pull the drawer open and let the kids play with all the plastic containers and lids. If they got bored I'd throw in some measuring cups and spatulas. Plastic cups that stack together also work great.

They all loved banging on the pots of pans with a wooden spoon. This wasn't my favorite activity, because it was loud!

Also See:

Fun Ways to Keep Children Occupied Today

Finger Play Fun

You've Got Mail - Ideas and Games for Kids

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

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