Busy is the word we use to describe my son. When I looked up the definition for “busy” I found it means… “having a great deal to do!” If that isn’t the truth I don’t know what is! My son is that and so much more…. he wakes up busy and falls asleep busy! I am sure there are other words that I could use to describe him… but I try to keep the words crazy and wild out of my description. In the past when I have used those words to adults that have never parented a 2 year old little boy, they look at me worried and concerned… clearly a parent that has actually parented, or experienced a 2 year little boy truly understands what the work “busy” truly means! It is kind of a boy mom code word “That is Deacon, he is VERY BUSY!” lol. I will say that Deacon may be busy, kind of rough at times and always into some type of trouble… he really does love his mama very much and gives the best kisses and cuddles to anyone that he truly loves!

Activities that keep this busy boys attention are worth sharing! I am sure there are more mama’s out there that have a “busy” one at home that would love to try some of our fun summer tricks!

Water

Wow does my son (and daughter for that matter) LOVE water! He love to splash it, pour it, spill it and even bath in it when given the opportunity. I have found that any activity that includes water is GREAT for him! Good news with water is that although it can be destructive inside the house it is AMAZING outside and doesn’t stain anything, is non toxic and cleans easy 🙂 Here are some of the water activities we love:

Water Tables with Pool Toys— We get a new water table every year and always rotate our pool toys in that water table. This is the water table we got this year.

**Our favorite pool toys are from Disneyland/Disney World and are the plastic, squishy characters. We have the Cars, the Pixar set, the Nemo set and the Mickey and Friends. If you go to the parks, these are a MUST!

Create your own pouring station! This is great for their eye hand coordination and will keep them busy for hours. We bought these measuring kits on Amazon and add them to a plastic bin from Target in the backyard.  Since my son also loves rocks, he tends to add our back yard rocks to this station!

Animal and Water– this is always a big hit! We have gotten some sharks and dinosaurs for my son and did those in water. Then did some under sea animal for my daughter with these amazing water beads (very fun and great for all ages IF your child doesn’t put stuff in their mouth- definitely needs supervision for under 3). **See below for Young, Wild and Friedman… she has given me tons of ideas for my son and daughter. 

Arts and Crafts

My daughter LOVES to be creative, this is her biggest passion and I love how interested she is in it! My son loves to follow suite! Here are some fun ideas to try at home with your family that my little ones love!

Easel– We just got this new Melissa and Doug Easel and it is AWESOME! I love that you can add a paper roll, it has great trays on both sides and the blackboard side is magnetic which is a huge bonus!!

This category has SO many items you can introduce. One of my favorite places to search for new things is Lakeshore Learning store and Amazon! Finger paints are so great for toddlers, I have used these from Lakeshore. Stamps and stamp pads are also great!! Lakeshore has a wide variety of these!

Play dough— this is a love hate item. I actually love play dough, we have made homemade play dough and I love using different tolls for the kids to create! However, my son does like to be a bit destructive with play dough if left even slightly unattended. These is more of a parent/toddler activity! These dough stamps are so fun and I love using these tools also!

Toys to take with you

Ok, having stuff on the go is a MUST, especially when we are always on the go! These are a couple of our current favorites.

Elmo and Cookie Monster Learning Cases— These are ADORABLE and are a great learning toy on the go. These are a big hit with ours cousins as well! Plus your little one looks so cute carrying around their little briefcases!

Getting the wiggles out

Little Tikes Jumpy Castle–– this is a must!! This jumpy castle is a perfect size for inside or outside and has an amazing slide as well as great mesh walls. When it is not inflated, you can easily fit it in a closet or on a shelf in the garage. We use this in our basement during the winter or rainy days and we blow it up in the backyard when we want a fun day outside!

This is an ever evolving list and I love to hear from my friends what works well for their kiddos! Please share your ideas!

If you are looking another great resource, check out Young, Wild and Friedman, she is AMAZING! I have gotten so many great ideas from her site and have bought a lot of her kits for the kids! She is so creative and posts so many great ideas!

Enjoy!

D