As moms, one of the most frustrating things we have to deal with on a daily basis is trying to cook while your child is asking us questions, crying, winning, or needing us to help them with something. It doesn’t matter what we are trying to do in the kitchen, it could be making a simple bowl of cereal, or cooking thanksgiving dinner, but our little children will definitely come in and interrupt us. It’s one of the hardest things I deal with every day and it drives me absolutely bonkers. If you’re in the same boat as me, check out these 8 great activities that will entertain your little toddlers while you cook in the kitchen.
Source: munchkins-and-moms.com
1. Foil Wrapped Toys
My 2-year-old son loves unwrapping things. He couldn’t be happier than when he gets to unwrap a straw to put in his cup of water at a restaurant. What a great idea to wrap some of your child’s toys for them to unwrap while you cook. It’s the perfect way to keep them occupied for a long time. Instead of wrapping them in wrapping paper, use foil. That way you won’t have to use tape to hold it together and it’ll hold up better when you wrap it around the toy. The more toys you wrap, the longer they will spend unwrapping them, so make sure you wrap enough to give you the time you need in the kitchen. It’s sure to keep them so concentrated on what they are doing that they won’t bother you while you are cooking away.
(Head over to Munchkins and Moms for other great activity ideas for your little ones to keep them busy and happy).
Source: sugaraunts.com
2. Straw Sorting In Cheese Containers
If you haven’t already figured it out by now that kids love to sort items and put objects inside of things then you will very soon once you give them this activity to do. It combines both sorting and putting objects inside of other, and creates total heaven for your child. All you need to do is keep those left over parmesan cheese containers, clean them out, then cut up some colorful straws, and let your child sort through the straws by colors and put them inside the cheese containers. If you only have one container, don’t worry, they won’t mind putting all the straws in the same one.
(If you’re looking for more sensory play ideas, craft ideas with our kids, as well as family friendly recipes, head over to Sugar Aunts).
Source: theiowafarmerswife.com
3. DIY Drum Set
This activity is a great option, but only if you don’t mind loud noise. Obviously, kids all love toys that make loud noises so they’ll love this activity. Pull out some various items from your kitchen and home for your child to drum on, then give them some other items to bang on them with. Great drum objects would be pots, pans, boxes, trash cans, cookie sheets, bowls, etc. Great drum sticks would be wooden spoons since they won’t be able to harm themselves with them. Set up all the items in one area and let your child have at it. Sing along with them, dance to their music in between cooking, and enjoy the time you have in the kitchen without being interrupted.
(If you want other great learning activities for your kids, head over to The Iowa Farmers Wife, where you’ll find lots of homeschooling ideas).
4. Block Pick Up
My son loves playing with blocks, but after a few minutes, he gets bored building with them. A great alternative to building with the blocks is to let them pick them up with something fun and put them away in something fun. All you have to do is put the blocks out on the floor, give your child some tongs to pick up the blocks with, and then let them put them in a container. Since using tongs will be new to them, they will not only love it, but be entertained for a while with them. It’s also a great learning activity for them as they have to use their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination to pick up the blocks. Any activity that helps your child learn and keeps them entertained is a winner in my book!
(For other great hands on activities that will entertain your kids as well as teach them, check out Hands On As We Grow).
5. Pasta Threading
We’ve all seen the pasta threading activity where your child threads string through pasta with large holes. While that is an awesome activity for their motor skills as well as keeping them entertained, it’s a little difficult for young toddlers. This version is a little easier for younger kids. Lay out some play dough and stick some straws into the play dough sticking out different ways. Then, give your child some pasta and let them tread the pasta onto the straws. It’s great for their hand eye coordination, and because they can move around the straws on their own and put on and take off the pasta, they’ll be entertained long enough to keep them out of the kitchen so you can make that delicious meal.
(Check out Laughing Kids Learn for other great learning activities, craft ideas, and so much more).
Source: adventuresofadam.co.uk
6. CD Stacking
Have a bunch of old, scratched CDs and DVDs sitting around? Put them to use and let your child play with them. Use the CD holder to let your child stack the discs on. They’ll stay entertained for a while trying to put the discs onto the plastic spindle. This is the same idea as those plastic donut toys that almost every child receives at baby showers. They can stack them all on, then take them all off and do it over and over again as much as they’d like. At first, your child may struggle with putting the discs on the holder, but after a lot of practice, they’ll get the hang of it.
(If you’re in need of other great playful and entertaining activities head over to the Adventures of Adam).
Source: adventuresofadam.co.uk
7. Straw Play
What is it about putting things through holes for little ones that they love so much? It doesn’t matter what hole it is, or what they are putting through that hole, they simply don’t care. It makes them happy and pre-occupied so if you want to have some uninterrupted cooking time, pull out some straws and a few items with holes in them. Let your child put the straws through the holes in the objects. They’ll do it over and over again and be as happy as can be, which will make mama as happy as can be.
(If you’re in need of other great playful and entertaining activities head over to the Adventures of Adam).
8. Stacking Cups
Kids love stacking. Anything they can stack, they will and cups make the perfect stacking item. Paper, plastic – it doesn’t matter. They will be happy no matter what. Not only will they stack them, but they’ll put the cups inside of each other, put other things in the cups, and whatever else they’re little minds can imagine. It’ll certainly keep them entertained long enough so you can cook in the kitchen without being bothered.
(For other great hands on activities that will entertain your kids as well as teach them, check out Hands On As We Grow).