9 Fun Ways to Keep Your Toddler Distracted Apart From TV

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It’s common these days to find toddlers endlessly glued to TV screens as parents capitalize on its alluring effect to keep their energetic tots calm and entertained while they do something else or get some ‘me’ time. Though toddlers are quite a handful and TV can be a very tempting option to keep them distracted, it is one option you should employ seldomly. Experts recommend not more than 2 hours of screen time daily for children below 6 years as research shows ceaseless exposure can hamper their cognitive ability.

Here are a few fun alternatives you should try out to keep them busy:

1. Bubble Delight. Creating bubbles is a great learning activity for tots. Set up a basin of soapy water outside and let him blow bubbles with drinking straws (this is for older tots), rubber bands and strawberry baskets to create bubbles of different sizes. They will likely be too excited to bother you about anything else.

2. Wash the car. You could both have lots of water fun doing this. The best part is you don’t have to worry about cleaning any mess later and there’s lots of space for hide and seek too.

3. Enjoy some cool music. Play a CD of your child’s favourite songs, sing-along and dance together or simply sing together without the CD. Create toy musical instruments with an old coffee tin as this makes an ideal drum. If you’ve got time, file off any rough edges and glue the lid on tight. An unsharpened pencil with an eraser is a perfect drumstick to use. This version of you at play is bound to thrill your tot.

4. Puzzle time. Problem solving is an invaluable skill you could help your toddler begin to develop with puzzles. As he moves each piece trying to figure out where it fits, your child learns the value of persistence and observing things from different angles. Simple puzzles are best for toddlers to avoid killing the fun.

5. Pool bath. Purchase a colourful rubber pool, get it fully pumped with air and fill up with water. Ensure that water level is appropriate for toddler’s size to avoid drowning. Sit by the pool and get some fresh air as your tot catches some water fun.

6. Play house or kitchen. The ultimate fantasy of every little girl is a playhouse or kitchen she can make into her very own. Boys, on the other hand, need a fort they can defend from ‘enemy spies’. Keep your children’s imagination active by providing them with these play items that can be turned into almost anything they want it to be. It can be an effective distraction for your tot when you need some breathing space.

7. Educational games. These days, most tots are familiar with gadgets and apps on ipads, smartphones and tabs. Install lots of age appropriate educational games or apps on yours to keep their hands busy while developing their little minds. Note that time spent doing this should be calculated as part of their 2 hours per day screen time.

8. Sort it out. Set a bunch of different objects like fruits, cups, keys and key holders, cubes of seasoning (do not use sharp objects) and so on, on a table. Ask them to separate into appropriate groups. Guide them by asking what each of the items is used for. Sorting is one way young children learn about objects around them and explore the world.

9. Paint. Use a poster board or cardboard, tape paper down on the sidewalk or fasten an old sheet or piece of canvas on the wall for your tot to paint on. Have him find some natural items like a sturdy leaf to dip into some water colour and watch him have fun as he paints the most hilarious thing ever!

Photo credit: spice4life.co.za