What are some fun, educational, and low-cost or free things to do with my 1 and a half year old daughter.?

Question

Perverts, you can just stay away from this question.

We already read to her a lot, she LOVES books. We also only have one channel, as we arent much into tv. It has good shows for her and us, plus we have great kid movies. any pointers other than book or tv? like games and other creative stuff that is age-appropriate?

Answer 1

the zoo my kids always loved that I don't know what state your in but Oregon used to have free days now its 3 dollar days

Answer 2

My daughter & I would just walk. You can find incredible things outside your own door (depending on where you live). We live in a house with a yard. Just turning over rocks, wood, etc (Mommy or Daddy has to do this for safety reasons). we would find the most incredible things (like bugs!!). They might be digging, eating, or even having babies! We would walk down the street and inspect rocks (still my teenage daughter's favorite), pine cones, sticks (they're usually an unusal shape-more room for imagination), debris (a good example of pollution), or whatever. It put her in touch with her "own" space" while learning from observation that you have to "stop to smell the roses" type mentality. She is still super-observant today, and I cherish those quiet & natural "non-traditional" types of education. She's not scared of outside life, bugs, etc. She become a true nature lover without leaving her own neighborhood! We also went to local museums when they had free animal handling days (such as turtles - better wash your hands, as they can transmit bacteria-we learned that at the museum). The greatest things about children is they will open your eyes to things you've never noticed before. Life through the eyes of a child will broaden your horizens like nothing else! Good luck & let her take the lead the next time you're outside. The things we take for granted are the things they're still grasping!

Answer 3

Eighteen months is when a child's imagination really begins so you should encourage imaginative play. Get her baby dolls, or soft toys, teddy bears, etc. and show her how sing to the toy, put it to sleep, take it for a walk, etc.
She will also begin to develop a sense of independence, so she might like to do things such as play dress-up and brush her hair.

Some fun activities:

Singing, some good songs: Head, Shoulders, Kees and Toes, ABC's, The Hokey Pokey, If Your Happy, The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
Chasing Games
Simple Hide-and-Seek. Try this with several different blankets to choose from and take turns hiding under them
Dancing
Dress Up you can make her a princess crown with cardboard and yarn to tie it with, and let her help decorate it. If she likes your makeup maybe give her a mini make over.
Go outside and do a "treasure" hunt, with leaves, flowers and rocks being the treasure. Just give her a paper bag so she can collect her treasures. Then you can work together and make a collage with it all.

Some good toys:

Clay, Finger Paints
Imitation Toys (telephone, lawn mower, etc.)
Pull-and-Push Toys
Stuffed Animals or Dolls
Simple Puzzles two or three pieces. You can make them yourself by using either a photo or drawing and then gluing it on a piece of cardboard. Then cut it in staight or a bit wavy lines. I like to do head, body, and legs
Crayons and Paper (start showing her how to draw lines and circles)
Children's Musical Instruments; you can put together homemade ones like beaded necklaces in a jar, using lids to bang, cups to drum or even make an edible one. Get a storage container and fill it with cereal, m&ms or something like that.

Here's a site you can use in a few months that is very educational but is probably more for a two-year-old. I hope you might save it for later:
http://www.first-school.ws/links.html

Answer 4

Getting a library card at the public library is free. You can always pick up children books for you and your daughter to look at. Some Border's have kid sections complete with the Story time set up, where someone comes weekly to read to the kids. Since it's summer time you can find kid programs at almost all the parks. If you look around you can find, almost anything.

Answer 5

My daughter loved to look at magazines and catalogs. We would look at the pictures, point to something and tell her what it was. Great teaching tool. What color is it? How many?? Where is the dog? etc. She knows when I get a LLBean catalog there is a dog in it somewhere.

Also, painting with watercolors. Just through an old tshirt on them, and let them have fun. They usually paint more of themselves than the paper, but then you have a great photo op.

Dress up with mommy's clothes. Paint her fingernails, put a little blush on.

Go to the park and play with other kids and swing for the afternoon.

Answer 6

Take her out to the park, zoo, pet store, grocery store, or mall. Talk to her about everything. You can also take her to a farm, police station, or fire station. You just need to call ahead first on those. Even staying home can be educational. Let her splash in the sprinklers or a kiddie pool. Get some non toxic paints and some big paper. Let her paint. Even just going for a walk can be educational.

Answer 7

The Public Library

Answer 8

It's really tough to make good recommendations without knowing where you are. But - You can always check with your city's Parks Department (most are on the web, now)! My city has free boat trips to an island that's been preserved as a park. They have free concerts for children. There are two children's museums, and a Science Museum that has an area designed for kids to "get interactive" with science.

Answer 9

The library, the park, go on a nature walk in your own backyard. Find and old sheet and place in on the table. Let her draw on it. Make finger paint with shaving cream and food coloring. You can also make playdoh with flour, salt, water and food coloring. Do flash cards of animals, colors, or shapes with her. Make a playhouse out of a large box. Let her paint or color on it. You could also Google this question. There are lots of free, fun and educational things you could do. Look on daycare or teaching websites for free printouts and other ideas. Have fun!!

Answer 10

Get some chunky non-toxic crayons and try not to let her eat them but show her how to color and explain the colors. Also learning songs, Barney was great for my kids. Also try counting fun things, like cheerios, even by making a face.