What kind of activites can I do with my 3 nephews?

Question

They are ages 2, 3, and 5 and i watch them 5 days week for 7-9 hours. They like to color but I think they are getting a little tired of that. What new things can I try taht they might like?

Trying to keep them away from the tv because they are glue'd to it most of the time. Also, nothing holds their attention for very long LOL

And the 5 year old has Cerebral Pausey...nothing mental, or anything, he just hasn't learned to walk yet. So going to the park wouldn't be much fun for him.

Answer 1

PLease don't listen to the girl who said to let them watch TV all day. Sing with them, let them do art other than coloring, take them outside. Go to the park. Let them help you make lunch and read them stories. Be active with them, kids that age are way way smarter than people give them credit for.

Answer 2

Try sitting on the floor, rolling a ball back and forth with them.

Also try coloring with more than one crayon/colored pencil in your hand. They pick up on that, and that'll keep them coloring for a couple more days. I found out, if you can hold enough crayons, you can make a rainbow in record time. And holding two or three different greens can make a pretty cool tree.

If you prepare their meals for them, choose a helper, (or three) to help out with some of the preparation. Show them the right way to wash their hands, before handling food, and touch on the reasons why (giving them a full-blown essay on bacteria and viruses could turn them into neurotic clean freaks later in life, just tell them that there's dirt so small they can't see it, and they have to get it all off).

Music is always good, and you can play almost anything with them around. I'd stay away from death metal (don't think the parents would approve), and explicit lyrics, though.

Dancing isn't out of the question either, sit with the five year old, and show him how to dance while sitting down, and he won't feel left out. The two and three can jump up and down together. Call "America's Got Talent" if either of them starts doing the moonwalk.

And, providing the parents agree, a trip to the park wouldn't be all that bad, actually. With the five year old, you can pick a leaf off a tree, and teach him a little about nature, and meeting kids his own age would be good for him AND the kids he meets. He's gonna meet them in school, it'd be good for his social skills and his popularity if he gets to speak to someone his age now, instead of on the first day of school.

But above all, read, read, read. Literacy begins the first time you say "Hi" to baby, and we never stop learning it.

Get children's books that rhyme, and once they get familliar with the book, you can pause on some of the more memorable lines, letting them fill in the missing rhyming word.

Hold the book so they can see it, and read it upside down. I know, takes practice, but the good thing about children's books is that they're simple. You can memorize them.

After some time, you can follow along the words with your finger, showing them what words you're reading. It'll give them a big jump when school starts.

Oh, yeah! One more thing. When I worked at the daycare center, one time we took plastic helmets and duct-taped paintbrushes to them, we took a huge piece of paper outside and taped it to the building, and let them paint with their heads. Just an off-the-wall idea for you. Get it? Off the wall? I kill me.

Answer 3

Well i use to work for a day care, there were a variety of things i was able to participate in with the children like cooking, them helping with lunch makes them always happy and then we would take several walks and go to the park. little things like reading and building blocks is always fun, i have cousins 2 and 4 and they love playing in the mud and chasing the animals around the yard, puppys are great !!!

Answer 4

Well if you don't mind a mess or noise:

Painting either with brushes or finger paints

Large blocks to build

Interactive books - there are some good Sesame street ones

Play instruments and marching band play

Play food sets (plastic)

Interactive song and dance dvd's: Backyardigans and Lazy town are cute

have snack time with zoo pal plates and have them try
to guess the animal before the food is gone

Playing in water- if it's warm and they have extra clothes

balls! let them chase balls around the yard. My 3 year old
will play catch and chase a ball around like a small puppy.

Story time at the library.



I have a 3 year old and I would absolutely not have:

Play dough- they'll try to eat it or shove it in places

small blocks- they'll have them in their noses or ears

no cooking! having more than one toddler around a stove or
oven is asking for burns!

Answer 5

I have 2 boys and they usually need physical stimulation-try outside stuff, turn on a sprinkler and let them play with the water.
Trucks in a sandbox
Water boxes (same idea as a sand box but with water toys)
Finger paint
Put a piece of paper on the fence and let them go wild with paint throwing
Bean bags through a hoop or into buckets
balloons
Balls-playing catch or rolling
Frisbee
check your local library for a story hour
Good luck and have fun!

Answer 6

i would take them out at least 2/3days a week you can take them to the park, if u have a stroller you could go a little nature hunt, have picnic outside, this would be a good time to teach the 5yr old some shapes, colors, abcs and 123s. there should be a web site for kids that can give u more ideas good luck and that's really sweet of you to watch your nephews

Answer 7

Their attention span is short. Keep lots of hands on stuff around, and plan some physical play into the day. Movies and TV are ok as long as you use it as a tool and not just the "idiot box" concept. Keep it educational, with the occasional cartoon for fun. Have fun!

Answer 8

visit the park, make sure they have nap times, the 5 year old may not need the nap but the 2 and 3 year old would.
quick visit the library during reading times.
You can make cookies or brownies with them, even tidy up time
is good for 30 minutes. :)

Hope some of this helps

Answer 9

There are a lot of age-appropriate games that you could buy and play with them. You could get Lego's and build things with them. You could read books and ask them questions about the story to increase their comprehension. I used to sing simple songs with young children that age such as: ABC song, If Your Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands---Eency Weency Spider, etc. They love it when you do things with them. Have fun!

Answer 10

Go to your local arts and crafts store, you can get a lot of cool stuff for cheap there. Also buy a kids cookbook they can make really neat stuff like different sandwiches and desserts. you can make treasure hunts in the house. You can cuddle and watch a movie. Good Luck!