Toddlers Are Easy

The ease with which you can entertain your toddler is a super power. Simple items like a squirt bottle, a sponge, or a wooden spoon and a loud metal pan can occupy your little one all day long, providing smiles and silliness that you will remember for a lifetime.

Toddlers really like to help, too - and with the right framing you can "trick" your kids into having fun while cleaning up. It's not always easy to get them to pick up a room full of balls without their natural instinct to throw the balls and make a bigger mess coming out. Other situations are ripe for toddler assistance - putting games back in boxes, spooning out cookie dough, or assembling new toys to name a few.

Try a few of these fun things out:

• Shaving Cream and Food Coloring - In the bathtub, spraying shaving cream on the surface of the water and following that up with drops of food coloring turns bathtime into fingerpainting time
• Muffins - making muffins, especially mini-muffins is a great fun project for toddlers. They can help with the mixing, pouring the batter, preparing the muffin tray, and taste testing the results
• The Game of Doctor - future medical students have great fun listening to heartbeats, and other standard mommy checkups - making sure you always have the right amount of toes, knees, and elbows.
• Pouring - Whether it's uncooked rice, water, or even a bowl full of toys, toddlers can have a blast pouring things from one big bowl to another. Using a ladel is also a lot of fun.

When you feel a bit of strain because the kids are being too demanding, reach back to the basics and think of a new fun way for them to occupy themselves for a few minutes while you recharge.