Sprouts in a jar – a Toddler Trick for indoors

Edible Play Dough – a Toddler Trick for the kitchen

Playing with play dough is fraught as my toddler always wants to eat it!  She won’t be deterred even though it tastes disgusting.  So, while going over some old cookbooks I found this ‘truffle’ recipe which is not only good to eat raw, it is very nutritious and shapes and moulds beautifully.  It doesn’t last as long as play dough (mainly because it gets eaten) but you can have a lot of fun without worrying about vast quantities of artificial dough or salt and food colouring being consumed!  It is also cheap to make (we got all our ingredients from the bulk bins) and I roll leftover dough into balls as a high protein snack which is great for breastfeeding mums and active dads after training.

This is great for toddlers of all ages but it does contain peanut butter which may be an allergy concern for some parents.  You can replace with another nut butter if you wish.

What you need:

- 3/4 cup Skim Milk Powder
- 2Tbsp dried brewers yeast
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3/4 cup wheat germ flakes

Decorations:  We used liquorice, dried apricots, chocolate drops and dried coconut. Any other dried fruit, nuts, sweets or cake decorations would also be fine.

For making into truffle balls for adults, add a handful of chopped up dried apricots (or another dried fruit) to the mixture.

What to do:

1.Put all ingredients, except for the decorations, in a bowl and mix well together.  When it starts coming together, gather in with your hands and knead into a dough.  If you are making ahead, wrap in gladwrap and pop in the fridge.  Bring up to room temperature and knead lightly before using.

2. Cut larger dried fruit into pieces; put all your decorations into separate little bowls so that little fingers can easily access them.

3. You are now ready to start shaping.  Older toddlers will be right into it; younger ones may need you to show them what to do.  One tip is to keep the pieces of dough you use small (no more than a dessertspoon at a time).  This is simply because they are rich to eat and really high in protein so a little will go a long way – keeping your creations on a miniature scale will help make them incredible-edibles!

4. We all had a lot of fun making some animals – Aunty Caitlin’s elephant was probably the biggest hit!!  My toddler ate her fair share of the dough and the toppings.  She did learn how to make a ball of dough in her hands and roll into the coconut before decorating.

5. When playing with a group, give each toddler (or adult) their own piece of dough and let them make one creation before starting on the next.  The finished products keep well in covered containers in the fridge so you can bring them out as treats through the week.

6. To make the adults truffles, just chop up the dried fruit and knead into the left over dough.  Get small pieces of dough and roll into coconut; keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

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Shadow Puppets – a Toddler Trick for indoors

We have a lot of fun with this one; at night in bed or on a wet day with the curtains shut!  You don’t have to be a particular talented hand actor or actress to have fun with this trick.  I stick to the basics and the adventures of bunny, crocodile and dog are both legendary and never ending.  Older toddlers will have fun making the ‘puppets’ with you and can join in the story telling and action as well.

 This toddler trick is great for toddlers of all ages and is something older toddlers can do to entertain a younger sibling as well!

 What you need:

- A strong torch or lamp

- A dark room

- Lots of imagination

 What to do:

1. We have three basic ‘hand-puppets’ that we make.

a. Rabbit…easily identifiable by its ears and the bouncing up action as it moves around!  Don’t forget to ‘hop’ so bunny is not confused with dog!

 b. Dog…this really exercises your little finger and make sure that it moves up and down as you bark or dog talks in your story.

c. Crocodile…this is the easiest for a toddler to imitate.  The simplest version is just two hands, palm to palm, horizontally ‘snapping’.  But if your holding the torch as well the one handed crocodile as shown works the best.

2. Now make up your story.  This can be really simple “Bunny is going shopping…hop hop hop”.   Dog is going to the beach – watch dog run fast and bark loudly “wooof, woof”.  Crocodile is hiding behind a rock…can you see crocodile?  Yes there he is! (Note – your two fisted rock is easily turned into crocodile!).

I am sure you get the idea.  Play around and see what other fun characters and stories you can create. 

Note:  Try to keep things fun – crocodiles eating bunnies can be a bit scary when you’re two.

A Blanket Fort – a Toddler Trick for indoors

When I was young my sisters and I would spend hours on end playing under blanket forts that our parents constructed for us! We would have picnics, read books, play imaginary games and on the odd occasion we were aloud to sleep in them. This trick is something that everyone can build and enjoy and the materials are available in almost every household. It is also a great way to engage your toddler in imaginative play, especially on extremely hot or rainy days.

This toddler trick is perfect for any toddler.

What you need:

- A large blanket or sheet.

- Something to secure the hut with (pegs, hair ties, safety pins etc:)

- 2 large pieces of furniture.

How to play:

1. Clear an area in the room in which you are building the fort so that you have an open area to work in. Make sure that the area in which you are building the fort contains two large pieces of furniture, such as a table and a couch or a cot and a chest of drawers.

2. Drape your blanket or sheet over the two pieces of furniture making sure there is enough room underneath for your toddler to sit comfortably. Secure the edges by pegging, pinning or weighting down the fabric. If you find your fort is sagging then place a chair under the sheet in the centre for support.

3. Grab blankets, cushions and toys to lie down underneath the fort to make it nice and comfy!

Some play ideas for inside the fort:

• - Have a picnic.
• - Tea party with your teddy bears and dolls.
• - A secret hide out (place a cardboard box just before the entrance for your toddler to climb through)
• - Read books to your teddy’s.
• - Sleep in the fort.
• - Read books with a flash light.
• - Tell your toddler stories.

There are endless ideas so be creative!

Some things to think about:

- It’s a good idea to make the fort easy for your toddler to get in and out of. In case of an emergency in your house, you need your toddler to be able to exit quickly.

- Ensure all the furniture you are using is sturdy and secure and is not going to fall over.

 Do you remember making these when you were young? Did I miss anything? Add your tips, advice and personal experiences in the comments.

Toilet Paper Barricade – a Toddler Trick for indoors

The first time my toddler got hold of a roll of toilet paper I was chasing her around the house just envisioning the mess it was going create but now I encourage it!!! Every few weeks I will grab a roll of toilet paper while she is having her afternoon sleep and wrap it around the furniture throughout the house so she wakes up to a room full of adventure! She has such fun climbing over and under the toilet paper barriers.

This toddler trick is perfect for any toddler!

What you need:

• - A roll of toilet paper
• - Furniture

How to play:

- Using the toilet paper roll drape and wrap around parts of your furniture throughout the house. (Cushions are great to hold bits in place however I find wrapping around items of furniture is the easiest!)

A few more things you should think about:

• - Make sure you are wrapping the toilet paper around secure and steady furniture that isn’t going to fall over.
• - Try and salvage as much toilet paper as you can to reuse.

Note: Do save the inner cardboard roll as you will need it for our Toddler Trick on Friday.

Hunt The Pegs – a Toddler Trick for indoors

Welcome to our very first blog for Toddler Tricks.  We are really excited to get started and look forward to sharing our ideas and getting to know about your toddler-tricks too.  Every ‘trick’ has been tested on a real live toddler and is either no cost or low cost for you to try.  The first ‘trick’ I would like to share has become a family favourite.  It is a simple game of hide and seek,  with pegs and a bowl – trust me, you will get tired of “hunt the pegs” long before your toddler will!  Have fun and check us out again on Friday for another Toddler Trick to see you through the weekend!

This toddler trick is perfect for any mobile toddler…even those that are a little wobbly on their feet will find it fun.

You will need:

·  A bag of  pegs – sprung ones are best, but the push on variety are fine so long as you stick to curtains, bed clothes etc for your hunt

·  A plastic bowl, ice cream container, or small bucket for your toddler to put them in.

What you do

1. Start small.  Clip your pegs onto curtains, cushions, chair legs and anything else that is in easy toddler reach, but they can’t pull onto themselves (so not on power cords or similar).   Take your toddler by the hand and give them the plastic container…together go around the room and show your toddler how to remove the pegs and put them into the bowl or bucket.  Lots of praise when they get it right and very soon they will be doing it by themselves.

2. Next time – clip the pegs in easy reach in one room and see if your toddler can pick them up themselves.  It might take several attempts but once they get the idea – and lots of praise from you – they are ready to go further afield.

3. I now extend the  peg hunt around secure areas of the house and my toddler loves filling her bucket with pegs! Yes, sometimes they do ‘bite’ but she has very quickly learned how to pluck them from curtains, cushions, sheets and clothes (mine and hers).

Big tip: Do count the pegs!  I have found stray pegs in some strange places!