Inexpensive activities with 2.5 year old?

[redheadbaker]

Tomorrow is my last day at work (being let go from my contract position due to lagging workload). DS will drop to part-time at daycare (3 days a week).

Any ideas for inexpensive activities I can do with him until I find a new job? We're in northwest Philly, if that helps. I already have library story time on my list.

[dulcemariamar]

Do you have a splash pad at any local park?

Can you join a local meetup group to schedule playdates?

[Deleted]

Things DD likes that are pretty cheap:

Our local pool/waterpark. It's $5.00 for the both of us and keeps her occupied for hours.
I buy craft kits and activities out of the Dollar Spot at Target and we do one a couple times a week.
We play in the yard. Bubbles, swingset, sandbox, homemade water table, etc.
Playground
We invite friends to play and they make their own entertainment
My kid actually likes errands and thinks they're an adventure so that's nice
Cooking projects are a big hit with her. (I usually do like premade cookie dough lately. She has no attention span).
Sensory bin sort of stuff outside so I don't have a mess inside.
Tball/kickball etc. with me.
sidewalk chalk
DD thinks cleaning and organizing projects are fun too. I have her so wrapped up in it, she'll bring me stuff and say, "I don't need this X. Let's give X to kids that don't have X." It's sweet and then I have to explain we can't get rid of her fave blanket.

At that age, anything is pretty much fun still.
And ask your kid what he wants to do. Sometimes I do that with DD and she'll come up with stuff I haven't thought of (Usually what other kids at DC are talking about).

[pierogigirl]

playground/park (some have a splashpad or merry go round)
sprinkler on the lawn
playdate with neighborhood kids
children's museum/aquarium - some have yearly passes that make it cost less

He's a little young, but my 2 1/2 yr. old has been bowling a few times and likes it (DS1 is almost 5 and likes to go and DS2 has come once or twice)

[redheadbaker]

Jul 10, 2014 9:17:16 GMT -5 dulcemariamar said:

Do you have a splash pad at any local park?

Can you join a local meetup group to schedule playdates?

Oh, good idea. I just googled and there is a sprayground somewhat nearby.

[redheadbaker]

I need to get sidewalk chalk. He played with it at a party a few weeks ago and loved it.

[Ashley&Scott]

Library story time
Mall play place
Ride the bus (I know this sounds odd but M loves it, it cost me $2 & he was free)
Ride the train or subway (we haven't done this but the bus was a hit so I'm assuming this would be too)
Park
Children's museum
Zoo
Book store (B&N by in our area have train tables)
Grocery shopping - sounds boring but M likes to help by putting things in the cart
Splash pad

At home:
Finger paints
Sidewalk chalk
Bubbles
Color
Play in the hose/sprinkler/water table
Fly a kite
Cook/bake
Play catch

[scribellesam]

Bubbles and chalk. Find a wilderness-like area and go for a "hike" - we bring a bucket to collect rocks and other treasures. The sprinkler is a big hit lately as well.

[IrishBelle]

Another vote for a splash pad/park and a sandbox. DD could play in a sandbox for hours.

DD loves play doh right now. I let her use some of my kitchen tools to make things with - cookie cutters, muffin tins, etc.
Sidewalk chalk
Bubbles
Baking cookies

[lurknomore]

Our B&N also had story time twice a week of you want more story time.

Also, if you're not signed up, sign up to get your local Macaroni Kid newsletter. Our is distributed weekly and has tons of local happenings for free and cheap each week. I sign up for both the east and west ones for our city since I'm willing to drive for the right event on the other side of town.

nwphilly.macaronikid.com/
nephilly.macaronikid.com/

The Philly links aren't loading well for me right now, but perhaps you'll have better luck!

[redheadbaker]

Jul 10, 2014 9:29:34 GMT -5 lurknomore said:

Also, if you're not signed up, sign up to get your local Macaroni Kid newsletter. Our is distributed weekly and has tons of local happenings for free and cheap each week. I sign up for both the east and west ones for our city since I'm willing to drive for the right event on the other side of town.

nwphilly.macaronikid.com/
nephilly.macaronikid.com/

The Philly links aren't loading well for me right now, but perhaps you'll have better luck!

Thanks! I've never heard of this before!

[Deleted]

DS refers to the closest grocery store as "my grocery store" because they give him a toy at customer service and a cookie in the deli. He would happily go to the grocery store every single day forever.

Our library has toys, so even outside of story time, total destination. And they've got a touch-screen computer we use sometimes, too.

The rest have been pretty covered: playgrounds, splash pad, playdates, meet-ups, mom's groups through church if you go to one (scope out others in the hood if you're churchy), mall play areas, volunteering - there are a few family-friendly options around if you dig.

[Ashley&Scott]

Oh also, M loves to go to Trader Joe's because they have the little carts for him to push. Same for Buy Buy Baby. If you have stores with kid carts in your area I bet they would be a hit.

[elocrates]

A few more at home activity options (that my kids love):
- We make a "road" out of masking tape on the playroom floor. We make roads, parking lots, a helipad, etc. They play with it for hours.
- Play-doh.
- Strip him down, put him in the tub (without water), and let him paint the tub with bath paints.
- Buy a box of dixie cups. Let him use the cups for stacking, sorting toys, playing tea party, etc.
- Sock puppets.
- Put a large piece of butcher paper or roll paper on the floor or table. Let him color all over it.
- Build a fort out of chairs and blankets. Use play tools to "fix it" or a flashlight to play "camping" in it.

Some of our local specialty kids toy stores (Creative KidStuff, Lakeshore Learning, etc.) have play areas, craft times, and story times as well. We're not in Philly but maybe you have something similar.

[redheadbaker]

Jul 10, 2014 9:39:32 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

Oh also, M loves to go to Trader Joe's because they have the little carts for him to push. Same for Buy Buy Baby. If you have stores with kid carts in your area I bet they would be a hit.

DS loves Trader Joe's because they give him stickers at the checkout.

[jr009j]

Definitely check out your library. Ours have traditional story hours but also movement and music classes and duplo clubs and more. All for free.

We do a lot of playgrounds and mall playgrounds at this age.

[mcbell]

We do alot of easy cooking together like muffins, pasta, breads etc. He also has a little planter that he does his gardening in.
But when I need to have a break we go down to a moderately busy set of lights where there is a small green space and watch traffic. That is a good hour of entertainment for him.

[lilac05]

You've gotten lots of great ideas! The best part about that age is that you can often turn EVERYTHING into a game or adventure...you just have to choose your words (& attitude!) wisely!

I'm a big fan of Pinterest, too. I look for easy, cheap/free fun projects that already use stuff that we have at the house. (Things like wax paper on your feet = indoor ice skating on carpet, cornstarch + water mixture, etc.). Just make sure you don't start comparing your life to Pinterest. Remember that those moms don't do super awesome things every single day, either! Plus, Pinterest is ideas from many, many people...it's not the same person being Super Mom all the time!

[beefjerky]

Jul 10, 2014 13:19:22 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Do you have an arboretum nearby? Our local one has a nature center with books and cool exhibits. You can "hike" trails and there's a sandbox with shovels as well as a little ropes course.

Yes to the arboretum! redheadbaker, I'm not sure how far your are from the Tyler Arboretum but it's pretty awesome. Also, a living social just came across my email for this place (the North Wales location) www.thelittlepod.com/ - I had never seen it before, looks cute. The living social was a good deal so you might want to check that out if it's close enough?

[Ashley&Scott]

Jul 10, 2014 13:26:11 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

You've gotten lots of great ideas! The best part about that age is that you can often turn EVERYTHING into a game or adventure...you just have to choose your words (& attitude!) wisely!

I'm a big fan of Pinterest, too. I look for easy, cheap/free fun projects that already use stuff that we have at the house. (Things like wax paper on your feet = indoor ice skating on carpet, cornstarch + water mixture, etc.). Just make sure you don't start comparing your life to Pinterest. Remember that those moms don't do super awesome things every single day, either! Plus, Pinterest is ideas from many, many people...it's not the same person being Super Mom all the time!

This sounds fun, I will try it on our next rainy day! M saw some people skating last week & said he wanted to try it, but he is too young for traditional skates. 

[lilac05]

Jul 10, 2014 13:56:05 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

Jul 10, 2014 13:26:11 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

. (Things like wax paper on your feet = indoor ice skating on carpet, cornstarch + water mixture, etc.). 

This sounds fun, I will try it on our next rainy day! M saw some people skating last week & said he wanted to try it, but he is too young for traditional skates. 

It's a lot of fun!  (I may or may not have tried, too!)  Just stay far, far away from wood floors!  DS stepped onto the wood floor and his legs flipped out from under him.  It was like a slow motion cartoon!  (He wasn't hurt, and we both laughed...a lot, but it could have been really ugly.)

We used rubber bands & tape to keep it on our feet.

[kdubs923]

At my library, with your membership, you can get access to nearby zoos or museums at a discount or free (they loan out their day pass). Check with your libary to see if they have something similar!

Or if you already have some of these memberships, many times they are honored at another location. Our local zoo membership gets you into the Museum of Science for free.

[redheadbaker]

Jul 10, 2014 13:29:59 GMT -5 beefjerky said:

Jul 10, 2014 13:19:22 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Do you have an arboretum nearby? Our local one has a nature center with books and cool exhibits. You can "hike" trails and there's a sandbox with shovels as well as a little ropes course.

Yes to the arboretum! redheadbaker, I'm not sure how far your are from the Tyler Arboretum but it's pretty awesome. Also, a living social just came across my email for this place (the North Wales location) www.thelittlepod.com/ - I had never seen it before, looks cute. The living social was a good deal so you might want to check that out if it's close enough?

We're closer to the Morris Arboretum, but Tyler is also doable!

Thanks for the Living Social link!

[Ashley&Scott]

Jul 10, 2014 14:00:01 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

Jul 10, 2014 13:56:05 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

This sounds fun, I will try it on our next rainy day! M saw some people skating last week & said he wanted to try it, but he is too young for traditional skates. 

It's a lot of fun!  (I may or may not have tried, too!)  Just stay far, far away from wood floors!  DS stepped onto the wood floor and his legs flipped out from under him.  It was like a slow motion cartoon!  (He wasn't hurt, and we both laughed...a lot, but it could have been really ugly.)

We used rubber bands & tape to keep it on our feet.

Oh you can bet I'll be joining in, that's one of the great things about having a kid, you get to play like a kid again

Thanks for the tip about the wood floors & tape/rubber bands.