Stuff to do inside when to hot outside ?

[ncarter]

Hi, Our 1 year old loves to be outside but with it in 90s almost 100 out. So he gets unhappy being inside. So he has played with all his toys many times. I need some new ideas on games or something fun to do at home. Also i need boy games. I play pate a cake with him but daddy says thats a girl game. So any ideas would help me. Thank you. He wants to go out so bad.

[Bec caV]

There are no such things as boys games and girls games, no matter what the age. If you label an activity as 'boy' or 'girl' you attach gender to it and your boy grows up unbearable and your girl grows up to be stuck up (a bit harsh, but it's true).
Patty-cake is recommended for children because it helps hand/eye co-ordination and motor skills. You do not want to stop that game, especially if he likes it, because you want to keep his motor skills improving.

Other things... if he's getting bored with his toys, you can do is get out plastic storage containers and plastic mixing spoons. They like to bang things. Also, this is not a girly game... despite what a man might think, because it also teaches them motor skills, spacial relations, and such.

An empty milk jug and some clothes pins are also good. He'll want to put the clothes pins in the jug and shake it. Good for fine motor skills and hand eye co-ordination.

Maybe get some crayons and a big paper and let him draw? Or finger paints... those are always fun.
If you have a place with nothing breakable, get a bouncy ball and play ball... sure our moms told us not to play ball in the house, but so what! It's hooooot out!

[RImommy]

It is very tough keeping a little one that age confined to the house. My son and I listen to music so he can dance around, build forts, play chase, read books, build with blocks, etc (and by the way Becca is right - patty cake is a baby game not a girl game and it does strengthen coordination). When we both get restless being in the house, I take my son to somewhere like Barnes and Noble or Toys R Us and let him walk around and explore - he could easily spend over an hour doing that. You could also try taking him swimming at a community pool (probably earlier in the day before it gets too hot) or even filling up a little kiddie pool outside.

[craftyashley]

I'm in the same situation! We are pretty much housebound all summer keeping out of the 115 degree heat. We play water muffins; lay down towels on the tile floor, give them spoons, ice cream scoops, measuring cups, etc. and muffin tins with a bowl of water. They will scoop water into the cups for hours. And it's only water, so it's not a huge mess.
Another trick is skimming the bubbles off the top of some water & dish soap and placing it on the highchair tray- so much bubble fun!
I got these ideas from my neighbor who has the book "unplugged play" or something.
Good luck!

[LuvinMyBabyBoy]

Just a quick suggestion: I'm a kindergarten teacher, so on days like today when we can't go outside for recess, I have to think if fun things to do indoors that are fun and cool (our school has no AC). SO, what I do is bring out some buckets, or big tupperware bowls will do, fill them with water and toss water toys inside. I put a smock on them so their clothes don't get wet and just let them play. Honestly, this keeps them entertained for a VERY long time!
Another thing to do is to fill the bins with uncooked rice or pasta and put toys in there as well (cars, trucks, little dolls) and let them play. Do it on a hard surface, not carpet, because it is a bugger to clean up on carpet. And believe me, there will be a clean up
Both of these suggestions are great for sensory development!!!

[SpinMom]

You could try sitting him in your lap while you're online. It will get him used to the idea of using a computer early. A great site that my son still loves is Starfall.com. It really helped my son learn his alphabet before he turned 2 years old!! Plus, if he likes the characters on the tv shows, you can go to www.nickjr.com or www.dailynoggin.com to play games that he might like.

[Bec caV]

Oooo I had a thought.... build a fort with blankets and/or sofa cushions! Pretend to go camping. You can even see if a local grocery store has any big boxes they'll let you have (most stores will just give them to you free of charge cause they throw it away anyhow). With a box you can do a lot of things. Make a play house... cut out a door and a window, then let him decorate it with crayons, paint, glue and colored paper, glitter, whatever. Another thing you can do with a box is cut out both of the long ends for a puppet show stag. Then make puppets out of brown paper lunch bags. We used to use yarn for hair on the puppets, draw on the faces with markers and put on a puppet show for him. Sing silly songs, make up or read stories, ect.

I'm rather in the same boat as you with the weather. Though my boy is 6 months and easy to entertain right now, next summer when we get into the 90's+ with high humidity I will have to come up with more indoor activities. I never ran into this problem as a child as we never got hot weather where I grew up! But we did those things during the fall and winter.

You may want to look into some programs around your area to see if they offer indoor activities for kids his age... like the YMCA or something. You could get out of the house and he could socialize with other children that way, while not playing out in the heat.
Another thing that might be good for you is a program called Parents as Teachers. I don't think they're in all areas, but check and see if they're in your area. They do home visits once a month with a caseworker, as well as group get togethers. They'll give you lots of good information on child development as well as activities that are good for his age. They track progress of the child and any concerns you might have, they'll give you guidance for.

[freckles]

Balloons!!!!! Don't let him bite them.
For a great cardio for yourself....push him around in a laundry basket.
Play basketball with the laundry basket.
Hide ball and see if he can find it.
Get on YouTube and look up "laughing babies"......Hilarious!
Love the camping fort idea!
We place the sprinkler on our trampoline.

[ncarter]

Thank you soo much for all the great ideas. Thank you