Hi everyone,

I am new here and would like to introduce myself. I am still unsure about all this. I have one DD who is 26 months and we think she is advanced. I don't have much experience with kids, so it is hard for me to tell. I am here looking for general support because I have no one to talk to about her. I learned quite a while ago to keep my mouth shut to other parents with kids her age because no one wanted to hear me to "brag", although that was certainly not my intention. Perhaps parents here will be more understanding.

A few things I think make her unusual are she LOVES letters to an obsessive degree and started recognizing words at around 20 months. She now knows about 50 words - that I know of. She knows over 400 ASL signs (I stopped counting) She can count to 20, but isn't really into math yet. She loves jigsaw puzzles and can work 30+ pieces independently and has been working the jigsaw type since about 18 months. She also met most of the infant milestones early, like sitting supported at 8 weeks and walking while holding my hands at 4 months, although she didn't decide to let go and do it on her own until 10 months.

I sometimes think there's nothing unusual about this, then I take her to the Dr for a check-up and she tells me I may have a little prodigy on my hands... which I think is a bit extreme.

My question is she seems bored quite often. The "toy" that interests her the most is the ipad where she plays letter/word/color/counting games and puzzles (for hours if I let her) then gets bored and starts watching Netflix, at which point I usually take it away. I try to limit her time with the ipad in an attempt to keep her active, but she just learns so much. I need things to do with her to keep that little mind happy but any activities I find are very age restrictive and she would be bored by things for her age group. I sometimes find myself making excuses for her when she is around peers so that we don't get snubbed.

She is not in preschool/daycare and we plan to homeschool. I am considering starting that, but I have no idea where to begin.

Thanks for letting this confused and overwhelmed mom ramble on and any advice/support will be much appreciated.

Hi and welcome. We find we ignore "age appropriate" and go with what DS enjoyed. Around that age he loved pulling apart his matchbox toys with a screwdriver, Lego (small), reading... ( no iPad for us then). He loved fine motor stuff but we also took the time to encourage gross motor skills as well and spent plenty of tome at the park, riding a balance bike, balls etc.
It can be quite a journey, albeit isolating, and it is definitely great to be able to share here and know you are completely understood!

My son also started with Legos around that age. We did the duplos first, but as soon as he discovered "real" legos, he refused the duplos, lol. He also loved toy cars, motorcycles and planes/helicopters. I never paid much attention to the age guidelines (I assumed it was normal for kids to play with stuff marked for much older kids, lol.) We had a leapfrog book at that age as well that he enjoyed. I don't know what the leapfrog stuff looks like now, though.

Does she enjoy coloring/drawing? This was my son's absolute favorite thing to do. For a couple of months I swear all he wanted to do was draw circles on every sheet of paper in sight! I bought a box of copy paper at OfficeMax and let him draw as much as he wanted to.

Mr W was independent on the computer with a trackball mouse at age 2. He spent a lot of time on starfall and a number of other sites. Loved the leapfrog videos. Loves the educational videos on youtube.

We do not pay attention to the "ages" on games. If he wants to try it, we play it with him and teach him the rules, etc.

We do make special arrangements if his fingers are not up to the particular task. Sometimes I have to be his "robot" and put stuff together for him with him telling me how to do it. Or, playing card games, he cannot hold cards for long, so we follow the suggestions on this site. Or at museums I carry him around so he can see better.

Hi Mary,
I have a DD who is 28 months old, perhaps we can share ideas and tips as we will have some similarities. My daughter also likes the iPad and plays several games/puzzles on it, probably some of the ones your daughter plays.

Forget the age recs and just try things.

Ours does go to daycare which I think she finds very entertaining with the other kids. I'm in grad school and have a flexible schedule, so now trying to figure out where we go in terms of preschool etc. The daycare gives me some ideas as she often comes home with crafts she did, but I have also started getting more active in my looking for things.

This past week I made cornstarch color bags and oobleck (cornstarch goo) for her to play with, the first took a little more time to prep and the second is super easy but messier for her. I threw an adult t-shirt on her and let her play.

She's had play-doh for a long time, maybe since just over a year. We had to first make sure she wouldn't eat it.

Buy lots of stickers, paper, markers, coloring books and let her sticker, color, and draw.

I have been getting LOTS of books out from the library for her to read with me.

Melissa and Doug make wooden jigsaw (real) puzzles of varying piece #s

Get her a set of kids' wooden beads and string them. These should be supervised, we keep them out of reach when not playing this for both DD and our younger DD's sake.

Make or get a felt board, and then create felt shapes to put on them. A friend made ours for DD's birthday along with several themes (snowman, apple tree, itsy bitsy spider, etc).

There are similar options with dress up magnetic dolls.

Get a play kitchen with either wooden or plastic toy foods, we've had this for a long time as well after she played with one at 14 months in someone else's house.

Hope these are a few ideas for today. I'm happy to keep talking with you.

I have a very similar girl (26 mo too!).

We:

-Go to the Science museum (Museum of Nature and Science) at least once a week. She is very into space/astronauts/planets ect. and the people on staff there are wonderful and actually take the time to talk to her and answer her questions. They also don't seem to cut her off by age and will include her completely in any activities or presentations they are running in the Space area.

-Have older friends over (ideal fun ages seem to be 3 or 4). This can be a great break for you too as they play together without needed help.

-We read Magic Treehouse (I know its for older kids but I find she is really into it and asks for them) just a few chapters at a time then she wants to act it out.

-Like SUNDAY DRIVER said, we love playdough. I make it with her, letting her pour and mix, and add the color, then I cook it over the oven. We get small items she can stick in it then I just let her play

-I get two bowls of water and let her pour back and fourth and wash things

-We go to a class at the Botanic garden's once a week

-Beading is starting to be a big hit.

-She likes to trace things

-She likes to play with a Melissa and Doug wooden barn and horses and the Plan Toys doll house and dolls

Will write more later but I have to run an errand!

Magic Treehouse was a big hit for DS at that age as was The Faraway Tree series Enid Blyton. DS was also into space - museums are great .
He loved cooking, tiny beads (threading), pouring and videos on neok12 (circuits, insects,car engines...)
We tried to have play times with older children also. His best "friend" last year was hg and a year older. He is at school now though so we don't see him as much

Lots of great suggestions so far, especially about art and reading. To the art suggestions I'd add painting, too. Also, considering your nickname, it's a good idea to get DD involved in baking. My DW is also a chef, and she enjoyed following a recipe with DD, letting her measure ingredients, etc., before she was three. DD also decorated her own cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, etc.

If you're looking for a way to get started in homeschooling, my DW and DD almost fell into that naturally. They started out doing art projects together, which DD loved, and eventually reading and math worksheets were also known as "projects."

bobbie: good to know about The Faraway Tree, we will have to try those at some point! I have to say it's funny when your just turned two year old pretends that her crib is the Magic Tree House and calls herself Annie, the dog Jack, and apparently I am currently the old lady Morgan (reading Dolphins at Daybreak).


Dude: I like the cooking idea, my DD doesn't get the opportunity to cook much because honestly I'm not that into it, but she loves it.

Mary: I bet your DD would love to join in cooking especially since you apparently love it. That would be a good place to start homeschool actually. With measuring, ect. Google homeschooling preschoolers/toddlers and there are some really great blogs out there. My DD just started going to Montessori 2 mornings a week but we still do plenty of the activities we find on some of the homeschooling blogs just to keep her busy.

Other ideas/toys:

-Who Lives Where? is a toy (ages 3+) that DD is enjoying, we got it about 6 months ago and she really has always liked it

-Candy Land I have heard is a great first game where they can get the concept of taking turns. I can't say anything about it yet though because DD is getting it for Valentines Day. Will let you know!

-There are some gifted kids websites that lists some toys by age... I can't remember where I saw this but googling some time back

-Some games we make from montessori materials intended for Primary (3+). Google "free montessori printables" and some will come up. DD likes matching right now. Words to words, letters to letters, ect and Montessori has a lot of this. Seems like your DD would like this too since she can recognize lots of words. You do need a lamination machine though but you will need one anyway if you are planning to homeschool. Get a nice pocket laminator (ours was about $150 but totally worth it).

-Get the "DO A DOT" paints so she can dot the lines of large letters. DD loves this.

-Any game w small pieces DD is just interested in. I have to watch her because even though she knows not for mouth she is still just about to be 26 mo. so I feel it would be a bad decision to leave her alone w them.


Question for you: Which puzzles? Any suggestions? We have had a hard time finding durable jigsaws.


I really hope some of these suggestions help (along with the earlier list I posted). Please ask if you need even more ideas!

Thank you so much everyone for your responses! I was out with her a good part of the day today and picked up a set of Legos. We'll see how those work out.

I wish museums were an option for us on a regular basis. There is one that I know of but it's too far to frequent, although it would be a nice special outing.

Part of my problem is (and this is really embarrassing) I have no friends. None. I go to a play group every couple of weeks, but that's my extent of being around other parents, which means I don't have anyone around to learn from and my DD rarely has the chance to play with other kids. At least I have the internet, right?

Anyway, we have tons and tons of toys. Mostly books, art supplies and puzzles. She also has a doll house that she loves and a trampoline. But what ever it is can't keep her attention for long until she starts asking for the iPad. I think somehow I will have to break her addiction to that before I can get her really interested in other things.

I have tried baking with her and she pretty much hated it except for smearing icing on a cake - but at least that's something. And by the way, I'm not actually a chef, it's just a play on my real name.

We mostly have Melissa & Doug wooden puzzles, but I don't think I've seen them above 48 piece.

A great place to shop for books and puzzles, if you have one near, is Ollie's Bargain Outlet. They have name brand stuff for well under half retail price. I literally bought a shopping cart FULL of books, puzzles, markers, etc. for about $100. It may sound like a lot but if you could only see the pile of loot! DD has yet to look at half of it.

Mary, a few more ideas.. we cook with our daughter also, and she particularly enjoys cracking the eggs. We have her decide what to put, how many, in a smoothie then blend it up for her, that type of thing.

I fully agree with getting a decent laminator. I figured with two kids and plenty of crafts and projects for years to come it was a reasonable investment.

I don't know how I feel yet about workbooks, but I pretty randomly grabbed one at Target several months back (I really didn't even look at it when I got it, long story) which turned out to be Pre-K same and different concepts. Finally decided to try it, and I had her point to the item instead of circling etc. I have been meaning to go back and see what else they have.

We also have the crayola gel fingerpaints which require special paper but don't make much mess. She likes those a lot.

I constantly ask her questions about what she is thinking about, things she sees, etc. Figure it's only fair for the questions I get

My daughter got candyland just after her 2nd birthday. It was good for learning about taking turns, and she likes getting to the candy castle. I remember loving it as a child, but I can barely stand playing it now. I much prefer playing Hi-Ho Cherry-O with her. I modified the original spinner to make the game more educational for toddlers. First I modified it to teach one-to-one correspondence. Later I modified it to teach simple addition and subtraction more overtly than the one included with the game. I could dig up the images if anyone was interested.

Sunday driver: How do you make cornstarch color bags? What are they?

I have a workbook we got at Target too and we pull it out and talk about a page here or there - we use it more like a book and usually only pull it out on snowy/rainy days ect.

ETA: DAD, I am interested in seeing the images from Hi-Ho Cherry-O, do you have them around?

This is the version for one-to-one correspondence. I printed it, stuck it on some cardboard, poked holes in the dots, and stuck the plastic spinner in the middle. When the spinner points to one of the numbers, the player moves the appropriate number of fruits from the tree directly on to the spinner. Then the player moves the fruits into their basket.

This is not the final version, because the computer with the final version died. In this version, the 5 dots are a little too close together, which caused me issues when I was poking the holes. It should be an easy fix.




This is the version for simple addition and subtraction. When using this version, the player spins the spinner, and moves the appropriate number of fruits into the selected area. When positive numbers are spun, the fruits move from the tree to the spinner, and then to the number line. When a negative number is spun, the fruits move from the number line to the spinner, and then to the tree. There are only two number lines, but additional players (real or stuffed) can continue to use the baskets.

If I were re-doing this one, I would separate the number lines from the spinner, because the act of spinning the spinner can spill the fruits. Currently, I hold the spinner in place when my daughter spins, so fruits don't go flying. Rubber feet might do the trick as well.



Preview isn't showing the images... my apologies for any BB errors.

Thanks! Those are so fancy! I just moved the dots by copy/pasting w lasso. I am sure there is an easier way but it worked well enough. Thanks for sharing.

When I worked as an intern with a child physical therapist they loved this game because of everything it helped with (namely writing muscles) and I have been meaning to get it. DD just turned 2 so the whole choking hazard thing but it will need to be a game I play with her anyway. I plan to just keep it way up as I have done w/ other games. Have you seen the Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game? Same spinner concept w/ acorns and a very beautiful game board. I may use this spinner for that game until we get Hi-ho Cherry-O.

Thank you!!!

GHS:

They are basically primary colors in gooey form that the child can squish in the bag to make secondary colors. If you don't expect too much (it will entertain but not for a long time), it's a fun project. My dd played with the bags for a few minutes at a time across 3 days, then we tossed the bags. The cooking/stirring part is a little tedious. I did the prep while the kids were sleeping, would be tricky otherwise.

To make color bags, you need:
1 cup corn starch
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups cold water
food coloring
3 gallon locking bags

put dry ingredients in a medium size pot, slowly add cold water, stir together, then heat over medium heat for approximately 10-15 minutes (may vary based on your stove), stirring continuously. don't let it overheat or boil.

when it thickens like pudding (felt like this would never happen but it does), remove from heat, stir for 1 more minute.

Let cool for about a half hour, divide mixture into three bowls.
Add drops of color to bowl, so you end up with a red, blue, yellow.

Pour half of each bowl into a bag, creating a bag with blue/red, blue/yellow, red/yellow.

Firmly seal bag, tape closed if you are concerned (I wasn't).

Let kid pound/squish/step on bag etc.

You're welcome. If you use one of those spinners, you'll be the second person ever. So let me know how it goes.

I had never heard of the Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game until you brought it up. The funny thing about that, is I had imagined a game built around my spinner concepts and number line. I called it Chipmunk Challenge. The chipmunks and squirrels would need to store nuts for the winter. The squirrels would store their nuts in trees (with number lines up the trunks) and the chipmunks would store their nuts in underground burrows, also equipped with number lines. My wife is a wonderful artist (actually, that's an understatement) who could easily help me to create the game with appropriate graphics, etc. But, we have two kids under the age of 3, two full time jobs, and almost no spare time.

I may end up getting Sneaky Snacky Squirrel when my son is old enough to play. It looks like fun, especially for numerous children.

Books on tape or CD are great for tired parents of smart toddlers with long attention spans. Look for Curious George, Dr. Seuss, the Lighthouse Family, and Beatrix Potter.

When my DD was that age she started doing the jigsaw puzzles "upside down" after she did them a few times with the picture and could do it quickly...she seemed to think doing it by shape only and no picture was really entertaining. That gets a bit more life expectancy out of puzzles.

She also got lots of entertainment out of a bag of mixed dried beans (the kind you buy to make soup) and an emmpty egg carton...so many opportunities for sorting, etc. That was good at the kitchen table when I was preparing a meal and wanted her in sight.

Also an inexpensive little electronic piano goes a long way, as does Shoots and Ladders. We still play that and it's really funny when you get to that high number and slide back down.

If you don't have those classic wooden blocks with the letters on them you could get them, if she loves letters she might want to copy words out of books, my DD did that when she was your DD's age (they were a mirror image but otherwise accurate).

My DD (8) has "mean" parents, not alot of screen time and still no DS for her!

That reminds me that in my grandfather's house, all the jigsaw puzzles were numbered on the back.

Sounds like someone in your grandfather's house was clever/funny/on-the-ball!

So do your kids just go through toys fast? Learn what they can from them and move on? Since my DD has such a crazy long attention span, I guess I sort of expected her to enjoy a toy for weeks or months rather than a day or so. She has a few things she has played with for a month or longer, but maybe she no longer finds them beneficial to her and moves on. Lol. She's not happy unless she's absorbing knowledge. Maybe I just need to change my expectations of her enjoying toys long enough to get our money's worth. Ha!

The things I mentioned were the things I remember keeping her attention over the longest period of time and not used and tossed aside, there were plenty of those.

DS did that the other day, and I thought that was beyond "normal."

LOL I prefer the word "typical". How old is your DS? He probably just has really good visual processing (or whatever) skills, maybe a visual-spacial person. It's nice that he's inventive!

DS enjoyed playing with everything but toys (with the exception of Lego!) He was so careful we let him play with all sorts of things (supervised of course). Much cheaper when they enjoy common household items

I like your word choice.

DS is 3. He likes to think outside the box. I know it's good in the long run, but it's a challenge to parent him.

To HelloBaby,
It is really hard to parent outside the box kids. Wait until he goes to school...

Just think of him as cool even if other people look at him funny sometimes. This can be more easily said than done, I know what I'm talking about. But your relationship with your child is more important than anything else. Like today, I'm so glad it's Friday (no school for two days!) and my DD and I could hang out in the LR with our pets this afternoon and watch silly Disney shows (from Netflix) and look forward to sleeping in tomorrow. She still has her activities and playmates and all of her "brain stuff" but this is important too.

Have a great weekend!

My daughter went through toys really fast at that age too. The trick I figured out is that she would come back around to many of them in a few weeks or months if they disappeared for a while (all except for puzzles -- once she'd mastered a puzzle it lost all interest for her). So I would rotate certain toys in and out of her room as her interest in them waxed and waned. She would play with them differently each new rotation and get new things out of them because she had advanced developmentally since the last time. I should clarify too that we favor classic, open-ended-play kinds of toys here, like LEGO, dolls, blocks, costumes, animals, pretend-play props, etc. Those are the kinds that have longer shelf life, even if it's iterative rather than continuous. That was a tiring age! But it was also a fun age because my daughter was changing so quickly into an interesting little person.

The best gift I got from DH was when he taught DS (then almost 2) to make coffee for me. All I have to do now is draw the water, and take the filter out of the drawer that's too high for him.

We cook a lot, because it's the only way to get dinner made, etc. And then we bake a lot, because DS prefers baking to cooking. Anyway, I would suggest keeping on trying it here and there, because it really is totally awesome. She might glom onto it one day, and then you're set

DS is almost three, and he's now almost independant with pancakes, crepes, muffins, cakes, cookie cutter cookies, gingerbread... You just have to keep him from putting all the ingredients in at once, and do the oven stuff. Somedays he's up to measuring, some days not. We're working on pie crusts, now. He HATES not being able to kneed, but it's really helping his ability to wait and to do things in order.

The funny thing is he rarely EATS much of it.

Whatever, I do


Anyway, I'm a total believer in cooking with kids.
-Mich

Taking a few puzzles and mixing up all the pieces together is a hit here!