1 and 3 year old. What do we doooo all day!?

[sarra]

@ahead I'm a SAHP with a 1, 3, and 6yo! Luckily 3yo has started her playschool (but only 3hrs). In relation to the trips out I try to add in a few trips that are learning for the kids to function in society (not just play centres and parks). But keep them local and short to save your energy! For example a trip to a cafe (this prepares them for sitting in a restaurant), short trip to supermarket (helps with behaviour for longer shopping trips), walking down the road (helps them to recognise their area, builds up walking strength and road awareness), etc etc.
In relation to indoor activities, in the last while I've done the following:
Tray of shells plus Play-Doh
Tray with flowers (they can pull off the petals, make designs, make a 'soup' etc)
I have a 'road' sticky tape I put down for cars
Water in the sink (add a few scoops and leave them at it)
Money and money box (keep a watch if one of the kids is an eater!)
Free play with a box of toys (try child-led play if they insist on you joining in)

Another tip if you find yourself stuck for ideas regularly is to take a photo each time you do an activity. Save the photo in an album especially for kid's activities so you can flick through all the ideas if you are stuck again.

 

[ahead]

@sarra Yes we do grocery store and, if I’m feeling brave, diner too!

 

[ilovethelordhelovesmetoo]

@ahead Balloons, stickers, puzzles, arts and crafts (markers, paint, etc), local library story time, floor is lava, hide n seek, Legos/mega bloks. Those are our favorites. I had 2 boys 18 months apart. Ball pit in a pack n play, out of stuffed animals they also loved.

 

[ahead]

@ilovethelordhelovesmetoo Ball pit in a pack n play! Love it!

 

[ilovethelordhelovesmetoo]

@ahead I felt like a genius when I did it with my boys! Then every so often I'd swap it out the balls with a bunch of stuffed animals.

 

[idromos247]

@ahead We put up two swings - baby playground swings - in our living room during covid winter with a 1 and 4yo. I'd get like 30 minutes of play from my kids in those swings. (Caveat that your ceiling will need to structurally support this)

 

[gplatale]

@ahead My answer won’t be liked but: go out. I know you said it’s hard and you’re right it is but once you get the routine down, always have the diaper bag packed, always have the snacks on hand, always have the timing right, it gets a lot easier.

I have a 1 and 3 year old and basically around 9am after coffee / breakfast we head out and do a play group or whatnot for 1-2 hours in town, head back home for lunch then nap/quiet time, then by then we only have 2-3 hours MAX to fill the day until “help” (Dad) arrives and then it’s dinner and bath and bed routine so it all goes fairly quickly.

That’s the only way I’ve found to stay relatively sane, especially in the winter (Ontario so winter can be harsh), because staying cooped up inside our house all day everyday wasn’t good for them or me.

 

[fullofjoy]

@ahead Getting out gets so much easier with a little more practice! The more you power through it, the better you’ll get at juggling them both, and you’ll find the places where both can play and enjoy without making you feel like you’re trying to sprint in opposite directions. And I find the “destroying everything” is SO much less intense when they’ve had the stimulation of getting out of the house, so that makes the hassle worth it to me.