Getting funny looks!

I am a mum of a three-year-old boy Jack, and three months pregnant with my second.

Games we play together: 

My son is into everything. We play with the normal things like cars (a favourite of his) He loves to play hide and seek (although he’s not all that good at it!).

Toys he loves:
Lego, animals, dinosaurs etc. He also loves anything to do with mess, so painting and colouring is a big favourite. Playdough is also good to occupy him and it is something we can do together.

Making our own fun:
He also loves music and now every time we hear a song (Skater Boy, particularly, I have no idea why!) we have to jump around all over the place, even if we are out shopping and it is on the radio. We get some funny looks as you can imagine!
Nicky

Bossy boots babe!

My baby is 27 months old.

Games we play together:
Everything! Her favourites are ‘let’s pretend’ with her dollies and her play shop. We also do jigsaws and puzzles and I’m trying to teach her picture pairs but she’s too nosey and keeps turning the cards over to look at them LOL! She likes to copy me when I do the housework, she has her own duster and little hoover and ‘helps’ me.

Toys she loves:
Leah’s favourite toys are ones that imitate real life. She has a kettle and a toaster, a tea set, and the play food and cans from the ELC. She likes to play house and shops. I have to be the customer and use the little trolley for the food (kills my back LOL!) and she pretends to count out the pennies in the till. Her doll Molly gets dragged everywhere. She feeds
her, dresses her and talks to her all the time. She’s a little bossy boots!

Making our own fun:
We play shops and then make up games with her Lego people and her farmyard. She has the Thomas Tank Engine trains and makes up games with them when she watches the programme on TV. She also likes to dress up and ‘goes shopping’ with my handbag and shoes! We play together a lot and both enjoy it but she is very good at playing on her own when I am busy. She talks and sings to herself and sets out her own little tea parties with her
dollies and teddies.
Kate xxx

Variety is the spice of life

My baby will be 3 in April.

Games we play together:
She loves making collages and sticking things, painting (especially hand painting), having a bath with her dolly, rough-and-tumble physical games (Ring-o-Roses etc).

Toys she loves:
Anything where she has to work something out, like shape sorters. Also musical toys, as she adores music, and books are a big hit. A lot of the time, though, she prefers ‘proper’ rather than toy things, so she would much prefer to empty a kitchen cupboard and play with the contents than have specially-designed toys. That said, Mr Potato Head is popular!

Making our own fun:
We invent a lot of games. One of her favourites is to get under our duvet and use it like a tent, then I have to tell stories. These games are usually initiated by me, often with help from her. We also go out to soft play, swimming, walks in the park, etc, as well as running errands/shopping. I believe that variety is important. Suzanne

Planes, trains and automobiles

My baby is 26 months old.

Games we play together:
He’s getting easier to play with now that he has his own imagination and better motor control, but some days I cannot move him from the train set! On days like that we try to get out to the park or soft play, or go into London on the train and go to a museum.

Toys he loves:
His favourites are: train sets and building tunnels, cars and a road playmat, puzzles, playdough, sticking shapes onto paper, pretend and real cooking, tea parties with his stuffed toys, and his tool kit with hammers and a drill. He also likes bouncing on the bed, ‘tuck in’ where he tucks his animals into bed, and he still really likes some of his more babyish toys
– stacking cups, shape sorters and his spinning top in particular.
Karen

Fun from day one

I’ve been ‘entertaining’ my DD, who is three, since literally day one. Before we left hospital, I stuck my tongue out at her and she did it back (nearly all babies do apparently).

Games we play together:
I’m a full-time mum, so have lots of time to play with her during the day. Right now she’s into jigsaws, colours, making jewellery, dressing up and the odd tumble in the duvet etc. She is just about to start nursery and I will miss some of our fun time together. It is such a short time in their lives, make the most of it. I hope we will always be the best of chums as a result of the ground work.
Trixie

Jacob wins!

I only have one child right now, and he’s two-and-a-half years old.

Games we play together:
We play Thomas the Tank Engine a lot, video games, sing-songs, play cars, playdough and we do puzzles. Toys he loves: Trains, cars and puzzles the most!

Making our own fun:
I let him invent his own games and I play along. He likes inventing his own card games… usually called ‘Jacob Wins’! I also find that with the train sets, he can invent his own cities and use his imagination that way. I think that’s why he likes them so much.
Sharon

Keep on talking

My baby is 2yrs 3 months. As a stay-at-home mum I’ve always been around and played with him.

Games we play together:
It’s the talking with your child that’s important not what you actually do with them. I have always spoken to DS about everything we do each day. His language is amazing; he’s never had trouble making himself understood. Toddler groups are also great for stimulation. Not only do the children get to run around and mix with others but you also get time to mix with
other mums which is a BIG advantage as you need adult conversation not just baby talk to get by on!

Toys he loves:
A favourite at the moment are the small coloured building bricks from the ELC. As well as your child learning to build they can also learn to count and learn about colours and shapes at the same time. He likes outdoor toys too like his bike and slide. He gets to run around and let off steam and this is important for his growth development.

Making our own fun:
The fun thing about children is you can make anything into a game and they enjoy it. For example, his fave game at the moment is putting his washing away in his drawers. I open the drawer and pass him the clothes and he then puts them away!