When my family moved from snowy Massachusetts to sunny Austin, Texas, I breathed a sigh of relief. No more cold, wet days cooped up indoors with a restless toddler. I’d just open the back door, pour a Texas-sized glass of iced tea, and watch my daughter frolic in the sun. As luck would have it, we were hit with a freezing winter (yes, it actually snowed) and the rainiest summer in the history of Austin. Needless to say, it forced me to get pretty creative in terms of entertaining a young child. I can’t take full credit — some crafty moms and dads added their share of ideas too. Below is a roster of activities to delight toddlers and preschoolers. All you need are a few simple, inexpensive supplies.
#1. Marshmallow Tinkertoys
A bag of marshmallows and some thin pretzel sticks are all you need to build the perfect puffy pal, a 3-D house, or tepee. Your child simply skewers the marshmallows with the sticks to create his own masterpiece. Add to the fun by placing toy pigs or other animals in the house and challenging your child to be the big bad wolf and blow it down.