100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 87: Tape

This might be a good activity for some stay-at-home parents this week. If you need to get wrapping done, give your toddler some tape to play with! Just be sure to supervise your child at all times with the tape so your child doesn't stick it in his/her mouth. If it gets caught in the back of the mouth or throat, they might not be able to get air. So, close supervision for this activity, please!

I was wrapping some packages, and both of my kids were being cranky. I didn't want to stop in the middle of a gift, so I stuck a long piece of tape on each of their hands. It did the trick!

Jo kept herself happily occupied with the tape for about five minutes--not an eternity, but enough time for me to finish wrapping. I think Oliver was mostly interested in the tape because Jo was. He stuck it to her jammies a few times to see what would happen. Jo crinkled it and stuck pieces to various toys.

It was so simple! I think it was fun because of the novelty. It's a trick I'll certainly use whenever I happen to be wrapping a gift. I give it a B grade.
Also, if your child is old enough to enjoy coloring and stickers, check out this old activity to get your child involved in wrapping with you.

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 59: Homemade Wrapping Paper

Today's activity was inspired by a problem. I had a baby shower to attend, and I forgot to buy wrapping paper. I thought about being tacky and showing up with it just in a plastic bag, and I also considered wrapping it in the Christmas paper I had in the closet.

Then, it hit me. For my mother-in-law's birthday last February (when Oliver was 15 months old), I'd let Oliver decorate the paper on her package. At the time, the activity was just OK. Oliver wasn't very interested in crayons or markers or art in general, and I had to motivate him to color. Today, I decided I'd give the project another try.

First, I wrapped my friend's gift in the Christmas wrap, wrong-side out, which left the paper entirely white. Then, I dug around in our "art bin" (a large Tupperware I keep under the sink that's filled with crayons, markers, kid scissors, watercolor paints, and other miscellaneous creative goods) and pulled out a package of stickers and markers. I gave them to Oliver and asked him to decorate the package. He looked skeptical until I stuck a sticker on the paper myself. That did it! Oliver dove in. He placed every last smiley-face sticker onto the paper and then scribbled all over it in various colors. He had a great time! Unfortunately, I had to cut him off from the activity after about ten minutes because I needed to get going for the shower. If I hadn't, I think he would have continued decorating for at least half an hour.

"Homemade Wrapping Paper" deserves an A grade. Not only was it creative and fun, but it also was useful! I think a lot of close friends and close family members will appreciate a personal touch like this. Besides, it saves you from having to buy special paper for every event you attend!

Here are some photos of Oliver enjoying the activity:

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 40: Unwrapping Game

I took today's Unwrapping Game from The Toddler's Busy Book again. It's pretty self-explanatory. You take your toddler's favorite toys, wrap them up, and give them to him (or her) to unwrap and discover what's inside.

I wrapped up Oliver's stuffed monkey and Duplo dog toy when Oliver wasn't looking. When I handed the packages to Oliver, he inspected them and peeled the tape back a bit, but he quickly lost interest. Even with me prompting, "What's inside?" Oliver wasn't interested. Finally, I told him there was a dog inside of the package. That did it! Oliver immediately wanted the package to open. He got the dog out in no time:

After he got the dog out of the wrapping paper, Oliver wasn't interested in the other package. Nothing I said would motivate him to explore it and open it. Nothing, that is, until I told him Monkey was in there. Suddenly, the package was interesting. Here's Oliver opening up the package with Monkey in it:

In all, this game was OK. I give it a C grade. Oliver wasn't that interested in the activity, and so it seemed like a (slight) waste of effort and supplies. I don't think we'll play it very often, but I told my husband that it would be a good idea for us to play it before Oliver's second birthday party next month. Maybe with some practice before his party, he'll be able to open presents himself!