Schedule for Two Year Old

You know, I take my son outside even in the heat. I just make sure he drinks plenty of water and wears sunscreen. If your mother has a problem with heat, then obviously they shouldn't go out. If you are just worried about your son, being outside will absolutely not hurt him. (Like I said, just make sure he has water and doesn't get burned.) You live here in north Texas. At some point, you'll have to accept that it's very hot, and let him go out in it. You can't expect a child to never go outside for months! (I'm not saying that to be harsh.) Heat is a part of life here.

He doesn't need anything "structured" really. He will get more out of open ended toys. Trains and tracks, cars, blocks, play dough (unless he sticks everything in his mouth,) coloring, legos for little ones, pots, pans, and play food, etc.

If it were me, I'd do it this way:(given your mother's constraints, mind you)

Have breakfast.
Stay outside for as long as possible.
Come in, morning snack.
Storytime/playtime.
Nap
Lunch(12:30ish--1ish)
Open-ended playtime. (mom should not be doing every little thing with the wee one. She can bring out the blocks or set up the playdough, etc. and get him started, or work side-by-side with him if she likes.)
Storytime.
Snacktime (I would do it around 3ish, something not too heavy)
Bathtime/water play time
Playtime
Dinner/mom home, etc.
Evening routine.

At this age, the best 'educational' toys are the ones that provide the most open-ended play possibilities. Blocks, playdough, a few cars and cardboard ramps.... Sometimes, kids need something new, so don't offer everything at once. Water play can sometimes be scoops, sometimes lids (attach an adhesive magnet on the end of a craft stick-- loads of fun for the kids to 'fish'), sometimes sink/float items or sponges. Play dishes can be washed in cool, soapy water. (If you don't have a tub, you can use a big pot of water on the floor-- put a couple towels under it to prevent slip/fall accidents).

Clear contact paper is great for making 'collages' of torn paper and random items you could find everyday-- twist ties and bread tabs, cut up mesh bagging from veggies.... or go to the craft store and get some $1 bags of sequins. Cut up yarn or old scraps of cloth-- it's just for fun.

Big crayons are fun at this age. Offer thicker paper for this-- even recycled cereal boxes are great.

"Painting"-- offer some paintbrushes and water-- let your son paint construction paper with this simple set. (It gets dark.) Offer larger river rocks as well.

Offer a bigger box for him to climb into. Cut a hole in one side so he can peek out. Let him make of it what he will...

There are a few good books on activities for this age, PM me if you want a list. Many toddlers LOVE sensory activities. And if your mom is physical- let her watch a workout video and see if your little guy will try to do some of the moves he's watching grandma do.

We don't do educational toys as such, but we name things, we count things, we sort things, we imagine, we fill, we empty, we sing, we march and stomp, we splash, we build forts and obstacle courses, we knock over blocks, we do chalk art, we chase pigeons, we dig the ground, we find sticks and leaves and gravel, we go to the railroad and watch the trains. While there are "educational toys" out there, and I am sure you will get lots of suggestions, there are ways of making everyday activities all about learning without making it seem deliberate or even tedious for the little one.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

Get your Mom a bus pass?
Get her information for Mommy groups.
Sign up your son for toddler groups.
Car pooling?
- they can also have a "routine" of walking around the block or the neighborhood, and pick up leaves and rocks. Then come home and make something with it. If your neighborhood is safe.
My kids loved doing that.
- If you have a yard... get an outdoor umbrella... so they CAN go outside. And they will have shade. They can still go outside. Get things for the yard, that your son can play with.

And yes, toddlers nap. So that is good your son naps.

-Get him puzzles. Toddler puzzles.
-Board games.
-Balls
simple crafts (glue, paper plates, popsicle sticks, crayons, coloring books), you can get these from Walmart etc. And its not that expensive.
-Books.... for your Mom to read to him.
-Teaching him colors, names for things, opposites, etc.
Kids this age, learn via play. And they don't exactly "sit" for extended periods of time. So anything "educational" has to be in line with his age and development.
- Memory games. ie: there are toddler games where thick "cards" are printed with cute pictures, and then the child matches it to each other. Making a pair. My kids liked that as toddlers.
- stacking blocks with the alphabet on it.
- Playing music and your Mom and him dancing to the beat. Kids learn "rhythm" that way. My kids loved that too.

Or just do a search on Amazon for "educational toddler games" and see what they have and the reviews of it. To give you ideas.

- Another thing my kids liked as Toddlers was, just playing in the bathtub, even if it was not bath time. It was just fun for them.

Your Mom sure is nice, to do this. Moving from her home country.
Maybe, get HER something too. So she feels appreciated.
Is your mom just visiting or she actually lives there now?
I hope she has money herself, to get things for your son?
Or are you providing for her?

Sometimes on really hot days, I just let the LOs play in a cool bath with bath toys. Keeps them happy for a little while.

If you have a yard and a hose, that will occupy a LO for hours. If not, an ice chest full of water makes a great "lake" or "ocean" to sail boats in/on.

You could also go to the dollar store and get some pre-k work books and mom could start teaching him abc's, counting, read to him with finger under the words so he can start learning "sight words", finger painting is always fun and play dough can keep a 2 year old happy for hours!

I agree to go ahead and let them go outside for a bit. I know it's hot, but really they have to get out and get a little bit of energy out! During the really hot, hot summer days is it possible to get them a little baby pool, slip n slide, or something? If you or your husband sets it up maybe your mom could go outside for an hour or so in the morning and let him play.

I was also going to suggest things like a water table, sand box, rice/bean box, etc. It can be a really big thing that they can play with a few times a week that will make it more fun. Those things could also be outside since they are bigger and messier.

As far as other toys, my kids really love Little People. The farm is one of the best ones and is a great fun toy that can also be educational. I would say look into that sort of stuff for sure. Play doh can also be fun if your mom is willing to roll it out and use cookie cutters to make shapes, etc. The play doh toys are still a little advanced for a 2 y/o I think, but the actual doh can be fun. Another one is stringing beads. You can buy actual kits or just use yarn and beads or even pasta. Target has some cute kits, made by Alex I think, that are themed beads with holes and then you string them on a big shoe lace things. They can be used as toys and learning and are pretty cute.

Art projects can be very simple at this age as well and although they don't keep them entertained for long, at least it's something! ;) Someone else mentioned contact paper, that is a good one. Also just little cut up scraps of paper, different types of pasta, pinecones and leaves, etc. to make collages or water colors or finger paints.

Look on the Parents Magazine website....they have lots of cute, easy ideas and stuff you can make at home. I've been getting that magazine (and it's sister magazine Family Fun) for years now and I really love them! So many cute ideas! You should look into it and then your mom can read them too and you can let her get some ideas and inspiration!

Good luck! It's so awesome that he has so much time with grandma! I know you wish is was you but this has to be the next best thing, right?! :)

You've gotten some awesome advice so I just wanted to add, wow! Your mom is amazing to uproot her life to be with your family. What a blessing. You are very lucky!

Some fun toys are ones that teach & make sounds (the alphabet, numbers etc.)

Just getting on the floor & playing around is fun for him.

Train set? (completely toy/kid kind) The wood ones are great & easy to put together & dissasemble.

Watch cartoons for 15 mins. Some are better than others.

Can she walk to a nearby park early in the morning when he wakes up for a few mins?

Anything else nearby llike a store she can walk to that is close?

Rent a movie for her from Redbox for her to watch during his nap to break up her day.

Is there a channel on tv you can find that is broadcast from her country for her to watch during his nap?

Is there a friend or family member that can take them to the closest library for storytime?

Educational toys

It will get better (age-wise & weather-wise)

I understand not wanting to go anywhere. You wouldn't want her to get lost either!

My son gets up and eats breakfast and milk and watches his show Super Why. Then after that he plays by himself if he wants to, and I join in.

We play with cars and trucks, legos, blocks with abc's and 123's on them, puzzles, music toys of sorts.

Do you have a backyard? You could get a little pool for him to play in with some water toys. That will keep him entertained for hours! And keep him cool, your Mom could get in too, or just put her feet in. We have a patio that we put our sons on.
They can draw on the sidewalks in the morning times when it's cool with chalk.

If you dont have any yard, she can get a bucket of water and put a towel down and let him play in it, my son (2 yrs too) loves to do this.

Sand and water toys are fun!

Educationally, my son LOVES letters so we sing the alphabet all day long. We went to the dollar store and got letter, and number posters and hung them up low on the wall where he could reach and see clearly, and we sit down and I quiz him on his letters and numbers. I will point to a letter and say "what letter is this?" and he will answer correctly. It's really fun and great to see how much they learn so fast.

She can teach him games that she played with you when you were little, and sing songs she remembers when she was a child too.

There are lots of things she can do with him inside, until it's cooler and she knows the area. You could drive her around on your days off and show her where everything is a few times so she knows.

Best wishes!

Books, (take him to the library on your time with him each week and have them there for your Mom to read to him) playdough, (you can find recipes for it online for them to make together) singing songs, blocks, cars and trucks, a play table he can stand at and drive the cars or build things on, Sesame Street and Super Why on TV.

Children his age require loose scheduling, they learn through play.

.

Is there anyone in the neighborhood who you could arrange for a playmate once a week?

We have a sand and water table (play with it outside!). My son is now 4, but we bought it when he was 2, off craigslist. Best $20 ever! Even as a two year old, he would play for 30 minutes or longer with it.

There are lots of fun things your child can do in the backyard with water. You can buy big paint brushes in different sizes and paint rollers, and have your son paint the house (outside) with water.

I got ideas of things to do with my toddlers from these websites;
http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/preschool_activities.htm
http://teachmama.com/

I think you could make a generic schedule and plug activities in. Example

7:00 - breakfast
7:30-8:00 Independent inside play
8:00-9:00 Outside activity (walking around the neighborhood, independent outside play, bike riding, etc)
9:00- Snack and drink
9:15-10:00 Morning Structured Activity (arts and craft, cooking with Grandma, "school" etc)
10:30 - Lunch
11 - 1 Nap
1:00-1:30 Snack and TV Show
1:30 Book Reading
2:00 - Afternoon Structured Activity (Arts and craft, cooking with grandma, school lessons, etc.)
3:00 - Outside Water Play
4:00 - Snack
4-5 Independent Play
5:00-6 TV and independent play.

Check out the website teachyourtot.blogspot.com. I've found some great,educational, inexpensive ideas!