How To Entertain A Toddler for Hours on End

Okay, there are days when you're willing to read books for hours, go to fun little kiddie places and be super-parent.  And then there are the other days.  Here's a list of things to do when you really don't have the energy to move off the couch.

• Washing dishes.  Yes, it's a mess, but it's the easiest mess to clean up ever, so go ahead and give it a try.  My toddler children loved to stand in front of the kitchen sink, "washing" and rewashing spoons and other plastic/shatterproof bowls/utensils.  It doesn't take much, but it keeps your kids in one spot and duly occupied.  A Lemen kid fave.
• Junk mail extravaganza.  I don't know if this is true where you live, but here in the states it's very common to receive a solicitation from a charity that includes stickers of some kind. Some organizations will send a few sheets of address labels that make a perfect little project for a busy little someone.  Reserve a blank composition book for a rainy day and invite your curious toddler to take the stickers off the page and arrange them as they wish on the paper.  Learning how to lift the stickers off the sheet will be a welcome challenge at first, but even if you have to hand your little one one sticker at a time, you'll be amazed at how quietly this activity entertains.
• Washing rocks.  A friend of mine installed a rainbarrel so her little children could have a decent supply of water to wash rocks, water plants and carry water to all parts of the yard.  Kids love the hose and God knows there is an abundant supply of rocks in need of washing.  Set up a station for washing, drying and soaking in the sun.
  
• Trash it.  I see my sister Kris do this with her toddler son Ethan, and my kids loved it, too.  From your station on the couch, offer your little one something--anything--that needs to go into the trash and ask them to come right back.  A bundle of lint, an old magazine, a candy wrapper--anything will do.  The point is for mom to stay put while junior takes the items one at a time.  This game won't last an hour, but with a lot of praise and encouragement, you might get a good 15-20 minutes with your feet up.  You'll be surprised at the kind of happiness a two year old can derive from doing such a big kid task--over and over again.
  
• Bathe.  Dry off.  Repeat.  My daughter Madeleine could enjoy two inches of bathwater for a long, long time and didn't mind getting back in the bath on hot summer days a few hours later.  Be sure to have measuring cups on hand, spoons, sponges and other water-friendly toys for your water wonderchild.  My kids still love the tiny water "pills" that expand into little sponge toys when placed in lukewarm water.  You don't have to hover for these water projects--just keep checking in to occasionally turn off the water and keep the overflow under control.
• Scissor sister.  Not every kid will be ready for this next one, but it's worth a try.  When my daughter Madeleine was two and a half, I'd give her a pair of safety kid scissors and sit her down with a pile of paper meant to go out in the recycling.  She would sit for a good hour cutting that paper to shreds.  Developmentally, it was a great exercise for her and she felt so grownup doing her "work" on the floor by mommy's desk while mom tapped away on the keyboard.  When she was finished, we had another task--cleaning up all those papers!  That kept her busy hands occupied as well.
• Pop my bubble.  Go ahead, blow bubbles in the house.  Especially the kitchen.  A little soapy residue will be just fine for when you clean up later.  You can sit at the table and send your little one to "catch" bubbles until their little hearts (and hands) can't take anymore.  A fun, happy activity with little energy requirement.
• Forbidden fun.  It's not environmentally sound advice, but it will keep you out of jail if you're on the edge!  For those really desperate days when you'd do anything for a break, consider letting your toddler empty the tissue box, one tissue at a time.  There's something mesmerzing about this activity--it keeps kids very quiet and you can stack the tissues and restock the box so he can try, try again. Other repetitive busy activities--unraveling a ball of yarn, taking a part a stack of post-it notes, unrolling a roll of scotch tape.  You get the idea. 
  

That's the list from my memory bank and life with toddlers.  What tricks do you have up your sleeve?  Add your two cents in the comments below.