I'm taking away all of DD's electronic toys for a few weeks and replacing them with things she has to use her imagination a bit more for. So, no more Leappad, Elmo sing-a-longs or singing ABC stuff. I'm buying coloring books and crayons, a bunch of butcher paper with finger paints to set up in our garage so she can get as messy as she wants without destroying anything, and some crafty stuff. Any other ideas? I want markers but we already have a problem with drawing on walls and furniture so I was thinking of the ones that only write on special paper. Maybe some sidewalk chalk?

Throw your ideas out here. Were on a mission to use our imagination. (And you know the funny thing is that to buy all the stuff I just listed above, it probably wont cost more than it does to buy "1" electronic toy, lol)

By Melanie on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:20 pm:

Dress-up clothes are always a hit!

By Kym on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:21 pm:

I won't go into my tangent of electronic stimulation, just say way to go, you'll both have a ball! Dont' forget small toys as well (not choking hazards) that help her develop eye hand cordination and fine motor skills.

By Jayne2 on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:22 pm:

maybe you guys could make hand puppets out of brown lunch bags and have a puppet show.

By Happynerdmom on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:23 pm:

My kids always loved Playdoh. Also, blocks, or anything to build stuff with. Dolls,(They don't have to talk!) kitchen stuff. My dd also loved cars and trucks when she was little! I think you're on the right track...when it comes to toys, my philosophy is the simpler, the better. They need toys that they can play with in more than one way.

By Emily7 on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:23 pm:

Felt, fur, feathers, material that has different textures & colors.
Glue, macaroni noodles, popcycle sticks,

By Boxzgrl on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:30 pm:

Kym, from watching DD I noticed that she gets little to no stimulation from electronic toys so that is why i'm starting this mission. I remember being very imaginative as a child so I want to do the same for her. One step at a time....

By Boxzgrl on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:31 pm:

Thanks for the advice so far. I'm going to write these things down and stop by Walmart later.

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:31 pm:

Oh, they have a cheap kitchen set at k-mart. AT least they used to. My dd used her imagination so much with that. It didn't make noises or anything. She had to make believe everything.

also, get her a plastic tea set and some pretend kitchen utensils.

My kids also loved the wooden trains. Not the Thomas the Tank ones, but similar. Where you had to build the tracks and push the trains on them.

Cheap plastic doctor sets you can get from wal-mart also go a long way.

I know I am listing toys here, and not just crafts, but these are great props to fuel the imagination.

And my kids favorite, number one imagination creation: boxes!!! all shapes and sizes.

My son is 5 and my daughter is 8 and they will still fight over a box if there is just one.

By Jayne2 on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:35 pm:

she may be a little young, but maybe not, and you guys with preschoolers this is fun...I play this game with the kiddos where you get a bin of their toys and a I blindfold them and I hand them one of the toys and they have to guess by feeling what it is...I also do this with foods by smelling. I also made up this game by cutting out pictures of things around the house (using the kmart, target flyers are good for this)...what you do is say start at the tv, tape a picture of a microwave and that would lead them from the tv to the microwave, then at the microwave there would be a picture of...maybe the vacuum or whatever...and then there would be a treat...sort of like a kiddy scavenger hunt...I usually have them go three places to find the treat and then as they get better you can make it more challenging.

By Kym on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:36 pm:

I'm so with you on the stimulation! My kids not only get lethargic they get down right hateful if they are not using their imaginations, energy etc! I can't take it, plus we live in AZ, have a huge backyard/playground a trampoline and a play room w/ art center there is always something to do!

By Cat on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:41 pm:

Coloring books are okay, but get some blank paper so she can draw, too. They have to use their own imagination instead of just coloring what's already there. How about a sand and water table? If you don't want to spend the money on one just get a Rubbermaid container (or similar) and put either sand or rice in it (don't get rice wet!) along with measuring cups, funnels, sifting toys, etc. Use another container for water. Try adding things like a couple drops of food coloring to the water, or bubbles. She can give her dolls baths. Add a little sand to finger paint for a great texture experience. You can add glitter or salt to paint, too for some sparkle. Check online for recipes for things like finger paint (there's a great pudding paint recipe out there), play dough, goop, etc. Cook together. I have a recipe for a painted cookie that uses refridgerated sugar cookie dough and an egg yolk paint. It's a lot of fun. ^5 to you for trying this! I'll think you'll see some amazing results. Let me know if you need help finding recipes or such.

By Nicki on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:54 pm:

Lol, my husband takes the batteries out of those type of toys if she receives one as a gift! (from well meaning relatives) I have also hidden quite a few. Lara's wonderful aunt gave her an easle. She uses it daily. The best gift ever! It has a chalk board on one side, a magnet/dry erase board on the other and of course a big roll of paper for drawing and painting. It sits in our kitchen so it's available when she is in the mood. Lara also loves to make macaroni necklaces. She colors the macaroni with her markers (washable ones) and strings them on yarn. Grandma has received a few of these and Lara is so tickled when she wears one.

Wonder why these electronic toys are so popular now. It's as if toy makers don't give our children enough credit for being creative and the ability to concentrate on a task without bright lights and noises.
I think what you are doing is great!

By Hlgmom on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 01:01 pm:

Sidewalk chalk is great! Blocks nad books are still my dd's favs! We are just starting to explore the finger painting etc! I think the easel is a great idea! My friend has one and she color coordianted brushes and pints colors etc to help with teaching colors!

By Palmbchprincess on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 01:14 pm:

We have a huge bag of megablocks that the kids love! They make all sorts of things, plus they will lay them out by color, or make patterns with them.

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 01:51 pm:

Every night when my kids were younger (now every so often) I would put them to be bed with a story. I would say a sentence or two and then they would. Basically we created a new story every night. They both are excellent creative writers now and I wonder if our storytime gave them that edge.
We do A LOT of art here. I think having a creative outlet is extremely important. I keep an eye out for sales on craft supplies and we are well stocked. They love painting and I download a lot of craft projects online. They do it themselves which encourages them to read directions. My daughter makes beautiful beaded necklaces and scented candles. My son is a great painter and loves working with clay.
Just start introducing her to various materials and she will lead you to what interests her.
Good luck!
Yvonne

By Palmbchprincess on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 02:19 pm:

I thought of another one, a tea set! Wal-mart has one for $5, it has service for 4, and the nice thing is each set comes in different colors, so my kids will have "tea parties" and practice grouping the right colors. Madison LOVES to hand me a cup, and pour me some tea.

By Bellajoe on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 02:32 pm:

Have a dress up tea party/picnic with her, you and all her dolls and stuffed animals. I used to (and still do) put a blanket on the floor and we set up the kids dolls and stuffed animals and have a tea party with her play food.

Also, make a fort/tent. We drape blankets over the dining room table so that they hang off and voila! a fort! The kids love that.

Have fun!

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 02:44 pm:

My kids have a bazillion beanie babies (many of them received as gifts!). They used to set all of the beanies up in a certain way to represent a certain thing. It was great watching them. Beanie babies can be anything a kid wants them to be.

Once, Emily set them up with some being the orchestra, some being the audience. Then Emily put some music on to play and she was the conductor!

By Pixie on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 03:32 pm:

make potato stamps, use different fruits like a lemon sliced in half as a stamp dip them in paint to create different textures, leaves are good for this as well.

Marble painting - you dip a few marbles in paint, stick a piece of paper in something with sides and roll them around and it makes a design

Use your markers in the garage!

By Amyl on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 05:05 pm:

how about some puzzles, my DD who will be 3 in April loves puzzles. She has special ones that you have to match up the specific puzzle piece for that space. She also loves to cut magazines, with child saftey scissors.