Activity suggestions for single dad and 3 yr old daughter?

Question

I need some help finding things to do with my daughter that are fun for her. Holiday ideas? Learning activities? Games to play?

I think she likes watching TV too much, which I think she gets from being at her mother's house. She puts cartoons on for her all the time... I would like to keep her mind more active than just watching TV... but she ALWAYS wants to be watchin a movie. What can i do to get her interested in more physical activities or mentally challenging activities?

Answer 1

I have too have 3yr daughter, who is in shared care. It really doesn't matter what you do; You could spend heaps of money or none, as long as what you do is together!



My princess always wants a particular DVD on in the morning, so I make that her TV time. Then we do things together.



Play with her, don't just expect her to play.



I make mud pies/people with my daughter. I dance & sing (badly) with her. I have even done forward rolls (& I am almost 40yrs old) with her. We watch a movie together. & when it's tea time, she now turns off the TV, sets the table & we 'chat' while eating. (I do have the radio on in the background).



Keep it simple, sometimes the best fun you can have together, is just been together.



It will take time to re-accustom her to new/different ways of doing things, but it will be well worth it. Just make sure that what ever you do, you are having fun.....



Oh & tell her constantly that she is amazing..... :) And don't be afraid to look like a fool in front of her.... 3yr olds think you are wonderful & funny....

Answer 2

Activity For A 2 Year Old

Answer 3

Games games and more games. Go to a garage sale, or good will, and pick up clothes to do dress up (my 4 year old loooves dressing up).



Find out what are her favorite shows and movies. My kids like TV (my son will watch it any chance he's got, my daughter could care less about the TV) but they both have a lot more fun re-enacting the show or movie than watching it. Example is, my son LOVES Ben 10, but he is mildly-severely autistic, and he just cannot handle the show too well (turns around hitting his sister, kicking her, every time). So, we went to the store and bought him his own Ben 10 watch. He's yet to complain about not watching the show, and plays with it all the time.



If anything, something to break the ice, go to the store and buy Hullabaloo DVD edition. It's a game put out by Cranium. You get little pads of animals, you spread them on the floor, pop the DVD in, and watch the TV and he will tell you what to do. Might break the ice for her to let her play more games with you, while also 'watching tv' at the same time. My kids love the game. It gets them up, and active, and they get to act silly and have an imagination.



Go outside with her. If she's not interested, make it interesting. Buy some bubbles and blow bubbles with her (I don't know a kid who can resist wanting to blow bubbles). Buy some chalk and draw on the sidewalk with her. Play tag between you and her. If you've got leaves on the ground, pile them up and let her jump into them.



Holiday ideas? Let her help you with everything. Make some cookies, and let her help you, and as a reward let her eat some cookie dough. Let her decorate them if you've got sprinkles. When Christmas comes, let her help you decide where the ornaments should go, all the while playing x-mas music.



Look in the phone book and see if there are any toy domes around where you live, like a Chuck-E.-Cheese, and take her there for a day. There is a place where we live, where it was filled with a whole bunch of toys and physical activities (for babies on up) and their parents could interact and play with (and in) too. It was called something like Play Time or something similar. Both of my kids played so hard, they went to bed so early that night and slept the whole night through, and begged to go back there again.



First things first is to break the ice. Me and my kids play a lot of board and card games together. Maybe next time you go to the store with her, take her to the board game isle, and see what she looks at the most. Even if the game is too advanced, you can always change the rules until she is older to play it the right way (have to do it for my son a lot). If you can find a pack of Go Fish cards, that would work well too. That was the first card game I introduced my kids too, and they caught on real fast (my daughter was 3 then too).

Answer 4

I had custody of my daughter for a number of years when she was younger. It's a great age and you have a lot of great opportunities.



Some of the things my daughter loved to do between the ages of 3 and 5 include:

________

Movies

Cartoons.



Face it, kids like tv and movies. What you can do is help guide her to more educational shows. My daughter, now 9 watches medical shows on discovery. I made sure that along with the standard kid shows, she watched at least one educational show a day. And I watched it with her.





Read to her. The chance here is that it will interest her in reading. Once that happens horizons open up at a much faster rate. It also gives you a chance to spend quality time with her.



Go places. When she is at your place make it a habit to take her to the local zoo, or to the park, or even the mall just to walk around. My daughter used to call them our Daddy/daughter days. We would make a point of going out at least once, sometimes two or three times a week. Make sure that she gets a say in where you go. It will help her learn to make decisions.



The opportunities are endless. The important thing is that you spend time with her. She's most likely the most important person in your life and this gives you an opportunity to let her see that.



Good luck

Answer 5

You are right to be concerned about how much TV she is watching at her age.



Kids love to go swimming, zoo, park.

Read to her, let her sit next to you with a book suitable for her age with pictures, read a page and then ask her questions about it so you are interacting with each other, most kids love this.



Almost any everyday activity can be turned into a learning process. i.e if you went shopping with her you can ask her to get you 2 cans of something or you can tell her where to find something easy, such as bottom shelf, left or right, up, down etc. She will feel she is helping you and learning at the same time.



You can also make cakes, either to put in the oven or non-cooking cakes, that's a really fun messy activity.





Painting and drawing together. When I was young I adored my dad and loved spending any time with him, sometimes I just sat there and watched him work whilst he told me stories of his childhood. Those are precious memories.

Answer 6

Oh I love this question. Here are things I do with my 3 year old:



1) I buy Femo ( which is like playdough except you bake it in the oven so it ends up hard and is like a permanant statue)



2) Gardening- Get her some little pots and soil and seeds and help her plant a garden. You could do this in a pot or in the yard.



3) Sorting buttons- I buy LOTS of buttons in different shapes/colours/sizes and I get her to sort them in piles eg: could be colours, shapes or sizes



4) Buy some terracotta pots to paint, and special glue so she can also stick shells or other things to it.



5) Get her a magnifying glass and go for a walk and look for lots of things. Sometimes my daughter and I collect things like leaves and then come back and paste them on paper.



5) Play games like whats the time mr wolf ( maybe google for instructions if you dont know this one)



6) Dress ups are always fun and you can put on music and do a show.



7) Hang a white sheet on the clothesline and fill up those plastic spray bottles with different coloured paints mixed with water and let her spray paint the sheet.



8) Cooking is always fun.



9) If you dont want to cook you can just buy a packet of plain biscuits, make a simple icing with food colouring, icing sugar and water and let her decorate the biscuits. She can add lollies to decorate.



10) Make an obstacle course for her to go through, teach her about over and under, up and down, backwards and forwards etc with it



Good luck, you sound like a great dad, to bad there are not more like you out there.

Answer 7

The zoo is always a winner. Chucky Cheese. Bake some Christmas cookies. Play a board game (and let her win). Take her to the park. Fly a kite. Read a book to her.



Like all kids she would probably love more of your attention than just plopping her in front of the TV, but she is used to doing that. Include her in your daily activities at home also, like if you're fixing the sink, let her "help" by handing you a wrench, stuff like that. Just talking to her and explaining what you do is a learning activity for a young child.

Answer 8

1. Bring her to the park for a stroll, to slide on the slide, to swing in the sweings.



2. Chuck -E-Cheese, not to eat, but to play she will love it.



3. There are free hands on learning activities at the library that you can sign up for. There will be a few that a 3 year old will enjoy.



4. YMCA, let her sign up for swimming, dance, soccer or gymnastics, she will love it and 3 is a gret age to start .



5. Explore computer free websites to engage her in some free learning.



6. Home activities:

a. dress up, little girls love to dig in closets and find clothes to put on and play in

b. Hide and seek: Ask her to step out of room, take an item in the room and hide it, then ask her to tell you what item is missing, once she determines what is missing, give her a few minutes to find it.

c. I SPY

d. Sort and organize: You can do with toys, hair decoratives, buttons or whatever. But take a lot of articles and dump them on a bed or floor, ask your daughter to sort and organize into piles either by size, color, or whattever. This is a great learning game, and a way to engage little geniuses for a long time.



e. Use the internet to search for other great activities for pre-schoolers.

Answer 9

I used to take my nephew to the library when he was 2. His mother was a big fan of the tv and that's all he did when she was home, but he LOVED books and would look forward to going to the library and he continues to read them to this day. Other things you can do are tea parties, bake cookies, sock puppets, paper bag masks, play memory game (the board game), and do crafts like jewelry making (most little girls love bracelets and necklaces). Kids that age like to be helpful too, so maybe you could utilize her help in cleaning the house or raking leaves or something. Also, with the holidays coming up you could also make holiday crafts for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Just some thoughts...

Answer 10

Get her to help you bake cookies you can get a simple packet mix from the store that is easy to make she will enjoy mixing and cutting out cookies.



Take her to the park as often as possible



Read her stories and teach her things in the book e.g this is a dog.



Get her some wooden puzzles, blocks ect things that stimulate the mind these sorts of things will make great christmas presents.



Big pieces of paper and crayons are always fun for toddlers.



Some fun things to do during the holidays are going to the zoo or the beach.

Answer 11

Go to your local hobby store and get some little kits. Go to your local zoo or children's museum. Cooking is great, and easy way to learn math, chemistry, and depending on what you are making how to mix colors. I don't know exactly where you are from, but look up your local metro area online, it should have a list of activities and and upcoming events. Get some board games. There are several phonic board games out there that can give her a head start on reading. There is also always your local YMCA that would give children swimming lessons. We have a great community recreation facility that is relatively cheap to join, and offers toddler sports, gymnastics, swimming. Find a dance class, almost all little girls want to be a ballerina.

Answer 12

I have a 2 year old daughter. she loves going to the zoo and looking at the tigers. we also take a lot of walks she loves to be outside and see all the cool things.



We also go to the park and she plays on the swings and on the jungle gym. she also likes to sit and feed the ducks.



We take bike rides. she loves that. and at night we sit and I read to her and we talk about the day we had together.



I think anything you do with your daughter will be good. I'm not sure on how you can get her into other things besides watching TV. your right TV is not really great for a child. sorry I can't think of anything right now. i hope you can find some thing that you both can enjoy. God Bless



I just wish I could have spent more time with my dad. i would love just to have him to myself and learn more about him. I wish you luck and I know your daughter will enjoy anything you want to do with her. just to spend time with her daddy would be great. Good Luck

Answer 13

If you are fortunate to have an indoor pool or water park, you might inquire if there is a parent-toddler day. We have an indoor water park in Anchorage Alaska that has such events 3 days a week from 11 am to 2 pm with an admission price of $5.00 that covers the Parent AND Toddler. My son always had a blast and looked forward to going there. If not a water park, then check with your local chamber of commerce about such community activities.

Answer 14

My 3 yr old love the zoo. Play dough keeps her going for hours-put in glitter or beads (just play with her to make sure none go in mouth). Painting. Playgrounds. Movies (might be a bit hard-our first trip didn't go as planned lol). Swimming. Hide and seek (anyone who walks through the door has to play). Hula hoops.



If she does have to watch TV at all, try and make it something like Dora where they have to play along and pick out the right thing. Either tape it if you have pay tv or buy dvds.

Answer 15

If you can afford it, try getting her involved in a physical activity that takes place on a regular basis. Gymnastics would be a good idea. My son started when he was 3 and he loves it and looks forward to it every week. It gets him away from the TV (believe me he loves it as much as your daughter) and he always wants to practice which keeps him physically active. I'm not sure if there are a lot of sports that she can get involved in at three, but I know that gymnastics and swimming are ideal. Good luck!

Answer 16

If she likes TV so much, I would be tempted to take her out of the house for activities. Going to the swimming pool is fun, going to the park to find different tree leaves and insects, there is also places where you can do some pottery together or art spaces for children where they can paint and you don't have to worry about the mess. My daughter loves going to the library, they've got bean bags and cushions in the kids section so we can sit and read together, so much to do away from the TV, a whole world to discover!



Good Luck

Answer 17

Which she gets from her mothers house ????

You need to stop that already!!!

Mum is a parent to your little one as well You made the baby with her so stop the slagging off Hope you dont do it in front of the little one

Ask the kid what she wants to do and make a rota of thing to do when she visits you

One thing you could put on your list is to not bother what mum does with your daughter but to be more bothered what you do with her !!

Sorry to sound horrible but all to many parents slag each other off so much to others they dont realise that they also do it in front of the kid as well Remember that the child loves the other parent just like you did once x

Have a great time with your daughter cos she is special !!!

Answer 18

Ice skating is physical and fun and the younger they start the easier it is as they don't have as far to fall down and it will get you more active too. Good Luck. Also get out of the game of chastising the other parent as the better you get along with the mother of your child the outlook for your child will be a better one.

Answer 19

Young children need to be outside a lot (and that would take her mind off TV too!)



Natural things will entertain them for hours--water, sand, dirt, bugs, animals, and combinations of these. E.g. throwing rocks into a river or lake, paddling at the edge of a pond or fountain, a sand pit or dirt pit with pouring toys and some water (be prepared for mess!)--these can entertain for hours! Give her opportunities to explore her world at her own pace. You can either watch, play alongside her (do what you enjoy), or actively share her play if you want to.



Play is so important for young ones, especially imaginative play. If you are looking for toys for her, try to find ones made of natural materials that are 'multi-purpose', for example cut and sanded rounds of timber, sea shells, stones and rocks, pieces of wood, large pieces (say 4' x 4') of lightweight cloth (usually called play cloths). These are all multi-purpose so they allow her to play with them in her own way, pretending they are anything!



And of course other children to play with are important too. All ages from babies to 10 year olds.



For things to do at home, let her help you with meaningful 'work' such as food preparation, cleaning (sweeping, dusting), gardening (especially flowers and food plants).



You sound like a great Dad. Enjoy your daughter :)

Answer 20

well you're the parent here, so how about setting some rules for her & limiting the amount of time she's allowed to watch TV?

then having her do other activities when she's not watching TV like creating playdough figures, painting, painting ceramic figurines, reading with daddy, walking around the neighborhood together, playing a game of tag, having her draw for you, playing board / computer games together, & soooo much more!

Answer 21

I always loved activity books when I was little, they have lots of fun things like basic counting, and colouring, and then outside activities, like find 4 red things, or three different types of trees, there are lots of websites that have ideas like this and things to print out.

You could take her to the local pool, she might be a little scared of it, but just reassure her and make sure you have fun with it.

You could go on walks and play games like,... I see something that is blue, and she has to try and guess what it is.

Kids love colours and shapes, you could make a scrap book or different colours and write the name of that colour and shape, then have her find other things like that. Or make a picture book of different animals.

Answer 22

I comment you on wanting to actually spend time playing with your daughter. I have been babysitting my 4-year old grand daughter since

she was born, and I will share some of the things she enjoys doing. She loves any kind of pretend play with most dolls, like barbie, bratz, and baby dolls etc. Also she loves playing tea party with her little inexpensive toy dishes. Play dough is also a big hit. Story books are

fun especially if you get one on her favorite characters, like for example

disney princess's. Coloring books and drawing are fun.

But most little ones just enjoy the attention you give them with any kind of play and activities. Wishing you the best.

Answer 23

TIME WITH YOU! I doesn't matter what you do, as long as it is you spending time with her, Use your imagination, I have a character called "Mighty Finger" I use my index finger and a comic book hero or villain and Narrate with lost of enthusiasm, Like Da da Da, It's Mighty Finger, Da Da, and start flying your finger through the air as if it is going to attack her, and when you let her catch him, then pretend to struggle and even call on, Da Da Da, Mighty Finger Part 2 and use your other index finger and try and rescue Mighty finger 1,, or I would get her on the floor in front of me and act like a big oak tree and use my hand as if it was an ax and say, "Chop Chop Chop, Ttiimmbbeerrr, and pretend to fall on her, just enough where she has to struggle to move, let her use her Sstrrong muscle to push you off, and say stuff like"Wow You are strong, you must eat(make up a food) and she will think she is strong, and you can get her to eat new foods too.

Answer 24

potato shape painting



grab some like large paper .. i think u can get it from a butcher or fish and chip shop.. roll it out



next cut potato in half



carve like stars , triangle or w/ever shape bby carving away potato pices so its elevated the potyato shape shud be sticking outt ( u cna also carve INTO the potato so that there is an outilne of a shape)



then roll some paint onto the potato pieces



then have fun painting shapes with your daughter



with left ovdr paper u can get her to paint her mum a painting as a present - you can even have it framed ( if your comfortable with that)



or u can do finger and feet painting



get heaps of the paper and roll like 2-3 metres of it



ur daughter will have heaps of fun running up and down the paper with painty feet



* take her to the park , zoo , aquarium



it autumn ( fall in USA) rake up heaps of leaves into a pile .. and let ur daughter run thru them and chucking leaves averywhere



asks other single dads or married dads and ask them what they do

Answer 25

Doing things in the kitchen is a good idea, it helps her not only learn an important skill, but boosts her self-confidence.



Find out what is available in your area for kids activities. Most Sunday newspapers have listings of events that happen during the week. Plays, parks, museums, concerts, open air markets, festivals, there's all kinds of things that happen every week in your city if you just know how to look for them.



The city I came from had a historic cemetery. I took my sons there (at the time I think they were 13 and 11) to look at the burial sites of Eli Whitney (inventor of the Cotton Gin) and Noah Webster (of Webster Dictionary fame), other historical figures, and to search out old stones dating from colonial times. Our other favorite activity was the local Natural History museum. Dinosaur skeletons, ancient Egyptians, all kinds of cool things to look at, and educational too.



When you visit these places, since she is so young, try to make a game about it. Ask her what a dinosaur rawr sounds like, or to find as many paintings as she can with the color blue. If you go to the park for a concert, dance with her.



The important thing here is to not only expose your child to fun things to do away from the idiot box, but to do these things together as a family. I wish you the best.

Answer 26

Find out what she enjoys, likes, who she is. Besides TV, what is she watching? Curious George? Take her to the zoo. Take her shopping, spoil her a little, she's your little princess. Maybe get her a pet? Take her to a park, where she can play with other kids. Get her some coloring books. TV is going to kill her brain, she's hungry for knowledge. Be her teacher.

Answer 27

If money is not a concern then take her to an american doll store or build a bear store. If she likes movies then go to a real movie with her.

Trips to the park are fun and active. You are limited with a 3 y old. but there are things that you can do. Even a trip to the mall and let her try on clothes. You dont have to buy them. even a walk to the local ice cream shoppe.

I know it is hard but suck it up and play dolls with her. I have two daughters that are grown now and I looked real silly playing dolls

(Played Def. Line Backer at SIUC) so you can imagine how stupid I felt.

Answer 28

Scrabble or board games

take her to Karate lessons and be sure to stay and watch

Take up a hobby together like Photography or Skiing

Take her to see live plays and musicals

Check out local events in your city and teach her to be locally active

Answer 29

u can take ur daughter to public places like parks ,gardens

let her watch a little of t.v.

find children who can be friends with her

having friends will divert her mind from watching much cartoon

i too am a child and know with what i feel happy

try to teach her some mind games to keep her busy

Answer 30

going the park or going to get ice cream on a certain day of the week(Ice Cream Wednesday)or making projects like: puppet shows with socks you made, decorations for the coming up holidays. just fun little things like that.

Answer 31

There are board games tailored to toddlers you can play with her. You can also go places like the zoo, the park, or the beach (depending on where you live) just spend time together and see what the day brings.

Answer 32

take her for a day out at the zoo. it'd be a day she'd never forget.

other suggestions are the botanic gardens (kids love the wide open spaces), the market (the sights, sounds and smells of the market are sure to be a big hit) and maybe the mall.

Answer 33

Take her for a ride on her bike and build clubhouses out of sheets. Take her to the zoo, theme park. Painting in the back yard and play eye spy,

Answer 34

Get her involved with books. Read to her every night, and after each story is finished, asked her what she thought about it. I wouldn't expect an amazing answer or anything, but communication is key at an early age.

Answer 35

For rainy or really cold days have a crafts desk for kids. I got one for my nephews 5 & 3, and they love it. They can color, paint paste,cut and you can join in too.

Take her to by some books and read at the park.

Get a kite, my nephews love this too.

Does she have a tricycle at your place?

Buy some chalk for the side walk or park.

Answer 36

When my daughter was 3 me and her would l dress up like a fairy's and put all face paint on. I would take loads of pictures, and tell her how beautiful she looks, then after we would make lots of fairy bread and drink loads of red cordial.



GOOD LUCK =D

Answer 37

baking, you could make cakes or cookies, and she can mix the dough and cut out shapes, then decorate afetrwards

painting, play dough ( look up recipes on the net - pretty much just flour, water and salt, cheap as) mix in coloured food dye and glitter to make it pretty. you can probably go to the butcher and score some butchers paper, roll it out on the floor outside and use hands and feet for painting is fun also

Answer 38

She is at the age were little girls like to play dress up.All little girls like princesses and would love to dress like one.So one idea you could do is get her a box of dress up cloths crowns ETC.If you still want ideas let me know I have lots and lots.

Answer 39

my little sister used to LOVE to go to the library and sit in the kids section...they have activities there..and the playground...

Answer 40

go out side alot and try different things

Answer 41

that is difficult