<p>My college bound D has a summer job nannying for two sweet little boys ( 3 1/2 and 12 months) three days a week. I know she wants to make a list of activities that she can do with them at home so it won’t turn into the same old routine, for her OR for them - any and all suggestions will be appreciated!!! THANKS!</p>
<p>Get them out of the house everyday, some crafts, some “cooking”/eating things, and maybe a “mommy and me” tumbling thingy, but they are pretty young to be worrying about variety. For kids that young, having a routine may be more important.Maybe a search for activities for preschoolers. Is the 12 mos old walking well?</p>
<p>The 3 1/2 yr. old might enjoy a weekly trip to the public library where he can help choose some great books your D can read to both him and the little one.</p>
<p>Also, many public libraries have weekly programs that are wrapped around books while incorporating craft activities. Most will be directed toward kids in the older one’s age group. Some require registration, some are walk-in.</p>
<p>Homemade playdough for the 3.5 y/o. Can be hours of fun. Just pick one or two colors to make. Does this child have a sandbox?</p>
<p>At that age my sons went to the library for their story hour. We went to the park every day it wasn’t raining. And we regularly went to the train station where the guys got to know my son and would blow the whistle fo him. </p>
<p>At home, cooking is fun - kids that age can stir batter. I used to do watercolor painting with them. If you get good quality watercolor paper they can paint for a while without the paper disintegrating.</p>
<p>Remind her that even though “same old routine” sounds boring, kids these ages NEED routine. So while she should/can change up their activities, their routine should be similar daily.</p>
<p>You have great suggestions here. A pretty structured schedule with variety in the way it’s delivered.<br>
For example, after baby goes down for morning nap, it’s “art time”, but something different some days. After morning nap is outdoor time - either at the park or at home. She should get the idea…</p>
<p>Painting with water. Painting rocks. Kids love to play with water. A rubbermaid type of container filled with water add in funnels, measuring cups, spoons and small buckets.
Walks to collect items from nature-leaves, twigs, small rocks. Bring them home and clue them to cardboard.</p>
<p>Adding if your D has some toys that you have saved from childhood those are fun to bring over. When my D babysits she often brings a game or puzzles or her old favorite books. The kids like something new. A game my D would bring for her 3 1/2 and 5 yr old kids was Dont break the ice. I had saved the wooden castle blocks and they loved and requested she bring them again and again.</p>
<p>I had nannies for both my kids. The three things I insisted on: get out of the house every day, even in the rain, read them books - the little one can sit on your lap while you read to the older one, and no tv. As others have said structure is important. I don’t think you have to do exciting and expensive things every day or even every week. </p>
<p>My nanny used to spend hours outside with the kids walking the neighborhood and just pointing out ordinary stuff: the moss on a tree, acorns on the ground, the different shapes of the leaves, shapes of the clouds, etc. </p>
<p>I hope she enjoys her summer job.</p>
<p>bubbles! then a dip in the pool.</p>
<p>small cooking projects - ants on a log!</p>
<p>I remember having this book when the 2Kids_ were little. Check it out at the library - therey may be some good ideas for rainy day activities in here. Bubbles are great, aren’t they? 
[Amazon.com:</a> 365 TV-Free Activities You Can Do with Your Child: Steve Bennett, Ruth Bennett: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/365-TV-Free-Activities-Your-Child/dp/1558505857]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/365-TV-Free-Activities-Your-Child/dp/1558505857)
Boxed brownie mix and boxed muffin mix are quick, fun bakes.</p>
<p>There are some great suggestions here, but please remember that some of the activities and materials suitable for the older child may not be safe for the younger one. For example, a 3 1/2 year old is old enough to play with toys with small parts, but the younger child might put them in his mouth and choke on them.</p>
<p>Some activities that the older child would enjoy may only be possible during the younger one’s nap.</p>
<p>^^^Marian’s point is excellent and should be passed on to the young lady doing the child care. My son is just over two years older than my daughter. He loved to build with blocks and construction toys of all sorts, small train sets, etc. How well I remember trying to play with him at the same time as keeping my daughter entertained and out of danger. While I knew full well in theory that the age difference would lead to problems for a while, I really didn’t realize the implications until faced with the situation.</p>
<p>It was easier to put son on one of his riding vehicles and daughter in a stroller and take long excursions around the neighborhood or to a park with trails.</p>
<p>toys with small parts…</p>
<p>At least, since these are boys, there probably will not be Barbie shoes.</p>
<p>My older two had that age-spread. I recall lots of time in one child-proof room with two activities. The younger one might be moving from crawling to walkiing in the coming 2 months and will begin tearing apart projects the older one does.
Setting up the older one at a table to do puzzles or art, while your D is on the floor with the younger one helping encourage mobility and keeping her safe might be a way to think about things. She can be hands-on with the moving baby, meanwhile keep a running conversation going across the room with the older child working at the table, so neither is ignored. That’s how I remember those busy years with that particular age-spread.</p>
<p>It’s also a good time to teach nursery rhymes, rhythmic handclapping games with parts for both kids. There are books and tapes of these. </p>
<p>Don’t forget dolls and fantasy play for boys. Your D could sew 2 buttons on a sock, and pop it onto her hand to create one character. Every day that character can tell stories to both kids. Plenty of back-and-forth talk and she’ll hear some surprising thoughts from the older child that way! </p>
<p>A good set of wooden blocks is great for the 3-and-a-half year old; meanwhile pull aside some blocks and just play hide-and-seek with a few blocks and clean dishrag, or stack a few in a tower, with the 12-month-old. To me, blocks are the ultimate set of toys because they represent everything, and can be played with from age 1-8 in different ways. They’ll feel as though they’re playing together when in fact, developmentally, they’re doing different things. </p>
<p>Put on some music and clang with a wooden spoon on the pot lids. If it’s in the budget, buy some appealing little cymbal/purcussion/beanbag marracas/shakers to make a prettier percussion section to participate with the canned music. Don’t leave them around all the time; rather bring them out for a special jam session.</p>
<p>See if the family will leave all their unmatched socks for you. Play matching games; line them up; count them; look for big and small. In the end, ball them up into pairs and leave them triumphantly at the parent’s bedroom door as an accomplished “chore.”</p>
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<p>Great idea, however, make sure that she knows how to identify poisonous plants such as poison ivy, oak and sumac, and to keep her charges far away from them. Serious allergic reactions to these plants can be life threatening.</p>
<p>Did anybody suggest finger painting with pudding??? My kids loved it.</p>