Infant and Toddler Care Only

[Zoe]

What do you do all day if all you have are infants and toddlers?

Right now I have in my care a 9 month old, 14 month old, 18 month old and a 24 month old. Lots of littles! Here's our schedule for right now, but I'm looking for any tweaks to maybe help out the monotony of free play.

6:30-7:30-Drop off/kids put back to sleep
7:30-8:30-Breakfast/Free Play/Take my DD to school
9:00-Am snack
9:15-10:00-AM nap for younger ones
10:00-11:00-Free play
11:15-11:45-lunch
11:45-12:30-free play
12:30-2:30-Pm nap
2:30-2:45-PM snack
3:00-pick up-get DD from school
4:30-last pick up of the day

Mainly I'm wondering what to do during that hour between am nap and lunch! Maybe there's not much to do with kids this little except let them play, but I'd be willing to hear any ideas! I feel they're too young for circle time, which is what I do when I have older kids.

Outside time has been difficult lately due to REALLY cold weather and it basically being ice in our yard. Tough for little feet!

TIA!

[cheerfuldom]

with that many young ones, i really wouldnt expect to do much outside of letting them play while you change diapers and do bottle feeds and such. you can try table activities after lunch, free art or other things at the table but it just depends on what your group can handle. some toddlers would be so into that, others have the attention span of a fly.

[blandino]

Music would be fun for that age. Or some sort of sensory play (safe for little ones of course) would be fun.

[itlw8]

I would do circle with the 2 older ones and the 2 littles may join Read a book or 2 sings some songs and some sort of movement. 5 to 10 minutes max. Then later read one on one to each child though everyone will come join.
18 and 24 months are old enough to color, paint, playdough with supervision.

[Crystal]

I would TOTALLY do circle time with that age group!!! They LOVE fingerplays, puppet shows, short stories, dancing (the older toddlers). Keep it short and only while they are interested, but it absolutely essential to language and literacy development!

I would also be offering art....down to diapers for painting, I would offer crayons and tape paper on the table for the toddlers, playdough for the 18 month and 2 year old, etc.

[Zoe]

Thanks for the ideas! Crystal, I have tried small structured activities and their attention span does not last even halfway through the first song. I'll keep trying, maybe they'll get better.

In my area preschoolers go to actual preschool and families take care of them the rest of the time, so infants and toddlers are all that's really available.

Thanks again!