Fun things to do with my three year old?

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 elliot.baker 29 Jun 2022

Bit of fun - taking some time off work and not going away on holiday, hoping to do some work on the house etc. but also some more fun stuff with our three year old (and 0 year old in tow, if possible)...

Things already on the list below - any other fun ideas I'm missing?

  • bike ride with him in shotgun seat - any fun location suggestions around Derbyshire for a mountain bike? Done Carsington and canal paths...
  • bike ride with him on his own (newly learned) pedal bike
  • kayaking on a canal (done Cromford, perhaps Peak Forest canal with the aqueduct next?)
  • Indoor bouldering (for the first time)...
  • water park 
 Sealwife 29 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Beach, sandy, stoney or muddy - all have attractions for 3 year olds.  All of mine loved a puddle around in water, better still if there were pebbles to throw in, sticks to stir mud with etc - always take a change of clothing.  If yours are anything like mine, someone ALWAYS falls in or exceeds the depth of their wellies.

Kites if it’s windy

Mine would always fall asleep if on a bike not actively pedalling, consequently arriving at destination full of beans and I’d be knackered - take lots of snacks.

If cycling on their own bike, again, don’t expect them to go very far (if it turns out your 3year old is a stamina monster - bonus).  Loads of snacks again.

Put up a tent in your garden and have a cook out with a stove.  Hot choc and marshmallows. Fried egg rolls etc

I used to spend ages thinking up adventures to take my kids on when they were little and realised that it was usually the simpler, smaller things they’d like most - like the picnic by the river and finding a frog.

 stubbed 29 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Anything involving throwing stones into water. Building a dam on a stream? The adventure playground at Chatsworth house is good too.

 Offwidth 29 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Try the toddler problems on Burbage South Valley Boulders.... the first you meet on the track... but there are details here if you need more info (needs a Flash enabled browser like Puffin)

https://offwidth.uptosummit.com/burbages_boulders.html

Then wander up to Carl Wark for some history and the view.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Wark

 thomasadixon 29 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Outdoor climbing/scrambling.  Something 45’ ish that you can basically walk up. “Long” (for them) and adventurous rather than bouldering.

 jonfun21 29 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Ref cycling in the Peak District you can’t beat the old railway lines (Monsal, High Peak, Tissington, Manifold) with kids.

Both of ours, now 9 and 7 love them having been on the back of our bikes and now doing them on their own, Monsal is great due to tunnels/interest and Cafe at end and Hassop Cafe (which has kids play ground). Tissington is also great if you go into the village and sweet shop
 

Walk wise we have done wanders along Frogatt, Lathkill dale and Chatsworth when they were younger. If you put them in a carrier then a walk with a cave or another point of interest is good - such as Wolfscote Dale and Thors Cave along Manifold.

 Bottom Clinger 29 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

If you have a garden:

1.  get an egg box and collect things to go in each compartment. feathers, worms, stones.  

2. make a bug Hotel. 

3. make a pond with a washing up bowl, some mud and water, sink it into the ground. 

Wet weather (you’ve booked time off work which drastically increases the chance of rain):

1. bake biscuits *. Decorate with a bit of watery icing and jelly tots.  Oh, crispy cakes as well. 
2. make a den under the table and eat biscuits and cake.  Use chairs to make a labyrinth of tunnels

* 2 sugar 4 butter. 6 flour. Beat butter and sugar, stir in flour, kneed a bit. Use cutters or make walnuts and squish with a fork (if the later, add pinch baking powder to make them a tad fluffy).  

 Herdwickmatt 30 Jun 2022
In reply to Bottom Clinger:

Build a den in the woods.

Go looking for the perfect stick

Find the perfect stick to make a bow

Eat icecream

Play Lego for 10 hours

 Toerag 30 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

What are they into? Mine was into knights so I made him a breastplate out of a cardboard box and helmet from cereal boxes. Bow or shield are good (he can decorate the latter). Mine aren't fussed about arrows, they just fire pretend ones with their bows.

Damming watercourses or making mud&vegetation 'food' will keep them busy.

Playdates?

See a steam train? Watch diggers somewhere?

Ref. bike rides - don't forget rough terrain is no fun strapped into a seat with no suspension.

Post edited at 12:54
 LastBoyScout 30 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Dovedale is fun with the stepping stones.

Try some of the cave systems, like the Blue John mines or Treak Cliff cavern - but take lots of warm clothes. Speedwell cavern has a boat trip in it, but the radon fan means a lot of windchill.

 kathrync 30 Jun 2022
In reply to LastBoyScout:

> Speedwell cavern has a boat trip in it, but the radon fan means a lot of windchill.

My niece and nephew loved the boat trip in Speedwell when they were ~5 and ~3. Mind you, we did share the boat with a social event for a local chamber choir. They were singing on the boat and it was eerie and magical!

 compost 30 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Fun for who? Your list in the OP suggests you're looking for things you'd find fun :-D

When mine were 3 it was all about exploring the woods, looking for insects and puddles, hand painting on old rolls of wallpaper, baking, duplo towers and balance biking to the park.

 montyjohn 30 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

> Things already on the list below - any other fun ideas I'm missing?

Sounds like an amazing list.

So I've got a 2 and a 4 year old. When my first was a baby I had the attitude of as soon as my kid is walking, we're going to be climbing mountains, at the crag, you name it, we we're going to do it.

Reality for us was a bit different. I was a bit too ambitious and it led to many failed and tear filled outings. I over estimated a child's stamina and underestimated their stubbornness when they don't want to do something.

 So now, a fun day might be...

wait for it....

This is going to blow you away....

Collecting snails from the garden. Oh yes.

I know it doesn't sound too exciting, but they love it.

They'll do it for hours, I get a break. They spend time outdoors. The only tears are when I have to explain that their snails (and we're talking about a lot of snails at this point) can't live in the house at the end of the day.

It's the perfect day.

If you can manage the list in your OP without all day meltdowns, you're living the dream. And you must teach me.

 Toerag 30 Jun 2022
In reply to montyjohn:

> Collecting snails from the garden. Oh yes.

My wife's Nan used to pay her and her brother to collect slugs from her garden, 1 pfennig each (she's German).

 morpcat 30 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Today I kept our 2.5yo entertained for a few hours by pulling up weeds and gathering fallen fruit from the garden. He also enjoyed a trip to the shops (and park) and helped me make dinner by putting things in various pots and pulling the thyme leaves off the stalks. At this age, as long as he's engaged and included he can get enjoyment out of the most seemingly mundane things. Also, a bright orange butterfly came into the kitchen this morning and he delighted in safely catching and releasing it.

On the more adventurous side, he enjoys swims in the sea, crabbing and rockpools, kayaking in shallow waters, exploring the forest and seeing waterfalls. 

Having browsed through some climbing photos on my phone he recently decided he wanted to "go climbing in the mountains". This involves each of us putting on a backpack and helmet, tying onto a rope and taking coils, and then climbing over all the chairs and sofas in the house.

Post edited at 22:21
 lowersharpnose 30 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

In your back garden...

Build a small fire & cook some sausages.

Bucket bath in 5 gallon bucket or smaller, warm water and maybe bubbles.

 Andy Hardy 30 Jun 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

It's never too soon to start geocaching!

 compost 01 Jul 2022
In reply to morpcat:

Love the climbing on the sofas. We had toy Black and Decker tools. Everything in our house was sawn, hammered, drilled and screwdriven. And I mean everything!

 montyjohn 01 Jul 2022
In reply to compost:

> We had toy Black and Decker tools. Everything in our house was sawn, hammered, drilled and screwdriven. And I mean everything!

Poor cat!

 deepsoup 01 Jul 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

> Indoor bouldering (for the first time)...

Slight variation on a theme here - to incorporate a bit more fun and games and some time playing with other kids into that, perhaps book your toddler onto an indoor bouldering session with Rock Tots?

https://www.rocktots.net/

 Offwidth 01 Jul 2022
In reply to lowersharpnose:

Beware of see and do. My dad did some occasional work as a gravedigger and I sometimes tagged along. One day I innocently asked my mum if I could dig some holes in the mud with my brothers and she said yes but be careful. She realised we were too quiet too long and found us in the bottom of a 3 foot deep trench. :-0

 Sealwife 01 Jul 2022
In reply to Offwidth:

I have a similar tale to tell.

Very many years ago, my uncle bought an old tipper-truck.  He decided to spruce it up by painting the cab bright yellow, tin of paint and brush.  My cousin, about 3 years of age, got a brush and was allowed to do a bit of painting too.

Uncle Jack went in for a cup of tea.

His neighbour had just taken delivery of a new, shiny, not yellow, car.

You can probably guess what happened next.

 Cheese Monkey 02 Jul 2022
In reply to elliot.baker:

Go watch some banger racing. Worth taking kiddie ear defenders if they're sensitive to noise. Kids love it, adults love it, it's a good laugh. "Pits" are typically open so you can go and see the mangled cars too


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