The Toddler's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Keep Your 1 1/2- to 3-Year-Old Busy [Paperback]

Trish Kuffner (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 1, 1999 | Age Range: 2 and up

The Toddler’s Busy Book is a must-read for anyone raising or teaching toddlers! This book contains over 365 activities (one for each day of the year) for kids ages 18 months to 3 years, using items found around the home. It shows parents and day-care providers how to prevent boredom during the longest stretches of indoor weather, stimulate a child’s natural curiosity with entertaining math, language, and motor-skills activities, encourage a child’s physical, mental, and emotional growth, celebrate holidays and other occasions with special projects and activities, and keep toddlers occupied during long car trips or while running errands. The Toddler's Busy Book is written with warmth and sprinkled with humor and insight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A godsend! It's packed with quick-and-easy activities that will keep your toddler creatively stimulated, entertained, and busy for hours." —Penny Warner, author of Baby Play & Learn

About the Author

Trish Kuffner lives with her husband and five children just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia.  She is the author of The Toddler's Busy Book, The Preschooler's Busy Book, The Arts & Crafts Busy Book, and The Wiggle & Giggle Busy Book.

Product Details

• Age Range: 2 and up
  
• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: Meadowbrook; 1 edition (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671317741
• ISBN-13: 978-0671317744
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Activities
  • #6 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Games
  • #30 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Parenting

More About the Author

Trish Kuffner lives with her husband and five children just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

389 of 397 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource, even if you have plenty of activity books June 14, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Trish Kuffner writes, "Toddlerhood is a precious stage in the life of both parent and child, and one which can be enjoyed immensely if you are prepared to slow down a little, sit on the floor a lot, and worry about picking up the toys only when your child goes to bed at night."

The toddler age is the most mystical age for child and parent - you'll never again have such a rich opportunity to entertain your children with ordinary items and activities!

Kuffner gives us an enormous number of ideas for fun things to do with our children. This is an arts and crafts type of book, and she does something I haven't seen in other activity books. She spends a chapter telling you how to organize for a toddler. She also provides a list of items to buy and old household items to save (dried magic markers, for example).

The rest of the book is laid out equally well. There are chapters on rainy day play, water play, kitchen activities, outdoor adventures, how to entertain the kids when you're on errands or travel, nursery rhymes, learning activities, music, arts & crafts, and even birthday/holiday activities. The appendix lists craft recipes, "crazy can" activities, and best toys/books for toddlers. Very comprehensive and varied.

Reading through this book makes me want to do most of the activities myself if my toddler doesn't want to!

My husband tends toward other fun activities rather than arts and crafts when he entertains the kids. But even he flipped through the book and got interested in some of the activities.

191 of 195 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for new AND veteran moms alike July 25, 2001

By Amanda Formaro

Format:Paperback

Parents know that it doesn't take expensive toys and gadgets to entertain a toddler. Any old box or wad of tissue paper will do!

When Trish Kuffner put together "The Toddler's Busy Book", she was keenly aware of this fact, being a mother of five herself. Within the over 500 pages, you will find a multitude of ideas for keeping your little darlings busy and entertained, without spending a fortune. In fact, many of the items used in this great book can be found lying around the house.

Ms. Kuffner includes sections on organizing for a toddler, how to plan your activities, what to keep on hand for quick crafting fun, and even ideas for a weekly activity planner. Chapters include topics such as rainy day play, kids in the kitchen, water play, outdoor adventures, and ideas for keeping kids busy on long car rides. You'll also find a large array of favorite nursery rhymes and finger plays, and great ideas to help develop a love for music in your child.

There's an entire section dedicated to crafts and activities, another for birthdays and holidays, and a useful section containing recipes for all types of homemade play doughs, clays, paints, and more. Many of the ideas in this book are so simple, you may find yourself saying "Why didn't I think of that!". Kudos to Ms. Kuffner on creating an excellent resource for parents of busy little toddlers!

174 of 181 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Handy Ideas for "Quality Time" with Toddlers & Preschoolers June 14, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

In the USA we generally refer to a child as being a "toddler" between the ages of 18 months and 3 years of age. However, my 5-year-old "preschooler" enjoys many of the activities in this book as well as his almost 2-year-old sister. I have learned that the best "gift" a parent can give a child is his/her undivided attention for a period of time. I have personally found that by spending one-on-one time with each of my children, even if only for 5-10 minutes one or two times a day, there is a positive change in the daily demeanor and degree of cooperation I get. They look forward to it. It's not that I can't think of things to do with my children, but on one of those really difficult days (I'm sure you know what I mean), it's a big help to glance quickly at some creative simple ideas to choose from. Also, this book comes in handy when a play-date becomes boring or unfriendly. When I am able to redirect the unhappy kids to the kitchen table for a "mommy supervised activity" from this book, the enthusiastic smiles almost always instantly return. When my daughter was born, and big brother's jealousy was on the rise, I used many ideas in this book for the much appreciated one-on-one time... "mommy/big brother time" -- without baby sister. Along with "The Toddler Busy Book", I also recommend another helpful little book filled with positive discipline suggestions for parents of 2-5 year-olds called "The Pocket Parent." I like the easy reference A-Z format of this trouble-shooting guide that addresses many of the most annoying behaviors that too often challenge my sanity. These two books have brought more peace to our family, more cooperation from our children, and more ways for us to enjoy one another.