Hellobee Boards

(she will be 3 in October)

holds the longest:
swimming pool
tricycle
play kitchen/food/cooking
dolls
dress up clothes

5-10 minutes:
Little people
coloring/books
trains
matching games

Trains--I build the track and he can spent 20-30 min driving the trains around and talking to himself. If i then jump in for 5-10 min, he's good to go for another 20 min on his own.
Cars--like matchbox size cars, he will also spend 20-30 minutes racing them around, lining them up, and engaging in great imaginative play
Construction vehicles (bruder makes great ones, or he also loves little ones)--same as above.

This toy, which I hate, but he loves:
http://www.amazon.com/VTech-Wheels-Ultimate-Amazement-Playset/dp/B00KG3WYJQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1439317262&sr=8-7&keywords=v+tech

Things that don't hold his attention independently:
any arts and crafts (painting, coloring stickers)
puzzles
chalk/drawing
blocks

He'll be 3 in October.

@charlotte: give them a play room. make sure it's nice and tidy. should give you at least an hour!

If you have IG, follow busytoddler!

Great thread! We really struggle with this (thus my "what besides TV" thread). Honestly when my LO gets absorbed in imaginative play, that's when she stays occupied the longest. This morning a Command hook was an airplane and she played with that for about 30 minutes straight. When I set up activities she's over it in 10 minutes!

LO is just past 2 (27 months) and seems bored with everything lately so I'm scavenging for ideas. Her longest favorites are free play blocks (http://www.amazon.com/Hape-E0409-Maple-Blocks/dp/B00712NYP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439323053&sr=8-1&keywords=hape+blocks) - she's all about building towers lately, and a Disney match game (http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Classic-Characters-Matching-Game/dp/B007DW6F34/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439323102&sr=8-1&keywords=disney+match+game). This play table keeps her attention the longest (http://www.amazon.com/VTech-Touch-Learn-Activity-Desk/dp/B00KB8U1I2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439323121&sr=8-1&keywords=vtech+play+table)

DD is a little over 2.5

Keeps her attention the longest:
Play doh
Bubbles
I'll play music on the iPad and she dances

Things that she plays with for 5 min:
Megablocks
Coloring

For us it doesn't seem to matter what toys are out so much as how they're out. Last week I realized independent play had sort of disappeared so I stuck half our toys in the closet so the toy shelves are tidy, easy to access, and options are limited. Now independent play is back!

I totally feel you on this- I always feel on a mission to find something more captivating!

Hiding and rotating toys really is effective. Also playing in an "emptier"room seems to last longer so I stuff everything in my closets, which is rough on organizing, but works to keep her playing longer.

Right now the longest attention holders are:

Magnets on the fridge-I have mag formers but she only really likes them on that refrigerator surface, otherwise she doesn't have the patience at all. Also we have some of those Melissa and Doug animal magnets but some are a bit small so I have to monitor her. I want to get a set of letters and number magnets, but am looking for ones that are solid and so many are small and cheap.

Stickers- she loves moving them around and sticking and un-sticking them but sometimes gets angry when the rip or won't come up easily

Arranging things in boxes or on shelves-doesn't seem to matter what kind of shelves, boxes, or objects. I like using dollar store stuff like Pom poms. You know kids and cardboard boxes are a great match always. I raid the recycling bin daily.

Water play-messy and annoying to monitor, but playing in the sink is the best attention holder for her.

Holds his attention the longest:

His little die-cast cars like little tonka trucks, matchbox, etc. He likes to drive them around or load them up onto his bigger big rig with a trailer.

Trains - I set up the track for him and he'll go around and around. Or sometimes he just drives the train around the house with no track. But any train derailment and he throws all his train cars and takes apart the track.

Sandbox: ugh so messy but he loves it.

Little pool w/ squirters and cups. He once spent hours outside just squirting water.

He's never been very interested in art stuff so that only holds his attention for a few minutes.

He'll do puzzles, magnatiles, and blocks if I sit right there and play with him.

2.5 year old boys--
-Small trucks (not hot wheel size but not huge, either) in a sand box. Or just trucks anywhere actually.
-The tools from their tool bench
-swimming
-giant boxes (they climb on them, climb in them, push each other around on them, paint on them, etc. until finally the boxes are officially dead and we chunk them.

DS just turned 2 and his favorite thing in the world right now are his matchbox cars. He could easily spend a half hour playing with them - his favorite thing to do right now is take one of our couch cushions and put it at an angle and "race" the cars down lol.

He also likes playing with sand or water, kicking a ball.

All of his other toys get played with for 5 minutes tops and I usually have to start playing with it first (like his play kitchen, little people, etc).

He likes to use glue and glitter, sometimes color with markers. But for the most part he really doesn't have a huge interest in coloring, play dough, etc. I keep trying but he says "all done!" After 2 minutes. I notice the same with a lot of boys in general- I know some boys do like art stuff, but the majority I know aren't interested as much as girls are.