Ooh so glad you started this thread here too. I saw the one on the preschoolers board and was tempted to join in for the ride and to get some ideas, but DS is only 2 so I have nothing to share for those older kids.
We had a few things this past week as it was half term and our regular toddler groups weren't on so I had to entertain DS a bit more than usual. DS had asked if we could go to a restaurant so I set up a couple of lunches out across the week which helped
- lunch in a supermarket cafe. Sounds dull but he had a GREAT time. We just had sandwiches but he eats so well when we are out that he even ate an egg sandwich, no question. Another day we went out for a pub lunch in a child friendly pub. Another day we did the tourist thing and went to a chip shop.
- ride machines (without putting any money in it!) you know the sort that kids nag about going on. Mine is more than happy to just get on and off a hundred times and pretend to be the bus driver, the ice cream man etc. We had a happy 10 or 15 min play inside a supermarket (nice and warm) and could have spent a lot longer there only it was coming up to nap. Another day about 30 mins outside a supermarket, basically in the car park so on full alert even though DS is great with car park safety (this was a really cold 30 mins! Again DS would have been v happy to stay much much longer. I made a note to go back in the summer!). We also went to one of the awful cheesy amusement arcades (we live in a tourist town on the coast) which DS loved, at least half a dozen ride on machines there and again he was happy to play on them without me paying for any of them to actually move. Whilst we were there he went on his first fairground ride on his own, £1, and what joy on his face!!
- pet shop. We've been once before. Funny there were a few other families in there doing the same thing, just visiting the animals!
We did a few other things too, and on the whole had a great week (v cute he keeps talking about his holiday even though we didn't go away
), although I'm grateful for our regular toddler groups which mean I don't have to do all this every week