Table top activities for 1-year-olds?

[Starshine]

Sometimes when I have the older kids seated at the table to do a craft or play a board game, I try to put the two 1-year-olds in their booster seats and get them to do something at the table as well. Makes it much easier if they are 'contained' at this time! However, I have yet to find anything that has been successful--playdough they will eat, crayons they eat or stick up their nose LOL, most toys they just drop on the floor. Any ideas of how to keep them occupied in their seats for a bit?

[playfelt]

Do craft time while the babies are napping and if they don't nap then have them do snack while others craft. A few cheerios on the tray can keep them going for awhile.

I found some big cloth books at a craft fair one time. I put those on the trays and used a strip of fabric down the middle of the book to tie them around the trays. They could turn the pages but not move them. The same can be done with platic books with the covers taped to the tray. There used to be toys that would suction to high chair trays and those worked good too.

[monkeymama]

I put my one years old in their highchairs facing each other. they babble at each other, make funny faces and pass toys back and forward. it usually occupies them for a while.

[Starshine]

I put my one years old in their highchairs facing each other. they babble at each other, make funny faces and pass toys back and forward. it usually occupies them for a while.

Oh that's great, mine are on opposite sides of the table right now, but I will try this! Thank you!

[Momof4]

When I'm helping my 3 older children with a craft my 1 year olds are in their booster seats with a paper taped to their tables and I give them markers. Then after the bigger children go off to play I help the babies make the craft one at a time so I can control the mess and teach them the basics slowly for gluing, taping, etc.

[Stubynose]

I love doing the chocolate pudding finger painting with my younger ones. Place 1 tsp of chocolate pudding on their tray, cover the child with a paint smock or even just wearing their diapers and let them squish and eat the choc. pudding as they will. They will smear the pudding all over the tray and love every second of it. The older kids will have your complete attention or they too will ask to do the same fun as your wee ones. This is great fun,and tasty too. You may wish to do this outdoors in the summer where you can hose down the chair and then have fun with a hose and sprinkler after wards to clean the kids up !!

[godsgirl]

Great ideas!! I never thought of any of those!! Thank you Starshine for asking this!

[jec]

If my one year old's aren't napping, they are doing crafts too!
They are in their high chair with some paper and paint ~ they try different things to paint with. Sponges, paint brushes, corks, I'll give them a toy that can get paint on it and they just explore. I'll put some paint with salt in it for a different texture ~ yes, it goes in their mouth but I don't let them sit and eat it. It's non toxic paint. Or I'll put down a sensory bin and let them go to town with different things in them for them to investigate.
My little ones are doing things too

[apples and bananas]

If my one year old's aren't napping, they are doing crafts too!
They are in their high chair with some paper and paint ~ they try different things to paint with. Sponges, paint brushes, corks, I'll give them a toy that can get paint on it and they just explore. I'll put some paint with salt in it for a different texture ~ yes, it goes in their mouth but I don't let them sit and eat it. It's non toxic paint. Or I'll put down a sensory bin and let them go to town with different things in them for them to investigate.
My little ones are doing things too

When I give my little ones paint they put it on their fingers and then directly into their mouth. I wonder if anyone else has that issue. The high chair = food. So everything that's on it goes into their mouth. I tend to stay away from daily crafts for the little ones until they are mature enough to not put things like crayons and paint directly into their mouth. I often do crafts with the big kids while the little ones are sleeping.

[jec]

When I give my little ones paint they put it on their fingers and then directly into their mouth. I wonder if anyone else has that issue. The high chair = food. So everything that's on it goes into their mouth. I tend to stay away from daily crafts for the little ones until they are mature enough to not put things like crayons and paint directly into their mouth. I often do crafts with the big kids while the little ones are sleeping.

They are not always in their highchair and when they are, my little ones don't always think food as we do so many crafts in their chair as well as snacks/lunch. When using paints, most time I strip them down into their diaper and put a paint cover on. The little ones put EVERYTHING in their mouth but I wouldn't let that stop them from exploring new things. I will take their hand out of their mouth with the crayon and show them how to put it on paper. they don't get it right away and a little crayon isn't going to hurt them as I use Crayola non toxic. I have one little one who has been here for a few weeks now and is banging the crayon on the paper - having fun and laughing. I recently had the kids do a painting of different types of paint with different types of ingredients mixed in for different textures to feel ....if you leave them alone, then yes they will chow down but helping them by putting the paint in their hands- giving them sponges to smack down on the paper- all exploring and learning and fun! Of course you have some little ones that aren't interested and I never push the kids into doing crafts as I want it to become a fun time but, when I get a little one who is into it and having fun- you bet they are doing crafts with us !