What do you do to entertain your 3 year old and other young kids?

Here are a couple of articles I have written with ideas for entertaining children. Some are messy, some are not. There is quite a variety, so you can switch them up to avoid boredom. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/563295/sensory_activities_for_preschoolers.html http://www.helium.com/tm/773982/rainy-outside-other-exercise I hope something here helps.

Games. They are worth the investment. Buy them when you can. There are lots of games out there for young children designed to help them learn and practice skills. Educational Video games are also worth the investment. If you can manage to buy a system, you can put new games on the gift lists. My kids have a V-tech smile system, Power Touch, and Leap Pad. Computer Games can also be a fun learning tool.

We usually turn on some music via the computer or tv and dance around silly. It entertains, exercises, and wears them out faster. Try playing some simple games like hi ho cheerio ... my 3 yr old absolutely adores that game. At first it was hard for her to grasp but now she is getting the hang of it. Hide and seek is also another fun game if you have the room.

My kids love to play with other kids. We try to get out 2-3 times a week to playgroups or just visit friends. Having other kids over to our house works, too, but that gets a little tiring. Going to parks when it is nice outside or indoor playgrounds (usually Chick-Fil-A) can work. I do let her play games at Noggin.com at MooneLeaf.com/flashcards and also watch videos. Usually when I am cleaning, that is her time to entertain herself. It is good for kids to be bored sometimes, that is how they learn to self-entertain. If I am reading or working on the computer then I set her up with TV or computer.