Our house is in a state of disheaval because we painted this weekend.  Because of that, and because we shifted some furniture around, some of Evelyn’s larger toys were moved.  Her kitchen is across the dining room from where it was and situated so that she can walk all the way around it.  (We used to have to get after her for trying to go behind it, in her younger, clumsier days…ahh, how times change.)

Anyway, because it’s suddenly in a new location (less than ten feet away), she is suddenly playing with it much more than she did before.  It’s like we gave her a brand new toy by drawing her attention to an old one.  It may not work with a kid that’s much older than she is, but it’s working for Evelyn at 22 months. Give it a try, you might get five more minutes of peace and quiet out of  it.

In the same way, we hide half of her toys in a tub in her closet, switching them out every now and then when she seems bored.  This is good for her because she gets “new” stuff occasionally and then will play quietly with it all for a while, but also for me because I get a break from some of her more obnoxious toys.  :)