I?m looking for lists of activities and fun things to do with kids
between the ages of 1 to 6. The answer should give a wide variety of
interesting things to do, and preferably would be grouped by each year
of age. While any list will probably include loads of obvious
possibilities (e.g., visit the zoo, read a book, watch a movie, play
with a pet, go swimming, etc.), I?m also hoping for more innovative
suggestions. In case it matters, I have a 6 week old son and a 2.5
year old son (so I?m more interested in activities that boys would
find fun ? if there are any sex differences), and we currently live in
Hamilton, New Zealand but visit the U.S. (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
every year. I?d love to see lots of comments on this topic as well.

Just a comment.
I bought a candy floss maker for an extended New Year party, having
been volunteered as the kindergarten entertainment. Kept the kids (and
supposed adults) amused for hours once we managed to get the heat up
high enough for it to work. Stainless steel bowl over the works for a
few minutes did the trick. I thought the parents would object to my
loading their little darlings with sugar but the main problem was
getting the adults to wait their turn.

Hide and seek always goes down well too.

Best

As a diabetic, I don?t suppose I could get very enthusiastic about
Guzzi?s suggestion-but I imagine it would go down well with my son and
grandson!. Myself I think it?s very important to get kids interested
in making things themselves from a very early age. What better and
safer way could there be than to begin by painting?. First of all, by
finger-painting, then moving on to such activities as making  potato
stamps to decorate items themselves. The only important thing to watch
out for here is that the paints must be non-poisonous and suitable for
kids to use (because, like candy floss, it all invariably ends up in
the mouth).

There are several websites with activities for children. 

Create with Kids : http://www.createwithkids.com, The site is being
added to frequently.  There is an activity calendar. The ebook section
there has a book called "Toddler Play Ideas".  At Create with Kids you
will find activities for all ages, not just ages 1-6.  Other ideas
include: homemade playdough, painting ideas, books to read together,
and more.

Two other websites that are great: 
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ (this is more preschool oriented
with free printables)
http://www.daniellesplace.com/ (a lot of great craft ideas)

Create with Kids!

My nurturing passion for children and heartfelt compassion for newly
parents inspired me to create a website that empowers parents to raise
happy, healthy, confident children.

Seasoned Hearts, Inc. specializes in encouraging securely rooted
families through the power of nurturing play. We believe this is
accomplished by spending quality family fun time together building
strong relationships and creating precious childhood memories.

Our focus is not on the products (tools) but rather on the quality
family interaction they encourage.  All educational toys and parenting
tips have been time-tested and proven to work by mothers who have
successfully raised happy, healthy, confident children in a securely
rooted family.

I found a pottery place is fun for my kids.  They are not too
expensive(depends on the piece you pick to paint) Some offer programs
like "paint me a story" where they read the kids a book then have them
create a plate or mug that has somithing to do with the story.  My son
likes to go and find motorccycles, cars, and bugs to paint. You leave
everything there, the employees clean up and fire the piece and you
pick it up in a few days.  This is great on a cold or rainy day for a
few hours You don't have to clean up the paint and you get a
masterpiece to save and display.  I use the coffee mug my 3 year old
made every morning and he is so proud.

Children under 3 best things to do is outdoor activities.  Also check
out malls in the area.  The ones around us have play/climbing area set
up for the kids.  Age 4 and up checkout: www.letterboxing.org
Another cool website for ages 3 and up: www.starfall.com/
Games my 4 year old and 6 year old can play on their own:
CRANIUM HULLABALOO
Card games: war, slap jack and uno
Candyland
Another thing you can do at the mall or bookstore: find a place that
has a train table set up.  Three year old boys love train tables.
Also lookup musuems in the area.  Some of the small local ones are
just indoor play areas.