Early in parenting we learn that toddlers like simple, practical items in their play time. My daughter is no exception and would rather toss around asparagus stems than her plastic food while I cook to mimic what she's seeing. Sometimes we don't have spare food to toss in a bin for our kids but they need stimulation. I often complicate this instead of focusing on simple items that will do the trick.
I keep a bin of items that can promote independent play when it's not time for screen time and she's chomping at the bit to do something other than play with her usual toys.
So here is the list of items I would suggest to keep in a bin to pull out for these times. Most are cheap and found at the Dollar Tree and some you might already have in your pantry or cupboard.
1.Brown Paper Sacks.
You can find a large bulk of these at the dollar store and we've transformed many into holiday appropriate crafts. She also likes to color on them and place her favorite toys and figurines inside. If you do a nature scavenger hunt, you could bring one along so they feel more independent in their search for nature items.
3. Glue Sticks.
Glue sticks are often chunky and easy to wrap their tiny hands around for better coordination. She loves to glue a spot and then press down some torn tissue or construction paper to see it stick.
4. Washable markers.
Emphasis on washable. She loves her coloring books, but we also bring out a roll of white paper and draw together every few days or so. I catch her drawing on herself from time to time so washable is a must!
5. Washi Tape.
We have several rolls on various colors and have used them to create shapes on the floor on our kitchen tile, to make 'animal parades' and to place on contact paper.
6. Construction Paper.
If your child is old enough to use safety scissors, you can draw lines on the paper to practice fine motor skills of cutting, or create puzzles out of shapes.
7. Stickers.
Does any child NOT love stickers? It was an early obsession for our daughter. However, peeling stickers can be hard for tiny hands. Dollar Tree carries bubble stickers that are thick and much easier when they're first learning to peel.
8. Window Clings.
These are so fun for little ones and relatively easy to remove from windows once they're not sticky any longer or when the holiday is over.
9. Poms.
These can be used in so many ways. They are great for having a visual of numbers, sticking to contact paper, placing in water for sensory play. Lots of options with these!
10. Muffin Tin.
One item you might already have on hand is a muffin tin. We like to place a number in the bottom of the tin and count out poms to match the number. You could also use cheerios to count.
11. Large Tupperware or sensory bin.
If your child knows to keep a mess inside of the bin, it makes for a much easier clean up. Spills of course happen, but putting a couple towels down and putting water with a bit of food coloring in the bin and letting them play bath toys or plastic animals can create a long activity for some kids. I like to give her a wash cloth to 'wash' her animals sometimes too. We also squirt paint into her sensory bin from time to time and give her a paintbrush to spread it around.
12. Oats.
This is a great sensory bin filler. My daughter likes to sneak bites so if your kiddo is inclined to fill up on the oats, just be aware of that. Place a pile of oats, a digger toy and a bowl in the bin and it creates fun, hands on play.
13. Rice.
Again, just be mindful that your child might sneak bites and what is age appropriate for them. But rice is a great filler as well and can be used like oats or they can pretend to feed their animals. You can also make rainbow rice from food coloring and vinegar. I'll leave a link HERE so you can see how it's done.
14. Plastic animals.
My mom gifted Leighton THIS barn awhile back and it came with various animals. Whichever animals it didn't come with, Ive been able to find at the Dollar Tree to give her a well rounded collection. They are good for so many things. Learning about animals, sensory bin play, creating a 'zoo' with blocks.
15. Dump Trucks and Diggers
We got a duo pack of small trucks at the Dollar Tree and have used them in bins and other play. When we covered construction week of tot school last year we were able to use them to learn the parts of construction vehicles.
16. Play Gravel.
Obviously this won't be age appropriate for some children, but scooping this with digger toys into bowls is great fun for little ones. Also, burying their toys and figurines and scooping them out is a good activity for them as well.
17. Food coloring.
I love having food coloring on hand to make meals a little more special, to create colored water for play and also creating rainbow rice. If your child likes to bake with you, squirt a couple drops in batter and let them mix it up.
18. Fake food.
Dollar Tree carries plastic food in their toy aisle. Our daughter enjoys placing food in our real shopping bags and pretending she's shopping. She'll tell us what she's shopping for and serve us meals with it. You can also give them a piece of notebook paper and marker to create a 'list.'
19. Spaghetti noodles.
We've boiled the noodles and added food coloring in the past to create a squishy sensory activity. Again, it will probably end up in their mouths but it's edible so no big deal!
20. Playdough.
Dollar Tree does carry packs of 4 of playdough/clay and it's pretty good quality. We tend to leave it out too long when we create shapes together, so we replace play dough often. Our Walmart also has play dough in the toy section for .50 for one if you want the real deal.
I hope you find this helpful! Of course each child is different, so don't get discouraged if they don't take to an activity you've set out. Instead, try it again at a later date or when they're a bit older. There have been so many activities I've made for our daughter that I just knew she would love only to be disappointed when she only played a few minutes or not at all. They'll likely want to return to it at a later date and explore it again.
You're doing a great job!
With heart from our home,
Jordan
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