In two recent posts we were talking about family management. I mentioned activity bags in one post as a way to keep little ones busy while you are trying to accomplish things, like dinner. Today's post will talk about activity bags and give you all the information you need to make about 20 different activity bags. It will probably take you a decent amount of planning and prep to get these bags made, but once they are made you will get years of fun out of them. Enjoy your extra time and watching your little ones make new discoveries!
"Activity bags" is just a name that I call them. I have also seen them called "quiet bags" or "car bags." And, they don't need to be bags at all. I have seen them made from cloth bags, large zip lock style bags, shoe boxes and baskets. Whatever you decide to call them or make them with, doesn't matter. The idea is to have a pre-planned activity so that when you need your little one to be busy, you don't have to think about what to do, you simply grab an activity bag and you are set.
I feel there are some important things to remember when planning your activity bags. First, make sure they are age appropriate. Most of the bags I will describe can be made more simple or more challenging with little effort. Second, it is important that the items in the bags are not items they play with all the time. These need to be "special" items that they only get to use when it is activity bag time. Next, remember to rotate your bags. I have found that most bags can only be used 2 or 3 times before they need to return to the box for awhile. If you keep them in a box or large container, you can put the one you just used in the back of the box, replace the one the child was using with the one in front of the box. This means your child will have 40 days or so before they use that activity bag again. Finally, if you find that your child has no interest in the activity bag at all. Replace it. Think of something you know will hold your child's attention and use that for the activity bag instead. I truly hope you have fun making these for your child and that your find great reward in having planned these out ahead of time.
Here are some ideas we or others have used in the past:
-cookie sheet with magnets: include a small metal tray and an assortment of refrigerator magnets. Any magnets will work. Using the letter or number magnets with word cards to copy could be fun for preschool age children.
-shaving cream: shaving cream is wonderful to use for a type of finger painting. Depending on the type of counter or table you have, it can also be a great way to clean your counter.
-laminated paper and washable markers: by taking a piece of strong paper and covering it with laminant or contact paper, you make a surface that can be drawn on with washable markers and then wiped clean over and over.
-play dough: the key with using play dough is to make sure it isn't tough and you put cool toys in the bag. I like food shaped cutters and kitchen tools so that the child can pretend they are helping with dinner. This also works great with clay, moon sand and other moldable items.
-coloring sheets: sometimes a bag of coloring sheets is all you need. There are many free websites where you can find fun coloring pages of your child's favorite items and characters. Homemade crayons are also a great addition to this bag. Take the extra crayon pieces you have and melt them down in muffin tins. They make fun multi-colored crayon disks.
-black paper and chalk: this bag should include different sizes and shapes of black paper, it also needs chalk of different colors. I like using large sidewalk chalk for the youngest children.
-plastic bottles shakers: saving plastic water, soda and juice bottles along with their lids can be a great way to complete this next activity bag. Once you have 5 or so bottles collected, fill them about 1/3 of the way full with different objects that make noise when shaken. (rice, dried beans, tiny bells, water & oil, beads, just about anything)
-homemade search bottle(s): this is similar to the previous bag, however this time you are looking to save a larger bottle. Find 10-15 small items that can fit inside of the bottle. Once the items are in the bottle, fill the bottle with rice, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top. Make a list of items that your child is looking for in the bottle. They will enjoy turning the bottle in all directions looking for the hidden objects.
-legos: fill this bag with legos of the appropriate size or other blocks that the child can stack or connect. Including papers with building ideas or instructions might be a fun addition.
-cars with paper or rug roads: this bag contains cars with a simple road that you made on a few pieces of paper, you could also use a road designed rug.
-paddle locks and keys: this is a super simple bag, but it takes a little bit of preparation. Ask your friends and family if they have any small locks with keys. You can also look at rummage sales or stores to purchase them. Put all the keys on a large ring, push all the locks closed and place the items in the bag. Your child will love the mystery.
-handwriting tracer sheets: there are many free web sites that allow you to print handwriting sheets. You can make practice sheets that have simple lines for little ones, sheets with letters or their name, and sheets will full sentences or Bible verses for the older ones.
-construction practice: this bag needs a thick piece of styrofoam, preferably a piece of foam insulation about 1 foot square; some golf tees and a plastic hammer. The styrofoam acts as the wood, the golf tees are the nails and the child uses the hammer to practice their nailing skills. You can remove the tees and start all over.
-preschool apps: using technology and downloading a few games that your children can only play during activity time, could work great for your family.
-string with beads: choose beads that are good for your child's age and string or yarn for them to work with. For younger children you might want to use pipe cleaners or chenille rods (beads don't fall off), and for older ones you can make pattern cards and challenge them to copy the patterns.
-secret eggs: take several plastic eggs and place a different object in each egg. Allow the children to shake and listen to the eggs and try to guess what is in each egg. You could include a sheet with clues to help them.
-watercolor painting: just paint, brushes and papers in this bag. We love watercolors because they are easy to clean up and pretty inexpensive. For more creativity you can paint coffee filters and then use them to make paper flowers once they dry.
-tangrams: these colorful, plastic shapes can be used to make almost any 2D object. There are pattern cards you can purchase or print. If you have never worked with tangrams, they are one of our favorites!
-puzzles: another easy bag. Put some age appropriate puzzles in a bag and let them go.
These are just a few ideas. Think about your children. What do they like to do? What keeps their interest? Be creative and develop bags of your own. Have fun and enjoy each stage of your young ones life.
Praying for you today! May God truly bless you as you strive to raise children that love Him and bring you great joy!
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