These materials and activity ideas definitely come in handy for keeping kids busy when I just gotta get something done!
I used many of these easy activities as a way to keep the older kids busy when I was pregnant with Louis.
I had been thinking about how in the world am I going to preoccupy the kids when the baby needs to be fed, or changed, or just needs all the attention that a baby needs!
Henry was pretty good about keeping himself busy, but George, a toddler at the time, on the other hand needs a lot of attention and I couldn’t just set up any project and have him do it on his own.
Which is why I was on a mission to find lots of activities for keeping kids busy with minimal effort on my part.
I had tried all sorts of activities with George lately to see what kept him busy (and what didn’t) and have found a few winners that can captivate his attention for at least 15 minutes, if not more.
These also have been coming in handy now for when I want to get dinner on the table, or need to work on something quick.
Easy activities for keeping kids busy and happy!
All of these are suitable for preschoolers, but most of them you can also hand to a toddler and just let them explore and see what happens!
Please take into consideration if you have a child that still puts stuff in their mouth a lot.
Here are some more ideas for keeping the kids busy:
Ribbons. Add a bottle to the mix with ribbons. Let your child work on fine motor skills by pushing ribbons in and out of the bottle.
Measuring Cups. Simply a set of measuring cups can come in handy! Throw them in a bowl with some big spoons and they can mix something up for you!
Pots & Pans. Along the same lines as the measuring cups, pots and pans are great too! Let them mix and match the lids or stir something up for dinner.
Plastic Cups. Leftover plastic cups from a birthday party (or two or three)? Just hand a stack to your toddler. They’ll find something to do with them.
A Tub of Water. A simple tub of water. Lay down a towel in your kitchen and set the tub on it.
Only fill it as full as you’re comfortable with them spilling. Because if you’re not able to monitor, it might very well end up dumped.
Add in measuring cups, spoons, or toys that don’t mind getting wet. Or even do a bathtime for their lovies. Added bonus if you color the water with food coloring! (It may stain though.)
Clothespins. Clothespins and a bucket of some sort that they can clip them onto and you’re good to go. They can clip them on, or fill it up, whatever suits them.
Pipe Cleaners. Add a colander or a strainer of some sort with big enough holes to fit pipe cleaners through and let your child poke the pipe cleaners through the holes. You could also use a spice container with large enough holes to fit the pipe cleaners through!
Play Dough. Enough said. Add in toys that they love like machines (tractors, cars, trucks, etc), animals, or kitchen utensils. You’ll be set for a good while.
Straws. If you’re comfortable with your child having scissors, hand them some straws with a pair of scissors and let your child cut them up. If not, have straws some already cut up along with some yarn or a shoestring, and thread away.
Tupperware. Let your toddler raid your Tupperware drawer. Stacking up the bowls will be fun enough, but they can even match up lids to their counterparts. And then take them apart and start over again
Blocks. Get out the blocks! Legos, wooden blocks, whatever you have. Make a game of transporting them from one place to another and they’ll be busy for a while. An older child can do some sorting by color or size, or make patterns.
Craft Sticks. Much like ribbons, crafts sticks are great entertainment to stick in and pull out of things. Try a bottle with a narrow opening. Or cut slits in the top of a plastic lid.
Pom Poms. A muffin tin with pom poms adds a lot of entertainment (think sorting by colors or size), and so does any container with a wide enough lid that you can cut a small hole in it to poke the poms poms through.
Game Pieces. Game pieces such as Dominoes, or Scrabble pieces, have a lot of potential.
They can be used for the piece itself (to make roads and such) or for what’s on the piece. Older kids can sort by numbers or letters.
Recycled Tubes. Save paper towel and toilet paper tubes to hang on a wall as something to drop objects through like the pom pom drop. It’ll amaze them and keep them busy!
Nuts & Bolts. Have a stash of nuts and bolts to bring out to keep a toddler busy. Drawer knobs and screws work too! (Bonus: great fine motor practice!)
Styrofoam. A chunk of Styrofoam can provide countless entertainment! Add tools to the mix and let your toddler ‘fix’ or make things. A hammer and tees are also a great addition. And if you have a bunch of pieces of foam, they can be a great alternative to blocks!
Rubber Bands. Kids love rubber bands! They’re also great for hand strengthening. But add them to a can of food and they’ll be busy until dinner’s ready.
Tissue Paper. A bag full of used tissue paper. Let your toddler rip it up into pieces, sort through it, transfer it from one bag to another, or just throw it around! (Yeah, it’ll be a little messy… but kids love to cleanup with a vacuum too!)
Paper Clips. Paper clips are great for little hands and take kids time to clip together. They can make a chain, or a necklace, as long as they like!
You name a material! Tell me in the comments what you’d add to this list for keeping kids busy!
What works for keeping the kids busy at your house?
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Shikha says
Buttons are great. Just ensure to choose the large size so they don’t choke on it. Children learn to explore, texture, different colors, shapes, counting etc.
Scott says
Great article! By offering your child toys and letting them test them out, you’ll be building up their brainpower. Let’s allow them to have time to play, and time to imagine and create. Studies show that keeping your kids physically and mentally active can make them grow faster holistically. Read more about it here:
https://www.zing.toys/post/fish-identifying-is-simple-all-you-need-is-to-learn-the-basics
Renee Pellum says
Recycled Tubes always worked for me. which one is your favorite.
pam says
Love your ideas that are simple and things around the house. Please send more.
Thank you!
Tabatha Krieger says
I Love all these ideas. I recently stumbled upon a great fall activity for two-year-olds. Instead of trying to carve a pumpkin with two under 4, I bought a large pumpkin and gave my kids washable markers to draw a scary face. My daughter made a mistake and wanted to erase her face so I gave her a wet washcloth. The girls had so much fun drawing, then washing, then drying, over and over. They were at it intensely for a good half hour. Super simple. Super fun.
Rachel says
I love that idea! We have done that too and it’s so much fun! My kids also liked decorating their pumpkins with Halloween stickers. Thanks for sharing!
Lynette says
Empty egg carton and plastic Easter eggs or pom poms etc. I also give my 20 month old grandson an ice cube he loves how it gets slippery and squirts out of his hand when squeezed I supervise this so he doesn’t put the ice cube in his mouth and accidentally swallow it. We also slide it across the linoleum floor between us.
Gloria says
The activities are quite creative and time consuming it helps them to stay on check
Amalia says
These are all fantastic ideas! However they do require supervision, if your children tend to put things in their mouth. Things like pom poms or nuts can be very dangerous so even if you’re busy making food or doing housework you need to keep an eye or two on them.
LB says
Yes. Just when you think your child is done with mouthing everything, surprise! S/he has the cute light bulb shaped Christmas tree ornament in his mouth!
Paper clips can be sharp, easy to swallow, and when you cut into plastic, to make holes, sharp edges can hurt…
Toddlers can be very creative with their exploratory skill and lack of knowledge to fear something ….All this should be under adult supervision…Be a gourmet chef or a watchful parent…Choose easy meals
Rachel says
You are both right, and this is true for any activity. You know your child best, so something that is perfect for another child may not be a good idea for yours. Adjust the ideas to fit your life and child. Also, appropriateness changes as your child gets older so certain items/activities may be more targeted at slightly older toddlers or preschoolers. Finally, independent play doesn’t necessarily mean unsupervised play. Young children should always be supervised, even if they are playing independently. I hope you find something in this list that works for you!
Lora Brum says
Paper guitar
Made out of a paper towel tube, an empty rectangular tissue box, rubber bands, and tape/glue.
Erin says
Please, please, PLEASE stop recommending old toilet paper rolls as playthings or craft supplies. They get a ton a fecal matter and bacteria splashed on them simply from where they’re stored, and due to the nature of cardboard, you can’t simply wash it off. Alternatively, you can purchase new, unused rolls at craft stores.
Jamie Reimer says
Try paper towel tubes, or wrapping paper tubes instead. It seems silly to purchase NEW cardboard tubes.
laura says
Great list! In my two’s class we use dishpans filled with dried beans and scoops and other little toys. They LOVE to fill and dump and scoop. Good, inexpensive fun!
Jamie Reimer says
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
SydniVG says
If you’re kids tend to explore things with their mouths, switch the beans for plain Cheerios. Plain ones don’t get sticky, and they provide the same scooping, dumping fun.
Laura says
Great ideas, thanks! When I give my toddler pots/pans/bowls while I’m cooking, I always throw in a handful of ice. He LOVES moving the cubes from one vessel to the other, both with a spoon and with his hands. :)
Jill says
This is a great list for hands on play!
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
Amber {Because Babies Grow Up} says
I love how the images really show how little ones play. They are captured perfectly!
Jamie Reimer says
oh thanks so much :)
Jill @ A Mom With A Lesson Plan says
I love this list! Great for creative play. :)