I was fortunate enough to find lots of binder pouches on clearance for 50 cents each, and love the see-through fronts so I know what is in them. Here are the ones I made:
1. Sponge Building! So easy- I just cut up sponges, and we build them like portable, quiet Lincoln logs!!!
2. Jumping frogs! Just a cheap game I found at the dollar store, and Ryan gets the biggest kick out of it!
3. Princess Dress-up! Chelsea has had these for ages and LOVES them! I wish we had every princess!!!
4. Flyswatter Webs. I snapped the swatter off of a free flyswatter (unused guys, don't freak out), and use a shoelace to make spider webs. I want to find bugs to wind up in there too.
5. Pom-pom Pick-up! Use a clothespin to pick up small and large pom-poms and sort into small tupperwares. Great for hand strengthening!
6. Shoelace straw stringing. I don't like giving the kids beads without supervision, because they get everywhere! So I cut up some cheap straws and have them thread those. The kids are amazed because it takes them longer to thread the straw
7. Popsicle Matching! I used a hot glue gun for the first time on these bad boys! I sewed different colored felt into a popsicle shape, then glued a swatch of the same color on a large craft stick, with the name written on the opposite side. The kids have to match the correct colored stick to the right popsicle. They usually end up playing "Sell ice cream" which I think is super cute!
8. Rub-off drawings. I found these at the dollar store as well, so tossed them in a bag with a clothespin to do the scratching. As you rub the black, colors appear underneath
9. Beginner Buttoning. I was told not to expect Chelsea to learn how to button for years and years, so I got the idea to make this! I got the biggest freaking pom-poms I could find, then sewed them onto strips of felt, with a huge + shaped cut on the other side. I can either make a chain or just link them together, and CHELSEA CAN DO IT!!!! Woohoo, don't tell MY kid what she can't do!!!!
10. Glow Stick Sculptures. My little man LOVED this one! I got different straw connectors (build a straw kit) and hooked up glow sticks.
11. Whisper Tube. This is a fun one for the car as well, because we can hook tubes together and whisper from the front of the car to the back. I call it the whisper tube because every kid I meet yells into it at first. We also can put a marble and make it roll around in there, or make it a crown... I love these pop-open tubes!
12. Button Boards! I got a couple cute buttons (one hole on the back is best!) and sewed them onto a piece of felt, then hot glued the felt onto a piece of cardboard. Same thing with the back. Then I cut different shapes out of different colors (With slits in the middle!) of felt for the buttoning part.
13. Button Snake. Can you tell that when a professional tells me Chelsea can't do something, I have to go out of my way to prove them wrong? This is super easy, just sew a button onto a ribbon, and cute squares of cloth with a slit in the middle.
14. Crazy Straws! Very similar to the button snake above, but with a crazy straw instead of the ribbon snake. My little guy liked the straws with the tight spirals- it made getting the pieces of cloth on much more difficult, and he loves a challenge!
15. Paint In a Bag!!! One of the most popular of all busy bags, though I throw this one together in the moment, I don't keep spares. I put a couple globs of paint, glitter, and something fun (sequins, googly eyes, whatever) into a Ziploc bag, then tape it closed with packing tape. I also double-bag Chelsea's, since she likes to scratch hers. Then I tape them to the window! They like to mix colors in there, and you really only need a little paint. Too much and it sinks to the bottom.
16. Whiffle Ball Threading! I love the pipe cleaners in colanders, and this just makes it portable, since I don't like hauling around my kitchen bowls!
17. Velcro Stick Building! Another favorite! I colored craft sticks, then stuck Velcro on the ends, and let the kids build things- letters, shapes, whatever they want, with them. Oddly addicting, even for adults, so watch out!
18. Clothespin Words. Chelsea doesn't love this one yet, but my little guy is reading, so it fascinates him. I put letters on both sides of clothespins, then they have to spell the word. A word of caution though- you may want to check the opposite sides when writing the letters; if you flip over the card below with those clothespins on, it spells a naughty word. Oops...
19. Name Match-up! I colored craft sticks, then wrote names of favorite people/ characters (Minnie Mouse, Mommy, Daddy, Ariel, etc)
20. Sticker Baggies. This was probably one of the easiest to make, and the kids looooove stickers! I cut up some card stock, then put some stickers in the bag with it. That is all!
21. Paper Dolls. Chelsea doesn't have the fine motor skills to dress a bear/ doll and keep it dressed (and to be totally honest, I struggle too!), so I just taped the clothes on, and they have portable dollies that don't take up space!
22. Cutting! I love these pop-open scissors because they cut almost nothing other than paper! I drew designs onto cardstock, and the kids try to cut on the black lines!
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