I don’t know about you, but I’m getting burnt out by the daily grind of staying home every day, all day. Now that our playgrounds are finally opening, we will be able to get outside of our home and play. But there will still be rainy days and with cool weather coming (hard to believe I know), we will be spending more time inside, so I rounded up some my favorite non-screen time activities. All of these activities can be done with more than one kid (hello, mom of three here) and I need everyone to be doing the same time sometimes! These activities range from basic home materials to more planned out/material gathering time.
Sensory Play
Bathtub Playdough
Too hot to go outside? Raining? But your kids want to play in the water? Make a batch of this stuff and let them play!
Soft Homemade Playdough
Do you see a trend here? We love sensory play. But we take the softest playdough up one notch by adding essential oils to add a fun scent to our playdough.
Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin
So easy to make and seriously provides up to hours of entertainment. We’ve had the same bag of rice for several months too!
Play snow
We love play snow over here! Not sure if it’s because we have serious Frozen fans or what, but my kids could play with snow forever. We have two favorites, one we purchase and the second one, we make.
We love this stuff. It lasts FOREVER, never ever dries and is so much fun for all ages.
If you prefer to make homemade, here is a great recipe.
Homemade Play Snow
- 3 cups baking soda
- 1/2 cup hair conditioner
Mix to combine…easiest recipe ever
Kinetic Sand
Ok, so I have mixed feelings about kinetic sand. Some days I love it, and some days I hate it. Right now, I’m loving it so I’m adding to the list!
Rice and Bean Sensory Bin
This is such a cheap and easy sensory bin idea. I buy bags of rice and beans, add to bin and play. It’s really fun to add trucks and construction vehicles.
Here’s a huge bag of rice and beans. Construction vehicles are so much fun!
Building/Gross Motor
Foam Building Blocks
These are so much fun! My kids use these so many different ways, they build forts, use with our Nugget Comfort Couch, throw at each other (insert eye roll) and more! Totally worth the price!
Make a fort
Ok, I have to admit, fort building is NOT my favorite, it stresses me out, mostly because I don’t love getting blankets and pillows out from their beds, BUT, once in a while, I’ll be a “fun mom” and let them make a fort. We have these to aid in our structures https://amzn.to/2PaPZQw
Magnetic tiles
These are a hit every time I bring them out! We have several kits that we’ve collected over the years and they all work together! I’ve seen these be used outside on a metal garage door, on sheet pans and
here’s a few different sets https://amzn.to/2D3q3E6, https://amzn.to/3gfHTlG, https://amzn.to/3374hdf
Stepping Stones
If you’ve been here for a minute, you have heard me talk about these awesome stepping stones. We got these to go with our Nugget Comfort Couch and have so much fun with them. I love the various heights of stones that come in this pack.
Nugget Comfort Couch
We are completely in love with our Nugget Comfort Couch. Unfortunately, right now, they are difficult to get but if you can snag one, do it! We burn SO much energy with our Nugget. My kids are able to set it up in many different configurations. Their favorite is to set it up and jump off!! Terrifying to me, but they have so much fun, soooo I guess it’s worth it! Check them out here https://nuggetcomfort.com/
Balance Beam
We got this foldable balance beam for Easter and it was an instant hit. It’s soft, non slip so easy enough for my 1 and 3 year old to use. It folds up for easy storage, my kind of toy! Grab a similar one here Shop Balance Beam
Science experiments
Science experiments are also not my first pick, but my kids LOVE them and never seem to bored of the same reaction every time (I wonder what that says about them :-)). Here’s a few tried and true.
- Ice Cream in a Bag
- Melting Rainbow Experiment
- Making Crystals
- Add 6-8 tablespoons of borax to a measuring cup
- Wrap a pipe cleaner around a popsicle stick or skewer. Fold the other end to make a shape.
- Add 2 cups of boiling water to measuring cup with borax
- Pour one cup of boiling water into each glass jar
- Add hanging pipe cleaner to water, making sure it doesn’t touch the bottom
- Top with book, and let sit for 12 hours
Preschool Homeschool
Fine motor toys are so important for young kids. I did a quick round up of some of my favorite fine motor toys for preschoolers here
How can you have a preschool without paint? I love letting my kids paint. It seriously keeps them so busy! Washable paint in the only paint allowed in my house. We’ve ruined so many outfits from paint and nothing makes me more mad! Here’s some of our favorite paint .
Hope this keep you all busy for a little while! I’ll be add to the list as I find my favorites! If you need something, just ask and of course, let me know what you of the list!
xoxo
Jenna