Another fun and easy busy box to put together!
A. Puzzle - being a 15 piece puzzle, this is simple enough for my 4-year-old to complete on her own
B. Wipe Clean Learn to Write Pen Control Book - a dry erase book that I highly recommend. It’s perfect for pre-writing practice, drawing and tracing lines and completing simple activities.
C. Sticker Stories Book - a dollar store find! The best part is that the stickers are reusable!
D. Magnetic Cinderella - this is a tin container with small magnetic images based on the story of Cinderella - a fun thrift store find!
E. Colouring Book, Blank Paper, Stickers, Paper and Markers - I always like adding something arts and craft related as my daughter really loves stickers and colouring, and she can get pretty creative with her drawings.
F. Duplo Counting and Building - these cards were a great find on Pinterest! Click here for a link to the free printable. I already had a set of duplo blocks, so this was an easy busy bag to put together. Great for number recognition, counting and patterns!
In this busy box there is a mix of some educational items and opportunities to be creative through imaginary play and drawing/colouring.
A. Magnetic Dress-Up Doll - a fun pretend play activity of dressing up a magnetic doll in fancy clothes.
B. Boogie Board E-Writer/Tablet - this was given to my daughter on her 4th Birthday and she absolutely loves it. Simply doodle on it with the pen that is provided, and the push of a button erases it. It comes with 'cards' such as a maze, connect the dots, alphabet tracing, math equations, etc. Not only is this a great quiet time activity, but its also good for taking on trips, whether on the plane or in the car!
C. Felt Cupcake Busy Bag - I created this using a template that I found online (click here). It also comes with 'Cupcake Recipe Cards' that I put together. It gives options for imaginary play, but it's also great for number recognition and counting.
D. Water Wow! Alphabet Book - No mess painting! If you haven't seen 'Water Wow!' books before, they are great not only for quiet time, but also traveling with kids. It includes 4 reusable pages and a refillable water pen. Simply use the pen to trace/paint the letters and images, then let the page dry to erase the pictures and fill it in again and again.
E. Stencils and Markers - I can't quite remember where I found these stencils (I think the Dollar store), but they have been a huge hit with my daughter. I provide blank pieces of paper to go along with this in the busy box and she is free to trace the stencil onto the paper, or even punch out the stencil images and colour those. They are stencils of 'princess-related' items, which my daughter loves lately!
F. Notebook, Pen and Stickers - This group of items leaves an opportunity for some creativity! She can either put the stickers in this fancy sequin notebook (found at the Dollar Tree) or on the blank piece of paper that is provided in the box (as mentioned in my previous point). She loves to write lists and practice her letters, so I often include a notebook in her busy boxes.
My 4-year-old daughter stopped napping a few months ago, so i started researching and thinking of ways to still keep that quiet time in the afternoons (for all those Moms with little ones, you know we need the quiet time as much as they do, if not more!)
Busy boxes have worked wonders lately! She plays happily in her room for at least 1.5 hours (sometimes more!) I will be sharing the five busy boxes that I have put together over the next week or two. Each one contains between 5-6 items.
Here’s the first one:
A. Clothespin Number Match - count the dots and clip the clothespin with the correct number on it. Great for learning numbers and practicing fine motor skills!
B. Play Pack - you can find these at the dollar store - comes with a small colouring book, stencil, a felt colouring page, crayons and stickers too!
C. Notebook and Pen - my daughter loves to draw, write ‘lists’ and practice letters. She also may use this notebook to put the stickers in. The fuzzy, colourful pen adds a little something extra.
D. Popsicle Sticks with Pattern Cards - Build the patterns as shown on the cards, or make your own designs.
E. Leap Frog Game - Aim to get each frog into the pond!
This box provides a good variety of tasks and skills - building, patterns, drawing, colouring, number recognition and fine motor skills.
