Are you looking for ways to entertain your children during times they need to be quiet? Specifically, during church services, waiting at a restaurant or doctor’s office, or even traveling. Sure it’s easy to hand your child a screen and, while that can be needed at times, that’s not always the best thing for your child.
Here is a list of busy bag ideas and activities to keep your child entertained without a screen. There is no age limit on these ideas. Some might work better for older kids and some for younger. You know your child best and what they would enjoy.
I store these activities in mesh bags I got on Amazon (linked below). I keep all these bags and activities in a storage container or two near our door. That way, I can easily grab a few activities when heading out the door. I also like to put the bags and activities in a backpack for each kid. I usually put a few bags and activities in each backpack but the number depends on how long they will need to be entertained.
I like to rotate these bags and activities regularly to keep the items fresh and interesting. I also do not let the kids play with these at home. I want them to be engaged in a “new” activity while we are out. Also, you do not need to make all these bags at once. Make a few, then make a few more when they need to be replaced.
- Pom Poms and Eggs
This is a simple idea using pom poms and plastic Easter eggs. It could be a simple fine motor activity of picking up pom poms and sorting them into the eggs by color or size. You could also put a number on the egg and the child would have to count the pom poms that would go in each numbered egg.
2. Dry Erase Boards
Free drawing time is enjoyed by kids but this gives it a fun twist. Just have a dry erase board and a marker with an eraser on the end and you are good to go.
3. Lacing Cards
You can buy a pack of lacing cards or make your own with foam and some craft strings or ribbon. You can cut some simple shapes out of foam and punch holes around each shape for a simple diy version.Magnetic puzzle box
4. Barrel of Monkeys
This is a classic game that can be fun on the go!
5. Quiet Books
These can be purchased but could also be made. I love that these have all the different activities in one place!
6. Beads and Pipe Cleaners
This is a simple activity of stringing beads on a pipe cleaner. This can be a fine motor activity and could be made into bracelets.
7. Sensory Bags
For younger children, you can make sensory bags. Add some items in a ziploc bag and seal with some duct tape. Add in some gel or other base for the items to move around. I have put water beads in a bag before for a fun sensory play idea for little ones that still put stuff in their mouths. You can also put a gel base or paint and the child could practice writing letters.
8. Legos
I’m sure you have some legos somewhere, so why not add some to a busy bag. Children love playing with legos and this is an easy way to use things you already have. You can use some random legos, or buy some packs of legos that make something. I really love the Duplo legos for younger kids.
9. Magnetic Fishing Games
This can be a DIY project or you can buy a simple version. I also have a Melissa and Doug puzzle that has a magnetic fishing pole and sea animals. I simply took the puzzle pieces along with the fishing pole and added it to a bag.
10. Wallet with Cards
Another simple idea is to fill a wallet with cards. This can be old credit cards, coupons, flash cards, or even printed pictures of animals. Younger children will love to take it apart and look at everything.
11. I Spy Jars
Another easy DIY project is to make I Spy jars. You can fill any type of container or jar with some small items in a rice base. The child can shake it and spin it to find all the hidden items.
12. Cars with a Felt Road
My son loves cars. I simply made a road using some black felt and cut out yellow pieces to make it look like a road. I hot glued the yellow pieces on the black felt. I added in some cars and it is a favorite.
13. Buttons on a String
A great fine motor activity is to string buttons on a string. My daughter loves this and pretends they are bracelets. Buttons are also a great manipulative for counting and you can make patterns.
14. Building Toys
My kids both love to build. Along with Legos that I mentioned earlier, my kids like magnetic tiles. Another fun toy is linking discs.
15. Books
Simply add some small board books to a bag for younger kids. They will love looking through them and taking them out of the bag. This was always a favorite of my babies and young toddlers.
16. Etch a Sketch Boards
This is a favorite drawing toy for my kids. They love to draw on an etch a sketch board. I bought two small boards at the Dollar Tree and usually leave them in their backpacks.
17. Animal Toys
A simple busy bag is just to fill a bag with some animals. I have a bag full of small safari animals and a bag of ocean animals. My children love to play with animals, so this busy bag is a favorite. You can add in some props or a felt scene (like green felt for grass or blue felt for the ocean). My kids also like combining their animals with their building toys and making houses or farms.
18. Stickers
A super simple activity is stickers! I add some sheets of stickers to a bag and put in a paper plate or a toilet paper roll. My kids love decorating the plate/toilet paper roll with stickers and it takes up some time.
19. Foam Shape Match Up
Collect some different foam shapes or cut them out yourself. The kids can match up shapes or sort them into categories. This is a simply and easy activity.
20. Tangram Puzzle/Pattern Blocks
This is great for older kids. Buy or make a tangram puzzle and print out some fun picture cards for kids to try to make. This also works well with pattern blocks. You can usually find printable puzzles and pictures to make online for free.
21. Puzzles
This is probably something else you have around your house! Puzzles are a great way to stay engaged for a long time. I love little packs of jigsaw puzzles that you can find at the Dollar Tree. I also like small wooden puzzles for little ones. I will link my favorite ones below.
22. Popsicle Stick Drop
This is an easy DIY fine motor activity for younger children. Simply collect some tall slender containers (oats or chips) and cut a slit in the top lid. Then provide your little one some popsicle sticks to drop in.
23. Craft Sticks and Clothespins
This is an easy DIY fine motor activity for older toddlers or preschoolers. Use color clothespins and color craft sticks and match a color match game. You could also put letters or numbers on the sticks and clothespins and the child would have to match them.
24. Build a Shape
Put some velcro tabs on the ends of craft sticks and children can build with them. Also, add in some shapes on a piece of paper and they can try to make the shape by connecting the sticks.
25. Felt Play Food
Felt is an easy, quiet material to make activities. I saw a felt sandwich DIY on Pinterest and thought my daughter would love it. You could cut out different foods to let children play with too.
26. Premade Activities
Recently, I found some premade felt activities at Michaels from their Creatology line. There were some great ideas and they are inexpensive and ready to go! Some of these ideas could be easily made too! For example, there was an activity with magnetic letters and you could easily add a magnetic board with magnets to make a fun busy bag.
27. Jumbo Nuts and Bolts Set
This is an easy bought activity to add to your collection. My son would love this!
28. Coloring Books
I always have some crayons and coloring books available. A simple and easy activity!
29. Magic Coloring Books
Sometimes you may not want to give your child real crayons or markers, so magic coloring sheets or books are great! I really like the Melissa and Doug water reveal coloring books because they are reusable! Another favorite is the Crayola magic marker coloring sheets. You can get these featuring many different characters that kids love.
30. Reusable Sticker Books
Another easy activity is reusable sticker books. I have a few of these that I rotate for my kids and they love them!
31. Magnetic Books
These magnetic books are a lot of fun! My kids will play with these for awhile.
I hope this list of busy bags and activities will help you keep your children busy and quiet!
Thank you for Continually Learning with us!
Kyle and Sarah
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