An activity bag is a simple craft or game for babies, toddlers, or kids that can be contained in a bag. But wait, as I scrolled through the 1000s of ideas on Pinterest (a few of them gathered in a post here from an external site), I was led down another rabbit hole (as is what usually happens on Pinterest) of activities for play-doh, crafts, water play and more! As I narrowed down those picture perfect instructions into 5 to 6 do-able busy-working-mom-me-proof activities (will write a post about them later), I compiled a list of supplies that most of these activities use. It took me time to gather everything together, and at times it was frustrating to get pumped up about felt pizza only to realize I didn’t have any felt. Hopefully you can prevent that frustrating moment by using this list of things to pick up next time you are out on your errands so you’ll be prepared for anything, from DIY slime to DIY volcanoes. Some of these less explosive and powdery activities are great for entertaining kids during travel (see some more travel tips from this post), while waiting at the doctor’s office (hi!) or restaurant, or when trying to keep kids quiet at church.
Inside my busy-kid (mommy) survival kit toolbox
Flour, cornstarch, baking soda, vinegar- Shaving cream, bubbles, food coloring
- Paint (I have both washable & acrylic)
- Canvas (I have these, but I found that thick paper plates also absorb paint well), paper
- Felt, markers, crayons, glue, tape, double sided tape, hot glue gun, velcro
- Popsicle sticks (wide, thin, colored), yarn
- Chalk (Gets them out outdoors too)
- Buttons! (Check out this bag with varied shapes, useful for talking to toddlers and kids about colors, shapes, and numbers, can use for matching activity or to work those fine motor skills to thread through a shoelace for a colorful necklace or a pipe cleaner for a clunky bracelet)
- Blocks (to multitask, I just have Jenga that doubles as a game for adults!), big lego blocks, bristols (quiet, light, great for travel too!), Magformers
- Obviously books. Lots of books! Libraries (link to Delco Libraries) are good for borrowing and variety. TJ Maxx is great for selection and prices!
The ultimate goal with entertaining our kids is to spend time with them, which means putting down the phone ourselves. Maybe obvious to you, but I struggle with this myself and I know a few well meaning millennial moms who are often more focused on trying to snap the insta-perfect photo of the child, instead of enjoying the moment with the child. Get on the floor, get involved, make weird animal noises (what does an elephant sound like?), takes turns blowing and chasing bubbles, and giggle with your kids.