I remember being pregnant with my first little one and getting wide eyed at all the toy options for little people. As she approached that age when she could finally play with them, I gathered up a little treasure trove of items I couldn’t wait for her to enjoy. Oh, the innocence. Of course, over half of those things ended up mostly sitting unused on a shelf, no match for the real treasures of her childhood – keys, random nature items, and of course, kitchen utensils.
I think this is because, despite the toy industry’s pressure in another direction, children are naturally drawn to open-ended play. They need items that have no boundaries, that will accompany them through adventures to the endless reaches of their imagination.
But…as a parent, at home with that child for hours, it can be tough to keep finding activities that pique their interest and provide this bounty of fodder for their creativity – without making an absolute mess that completely demoralizes me at the end of the day. AND while getting some uninterrupted time for the things I need! Enter: The Bins.
The bins are a system I’ve created for my kids where I rotate one or two bins at a time out for them to play with. Each is full of a hands-on, open-ended activity that engages their senses, everything from foam clay to paints to our “Break-It” and “Do-Hickey” Bins. They can be played with outdoors OR indoors. The bins cut down on the mess, and if you put a large towel, blanket or tarp under the bin, clean up is a synch. If my kid gets bored with the ones out, all they need to do is clean them up and I can swap them out for new bins that I have stored away.
In this week’s episode of The Vibrant Life Show on Cloud Dojo’s YouTube channel, I’m breaking down just how I use these bins and what goes into them. Check it out below and def. send to parents of kids age 3-6!
Have any other ideas for how to keep those busy people engaged? Please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear it!