1. Magnetic Mosaics
There are different brands out there of these sets, and they are all worth their weight in gold! There's just something really appealing about little magnetic foamy squares that magically turn into a picture that kids love! And bonus: they're great practice for number and color recognition!
There are different brands out there of these sets, and they are all worth their weight in gold! There's just something really appealing about little magnetic foamy squares that magically turn into a picture that kids love! And bonus: they're great practice for number and color recognition!
2. Playdough Table
I can't even count how many hours of fun this little table has provided in our house. There's just so darn much you can make with it, and the the surface provides a built-in work space without messing up the table! We just lay a plastic table cloth under ours and let the kids go to town. When they're done (and seriously, some days the boys have sat there and played with this for about 3 hours in a row! It's a beautiful thing!) the tablecloth collects the bits which makes for easy clean-up.
I can't even count how many hours of fun this little table has provided in our house. There's just so darn much you can make with it, and the the surface provides a built-in work space without messing up the table! We just lay a plastic table cloth under ours and let the kids go to town. When they're done (and seriously, some days the boys have sat there and played with this for about 3 hours in a row! It's a beautiful thing!) the tablecloth collects the bits which makes for easy clean-up.
3. Tangrams
These age old shapes provide hours of fun! They're cheap to buy (you can even make your own out of cardboard if you don't want to buy them) and there are dozens of printable patterns available online. And if you're really feeling crafty you can even trace them in various ways to make up your own designs. I put together a binder for the boys of puzzles varying in difficulty so even Adam has fun with these (he's 3).
4. Kumon Cutting & Pasting
Kumon has a variety of great cutting and pasting workbooks. My kids just love these. They jump at any opportunity to use glue sticks. :)
Kumon has a variety of great cutting and pasting workbooks. My kids just love these. They jump at any opportunity to use glue sticks. :)
5. Ed Emberly Drawing and Tracing Books
My kids LOVE all of Ed Emberly's drawing books. One of their absolute favorites is the "Book of Weirdos." It's great because you can use it as a tracing book for younger kids and as a step-by-step drawing book for the older ones. Fun for everyone!
My kids LOVE all of Ed Emberly's drawing books. One of their absolute favorites is the "Book of Weirdos." It's great because you can use it as a tracing book for younger kids and as a step-by-step drawing book for the older ones. Fun for everyone!
6. Make Your Own Marble Maze
Ok, now we're moving onto the make-at-home projects. But this is EASY! All you need to do is round up some old boxes, cardboard tubes, duck tape and, of course, marbles. Then turn the kids loose! See what they create!
Ok, now we're moving onto the make-at-home projects. But this is EASY! All you need to do is round up some old boxes, cardboard tubes, duck tape and, of course, marbles. Then turn the kids loose! See what they create!
Source: tpcraft.blogspot.com via Pam on Pinterest
7. Make Your Own Money
This is another simple craft that the kids will go crazy over! (It's even better if you happen to have a play cash register on hand.) Just grab some paper, stickers, markers and whatever else you've got and let the kids design their own currency! (The picture below shows how to sew the money, but eh...paper works for me!) When they're done it's also fun to put price tags on toys and play "shop!"
Source: bkids.typepad.com via Katie on Pinterest
8. Cardboard Cars and Castles
You can make yours as simple or elaborate as you want! All you need are cardboard boxes, markers and tape! This is a ton of fun! You can also make cars, ice cream trucks, caves, houses and whatever else your heart desires!
You can make yours as simple or elaborate as you want! All you need are cardboard boxes, markers and tape! This is a ton of fun! You can also make cars, ice cream trucks, caves, houses and whatever else your heart desires!
Source: eclecticmom.com via Maria on Pinterest
9. Magazine Collage
This is an oldie but a goodie. (And for some reason I have this tendency to forget about the classics sometimes!) Just grab some old magazines (and boy-oh-boy do I have a mountain of 'em!), glue sticks, scissors, paper, and voila! Insta-art! It's so much fun to see what the kids consider "collage-worthy." This is a collage Luke made last year. He just LOVED that googly-eyed stack of money. :)
10. Scavenger Hunt
This is another classic that never gets old. There's just something so stinkin' fun about racing to find hidden stuff! Just round up some toys and make a list of them (or draw little simple pictures of the items for pre-readers). Hide them wherever your heart desires and see how long it takes the kiddos to find them all! My kids love to call it a "treasure hunt" because they love all things pirate. Such are boys. If you want to get fancy you can even make a map leading to certain items.
This is an oldie but a goodie. (And for some reason I have this tendency to forget about the classics sometimes!) Just grab some old magazines (and boy-oh-boy do I have a mountain of 'em!), glue sticks, scissors, paper, and voila! Insta-art! It's so much fun to see what the kids consider "collage-worthy." This is a collage Luke made last year. He just LOVED that googly-eyed stack of money. :)
10. Scavenger Hunt
This is another classic that never gets old. There's just something so stinkin' fun about racing to find hidden stuff! Just round up some toys and make a list of them (or draw little simple pictures of the items for pre-readers). Hide them wherever your heart desires and see how long it takes the kiddos to find them all! My kids love to call it a "treasure hunt" because they love all things pirate. Such are boys. If you want to get fancy you can even make a map leading to certain items.
photo source
Aaaaaaaand that wraps up my list of rainy day boredom busters! I hope some of these ideas help yousurvive er...enjoy the next rainy day at your house!
Aaaaaaaand that wraps up my list of rainy day boredom busters! I hope some of these ideas help you
my son will LOVE the make your own marble maze.. thanks for sharing!!! Here from the Hop.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing all these ideas. I love the cardboard castle and the marble maze.
ReplyDeleteNew follower from the Hip Homeschool Hop. Hope you stop by for a visit. http://grandmabonniesweeclassroom.blogspot.com/
Fun ideas! My toddler son has recently gotten into Tangrams, too. (He loves anything that's like a puzzle!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list- thank you for linking up to The Sunday Showcase!
ReplyDeleteFound your blog through the Top Ten Tuesday blog hop. I've really been going back and forth about whether to get those magnetic mosaics, so I'm glad to read that someone else likes them! These are all such fun ideas!
ReplyDelete