Beyond Playdoh and Coloring Books; Including and entertaining young children during school

During our first real solid year of homeschooling, I found Miles' tireless energy being the hardest obstacle to overcome.  He doesn't enjoy playing in his room alone for hours, we can't put the TV on for him to watch with our workspace just around the corner, and he really likes to draw on all our papers. During school not only does he have to be entertained AND contained, I can't let him spread out activities and trash the house or the kitchen table where we do all our learning.

While play-doh is a fun activity for Miles, it is a total rainbow nightmare for me. Crumbs of red under the table, orange smooshed under my feet, and itty bitty bits of green rubbed onto his chair... it's more than I can handle on a typical school day! We save play-doh for special occasions like the weekends or when the kids are making momma crazy. ;) Same with coloring books... I'll be scrubbing crayon off my table and floor for a while if he gets to color while I'm distracted with the older two. His attention span is also very short when he's got a coloring book in front of him so I don't usually get much accomplished before he abandons the bucket of crayons and his Mickey book. My criteria for what makes the best distractions for Miles are 1. Educational, 2. Low cost, 3. Easy to clean, and 4. Interest holding.

Here are 5 of my favorite low-cost activities using mostly household items, with our favorite books thrown in the mix.

Wipe Clean Books- Miles would draw on the walls if I didn't stop him so these books are right up his alley! They feature shapes, swirls, letters, numbers, mazes, puzzles, and lots of objects to trace. There have been too many times we don't clean the pages before putting them away. Cleaning even dried on marker is easy- we just wipe it with a baby wipe or wet towel and they're back to looking new! We love the Get Ready for School that includes letters and numbers, and Wipe-Clean Mazes where you can help Rabbit through a carrot field and many others! The mazes start very easy and towards the back of the book get a little more complex.


Salt tray- This one CAN get a little messy so this is for a toddler with a bit of self-control but it is super easy and cost effective. Using a cake pan, pour salt to cover the bottom about half a centimeter. Miles likes for me to say things he can make in the salt with his fingertip. "O", "10", "L", and "smiley face" are some of his favorites! I usually throw the salt away but you can bag it or put it in a container for later.

Books with flaps from Usborne Books & More- Even though he can't read, Usborne's flap books are highly educational and colorful. Each flap contains facts in bite-sized chunks that don't require me to stop and read an entire page. I can read a few bits or many if Miles asks, but usually he's content with looking at the pictures and lifting the flaps gently (a skill that has taken lots of practice)! If you have a flap-ripper, Usborne Books & More has a generous 50% replacement guarantee. When your child(ren) are out of the tearing stage, contact your consultant to get a fresh new book for half price! The two we have so far are Look Inside Your Body & Look Inside a Castle, but I plan on getting several more for our 2016-2017 school year, like See Inside How Things Work and Lift the Flap Computers and Coding.

Money sorting- I've been known to grab a couple handfuls of change out the jar and use a few food containers to make a little sorting job the kids can stay busy with. This keeps them quiet for a while and it helps me out when the coins need to be wrapped anyway. If I'm handing this off to an older kiddo, I have them name the coin as they sort. Just a reminder, DO NOT give coins to young toddlers or kiddos who like to put things in their mouth!


Melissa and Doug See and Spell puzzle- Last week I stumbled on a video from when Cohen, now 7, was 2 1/2. For Christmas he received this wooden Melissa and Doug See and Spell Puzzle. It has held up quite well, and Miles loves this thing! Of course, there are tons of letters to argue with him to clean up. It's a small price to pay (under $20) for all the learning he can do with this set. He likes calling out the letters as he takes them out, as he puts them in, and is getting exposed to spelling words that match the picture on each wooden tile. This is easily one of the best toys we have ever purchased for our children!


I'm ready to start looking for new arsenal to have handy for the upcoming year so I'm curious-
what are your go-to activities for the under 5 crowd when you need to keep them busy without the mess of play-doh?


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