As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a little obsessed with the idea of “Busy Bags.” I’m sure you have heard of them but if you haven’t, here’s the lowdown:
What are Busy Bags?
They are collections of little toys, activities, and learning that are put together and collected into bags, totes, baggies, etc., and are only used in desperate moments when you need your little one to be “busy.” The concept is that because your little one does not have free access to this item at all times, it catches their interest, similar to the idea of a toy rotation. These are great for church, doctor’s visits, car rides or those desperate moments when you would just like to shower without little ones banging on your door.
First, you know your kid best…buy things they will actually be interested in. Second, I try to make busy bags out of things that have more than one use…so usually not a coloring pad unless I can get a bunch of them super cheap. Third, some people keep it cheap and use baggies which would work great. However, I want these bags to last through several children so I splurge and get the pencil pouches at Walmart when they are having their back-to-school-sale (less than a dollar each).
Here are a few busy bags that I did this week:
Busy Bag Ideas
These are some mini dinosaurs that I added on to a purchase I was getting on the classifieds. Less than a buck! Whenever I am buying off the classifieds, I like to always check and see what else the seller is selling to see if there’s something small I can add on as a busy bag.
Next we have some Tic Tac Toe I got at the Dollar Tree. Nothing special, but for a buck I’m sure it will be worth it’s pay.
Next I have some magnetic foam manipulative puzzles that I got off Oriental Trading when they were having one of their free shipping promotions. If I have a fridge or magnet board nearby, great! If not they can still put the puzzles together. Great for learning fractions!
Next is a flip book I made about letters and shapes (I showed you how to make it in this post). I included some stretchy colored rings that can be matched up to the correct colors. I will probably add something to match all the shapes up with too.
Next is Three-Letter Word puzzle cards! I got these added on to my purchase at a yard sale for free! You can also buy them at the dollar store though.
Next is a simple white board I also got at the Dollar Tree. I will probably add more to this busy bag later.
This is just a bunch of snowman Make-A-Sticker-Scenes that I got on clearance at Oriental Trading. Good for when I have multiple kids with me (comes with 12 sheets).
Next is a magnetic dress up doll that I got at a yard sale for $1. I was very excited about this find as I think dress up dolls are so cute!
Next are these cute hand puppets I got at the Dollar Tree. I got about 10 of them so I will either add a story book and make a couple busy bags out of them, or just find a bigger bag and throw all of them in together.
These are some Christmas Pop Beads I got off Oriental Trading for cheap. Maybe they need to be broken in, but they seem like they would be hard for a small kid to put together. I’ll have to update you.
This is a coloring roll. Like I said earlier, I usually don’t use one-time-use items in my busy bags, but they were on clearance at Walmart for $.30 so it was worth it to me to buy a bunch of them.
That’s all the pictures I have for now, but I will be sure to update as I finish more busy bags! I’d love to get more ideas, so feel free to share some fun ones you have done, or link back to a particular blog post about busy bags. What have been your most successful ones?
*Some of you have asked where I get my laminating pouches. I get them from laminationdepot.com. They have a great clearance section of their site where you can get some great deals. However, I’ve found it to not be worth the shipping unless I’m making orders of at least $40. So I usually stock up on all the sizes I need through laminationdepot.com, and then when I just need one size, I will order through Amazon, who also sells Lamination Depot brand.
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Nicole says
June 30, 2013 at 6:52 pmLet me start by saying I love your blog and all the posts about busy bags…which I LOVE too!!! Quick question: Where do you buy your laminating sheets? I’d love to laminate more things of my daughter’s so they can last longer!!! Thanks! =)
Tina M says
July 1, 2013 at 10:04 amNicole! Thank you so much! I went ahead and answered your question in the post since you are not the first to ask!
RH says
April 30, 2018 at 1:07 pmHi Tina. I, too, am in love with your blog! Your resources and ideas have made a huge difference for my family and my ability to help my little one learn. I was wondering about the flip book for letters and shapes. There isn’t a link posted, but I’m really curious how you make it. I realize this post was from 5ish years ago, but if you read this and have a spare moment, I’d love to see which post it’s from or how to make it in general. – Rachel
Tina M says
April 30, 2018 at 1:08 pmHi! Yes! I just got the flash cards at the Dollar Tree and laminated them into a little flip book. They have lots of different themes!