Cheap, Simple Fun

Some of the simplest things make the most fun toys. Here are a few things we have thrown together with simple everyday things, that S. loves to play with. All ideas were snagged from books or blogs.

Our "sensory tub" has been a big hit. This one is just a big dollar store tub filled with a couple of jumbo bags of pinto beans. Thrown in are measuring cups, a plastic bowl and a toilet paper roll. Sometimes I hide fun things to find under all the beans. S. loves to pour the beans over and over. We usually pull this out while trying to cook. To mix things up, we are going to fill it with pasta next. The beans have to stay in the tub or on the blanket that lay underneath it.

Another idea that I found was to play matching with paint swatches. We grabbed a giant handful of these at our local home improvement store (very incognito). We lay them all out, and then try to find matches. Or we lay them all out, and then run off to play with something else.
Finally, this is the easiest thing EVER. After seeing the idea here, we saved a Parmesan cheese can. We just washed it up, and grabbed a handful of cotton swabs. Sophs can spend ten minutes trying to put the swabs into the can through the holes. It is great practice for fine motor skills. Another version is use the other opening of the can, and fill it with craft pom poms.