We’re officially homeschooling two children this school year. Two children out of five.
That means the other three have to be doing something. Thankfully, Lillian (8 months) is pretty content to nap or lay on a blanket and play with a few toys (or more often her feet). But what about the 2 1/2 year old and 4 year old?
Before implementing our new School Bins, I was grabbing items from around the house every few days or so. It was stressing me out and the girls were getting tired of the same activities for days in a row.
In January, I set a goal of finding some more activities and toys they could play with during school time. Thankfully, we already had quiet a few activities that would work. In fact I didn’t purchased any new items to put in their School Bins.
(The items in our bins would also work well as Quiet Time Bins for toddlers or preschoolers who have stopped napping.)
Our new School Bins are 15 quart Sterilite containers that I purchased at Walmart. Online you can only purchase them in sets of 10, but you can get them individually at the store.
I gathered books, toys, activities and busy bags to put together bins that our toddler and preschooler could play with during school time.
Below is a look into each of our boxes. I’ve linked to where you can find the products when possible (some affiliate links), but remember to look through the things you already have at home first.
If you do want some new activities or toys, you can save money by asking for the items for your child’s birthday or by looking at Michaels (they carry a good assortment of Melissa & Doug as well as fun beads and buttons) and using a 40% off coupon.
Bin #1 (Monday)
1. Animal Pattern Blocks (Melissa & Doug) ~ our local Michael’s carries this. The pattern blocks are stored in a Sterilite 1.2 qt bin (from Walmart).
2. Eye Spy Colors and Paddington’s Opposites
3. Felt Dress-up Dolls (here’s a similar free doll pattern and here’s some cute bear inspiration)
4. Animal Beads and Stringing Laces/Shoelaces (I think I also saw the beads at Michael’s)
5. Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stack & Roll Cups
Bin #2 (Tuesday)
1. Melissa & Doug See Inside Alphabet Puzzle (we found the lowercase version at Michael’s, here’s the one with capital letters)
2. Hide and Seek Colors and My First Book of Shapes
4. Melissa & Doug Bear Dress Up Wooden Puzzle
5. Tea set (I think this one was from Walmart, but you can also find several on Amazon)
6. Foam blocks from the Dollar Tree stored in a Sterilite 1.2 qt bin (from Walmart)
Bin #3 (Wednesday)
1. Baby Einstein Nature Nesting Blocks (here are several other stacking block sets)
2. Lacing Cards (these are from Target’s Dollar Spot last fall, here are several sets of lacing cards on Amazon)
3. A is for Apple (Trace and Flip Fun) and I Spy Little Letters
5. Color Sorting Cards (from Target’s Dollar Spot during Back-to-School)
6. Build a Rainbow Busy Bag (free printables)
Bin #4 (Thursday)
1. Lauri Tall-Stacker Pegs & Pegboard Set (plus extra pegs we found at a yard sale)
2. Cut up Straw “Beads” and Shoelaces
3. A B C D Eat and My Very First Book of Shapes
4. Foam Minnie Mouse Number Puzzle (from the Dollar Tree)
5. Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Farm Animals
7. Water Bottle Ice Cube Tray, Mini Pom Poms, and Tweezers (for color sorting and fine motor skills)
Bin #5 (Friday)
1. My Little Animal Book and First Numbers
2. Wooden Stacking Rings (I think ours is from Walmart, but this Melissa & Doug Rainbow Stacker looks very similar)
3. Spelling Fun
4. Animal Pattern Matching Game (purchased at Ollie’s a few years ago)
6. Buttons and Paint Trays (both trays were purchased at Walmart)
We’ve been using our new School Bins for almost 2 months. The girls play with each School Bin for about 45 minutes one day a week, so they haven’t tired of the activities. Next week I’ll explain exactly how we use our School Bins so be sure to stop back by.
Are you homeschooling with younger children at home? Have you found a way to keep your pre-schooler occupied while teaching your older children? We’d love to hear about what’s worked for you!
If not, do you think something similar to our School Bins would work for your little ones.
The post School Bins: Homeschooling When You Have Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers appeared first on All Our Days.