Hi everyone,
I just wanted to share something that has been a real game-changer in our house lately. With Juliet at 5 and Bennett at 2, some days it feels like my main job is just managing two very different energy levels and attention spans. My ECE degree didn’t exactly prepare me for the reality of one child wanting to do an intricate craft while the other just wants to dump every single crayon on the floor!
Since we’re on a single income, I’m always trying to find ways to make our resources stretch. A few months ago, I started an ‘activity bin’ system, and it has saved my sanity. I have a few simple plastic bins, and each week I fill them with different simple activities. For Juliet, it might be a ‘cutting tray’ with safety scissors and old catalog pages, or play-doh with some unique ‘tools’ like garlic presses and forks. For Bennett, it’s more about sensory play – a bin of oats with scoops and cups, or some chunky Duplo blocks he hasn’t seen in a while.
I pull one or two out during that tricky time in the late afternoon, and because the items feel new and special, it can honestly buy me 20-30 minutes of relative peace. It helps me feel like I’m still providing enriching play without spending a lot of money or getting out a million complicated supplies. I do have moments where I wonder if I’m putting too much pressure on myself to make everything a ‘learning opportunity,’ but then Bennett gets completely absorbed in threading pasta onto a string and I figure it can’t be all bad!
Does anyone else do something similar? I’d love to hear your go-to, low-prep activities for toddlers and preschoolers!