Busy Bags

A couple of years ago I heard about the idea of busy bags. Basically, busy bags are individual activities for toddlers/preschoolers that keep them busy. They are all educational and teach some sort of valuable skill, but at the same time are very fun for the kids. You can use them in a variety of situations... when a babysitter comes, when going to doctor appointments, to preoccupy younger kids when teaching siblings, etc. Each activity is kept in a ziploc bag and the children can pull out one activity at a time and have fun. I loved the idea and immediately bought this book. They recommend participating in a busy bag swap, so you make 20+ bags of one activity (thus cutting down on cost and time) and swap with other moms, so you end up with a full set. I didn't even know 10 other moms at the time, so my plan was to make a full set myself. But, really, what mother has that time, or that money? Idea dropped.

Fast forward a couple years. One of my friends from college, Kirby, announced on her blog that she was organizing a busy bag swap with a friend. I immediately sent and email about how I had been pining to participate in one for quite a while. I shortly got an email back and I was in. Let me tell you, the wait was worth it!

I was assigned the cupcake busy bag. At the simplest level, you can decorate cupcakes. I included felt numbers, so the kids could also practice their numbers with the icing decorations. I also made cupcake recipe cards the kids could follow to practice their numbers more.

We received 25 busy bags last weekend and the girls have LOVED playing with all of them. It has been such a blast going through all of the bags with the girls. There is a perfect age mix, so both girls have a variety of activities for their age. It has been interesting to see which bags are their favorites.

Emily plays with this clothesline busy bag every day. I give her a big bowl and a rag and she pretends to wash the clothes for her baby doll and hang them up to dry.

And Olivia is captivated by this pipe cleaner activity. I cut the pipe cleaners into smaller pieces, so she they are a little easier to work with. She even figured out how to open the top and empty them out, so it preoccupies her for some time!

I highly recommend participating in a busy bag swap if you have young children. Of course, that means, you will probably have to organize it yourself, but luckily for you, Kirby and Chelsea (the other organizer) have already done all the difficult work. All of the activities are compiled onto one page, so all you have to do is assign the activities. Each picture is linked to the activity's tutorial, pictures, printables, and more. Trust me, if you offer this to your friends, you will probably have to turn people down in the end. I know Kirby and Chelsea did.

Just go to the following page to get all the information... BUSY BAG SWAP

Here is to HOURS of fun!!!