When my toddler wakes up first thing she wants to do is have breakfast and then do “tivities!” These daily boxes are filled with lots of fun and lots of learning. You can customize the boxes to cater to the needs of each child. Recommended age is 6 months and up. I have a box for Monday- Friday for each of my girls. Large set for my older girl and small set for my younger girl. Sensory boxes for Saturdays (check that post out) and Sundays are for family fun. Each day I try to include some sort of art, puzzles, colors, numbers, and letters. I started these with my 3 year old when she was 6 months old. I have another daughter who is 7 months old and she started at 6 months old as well. My 3 year old stays interested about an hour and my 7 month old stays interested about 20 minutes and then she’s done!
Below are the contents of my 3 year old’s boxes.
Monday- Stickers
Love stickers! They are soo inexpensive and you find them in almost every store or online. You can sort, count, or make a picture with stickers.
Tuesday- Markers
Draw a picture, practice shapes, name colors, trace objects!
A DIY mini project- get an ice cube tray, some pom poms, and a mini pair of tongs and you’ve got a super fun game of “pick up the pom poms!”
Wednesday- Playdough
My 3 year old could play with playdough for hours if I let her. She’s super into dinosaurs so we have a playdough dinosaur set. I also recently started making my own dough. I will add that recipe soon! The big red cups are so much fun for stacking up and building castles! She loves to build towers taller than her! Oh, and in case you are wondering that shape puzzle isn’t dirty…it’s eyeliner that will not come off 🙂
Thursday- Crayons
So many coloring books, so little time! I love the numbers with the pegs. Such an awesome learning tool. You could also get some rainbow bowls and some pom poms and sort colors and count them! The bowls I purchased are no longer available but I found some similar you could try. They are a great investment because you can use them over and over again for so much fun stuff.
Friday- Paint
Paint!!! One of my 3 year old’s favorites ever! We do a lot of finger painting but right now she is really into these dot markers. It basically turns into finger painting after a few minutes of placing dots wildly on paper. I also love the Montessori inspired wood cylinders.
Another mini DIY project- ice cube tray, cut out some shapes (I used dollar store flash cards with shapes on them), tape and you can have your child match shapes.
Below are the boxes for my younger girl.
Monday- Stickers
She is 7 months old so she does need help with this one. She is fascinated with stickers. It’s never too early to start with flash cards, too. She will be talking in no time! Chunky puzzles are easy and safe for her.
Tuesday- Pom Poms
Just need a whisk and some pom poms. She loves to try to take the pom poms out with her teeny little fingers or by shaking the whisk. So cute!
Another mini DIY project- get an empty oatmeal or breadcrumb container with a plastic lid, cut out a rectangle, and wrap it with wrapping paper or simply use some construction paper. Find an old deck of cards and have baby try to fit the cards in the slot. You could also cut out a small circle and have them try to push the pom poms through the slot.
Wednesday- Playdough and Pasta
Make your own playdough or get some store bought and stick some bamboo skewers, straws, or cake pop sticks in it. Add some Rigatoni pasta and you’ve got another fun game! Need an easier alternative? Have baby stick the pasta in the playdough!
Thursday- Pipe cleaners
Just need a colander and some pipe cleaners. Have baby insert the cleaners in the colander or you can insert them yourself and have baby pull them out! They will love it!
Friday- Paint
You can have baby do some finger paints with older siblings or you can try a less messier alternative that is just as fun. Water painting! Just need some construction paper, a bowl or cup filled with water, and some brushes or sponges. I also included some sensory bags that baby can play with. Just fill up some resealable plastic bags with whatever you have on hand.
These baby Einstein board books are awesome because you get 12 little books and you can put a couple in each box. Each book has a different theme.
Start small! Don’t get overwhelmed. Start with one or two activities per box and then grow your collection. Add to them monthly, on birthdays, and Christmas! Buy quality pieces that will be durable and last you more than one child if necessary. You could also start by having activity boxes once or twice a week if daily is not possible. Make sure you have age appropriate activities for each child.
