When we decided to homeschool L & R, one of my main concerns was what in the world I would do with H while we were trying to learn a thing or two. Now, my homeschool philosophy isn’t going to be one filled with worksheets and lots of quiet time at a desk, so there will be many activities that can be modified to include H. That being said, there will also be times that will require a little more attention and a little less toddler tornado. I’ve been working on compiling a list of “taste-safe” sensory activities, open-ended play opportunities, and other entertainment ideas to keep her entertained and happy (and maybe even somewhat quiet). I finally finished the biggest project on my list and I just have to share!
Our toddler busy board:
We still have to find the perfect wall space for it to be mounted, but I just had to go ahead and share because I’m so darn proud of it and happy with how it turned out! And the girls LOVE it (I almost forgot this was supposed to be about them and their toy 🤣)!!! We’ve had a couple of play dates since it’s been finished and it’s been a hit for all of the kiddos who have seen it! The best part is that it was super cheap and I did it *almost* all by myself (I just had to call in the husband for help with one part!)
Parts and Pieces
Each kiddo seems to have their favorite part of this… which works out great because LESS ARGUING!!!! (Can I get an amen?!?) L’s favorite is hands-down the toilet paper roll 🤣. This was a super easy project made with felt from the Dollar Tree and a sturdy cardboard tube I had saved from something along the way… I’m glad I used this instead of a regular TP roll because I think that would be ripped by now! I trimmed down the tube to be about the size of an actual TP roll and sewed 2 pieces of felt together to make the “toilet paper”. This could FOR SURE be done without a sewing machine and just glued instead, but for me, sewing it up real quick was easier than dealing with a hot glue gun!
R’s favorite part is probably the phone or the keyboard. She has lots of important business to take care of! This was a Habitat Restore find – I got a whole bag of phones and their charging docks for only $4. It was missing some vital part for actual phone usage, but for me this was A-Okay! I found a lot of the other pieces at the Habitat Restore as well, such as the doorknob, the water spigot, keyboard and some hinges. Most of the other items on the board, including the board itself, were things we had on hand. I did make a couple of amazon purchases (naturally) and the calculator and one of the lights came from the Dollar Tree.
Unsurprisingly, H’s favorite part of the board is just about the silliest thing I’ve ever seen. She can sit in front of this thing for long periods of time just using her cheek to turn the tap light on and off and on again. Over and over and over. I swear she is the goofiest little thing 😍.
If you’re a homeschool pro or even new to homeschooling with lots of great ideas – let me know your tips for keeping the littles entertained while the bigs attempt to learn something new! Monday is going to be our first day of school and we couldn’t be more excited!
