Since I asked for some help in this post and received SO many wonderful suggestions, I thought I’d ask you again for some ideas. You’re all such smarties. I love ya.
Some friends of ours have three children (4th grade, 7th grade and 10th grade). They just recently committed to taking on three more children (family members who need a loving home). These new little ones are ages one, two and three.
Yeah. Talk about changing up your household a little bit. This all came up rather suddenly so they didn’t have much time to prepare.
We’re really proud of our church family who has been generously coughing up all kinds of car seats and diapers and clothing and sippy cups and EVERYTHING else a person needs to help care for three babies.
One of my friends suggested that we put together a list of fun ideas of projects to do with little ones…you know like “How to make Playdough” and stuff like that. I thought this was a great idea so that they’ll have a handy resource to grab in a pinch.
And then I decided that we could all use this handy resource. Yes?
How about if you leave comments and/or email me with your fabulous “keep the little ones busy” activities/ideas/recipes. Then I’ll compile them into a nice down-loadable resource for everyone. Depending on the amount of ideas I receive, it may even become another free ebook. Cool.
I’ll give you each full credit for your idea. Include pictures if you have them.
Just think, we could all soon be surrounded with bubbles and playdough and flubber. Sounds like a preschool paradise! :)
Dionne says
Good old fashion wooden blocks.
Jennifer says
Winter – Reading lots of books together
Spring – Sidewalk chalk
Summer – Playing in the sprinkler or a water activity table
Fall – Nature walks at the local park
Amy @ Finer Things says
Wow! Bless their hearts!
Here’s my link to homemade play dough.http://amysfinerthings.com/homemade-play-dough
Stephanie says
Art projects: Freeze juice from fruit or food coloring with water in ice cube trays… tape a big sheet of paper to a table and let the kids color with the ice cubes. (Great for the summer time).
Use a old oatmeal container or likewise and put a little paint in it. Add a piece of paper and a marble or two. Put the cover on and let the little ones shake like crazy.
Pretend Play: Fill a Tupperware container full of dress-up clothes and bring it out on special occasions (perhaps after reading a new exciting book). Let their imagination take over.
Build a fort. They’ll play for hours.
Ever read Stone Soup? If not, do. If you own the book, read it to your kids and make it!
Outside Play: In summer (and if you have a slide), put the hose on top of the slide so the water is falling down it. This turns the ordinary slide into a water park.
Plant a garden. Give the kids the responsibility of watering their own garden, and the fun of harvesting the rewards.
In the winter, build an igloo by packing snow into a flexible bread pan, adding some water and letting it freeze. This will make your bricks. Your kids will love spending hours of play time in this.
mia says
I don’t really have a recipe or anything like that, but a couple of things that have kept my kids busy – both at home and on the road – are small chalk boards and small dry erase boards. When my oldest two were little, I found a couple of small wooden-framed chalk boards at Wal-Mart in the craft section. I painted the frames with bright colors and put their names on them. They like the colored chalk and white chalk. My mother-in-law bought all three girls small Expo dry-erase boards and colored dry-erase markers as part of their Christmas one year. They had lines on one side (I say “had” because these quickly wore off) and they are plain on the other side.
As I look at the ages, I see the youngest two would probably be too young for these things – especially if they like to put things in their mouths. I suppose you could get the big sidewalk chalk for the chalkboards and they might enjoy that. Big chunky crayons and paper are good, too – just make sure they’re well supervised. (Hint: Mr. Clean Magic Erasers take crayon off of just about anything!)
Little kids like just about anything – especially if you are paying attention to them and playing with them. Just some plastic bowls and stuff to put in and take out of the bowls – big buttons, play food. The previous posters have some wonderful ideas.
Kathy Shaner says
My mom did the most brilliant thing to keep my niece and nephew entertained on hot summer afternoons. She gave them a bucket of water and a couple paintbrushes (house painting size) and let them ‘paint’ the side of her metal shed. (It would work with any surface that could handle some water) The water made the shed look a different color, so they had the satisfaction of painting, with no mess at all. By the time they finished a section, the first part of what they painted had dried, so they went back over that. They loved it!
Jen says
Lots of fun ideas at the Craft Crow weblog: http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/
Stringing beads on pipecleaners or shoelaces
MaryBeth @ Four Silly Sisters says
For a little rainy day fun my girls love to get on the computer and “do their Starfall work”. Of course, they are still only pretending school and it is certainly not work! So you could recommend that for the 2 and 3 year olds, with a bit of help. http://www.starfall.com
We also use empty toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls cut into 2 or 3 pieces put together as binoculars and go for scavenger hunts around our house. Depending on what we’re learning about, we’ll sometimes search for certain colors, shapes, letters, or things that start with a particular letter.
If I think of any other ideas I’ll come back. Blessings to them as they adjust to their new family!
Lenetta @ Nettacow says
Laura, I need to update this page with a few more pictures and post-trip comments, but it’d be my contribution. I have tons of things bookmarked, but I don’t think that’s quite what you’re looking for? Shoot me an e-mail if you’re interested and I can give you a pile o’ links.
Jenn says
Flashlight tag
baby pool filled with packing peanuts
Boxes made to look like cars
pitch a tent in the living room
pull a mattress onto the floor (Seriously, this is fun for quite a while!)
rice in pill bottles and other strange containers
cut up pool noodles into 3rds and play indoor baseball.
playdough with soap scents from the craft store (Mint eucalyptus and vanilla lavender from Michaels is the best!)
Place all your unbreakable kitchen stuff (Old plastic containers) with some cooking utensils (Wooden spoons, measuring cups) with some craft sticks and/or cotton balls in them on the table.
We have severe snow and hail every month except August… so I come up with crazy ideas!
Nancy says
Recipe for homemade moon sand (1 batch)
6 cups of play sand
3 cups of cornstarch
1 1/2 cups of cold water
Step one: Mix the water and cornstarch together thoroughly, this will take a few minutes to get it nice and smooth.
Step two: Gradually mix in the sand, one cup at a time. You’ll need to really work it in with your fingers.
Step three: Play with it!
Step four: When you’re all done, pop it in an airtight container.
Step five: When you next play with it, you’ll need to revive it with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Just sprinkle it over and work it in.
That’s all there is to it. Very cheap, very easy and the kids will get to play with heaps of the stuff. Play sand also comes in different colors, so buy different colored bags to mix things up a little. Have fun!
Becky says
Not originally my idea, my mom used to do this for years in her classroom:
Bean/Rice box. Use a large tupperware bin (with a lid for storage). Fill with rice or beans and add old cups (I use yogurt, sourcream, cottage cheese containers to get different sizes) and a few spoons, maybe a funnel. We play with this on the carport. It does make a mess but I just sweap the rice back up and put it back in the box. The rice does get dirty but its an outside activity. My son, 18 months, loves this. I may try this inside (we have tile) this winter and see it we can keep the mess contained.
I’m excited to see all the ideas people have!
Kelly says
I was going to say the same thing as Becky! We use a Rubbermaid bin that is big enough for the little ones to get in. I either use dry beans or dry oats. I have also used biodegradable packing peanuts (when we once received a package full of them). We use this activity exclusively n the winter, as an indoor activity. I put the bin in the middle of my kitchen floor (although you could also do it on a small tarp over carpet), strip the baby down to his diaper, and let the fun begin! He can play from the outside of the bin, or (as is his usual preference) he can get inside the bin. When he’s done, I sweep up the stuff that has spilled out put it back in the bin. We store the bin in our garage so it’s out o the way.
Kelly says
Oh, I thought of a couple of other things we love to do:
-Make a kitchen band – I keep an unlocked cabinet stocked with kid-friendly dishes. We pull out a few pots, plastic containers, wooden or plastic spoons. Then we turn on some music and play/tap/bang/sing along.
-Build a tent – We use a queen size sheet and a couple of kitchen chairs to build a tent in our living room. It doesn’t have to be big for the little ones, and they love to take their toys/books/woobies/siblings inside to play. I try to build the tent in the morning so they have it to play in all day, then we clean it up before bed.
-Found toys – I look for toys everywhere. My 16 month old’s favorite activity right now is “the butter bowl.” I cut a slot in the top of a plastic butter tub, and saved ten plastic yogurt lids. He spend hours a day pushing the lids through the slot, then asking me or his older brother to open the lid so he can dump them out & start over. When my older son was little, we were able to get 20 shoe boxes from our church (they were left from a mission trip). We played with them for a month. We used them as blocks, we built a fort, we turn a couple into pull behind “wagons” for stuffed animals, we tied the lids to our feet & “skated” on the carpet… They provided hours & hours of fun, for free. Toys don’t have to be fancy or expensive.
Erika says
The best way I’ve found to amuse my 2 year old for extended periods of time is the sink! Though it does involve mopping up half the kitchen when he’s done, he’ll happily stand on a (sturdy) chair and “cook” in the sink with whatever he can get his hands on! I don’t think we truly enjoyed it until he was 18 months or so, but it’s easy, fairly safe, and it allows you to participate in their play time while ALSO getting things accomplished in your kitchen.
And right now, there are tons of stores having back to school sales–stock up on glue sticks, construction paper, crayons and paints, and they’ll happily amuse themselves for hours.
Amanda says
I wish I had more specific instructions for this…but one thing my mom does with my children is to make several batches of unflavored gelatin in different colors red, blue, and yellow. Then cut them into cubes and put them in plastic baggies. The children just love to squish them all up. You can also mix colors (you know, red + blue = purple) to help the little ones learn about making new colors!
Sarah says
Here is a super simple recipe for Edible Playdough: 3/4 C. peanut butter, 3/4 C. nonfat dry milk, 1 T. honey…mix all ingredients together for a dough consistency, play and have fun then when done put your dough on graham crackers and eat! I like it because I don’t have to worry if my little ones put it in their mouth while they’re playing!
Rachel says
Elmo DVD’s :-)
Peanut butter balls (works best with refrigerated peanut butter like Adams because they will get firmer in the fridge after you’re done making them) – mix peanut butter and powdered sugar until you have playdough. Form shapes and put on a plate. Eat now or later or both!
Play kitchen with lots of buttons
Books, books, books! We go to the library about once a week when we’re thinking of it!
Save a couple dishes for one of them to wash when you’re all done with the rest. (have towels on hand)
Have kid-friendly photo albums… especially ones with pictures of them (and in this case, their “extended” family) in them.
Go to the park.
Sandbox
Long baths with washrags and cups
Amy says
We used to take empty kleenex boxes and wrap them in colorful paper and use them for colorful “big” building blocks or legos. It was inexpensive and lots of fun.
Becki says
I am taking care of my 4 little nieces in addition to my own this week. Thier ages are 10, 7, 4, 4, 4, 2, and twelve months. We are calling it Camp Cousin and have been doing some really fun things. We made playdough, and today are doing some pudding painting. I will give each kid a bowl of pudding and a spoon and let them either eat it…or paint their bodies with it. Then we will run through the sprinkler to clean them off.
Our playdough recipe was this.
Kool-Aid Play Dough
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
3 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 package Kool-Aid Mix (any flavor of unsweetened)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Mix dry ingredients together in a large saucepan. Slowly add water mixed with oil and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens to dough. Turn out onto a heatproof bread board or counter top and knead until cool enough for children to handle. Dough will be the color of the Kool-Aid mix and will smell like the Kool-Aid mix. (Can be stored in a tightly covered container for up to six months)
Becki
PS. I have pictures of both the play dough, and the fun we had with it….but have no idea how to send them to you…if you want.
Bethany says
Love, love, LOVE this idea for an e-book!!! I’m a new mom, so I don’t have any suggestions, but I would love learning from you all on projects with my little one, once he’s old enough!
Betsy says
My three year old grandson just helped me dust! He loved it. I gave him one of the “Name Brand” dusters with the handle and let him go to it in a bedroom. I picked up things ahead of him from the surfaces, and he dusted. I bought another one a dollar store recently that’s a washable microfiber with a handle that he could easily use too.
Also, when the mom of this grandson was 3, with a two year old sister and a brand new baby brother, I would get out our muffin pan, and let her sort different shapes of pasta into them from a plastic bowl that had them mixed up. Depending on the ability of the child, I’d start with a small amount of each and add to it as he/she become able to sort.
We also used to string macaroni (after coloring it) and make pictures by gluing macaroni on construction or white paper.
Another idea similar to one mentioned already is to paint the sidewalk with water and brushes.
Natalie says
Finger painting in shaving cream (put shaving cream on a cookie sheet to contain it)
Save all those return envelopes you find in junk mail so your little one can “mail” drawings to you.
Kool-Aid Play Dough
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 pkgs. unsweetened Kool-Aid
3 T. oil
2 c. boiling water
Combine the dry ingredients and make a well in the center. Pour the oil and water in the well and stir quickly. The dough will seem a bit sticky and first, but let it set and cool for a while. Once it has cooled for about 10-15 minutes, kneed the dough until it is smooth and soft. Store in an airtight container.
Kirsten says
If you homeschool, you can have the older ones take on some of the responsibility for helping the younger ones learn simple things (ie. colors, shapes, tracing, etc.). This could take some of the load off you and give them “community service” credit (or whatever you want to call it).
Jenn says
– Ok this idea is pretty basic, but worth mentioning. Coloring with crayons, markers, paint, colored pencils, etc. Drawing with sidewalk chalk is especially fun and you can even make your own chalk by adding food coloring to plaster of paris.
– Some kids really like to help clean or organize, even just sorting buttons or something can be a fun activity
– Get some of those letter magnets and put them on the fridge at eye level (this would be for slightly older children who are learning how to read, maybe the three year old could do this?)
– Make blank books and let them write or illustrate their own books
– Painting with water
– A kiddie pool, with water outside in the summer, or shredded paper inside in the winter
– Picnics in the park or the backyard
– Tea parties are a huge hit with little girls
– Making no bake cookies or snacks (I’m sure you could give her some great recipes Laura)
jana pedowitz says
I do not have children but having watched my sister and two year old neice I have learned that children that young love to be “big helpers.” Let them bring you shirts to fold, show them how to pick their toys, let them hold things while making dinner, etc. They like to be useful…get it while you can that phase does not last long:)
Callie says
We like to make our own Find It.
You need:
Empty water bottles
sandwich bags
rice
food coloring
small items from around the house–penny, matchsticks, paperclips, nails, pieces of ribbon, party favor left overs, etc.
Place rice in a sandwich bag and add some food coloring. Squish it around so you color the rice. (We use two or three different colors in each bottle, but use separate bags to make them.
Fill up the bottle with colored rice and trinkets. Alternate so the objects aren’t all on the bottom or all on the top. For older kids use more rice to make it difficult to find objects, for smaller kids less rice. Screw the lid on super tight-like you never plan to open it again! We have never had one open and that is with 4 boys!
You can also leave out the objects and use a 2L bottle with some colored rice in it. When my son was under a year he would crawl all over the house after it. It was hard for him to pick up and the bottle would just roll around. The colors are fun and the noise is entertaining
JeannaMO says
When my kids were little we kept a bag of stuff in the car and in it things like books (for kids) that come with a cassette tape. (much sturdier than cds) and a cheapy walkman. They loved listening to their special books when they were in the car. These also worked well when we were shopping and they were stuck in the stroller. Eventually they will learn how to turn the pages with the beaps, but for a while even just listening to the story and looking at the pictures is fun for them.
We also made “pet doctor kits” with their stuffed animals. A small box – with holes cut in – and a handle threaded through the top, with all kinds of band aids, small wraps for imaginery pet wounds, a play stethescope from like the Dollar Tree, maybe a play pair of glasses or even old sunglasses without the frames, a small blanket and pillow. My kids loved to play hospital with the stuffed animals and beanies.
The other thing my kids did the most of was play with fake food or empty food boxes. They would love to pretend they were playing grocery store and “scanning” their items.
One more thing I remember is that my kids loved to take everyone’s orders and one of the best gifts my kids ever got was a box with some receipt books, post-its, and an apron. We always had to give them our orders like we were at a restaurant, then they would bring out the pretend plates with the pretend food on it and we had to act like we were eating and drinking it!
Wow – lots of memories. Those were the days. Now they are 21 and 16 years old and they were lots easier then!
JeannaMO
Sarah says
I just want to second Kathy on painting outside with water and old brushes. We used to do this as kids on our sidewalk, and now my girls love to do it too. On really hot days it’s a bit of a game in and of itself to see how much you can paint before it “disappears”!
Carmen says
Make paper bag puppets and put on a puppet show. Paper lunch bags make great puppets. Use yarn scraps, fabric scraps, markers, buttons, googly eyes – whatever you have around the house – and help the little ones make a puppet. Then get them to come up with a puppet show, practice, and present to the family. Great fun!
Carmen says
Here’s one more that my kids love. It’s a little more labor intensive for the parents, but SO worth it – especially when you want to reward the kids. Create a treasure hunt. Put clues in riddle form hidden around the house or yard. I like to make mine rhyme(ex: You found this clue by the shed. The next is underneath something big and red) Have them work as a team to figure out the clues. At the end have a special “treasure” – It doesn’t have to be much (maybe cookies or a coloring page). The fun is in figuring it out and working together.
Sharon says
Bubbles! You can even do this indoors on a vinyl floor and then mop it up later. My daughter used to love to try and “get” the bubbles. Great to do outside when there’s a slight breeze and you can watch them float away.
Kid drawer in the kitchen. I used to fill up the bottom drawer in my kitchen with plastic containers, cups, lids, utensils, etc… for my daughter to play with while I made dinner.
Boxes. Kids love boxes. My daughter used to enjoy playing with the boxes, or gift bags, that gifts came in, sometimes more than the gifts themselves.
Summer time: give them a hose and bucket. Fill up the bucket, dump out the bucket…. fill up the bucket, dump out the bucket, etc… for hours!
Amanda Sikes says
What about the idea of filling one zip-top bag about half full with hair gel (blue colored if best). Then let the air out as much as possible, turn it upside down and slide it into a second zip-top bag. When the bags are flattened out a child can write, doodle, or draw on them and then “wipe” it away and start again. Great for church, home, or anytime a quiet activity is needed.
Amanda Sikes says
Another thing that is great is a rice or bean tub. Fill a shallow tub with rice or beans and let children use small tractors, spoons, and bowls to play. It will be hours of fun!
Amanda Sikes says
One last one, you can purchase a piece of plexiglass (VERY cheap from local hardware stores)and cover the edges with tape. Then you can place a paper under it and children can use dry erase markers to draw and erase over and over again. Great for shape practice, writing practice, or even just counting and drawing.
Lindsy says
Great idea! You can also buy large pieces of white board at home improvement stores at a very inexpensive price and then ask them to cut it down to sizes you can use.
Amanda says
Wow! Thank you so much for all of these great ideas! I have a two year old and often struggle for simple fun things to do with her. Does anyone have a suggestion for how to make sorting activities fun? I’ve tried to sort lots of different things with her, but she’s just not very interested.
Also, I have a book that I got at a yard sale called “things to do with toddlers and twos” by Karen Miller. I don’t know if it’s still in print, but I highly recommend it!
Tammy says
I’m a former preschool teacher (Head Start) and am loving reading the comments and good ideas.
Here’s an email I posted to a holiday group a couple of years ago – we were discussing gift ideas for small children:
“I agree that books are best, but since that’s already been posted, I’ll go with building blocks and construction toys. Duplos for the little ones, Legos for the older kids. Anything they can connect, stack, and combine for different structures. They don’t have to be elaborate – little wooden blocks to make a tower and knock down delights them. Kids learn math skills and problem-solving, as well as build their self-esteem when they create.
Okay, I also have to go with art materials. NOT coloring books. Those are fine now and then, but to spark imagination, I’m a big fan of paper and crayons, glue, scissors, paints, and playdough. Notice I said crayons. Markers are nice, they have good color and are easy to use. Crayons require a child to use more hand strength, therefore building those fine muscles. I save markers for after they’ve used crayons awhile.
Scissors require adult supervision. Don’t buy those cheap plastic kind that cut nothing. I recommend Fiskars – they’re real scissors, though, and do cut hair, skin, and fabric. For a child using scissors the first time, make some playdough “snakes” and let them cut those, or cut paper into narrow strips and let the child snip away. They can move on to cutting “fringe”, then cutting larger shapes in half, and later, can practice cutting on lines.
Glue is easy to use with little ones. Put a small amount in a little disposable cup, on a plastic lid, or just a little puddle on some paper, and give them a Q-tip to use for applying the glue. They can glue their “snippings” from cutting, pieces of yard, scraps of fabric and trim, buttons (for older kids), sticks from outside, just normal ‘scrap’ stuff from around the house.
Glue sticks are okay, but they dry out so fast you can’t count on them.
Playdough is one of my favorite things. I introduce the playdough first, then “tools” later. Those can be all sorts of things you have around the house – canning jar rings, cooking utensils, wooden craft sticks, rubber stamps, etc. My 3-yo nephew loves to use my mint molds with playdough.
Paints also require adult supervision – fingerpaints are best, working those fine muscles and providing a wonderful sensory experience. Tempra paint gives bold colors and learning to use a paint brush on a verticl plane (using an easel) uses those muscles in a different way. I love watercolors, but if you’re getting the kind in the case with all the colors dried, then you use the brush to wet them and paint, don’t expect the little guys to keep the colors separate. They will get “muddy”, and if the child doesn’t care, so be it. If they’re interested in keeping their colors clean, they can be shown how to do so. Sometimes providing several extra brushes helps with that, too.
Most of what I’ve written is applicable for preschoolers, but the materials can be more complex for older children. They may have an interest in photography (which I consider an art form), so why not a disposable camera and some scrapbooking materials?
I love those Klutz books, too. Not just the art related ones, though we had great fun with the face-painting book, but the game books are great, too.
For the babies, how about music? There are many great kid’s music CD’s out there (Raffi is one of my favorites), but I’d go with a variety – some classical, some bouncy, some slow, some fast. Kids will often sing words they can’t/won’t say, so that’s a great language-builder. And DANCE with them! Great exercise and quality time.”
Hopefully there is something there you can use. Another idea that we used in our classrooms and on home visits with families is to make cookies in a gallon ziplock bag – just put all of the ingredients in the bag, seal, and let the child squish it all together. When it’s mixed, cut the corner from the bag and squeeze balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. This works with mixing all sorts of things, actually.
Misty says
Here is a site I found that has 101+ ideas for a sensory table, which could just be a large tupperware type container.
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/toddlers/centers/sensory_table.htm
Lindsy says
A very simple way to keep little fingers busy for a little while…
Find a small container with a lid that’s a bit tricky to get open – a film canister would work well for a 18-24 mo. old and something with a twist off cap would work for an older child. Then put a little treat or toy inside that the child would REALLY want. They will be occupied for some time and when they finally get it open and you still need more sanity time, just put something else in the container. It’s a very easy way to steal some sanity time and it also helps develop fine motor skills for little ones.
Lindsy says
Another great sensory experience for 1-2 yr olds…
Tape a piece of contact paper on the refrigerator or a wall sticky side facing out. (Don’t put the sticky side against your new coat of paint… that may be an unfortunate event) Put a basket with items of different textures and weights next to it and show the child how to stick the items on the contact paper and then peel them off again. I’ve used feathers, cotton balls, pieces of paper, combs, paint brushes, etc. It’s another fine motor activity that also fascinates most children.
Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship says
favorite cheap/free toddler toy: oatmeal canister with a slit cut in the top and either milk jug and/or juice caps to put in. Can be used as a sorting game (by color, etc) or for pretend play as “money” too. It grows with the child!
Miracle Quelle says
I save all of the paper that comes through the house-whether things we’ve printed off, junk mail, etc, as long as it has a blank side, including envelopes, and throw it in a big box. That is the kids’ scrap paper, and it’s always accessible, so they can cut, draw, color, whatever they want. I also keep a box of other raw materials, like construction paper, cardboard, beads, scraps of material, ribbon, etc, available, and books that give craft and drawing ideas. They have a kid-sized plastic picnic table right there, too, so they can go draw/etc whenever they want. I have taken the picnic table in the back yard and squeezed out shaving cream for them to spread around. What keeps my kids busy more than anything is books. They also LOVE babydolls (even Eli, the boy)–and their favorite is the super-cheap doll from Wal-Mart, dress-up, play kitchen food, blocks, etc.
Lots of great, creative ideas on here that I never thought of!
My Boaz's Ruth says
_The Toddler Busy Book_
Stephanie says
Flannel board and stories… Kids LOVE these!
Laura says
I teach the toddler class at church on Wednesday nights, and one of their favorite things to do is paint with bingo stampers. These are so much easier for them to use than paint brushes, and they’re cleaner than finger paints.
Also, I suggest finger painting with whipped cream, rather than shaving cream, as kids are prone to putting things in their mouths.
Oh, and make ramps out of books, cookie sheets, or anything else heavy enough to support the weight of a toy car, and let the kids “race” their cars down them.
Danielle says
When I talk Sunday school (for children) we did the Crayola color wonder. I didn’t want anything to get on their clothes, worked fabulous, and nothing but the paper got paint on it.