Are you familiar with electronic baby sitters? The TV or iPad?
They’re handy when you need more time for other things, but what if there was a better way to keep kids busy?
What if the “sitter” is actually a series of off-screen activities that’ll keep your child entertained and stimulated at the same time?
Enter activity box.
Okay, okay, so the name isn’t anything fancy shmancy, but you’ll love this idea!
A brief introduction
I first unveiled this to my email subscribers. And yes, they get special treatment because they signed-up to my mailing list!
Wouldn’t it be great if you’re in on the fun too? If you answered yes…{click here to subscribe}.
Anyhoo, here’s how the Activity Box works
Creative Commons Flickr via Agnes Periapse
Provide your kids with several educational and fun activities everyday; whether it’s 5 or 7 times a week, is up to you.
My son is 5-years old so this is perfect for those his age, but as I always say, you can easily tweak the activity box depending on your child’s age and skill level.
Here’s what you do
1. Prep
- Make a list of activities based on areas of improvement – motor skills, reading, math – and other things you’d like your child to learn
- Take stock of existing activity books that include tracing, writing, connecting the dots, coloring, etc.
- Use free printable activity sheets found online (there’s a list of resources I use towards the bottom of the post, so you can cut down on prep time)
- Schedule activities for each day
- Place activities in separate boxes
All these 5 steps took 2 hours to complete, but it gets faster after the initial “set-up.”
2. The next day…
Announce the mechanics to your kiddo (in an exciting way):
Choose one of the closed boxes, open it, and complete the activity inside. The “game” is finished when he or she has done all the missions inside the boxes.
The Benefits
This is an ongoing activity in my house, and I’ve observed that my son now…
- Looks forward to his “exciting activities”
- Automatically completes activities
- Has improved his writing and readings skills over the summer
- Enjoys the experiments we’ve done and asks for more
Curious about the activities I’ve planned? Here are a few examples:
| Activity name | Materials inside the box | Instructions | Targeted skill(s) | Freed up time for me |
| Box 1: Fish Frenzy |
|
Segregate red and green fish pellets, and put them in each cup. Feed the fish. | Pinching – fine motor skills to improve the writing grip | 10-20 mins |
| Box 2: Ant Explorer |
|
Observe ants (I ask him about what the ants were doing when he’s done) | Free play and exploration | 15-20 mins |
| Box 3: Kumon Practice |
|
Complete the worksheets | Writing and math skills | 25 mins (but he occasionally asks me to check his work |
| Box 4: Color, Cut and Paste Galore |
|
Color, cut and paste | Fine motor skills | 10 mins only because I watch him when he’s cutting |
Conservatively, I get 1 hour and 5 minutes of free-time from the activities above.
What if you have a toddler? There are activities that can keep them occupied for several minutes, but I wont get into those now. It’ll be for another post.
Some items in my son's activity boxes: crayola markers, scissors, a pencil, magnifying glass, TV and iPad reward cards, and glue
Before you go off and do this, here are other tips
- Place interesting items in boxes; put a lemon if you planned a lemon experiment.
- Include a few rewards, incentives or prizes such as TV time, a small piece of chocolate or a granola bar, to make things more interesting.
- Sometimes a child may not be in the mood for activities. What I do is nudge him a bit or make it clear, in a non-threatening way, that he’ll have to open all the boxes before the day ends. It works.
- Give the activities before your child does something physically tiring like swimming.
- Some activities require supervision while others don’t. Mix it up.
As promised, here are the free resources I use: A-Z Worksheets | TLS Books | All Kids Network | Super Teacher Worksheets
Final words…
It’s a bit of work in the beginning, but I assure you it’s well worth it. The real value is that your child gets a supply of engaging off-screen activities. The bonus? You get extra time for yourself.
If you think your friends will love this activity for their kids, help them out by sharing this post.
About Anne Mercado
I love this idea! I’ve been trying to figure out a way to incorporate educational activities for the summer without the kids balking at the idea. This just may be the solution!
Sad But True Wordless Wednesday
Twitter: meredithmull
I know what you mean! You may also look at an earlier post on summer activities that kill brain drain.
Anne, my dear beautiful friend.
I know you know what I’m thinking right now. Girl, you are a genius. I’m sharing this on Pinterest…but you know what I really think you should do with this. Don’t sell yourself short. And thank you for the wonderful idea! My girls will LOVE this.
(((Hugs)))
~Rosann
Getting To Know Your Spouse (Again…)
Twitter: ChrstianSuprMom
Thank you for sharing this!
And yes, I know what you have in mind… and I will get to that after finishing a few more things. Thank you for your support!!!
Anne, what a lot of work you put into this, but it’s crazy awesome! What an inventive, creative and challenging way to keep your kids occupied, learning and out of your hair!!! ;0)
Thanks for sharing!
~Erin
Beautiful Memories
Twitter: ErinPatrick
I realized that it does sound – or “read”, in this case – like a lot of work but it’s really only in the beginning. After you’ve printed every single alphabet tracing sheet, you’re almost set. And yeah, this is a good way to keep the kids from incessantly talking to you haha!
This sounds like fun—of course making the boxes up is the first fun activity =)
I’d have my daughter help make two or three for her bro, then switch it up and have him make hers.
THANKS FOR SHARING
Wordless Wednesday 6/6
Twitter: ReviewsSheROTE
Pam, that’s a great idea! Never thought of making boxes since I wouldn’t know how to begin with, but it’s a great addition to the activity box method! You are most welcome!!
Anne I absolutely love the suggestions and ideas you find to do with our kids. They are always very positive… a sign you have used your tv too long as a babysitter… child repeats all commercials when out grocery shopping!
Day 363 ~ Wordy? Me? Yup.
Twitter: cali_gal63
Carla, I was laughing so much when I read this! It doesn’t help that some commercials have catchy songs – which kids love to sing.
Great ideas, Anne! My “poor” 4-year old daughter only gets to watch TV every Saturday IF she remembers and she and my baby son don’t get hold of the iPad either! I’ll try your ideas for more learning fun at our house!
Bring Out The Diva In You: Making Stories Come To Life
Twitter: learningbasket
Hahah!! I’m implementing a “no iPad on weekdays rule” when school starts. And it’s nice to hear that your kids get a lot of off-screen time, it helps improve creativity!
Really clever idea! Will have to put something like this into place- will certainly help me from having to scramble for ideas when I need to keep creativity going or little hands occupied!
The ACME Hole Effect on the Sun – a.k.a Transit of Venus
Twitter: ruralmoms
It will definitely keep them occupied – well, in the beginning you might have to guide them a bit, but when they get the hang of it, they’ll be on auto-pilot
Would love to hear about how the activity box worked (or not) for you, so feel free to drop me a note anytime.
I love this idea! Since my girls are older, they would think the actual planning and sourcing for the activity box a fun activity, so that’s a win-win for us! Thanks. Stopping by to say Hi from vB.
A New Breakfast Snack: Quaker Soft Baked Bars
Twitter: ismilefirst
Glad you like this, Linda! Welcome to Green Eggs & Moms and hope to see you around here more.
Seriously brilliant Anne!
Twitter: avagracescloset
Thank you, Susan!
This is such a refreshing post! It’s so nice to see other mothers who are committed to limiting TV and “screen” time and engaging their children in creative, valuable activities. Kudos! When my 8-month-old is a bit older, we’ll definitely be making an Activity Box of our own. Thanks for the great idea!
Today, our family journeyed over to explore the Minneapolis…
Twitter: AmommynousBlog
Thanks for your kind words, Andrea! I’m sure you kiddo will enjoy the activity box… kids seem to love surprises.
that is a really neat idea. I think I will have to utlize this for summer days
It’s okay dirt is good for you…….
Hope it helps you a lot!
What a great idea! My kids are getting older now. I sure wish I’d had mommy blogs ten years ago!
How can you cruise for free?
Haha.. how old are you kids now?
My girls are thirteen and seventeen. How the time flies! Seventeen year old is graduating this month.
How can you cruise for free?
Oh wow! I’m sure you’re beaming with pride. And yes, time does fly!
Such great ideas Anne! Buggy loves arts & crafts, painting. I’ll have to modify it for her age. Anything to keep her away from the electronics! thanks for sharing
Wordless Wednesday: Don’t Mess With This Mama
Twitter: imasillymami
This is definitely tweak=able. Hope it’s able to give you some free time and do have a great weekend.
Great ideas. I’m going to put one together. It seems like when I’m right in the middle of trying to fix a html or css code my kids need me now. It’s be nice to have something ready for them.
Haha! Kids sometimes get in the way of html. Just kidding. I’m curious to see how this will work when there are more kids involved. How much longer will it take you to prepare?
Well, if you do get around doing this, would love to know how it works for you. Hope you had a great weekend, Veronica.
You must’ve been heaven-sent, Anne. It’s really amazing how you come up with creative ideas.
When my daughter was 5, I remember printing off worksheets from TLS Books and A-Z Worksheets too. They’re really helpful, aren’t they?
TAFKAP: The Artist Formerly Known As Pepper
Twitter: PepperTan
Those sites are amazing! I must have printed at least half a ream of worksheets already. And thank you for your kind words, Pepper! I just usually think to myself: how can I get my monkey off my back. Of course, it’s a term of endearment. Hope you have a great weekend planned ahead!
Hey Anne, very helpful post. I will try it with my 4-year old one of these days.
By the way, happy to have met you last Monday at the talk.
Twitter: densfan
Hi Tiffany! This is a great way to introduce activities to little ones, especially when they dread them. Hope you can tell me about your experience with the activity box
And yes, it was lovely to meet you. Hugs!