My son has 57 toys and he’s only one. Wait, no, I didn’t count outside toys.
My son has 63 toys.
That’s just ridiculous.
Despite the fact that my son has so many toys, he still managed to get bored last week and ended up whining at my feet while I was trying to cook dinner. Seriously? I wasn’t about to buy him any new toys but was desperate to find new things for him to play with.
The next morning we hopped in the car to run our normal errands and ended up at a local dollar store to grab some essentials. While walking the aisles, I noticed my son grabbing at things and suddenly I realized I was in a treasure trove of creative, cheap toys.
Here is what we managed to create with $6 and a little creativity:
A Shoe Box Drum
Supplies:
Wooden spoons (5) – $1
Plastic spatula and spoons (4) – $1
Plastic shoe box – $1
Result: an awesome (and cheap!) drum set. This has kept my son entertained for at least 10 minutes!
Pick and Pull Supplies
Plastic shoe box (1) – $1
Result: a fantastic game that keeps kids entertained and works on fine motor skills! This one required my husband’s steady hand. He took a sharp knife and cut a square in the lid. Then I took a small nail file and made sure there were not any sharp edges. Then I simply threw in some wooden blocks!
This game mystified my son for a good 15 minutes before he figured out how to get the blocks out. He shook it, crawled over it, kicked it, licked it and then finally shoved his hand inside. This game has become a favorite in our house and we end up putting lots of different things inside!
Drawer o’ Fun
Supplies:
Plastic measuring cups (4) – $1
Ice cube trays (3) – $1
Wiffle Balls – Christmas present
Result: endless entertainment while I cook. At age one, my son is obsessed with opening and closing everything he can find. This drawer was a great solution to keeping him busy while at the same time giving him something to do. I ended up throwing just random things in the drawer and it has become his favorite place to play while I cook. He opens the drawer, takes everything out, closes the drawer, bangs everything together, opens the drawer, climbs inside the drawer, cries to be taken out of the drawer, puts everything back in the drawer closes the drawer and then starts it all over again. This has been a lifesaver in the kitchen!
Egg Shaker
I can’t actually take the credit for this fantastic little toy. My 13 year old sister watched my son one day and brought this over for him to play with. All she did was put popcorn kernels in a plastic Easter egg and super glued it shut (important step!). That’s it! And honestly this is his current favorite toy. It goes everywhere with us – on walks, in the bath, to the grocery store, to dinner….literally everywhere. We all have Easter eggs around the house this time of year, so it’s an almost free toy for your kids to play with!
What creative and cheap toys or games have you come up with for you kids to play?
