Do you listen to music when you drive?
Do you listen to an audiobook when you wash dishes?
Do you doodle when you listen to a speaker?
We tend to keep our hands busy while we listen. Yet, we get frustrated if our kiddo won’t sit still while we read to them.
Like adults, all kids are different. My 4-year-old can sit through book after book while my 22-month-old will sit through about four pages before she announces she is, “All done!”
Whether you have a child that gravitates towards books or not, I think we can all agree that reading is important. So, how do you read when you have a child that won’t sit still? How do you make reading a priority when your kiddo doesn’t seem interested? You give them something to do with their hands while you read aloud to them.
Before reading to my kiddos, I ask, “Would you like to do an activity while I read?” If their answer is, “yes”, I put the activity drawer of their choice in front of them and start reading.
In order to set myself up for a successful read aloud time, I need the kid’s activities to be easy to see and easy to reach for.
Introducing today’s Tidy-Tip Tuesday: Organizing Busy Hands Activities.
My favorite way to organize kid activities is by investing in storage containers with clear pull out drawers; as seen in the picture below.
Clear, pull out drawers are my favorite because:
- They hold a lot of supplies
- You can easily see what’s inside each drawer
- You can pull the whole drawer out when doing the designated activity
You can find these clear drawer organizers anywhere. They come in different sizes and colors. They also have different number of drawer options!
Clear drawer organizers is one way to organize your child’s “busy hands” activities. Remember, do what works best for you and your family.
Interested in what activities my kids gravitate to? Keep reading.
Crayons and Coloring Pages
My daughter Ava loves to color. If she chooses this activity, I simply pull out the drawer of coloring books and the drawer of crayons and place them in front of her. Best part? Easy clean up! No more trying to get crayons back in the crayon box; just dump them in the drawer!
Play Doh
Play doh is a wonderful tool! It strengthens fine motor skills, encourages imaginative play, and can be used for educational activities. Ava especially likes practicing her letters using play doh mats.
Paint
These paint pages by Melissa & Doug are my favorite. I love how convenient it is having all the paint colors at the top of each painting page. Simply hand your child a cup of water and a paintbrush and they are ready to get creative!
Scratch Art
Scratch Art by Melissa and Doug is another favorite activity of ours (I enjoy it too)! You simply scratch the pages to reveal the hidden picture.
Stickers
Stickers are my kids love language. They don’t even mind going to the doctor because they know they will get a sticker. It amazes me that a drawer of stickers and a piece of paper can entertain them for an extended period of time.
Dry Erase Boards
Dry Erase boards are the best. I love that one side has lines in case your child wants to practice writing their letters/numbers. And the other side is blank if they feel like free drawing.
Water Wow and Color Blast
No matter what the age of your child, Water Wow and Color Blast is sure to be a hit! Water is all you need to color the image. No mess and lots of fun!
Paper
Simply giving your child paper provides them with all sorts of fun activities. They can put stickers on paper, practice their cutting skills, draw, make paper airplanes, Etc.
Other Ideas:
Other activities kids can do to keep their hands busy include building with magna-tiles/legos, making puzzles, knitting, crocheting, or working on a latch hook. Kids could also make cards, jewelry, work on a model car, cut out magazine images that start with the letter A, and so on.
The options truly are endless! You know what your children are interested in. Have fun reading with them and creating memories together!
How do you organize your kid’s activities? What is your child’s favorite “busy hands activity?” As always, I would LOVE to hear from YOU!
1 thought on “Reading Can Sound When Order is Found”
A favorite among my kids is sorting beans in muffin tins. My older kids still claim the next turn when they see a younger sibling doing this!