Toddlers love putting things into a container and taking them right back out, so I made this beads in a water bottle busy bag to give that urge a purpose. It is a great quiet activity for little hands.
If you have a toddler, you probably know that toddlers love to put things into something and then to take them out again. I decided to create a busy bag based on that idea. The simple idea is that there are water bottles and your child can put beads in the water bottle and dump them out again.
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Of course, I’m never satisfied to make something with only one way of playing, so I decided to add some color sorting to the busy bag. I painted the lids of four water bottles (red, green, yellow, and blue) and then covered the outside of the water bottles with the same colors of construction paper.
Next, I added a bunch of different beads (all red, green, yellow, or blue) to the busy bag. Now, the kids can play by color sorting the beads or they can also play just by putting the beads into the water bottles and dumping them out again. AND, they can practice taking the lids on and off the water bottle. They can’t do this at all right now, so I figured it would be good practice to have these water bottles they can play with and practice any time they want.
I am so excited about this busy bag and all of the different playing options it provides. I have had Smiley Man play with it a few times just to be sure it works well for him and honestly, I do have a complaint. I used just regular cheap water bottles and I really wish I had used this kind of water bottles. In fact, I’m probably going to get some of those mini water bottles and put them in the bag instead. Right now, the water bottles I used barely fit in the gallon ziplock bag. Plus, they keep falling over when the kids put the beads into them because they are so light. So, if you do make this busy bag, don’t make my same mistake and just use the mini water bottles from the beginning. 😉
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need special supplies for toddler trays?
Not at all. Most trays use things you already have at home or cheap finds from the dollar store, like pom poms, tongs, and ice cube trays.
What are toddler trays?
Toddler trays (sometimes called tot trays or tot school) are simple activity invitations set up on a tray or in a divided container. Your toddler works on one at a time, which keeps things focused and low-mess.
What if my toddler dumps the tray instead of doing the activity?
That is normal for younger toddlers, and dumping and filling is its own kind of learning. Show them the activity once, then let them explore however they like.