Our top toys for a pandemic
My kids have a lot of toys, but when the stay at home order went into effect, it was interesting to see what they pulled out. We spent a lot of days indoors, but for the month of April, the weather was amazing and we were outside as much as possible. Here’s a look at what we’re (I mean they are) playing with while many things in public are off limits:
A web swing. I saw one on someone’s stories on Instagram, and my in-laws ordered one for my kids for Easter. We’ve had it for several months now and it’s so much fun. I can send the kids outside and they are able to entertain themselves for a while! (Bonus, I can swing on it too!)
This ball pit. We have it in yellow. My aunt bought it for my daughter’s second birthday (so two years!) and we’ve gotten a lot of play out of it. Normally I allow the pit portion (the piece with the basketball hoop.) There was one week, however, I allowed the tunnel and tent to be out, and I pulled all 300 balls out. Normally I only allow 200 out at a time. This thing allowed for HOURS of play time, and very little arguing. Nobody asked for a device, and the TV wasn’t on for most of the day.
Chalk. We got lucky. We had two boxes of chalk on hand and no need to order any. One had been opened (and it is used indoors on a chalkboard), while the other box was brand new and we were able to use on the driveway. Never underestimate the power of a box of chalk.
Paint with Water books. We randomly have two paint with water books – and I don’t know where they came from! There are some fun-looking books on Amazon, and I’ll be ordering a few more soon. They are such little mess, and take a while to paint. It’s actually a pretty perfect activity for little ones.
Bikes! My daughter got hers for her birthday. My son is about to outgrow his. My husband has a bike, but it needs to be serviced, so I’m really the only one in the family without one! I may have to change that soon.
I’m thinking of getting scooters for the kids this summer. The kids have some at their grandparents’ house, but not at our house and I think it would be fun. The learning curve is also much lower, so they wouldn’t need me hovering to help pedal up a hill.
A kiddie pool. Ours is years old, but has held up great! Fill it up with a few inches of water, and the kids have a BLAST. Add a sprinkler to the mix, and you’re golden. Hours of entertainment right here, friends. Since splash pads in our area are closed, I think this one could be a lot of fun in our back yard.
What have you found your kids playing with the past 5 months?
