In just a few weeks time, I am due to give birth to our second child! We’ve been using busy bags for our toddler for quite some time but I’ve been working on some new ones to pack in a bag ready to bring to the hospital when she comes to visit her baby brother.
Busy bags are a great way to entertain a very busy toddler, especially when you are waiting for a meal at a restaurant or sitting in the doctors office waiting for appointments. I generally rotate ours and pack 3 or 4 for an outing just in case!
I found some great pencil cases from The Reject Shop which I use for our bags – you could find something similar like these pencil cases* from Amazon. So now it’s time to share our favourite busy bags for our just-turned 2 year old!
Wooden Lacing Animals – I found these at Kmart last week and they were only $5 so I couldn’t put them back! These are great for developing those important fine motor skills.
Board Book and Finger Puppets – You can grab a set of these farm finger puppets from ebay and the board book is full of real photographs of farm vocabulary. It’s a big hit with my 2 year old who is crazy about animals at the moment.
Biscuit Cutter Puzzle – These nesting cookie cutters were from the junk store and they are perfect for keeping little hands busy! We can name the different colours or nest them inside each other from biggest to smallest.
Animal Dominoes – This is another Kmart find! They were $10 for the set with animals on one side and number spots on the other. This is a busy bag that will grow with my toddler for years to come!
Shape Nuts and Bolts – This is another great activity for developing fine motor skills, but we can also talk about colours and shapes.
Wooden Fishing Game – This set is from Catch a Falling Star and is another favourite with our toddler. Her favourite animal is a turtle so she loves trying to catch him!
Farm Animal Wallet Game – I found these cheap wallet at Kmart and made the farm animal business cards myself. I simply cut them out and laminated them for durability. This is a great game for developing fine motor skills and developing farm animal vocabulary. This fun printable is in my FREE eBook, grab your copy by following this link.
Animal Puzzles – These sweet puzzles are a great way to keep my toddler busy when we’re out and about. She loves finding all of the pieces!
Giggle and Hoot 2-Part Puzzles – These are a great introduction to puzzles, especially for two year olds! They are great for developing visual discrimination skills. Another favourite of ours is the Djeco 2-part puzzles*.
Drawing Pad and Stickers – This is probably our favourite busy bag! An art pad from the junk shop, some crayons and a selection of stickers. This one keeps our toddler busy, but also anybody else we happen to be dining with!
Wooden Bead Threading – Another wonderful Kmart find for $5 – great for those fine motor skills (can you tell that I love developing fine motor skills?!).
Playdough Monsters – These little monster pieces were from Masters and are very popular! Add some playdough and your toddler can create their very own monster. But be aware, big kids will also love this activity!
I hope you’ve found some great ideas to create your very own busy bags. I would love for you to leave me a comment and tell me about your favourite busy bags, and you can also click below for a copy of my busy bags eBook!
Please Note: Some links are affiliate links meaning I will earn a small commission from any purchases made through those links. This does not affect your buying experience but helps to fund the running costs of this website!
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