Acitivites with household items

**Ellisha** · 12-10-2016, 07:06 AM

What are your best/most popular activities using household items? I'm not feeling inspired by my toy collection and the kids are playing with the same things over and over - the cars and the garage! I am looking for some activities I can put together cheaply.

Recently we have done playdough with kitchen utensils and cup cake cases, bicarb of soda with vinegar, a colander with straws. I do have pinterest but would like to know the ones that your kids have enjoyed.

**Mouse** · 12-10-2016, 07:32 AM

One of the favourites here is a tub of dry pasta. It's used for all sorts of things - play cooking, sorting into boxes and bowls, as money in the till, for hiding small plastic animals in, threading onto laces. There are different shapes and colours of pasta so it's quite versatile. I don't normally provide food for playing with as I don't like the waste, but dry pasta lasts for ages as it can be re-used. The children also like playing with dry teabags, but I do make sure they're sturdy ones that aren't going to rip. Again, they can be used over and over so they're not wasted.

What about a mug tree or kitchen roll holder? Children love hanging things on them. We've got a good selection of wooden bangles and curtain rings that they can hang on the mug tree or slot over the kitchen roll holder.

Junk modelling - smaller boxes, yoghurt pots, masking tape etc.

Cut holes in the lids of Pringles tubes or cardboard boxes and give children lolly sticks to post through.

Shaker bottles - clear bottles with beads, glitter, sequins etc in them. I bought some cheap letter beads and the older children enjoyed looking through to find the letters for their name. The younger children just enjoyed making a noise with them. We also made some with water and hair gel in so the sequins and beads floated. The good thing is you can get the children to make them, so it's an activity and something to play with afterwards.

**loocyloo** · 12-10-2016, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Mouse

One of the favourites here is a tub of dry pasta. It's used for all sorts of things - play cooking, sorting into boxes and bowls, as money in the till, for hiding small plastic animals in, threading onto laces. There are different shapes and colours of pasta so it's quite versatile. I don't normally provide food for playing with as I don't like the waste, but dry pasta lasts for ages as it can be re-used. The children also like playing with dry teabags, but I do make sure they're sturdy ones that aren't going to rip. Again, they can be used over and over so they're not wasted.

What about a mug tree or kitchen roll holder? Children love hanging things on them. We've got a good selection of wooden bangles and curtain rings that they can hang on the mug tree or slot over the kitchen roll holder.

Junk modelling - smaller boxes, yoghurt pots, masking tape etc.

Cut holes in the lids of Pringles tubes or cardboard boxes and give children lolly sticks to post through.

Shaker bottles - clear bottles with beads, glitter, sequins etc in them. I bought some cheap letter beads and the older children enjoyed looking through to find the letters for their name. The younger children just enjoyed making a noise with them. We also made some with water and hair gel in so the sequins and beads floated. The good thing is you can get the children to make them, so it's an activity and something to play with afterwards.

All of the above!

I've currently got a tray with small bowls and spoons on and a bowl of lentils. The children like spooning them into the bowls and mixing/stirring. Or just making patterns in the lentils with their fingers.

Same as above but with flour. Sometimes adding little jugs of water for them to mix.

I also have collections of conkers and pine cones, and plastic bottle tops from milk etc. (These have numbers/letters on some of them)

Metal bottle tops are great to play with, with magnets. (Like magnetic fishing)

I've got a set of old storage tins that can stack/hide/and have a selection of items that do or don't fit inside each one. these live on a low shelf in my kitchen and I find all sorts there! (I happen to know one is currently full of lentils!)

**Maza** · 12-10-2016, 09:10 AM

As above - cooking/food prep/pouring and mixing/transferring with dried pasta or conkers etc.

How about adding some junk modelling stuff to the garage - so cardboard tubes for tunnels and ramps, boxes to make garages or buildings?

Printing with household items.

Den building with old sheets.

A bowl of warm soapy water to wash the bricks, doll's clothes etc. Doll's clothes are great because then you could make a little washing line for them to peg everything on. If they are not into doll's clothes they could wash the art aprons or able cloths.

**FloraDora** · 12-10-2016, 10:15 AM

Great ideas and reminders of what works.

The household items that are used the most here are ikea plates,bowls,cups and cutlery. £1 a set, 6 different colours.
Used for sorting, putting things in, making sounds by rattling the cutlery in the mugs or banging the bowls and plates with the spoon. Colour games, imaginative play, stacking, collecting and sharing and setting the table. Water play, lentil and rice pouring....best value ever. I just keep them for playing with, used by 6 months to 5 year olds.

Just checked - they are 90p now.

KALAS 18-piece cutlery set Assorted colours - IKEA

**Maza** · 12-10-2016, 10:58 AM

This thread reminded me to look in one of my Montesori books (How to Raise an Amazing Child) and they show activities such as shoe polishing (you might not want to use real polish with mindees, but maybe adapt it), sweeping using a mini broom or dustpan and brush, washing up real crockery in a bowl of soapy water, dusting, taking ownership of indoor and outdoor plants, flower arranging (real flowers better but obviously expensive - we do it in the Spring with bluebells and other such wild flowers that grow like crazy around here), putting coins in a piggy bank (I have a huge pile of loose change for this), cleaning coins, juicing lemons, folding napkins/laundry... There are more but these are the ones I have found children engage with the most over the years.

Our local Oxfam shop has a big basket full of random utensils and it's my favourite part of the shop! I have picked up all sorts of interesting ladles, scoops, spoons, whisks, mashers etc in there over the years. I also look for things in there for interesting containers for an 'open and close' basket.

**mama2three** · 12-10-2016, 10:59 AM

we dont play with toys as such...just 'stuff'!

bangles buttons beads blankets baskets boxes and bowls ( items dont have to start with a b )
cds , candlesticks , coathangers , curtain rings ( cs are good too!!!)

intersperse with lots of 'found' and 'natural' things - the sensory autumn tray has a small pumpkin , orange pepper ,sunflower heads , orange lentils , yellow split peas and some wooden eggcups and vases for pouring / filling.
use old picture frames , great for transitional art. egg trays for sorting , weighing scales
add in a couple of books , or pictures , to inspire...and youre away.

good searches on pinterest would be reggio , loose parts , transitional art ,

**Maza** · 12-10-2016, 11:23 AM

I would also speak to the parents and find out if they have cars and a toy garage at home too. If not, they might welcome your ideas for Christmas/birthday presents.

**Mouse** · 12-10-2016, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Maza

sweeping using a mini broom or dustpan and brush, .

One of the children's favourite activities at the moment is helping to sweep the leaves in the garden. They have got child sized brooms, but naturally want the big broom. I end up sweeping leaves with a kiddie broom while they scatter them again with the big one

**Dragonfly** · 14-10-2016, 08:04 AM

The children love to do things like sweeping in the garden with a broom and general helping in the garden. Its basic household things children like to do. Think as childminders we over think sometimes and become 'nurseries'.Hard to get across what I mean but I think we're still home from home settings…. Aren't we?

**Ellisha** · 18-10-2016, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

The children love to do things like sweeping in the garden with a broom and general helping in the garden. Its basic household things children like to do. Think as childminders we over think sometimes and become 'nurseries'.Hard to get across what I mean but I think we're still home from home settings…. Aren't we?

Thanks everyone.

I have a LO who loves sweeping inside so will get the outside broom out for him.

So many great ideas - many that I had forgotten about. I would love to move away from toys towards open ended resources, etc but my own kids are 5 and 3 so I'd be getting rid of toys that they play with too. Hoping once my DS starts school next year I can cut back a bit. I'm not sure how many vehicles he needs!

**Ellisha** · 04-11-2016, 09:21 AM

This morning my hoover seems to be the best thing ever! My DS and 18 mo mindee are having lots of fun hoovering, pulling out the plug, pulling all the bits apart!

**Mouse** · 04-11-2016, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by Ellisha

This morning my hoover seems to be the best thing ever! My DS and 18 mo mindee are having lots of fun hoovering, pulling out the plug, pulling all the bits apart!

I recently bought a carpet sweeper and the children love it! They go and help themselves to it and sweep the floor after lunch