Toddler Busy Bag Swap

Busybagswap

A while back I got together with 4 other moms one evening for a busy bag swap. We all had toddlers close in age and a few of us were expecting baby #2. It was a lot of fun, and we all went home with so many creative busy bags. They have been very helpful and have provided my toddler with entertaining learning opportunities, so I’ve just got to share the concept with you. Here is how it works…

First, what is a busy bag? A busy bag is an activity that can fit in a bag {like a ziplock} so you can easily store it or take it places. I keep all of our busy bags in one closet, away from the rest of our toys. They are not an every day activity. I save them for things like appointments, traveling, waiting rooms, or any other time that I need to keep my toddler occupied with something “new”. These especially came in handy when baby #2 was first born and I was learning how to juggle two kids. I would give big sis a busy bag to play with while I rocked little sis to sleep.

Pinterest has an abundance of busy bag ideas. Just search for toddler busy bags or preschool busy bags and you will be flooded with ideas. You could make several on your own and be good to go, but it is much more fun to do it as a group.

The 5 of us moms each chose 3 different types of busy bags to make. We were in charge of buying the supplies for those 3 types, and we would have to make 5 of each type {1 per mom}, so a total of 15 bags. I chose to do 5 Velcro Sticks, 5 Colored Object Sorting, and 5 Stick Puzzles. You could also keep it simple and have each person do 1 type of bag. Or just get a bigger group of moms together. Anything goes.

Velcrosticks

Objectsorting

Stickpuzzle

We chose a night to meet and brought all of the supplies. Originally we were going to do all of the assembly at that time. But then we realized that making 15 bags in one sitting was going to take much longer than a couple hours. So each of us did a good amount of prep work for our 3 types of busy bags ahead of time. I printed off 5 puzzle pictures and cut them into strips, divided all of the craft sticks, etc. This made it go much faster once we all got together.

It took several hours to finish, but we all had a blast chatting, snacking, and crafting. And the best part is we all left with 15 different busy bags. My toddler definitely likes some more than others, but at least we have a variety to choose from. So get together with your mom friends and start planning a busy bag swap – you’ll be glad you did!

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