The best kinds of activities are the ones that don’t take a lot of money, planning or supplies because they are the ones that are actually feasible for most moms to do. I spend time on Pinterest finding awesome crafts and activities to do with my kids but I know from experience that the ones that I’m going to have to go out and buy a lot of supplies for or spend an hour doing prep work for aren’t likely to actually happen.
This simple sewing busy bag only needs a few items to assemble.
Materials needed:
- yarn
- plastic sewing needles
- styrofoam plates
- large resealable bag
To create this busy bag, put a few foam plates in a resealable bag with two or three plastic sewing needles.  Cut some lengths of yarn, some shorter, some longer and add them into the bag as well. Seal the bag and the activity is ready for your child.
Not only is this a nice quiet activity that can be used to keep your child busy in a waiting room, in the car or while older kids are homeschooling, this also teaches early sewing skills.
Depending on the age of your child, you may have to help them get started with this activity by demonstrating how to thread the needle and by putting a knot in the end of it (older children can easily do this by themselves). You can then show them how to sew by poking the threaded needle through the back of the plate and coming down through the front of the plate.
Younger children can “sew” random lines on the plate, creating a bit of a spiderweb look while older children can practise smaller stitches and sewing in a straight line.
Our daughter Dancing Queen began by sewing large overlapping lines on the first plate but as her confidence grew, she tried smaller stitches next to each other to form lines on later plates. She was really proud of her efforts!
If you are looking for more busy bag ideas, you may be interested in following my Activity Bags board on Pinterest.
Follow Sharla Kostelyk’s board Activity Bags on Pinterest.
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