Take OFF! Tip: Dollar Store Finds

I was preparing for a presentation to a local mothers’ group on the topic of Creative Ways to Keep Your Children Entertained and thought I’d try to see just how creative I could get. I stopped into a nearby dollar store to see how many great Take OFF! Tips I could find. In just a few minutes, I found five items that fit my criteria for activities that are creative, inexpensive, keep kids entertained, and fit into a purse, backpack, or diaper bag:

Tiny Tape Measure-there are myriad items to measure anywhere you find yourself waiting. How long is a napkin? Straw? Which utensil is longest?

Strawberry Huller-you know, the little metal tweezer-like gadget used to pull the green part off a strawberry? Great tool for helping with kids’ fine motor skills! Wad up a few pieces of paper and have them move the paper balls from one part of the table to another, then back.

Magnets-maybe now is the time for a little discovery about what is magnetic and what is not. Chair? Spoon? Doorknob?

Kitchen Timer-this one might get a waitress a little anxious, but your little one could time how long it takes you to sing the alphabet or you could see how many times he can say “I love you” in one minute.

Set of Alphabet Rubber Stamps-you don’t even need the ink. Put them in ABC order, pick out the letter their name begins with, spell simple words (this would work equally well with letter tiles from a school supply store or a Scrabble game, but the dollar store had rubber stamps.)

Send me a note and let me know what you come up with next time you are in a dollar store.

Have Fun. Be Creative. Take OFF!
And stop by often for more Take OFF! Tips from ThoughtRockets.

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