Dear Midge,

The first thing that comes to mind for keeping little ones busy during a church service is to create a “busy bag.” Busy bags can be packed in a canvas bag or even a backpack.  With just a little bit of planning, you can keep your little one busy just about anywhere! Other places you might use a busy bag could include: restaurants, car trips, airports or even the doctor’s office.

Take a look around your home to see what you already have when beginning to put together your bag. You might include coloring books, crayons, stickers, folded pieces of construction paper (all children like making homemade cards, right?), a felt book or two, silly putty (it’s not as messy as play dough), lacing cards or even small puzzles. If you plan on packing a snack for your little one, be sure to store it in a container that will minimize noise when opening.

Sometimes giving your child one item at a time from the bag might help keep them busy for a longer period of time. Giving a full bag to a small child may result in the contents being emptied out onto the floor. Get creative when filling your bag! What about note cards? The sky is the limit. Alphabet letters could be arranged in order, you could make a mini book with pasted on pictures, corresponding large and small shapes or a matching color activity.

I hope this gives you some ideas for packing your very own busy bag. Happy creating!

Love ya, Molly