Easy Kids’ Activities Using At Home Materials! 3 muffin tin activities!

Looking for easy kids activities at home?!

Grab a muffin tin!! Not only are they in most everyone’s kitchen cabinet, but also muffin tins are so versatile for kids’ activities at home!!

Many of us are looking for EASY, doable ideas to encourage independent play and learning with our kids at home. Although we might feel overwhelmed, here’s the great news. You DON’T need to break the bank or buy loads of special supplies to create high interest play invitations. (Cue the applause.)

As I said, muffin tins are an absolute MVP in my house. This is because they’re versatile, cheap, and always high interest for my kids. Here are 3 ways we use this common household item!

#1) Play Dough Tinker Tray – Kids’ Activity

What to do:

For this easy kids’ activity at home, you want to fill a muffin tin with play dough and loose parts. Loose parts are odds and ends from around the house that your kids can press into the play dough, use to play make believe, and explore – there’s no right or wrong way to play!

For loose parts we love Dollar Tree gems, mini erasers, Safari Ltd. Toobs (like the flowers below), counting bears, pompoms, or anything for a theme (life the gold coins for St. Patrick’s Day). You can use whatever you have!

Why we love it:

• This supports fine motor development – Squishing play dough, pinching small beads, pressing and smashing all support important muscle development in the hands. This is really important in early childhood, because it builds the hand strength that will be used for writing in later years! 15 more FUN fine motor activities here!
• Invitation to play – Play dough tray set ups offer an open invitation for your child to play – supporting and encouraging independent exploration. While you may sit and explore together, this is also a great strategy to support your child in moving toward more independent play.
• Calming strategy – Great option for a highly preferred calming or cool down activity if your child is having big feelings or needs to regulate their energy level.
• Need more coping strategies – click here.

#2) Muffin Tin Sensory Play – Kids’ Activity

What to do:

Muffin tins are perfect for organizing materials for sensory play. Fill a bin with a sensory base (like beans, kinetic sand, or water) and then provide a muffin tin with materials to play with in the base. You can fill the muffin tin with natural items, stones and gems, themed materials, mini erasers, animals and characters, and anything else that sparks your child’s interest and creativity!

Why we love it:

• Independent play – if you’re child is working on building their ability to play independently, this type of high interest set up can spark their imagination and give them just enough focus to get started exploring!
• High interest reading – we also love pairing sensory play with books, because it makes the concepts more concrete (great for diverse learners!), builds connections in the brain, and boosts comprehension.
• Perfect fit – If you happen to have an IKEA FLISAT table, a 12 hole muffin tin fits the TROFAST bin (that’s the bin that goes in the FLISAT table) perfectly. (That’s what I’ve done in the zebra table below.)

#3) Easy Kids’ Activity at Home – Muffin Tin Lunch for Kids

What to do:

Get a muffin tin and fill it with whatever leftovers you’ve got. It’s an activity, it’s lunch, it’s muffin tin lunch! This is by far the easiest Dollar Tree parenting hack for $1!

Why we love it:

• Low pressure exposure to new foods! All things considered, this is a great way to support kids who may be hesitant to try new foods. You can offer some go-to options, while also offering a new option alongside the old favorites.

• Add fun to mealtime! file this away as another one of those strange mysteries of parenting, but for some reason eating out of a muffin tin is WAY more fun than eating off of a regular plate. Whatever. I’ll add some fun to the day and run with it!

• Use up leftovers! Another benefit of muffin tin lunch is using up leftovers!! This is my go-to when I needs to make a meal with whatever I have on hand. I can use up leftovers, or put together a few snacky options as a meal. Perfect for when it’s almost time to grocery shop.

All in all, muffin tins are awesome for easy play and activities at home! As always, thanks for reading! I hope you try a few of these muffin tin ideas!

Looking for more ideas?! Sign up for my freebie to get my EXACT Dollar Tree shopping list, along with three activities you can make with the supplies! CLICK HERE!

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