When you are a homeschooler of multiple children, it’s a good idea to have activities on hand that will occupy the hands of the littles in your home. Here is a list of our go-to toys, games, and puzzles that tend to keep my younger children busy while I’m tackling school with my older kids are getting some household chores done.
1. Lauri Puzzles– We love these puzzles! Even my 8-year-old still enjoys playing with them. Lauri offers such a huge variety of puzzles; my kids really enjoy the stacking pegs and the number play puzzles. I love that the pieces are soft, colorful, and durable.
2. Melissa & Doug Toys – Our favorite Melissa & Doug toys are the wooden play food sets, but Melissa & Doug offer a ton of other toys as well. Some of our favorites are the Bake & Decorate Cupcake Set, the Slice & Bake Cookie Set, and the Bake & Serve Brownies. My 4 and 5 year old girls could bake away the afternoon with these toys.
3. Marvelous Mosaics – I would play with this for hours when I was a kid; I’m glad my kids enjoy it too. They really enjoy making the colorful mosaic designs or coming up with their own creations.
4. Super Sorting Pie – My little kids love to sort and I love this toy because it offers several different activities all in one! Sort by color, sort by fruit, practice counting, and promote fine motor development.
5. Magnetic Fishing Set – They may not fish the traditional way, but catching the fish by hand and then putting it on your line is just as fun and entertaining!
6. Peel & Stick by Number – These will definitely keep your kids busy for hours! Instead of coloring by number, it’s peel and stick by number. This product is made by Lauri and another brand we have enjoyed is the Orb Factory Sticky Mosaics. If your child doesn’t know their numbers yet, there are junior versions that use shapes.
7. I Spy Eagle Eye – If you and your kids like I Spy, you’ll like this game. Study your game card and try to find the item on your playing card that is on your game card before anyone else. When you find it, ding the bell. I hardly ever get to ding the bell; my boys are just way to quick with their keen eyes.
8. Design & Drill – This toy isn’t just for boys, my girls get creative with it as well. The kids can copy the patterns or make their own designs with the colorful screws. They can screw the screws in by hand, with a screwdriver, a wrench, or the battery operated drill.
9. Magnetic Mosaics – This is similar to the Peel & Stick by Number except that the pieces are magnetic instead of sticky, so you can make the pictures and designs over and over again! There is also a junior version.
10. Imaginets – Here is another fun magnetic activity. The kids can follow the designs on the cards or make their own.
11. Hullabaloo – This is a great game to get your kids up and moving, and it will definitely get them laughing!
12. Lego Games – I’m not sure who was more excited when Lego came out with their line of games – me or my boys. These games are a must for any Lego lover. Our favorites are Creationary, Minotaurus, Ninjago, and Life of George.
Please share some of your favorite
toys, games, and puzzles in the comments.
We’re big Lego game fans too.
I think you would love Discovery Toys if you checked them out. The toys and games teach similar skills but the toys have a lifetime guarantee! http://www.discoverytoys.com/erinyork
We LOVE Lego games here! I think we own most of them now, and my girls love them!
We love Melissa & Doug toys! I think my six-year-old would really enjoy the Imaginets. One of his favorite games lately is Rush Hour Jr.
What a fantastic list! We have some Laurie puzzles, too — did you know they will replace lost pieces? I keep my eyes peeled for deals on Ebay, consignment stores and even Goodwill.
I’d love to add the Magnetic Mosaic to our birthday wish list.
I work at a public library and we have Marvelous Mosaics! It is such a big hit!! Unfortunately, just today someone noticed the booklet with the different ideas to make is missing. Do you still have this booklet? Is there anyway you could copy some of the pages and send them to me? The kids are so disappointed.
I’m sure if you contacted the company directly, they might be able to help you. I don’t feel comfortable making copies of something that most likely is copyrighted.