This is a simple activity for those moments when you need to buy a few minutes to get something done.
You don’t have time to prep anything complicated.
You don’t have time to sit down with your child and help.
You just want an instant activity that your child can do independently. Something engaging and a little bit different. Something colourful and fun.
I have a collection of novelty erasers for moments such as these. I keep them in a big jar. Every time I see a little pack of interesting rubbers at a shop, I throw them into the trolley. They usually cost around $2 a pack, so it’s easy to amass a unique collection without spending much at all.
For this activity, tip the erasers into a shallow dish so they’re easy to sort through.
Start by placing one eraser of each colour into separate holes in a muffin pan. One yellow, one purple, one green, one red, one pink, and so on.
Then give your child the muffin pan and ask them to sort the remaining rubbers into their colour groups.
It’s simple enough that they’ll instantly catch the idea, but the novelty of the interesting-shaped rubbers makes it fascinating. They will enjoy discovering the different shapes as much as sorting them into groups.
Finished!
Enjoy the rainbow of colours your child has created. Hopefully by this stage, you’ve finished what you wanted to get done as well!
Do you have a favourite low-or-no-prep activity to keep your kids occupied when they need a distraction? I’d love you to share!
