Naps have become pretty few and far between at our house. It is to be expected since my youngest is turning five years old in just a couple of weeks. I’m just not ready to give up that precious time that naptime gives me to recharge and get things done. We’ve been transitioning to “quiet time” for a while now. The only problem has been my daughter uses that time to completely destroy her bedroom. I wish I had a picture of the chaos that is created! Who knew such a little person could be SO busy! We are trying something new now. I’ll tell you about our Dollar Tree Quiet Time Bin in case you need something to try with your child!
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The subject of Quiet Time actually came up on Facebook last week. My friend Lindsay from Simply September started the discussion about having a special bin or items that are just for Quiet Time. I had thought about doing this before but never followed through. I actually talked to Graylie about it and she was all about it of course. So last week we headed to Dollar Tree to pick out items for her own special bin.
We decided to purchase the following items for our Quiet Time Bin:
- Small Stuffed Animal
- Magnetic Drawing Board
- Notebook
- Crayons
- Stickers
- Puzzle
- Coloring Book
- Repositionable Sticker Kit
- Notecards
- Plastic Ponies/Unicorns
She really enjoyed being able to help pick the items out. We also purchased the bin there. Once we got everything back home, I removed packaging and organized it into the bin. I have never seen her so excited to go upstairs for rest time!
She has really enjoyed having this bin. Yes, her room still gets messy but it is more manageable. We are able to just gather everything together and put it back in the bin. Her favorite items have been the stuffed animal, magnetic drawing board and the notecards. She loves to draw and make cards for her friends and teachers. We will need to get more cards and stickers soon!
I’m not sure how often I will change this out. I may start rotating a few of our own small toys in and out. I also think it would be really fun to do a holiday themed bin. I plan to head back to Dollar Tree next week for some Easter supplies so I can do that.
Has your toddler or preschooler stopped napping? I would love to hear some tips from you! Also, please give me any ideas on inexpensive busy bins. I’d like to stretch this out a few more months. 😉
