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🎲ROLL & TALLY🎲 It’s a Busy Big Kid activity 🙌🏻⭐️🙌🏻 You know, just a little probability and statistics for this Friday 😂 KIDDING (but not - I mean, technically that's what this is but we didn't exactly go there) 😂 I'm rambling and getting ahead of myself already - okay! Let's try again 🤦🏻♀️ Super super easy and fun activity for the Big Kid crowd 👍🏻 I drew Sam (he’s 4.5 here and doing this again today at 5.5) out a quick record keeping sheet (aka 6 columns, one for each side of the dice) 🎲 I showed him how to make a tally and we talked about that being a way to keep track of different things 🌟 In this activity 👆🏻 we made a tally mark for every roll 📝 I didn't teach him the whole \"cross the tally to make groups of 5\" because that's way beyond him right now 📊 Anyways, this activity became like an obsession with him and he went back to it for FOUR STRAIGHT DAYS until he had rolled the dice more than 200 times and filled the entire sheet with tallies 🤣 It was a little bananas house much he loved this 🍌 but I'll take it 🙌🏻 Kate (3) was super interested too and she'd come over every now and then to roll the dice with him 👍🏻 I used to do a similar project with my students all the way to age 7 so I know this style of activity has lots of years in it 😊 Seriously, such a good quiet time activity for him, and it's amazing for number recognition & counting, record keeping, motor skills, concentration, etc.💥 WIN WIN 🙌🏻🎲🙌🏻 I’ll be so bold as to say this is one of Sam’s favorites - it appeals to his meticulous nature which I love so much about him 😍
A post shared by Susie Allison | Busy Toddler (@busytoddler) on Nov 16, 2018 at 1:42pm PST
\"I want to show parents that you can use these activities as a tool,\" she said. Allison encourages parents to use her Instagram as a resource for when they don’t know what to do with their own kids.
Over the past four years, Allison has amassed over half a million followers on her Instagram with easy projects like having kids paint on pumpkins to keep them occupied for hours and activities as simple as sorting a deck of cards to help them develop organizational skills.
\"They don’t need fancy, they just need engaging, fun, play and we can do that so cheaply using the things we have in our house,\" said Allison. \"We don’t need to go rushing out and buy a bunch of things. We have the tools.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/Kids-Sensory-ht-er-191120_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
Dannie Melissa Wit/Abeille Photography
PHOTO: Susie Allison, the creator of Busy Toddler, a site providing tips on how to keep your kids entertained, spends time with her kids.
Here are some of Susie Allison’s tips using household items to keep toddlers busy:
1. Use household items to help toddlers learn simple skills
According to Allison, there are so many things lying around at home that make excellent toys. Some kitchen items like cups and pitchers make great toys to play with because it helps kids learn how to do something like pour.
2. Keep them busy with cleaning
It might seem crazy, but letting kids clean things is a perfect activity for toddlers. Filling up a storage container with water and having them clean their toys will keep them occupied for a huge chunk of time. Simply set their \"play area\" up with a few other items and they’re good to go.
3. Hypnotize them
No, we’re not talking about hypnotizing them with a swinging watch, but put your kids into a trance by setting up a sensory bin. Simply fill a bin full of rice and throw some measuring cups in there, and it will stimulate your kids’ senses while keeping them entertained.
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