A recent tub of tissue paper was a fun sensory hit for Veronika, so today we tried it with shredded paper instead! We don’t own a shredder, but I actually wasn’t aiming for the small crinkles of paper that those machines produce. Instead, I use a roll of craft paper and just ripped up tons of it. Because the paper is so thin, I could quadruple layers of it and cut through with scissors, meaning it actually didn’t take long to get a big pile.

I pondered which container to use (something large enough for Veronika to sit in!) and decided the laundry bin would be most fun. Once it was filled, in went Veronika!

For the youngest toddlers, simply the sensory experience of all those paper shreds will be enough. Kids can crinkle it, stomp on it…

…or toss it in the air to make it rain down.

For older toddlers, consider encouraging a little imaginative play. To wit, Veronika happened to have little astronaut toys in her hands, so we decided this was a far away planet and the astronauts were brave explorers.

She loved sifting through it with curious fingers.

We also discovered we could thread bits of shredded paper through the holes of the laundry basket. So it turned out to be a great activity for fine motor skills, too.

Don’t be surprised if it looks so fun that older siblings steal the bin for a few of their own games! Yes, big brother Travis’s Legos have taken over, in the image below.