Here’s a final post in a series of ways to keep your toddler entertained should you find yourself dealing with older kids and remote schooling this fall.

I used an old storage bin and turned it on its side to create a series of themed bins. Each of these was an open invitation to Veronika to play with familiar items, with the hope that seeing them set up deliberately would encourage her to play in new ways. Over one week of big brother’s school, here were 6 ways to set up the bin.

Bin 1: Tools and Trucks

For the first variation, I set up the bin with Veronika’s plastic toolbox, her set of take-apart trucks, and a few other items that could be conceived of as tools, like a wide bristle paintbrush.

She approached it with excitement; this girl loves trucks, and she was very busy driving them around. The toolbox inspired her not just to drive, but also to take her trucks to the “mechanic shop”.

She used her saw to “cut” and her wrench to fix them up. The paintbrush was used to “sweep” the trucks clean.

The actual mechanics of the battery-powered drill are beyond her skills right now, but she loves helping out by adding the wheels before I drill in the plastic screws.

In sum, we’ll dinfinitely revisit this set-up.

Bin 2: Dolls and Dresses

Veronika loves her dolls, but they’ve been neglected lately. To make what’s old seem new again, I once more tipped the bin on its side and carefully arranged the dolls on their mattress with clothes to one side and food to the other. I also added in a few other types of “doll”, including Duplo figures and dress-up magnet dolls.

The set-up definitely intrigued her. For the first time in a while, she spent time feeding her “little babies”.

She also enjoyed dressing them or just parading them around. This was a good example of “what’s old is new again”.

Bin 3: Cars and Chutes

This was the most extended version of the bin, taping the lid off the back end so it was angled like a ramp, and then leaving a smaller basket at the bottom to be the “garage”.

Add toy cars and let the fun begin! I also included a cut-up gift wrap tube so the pieces of it could be tunnels for smaller cars to drive through.

Veronika wasted no time zooming cars up and down the ramp, which was definitely the biggest draw here. She was less interested in the tube tunnels.

Bin 4: Stuffed with Stuffies

We have a game we sometimes play when I need the kids safely contained called “All the Stuffies in the Crib”, which is exactly what it sounds like: We toss every stuffed animal into the crib and the kids sit and play in the huge pile.

This bin was a more curated version of that. I added a toy tree house and  woodland creatures that fit the theme to go through its doors and windows. Her dog and cat went in, along with a few vet tools. Teddy bear sat next to the tea pot in case anyone wanted a teddy bear tea party. And a couple of dinosaurs stood guard over plastic eggs.

She was most interested, though, in an old snake toy I draped over the top that makes a crinkly sound. She loved slithering it along the top of the bin and turning to me to say, “hiss!”.

The other big draw was giving dog and cat some vet care.

Overall, this one was a big winner.

Bin 5: Awesome Art

For this one, aim for arts and crafts items that your toddler can safely use solo without making a mess. In other words, leave the paints and watercolors for another day!

I included a Daniel Tiger coloring book and jumbo crayons, which are just right for little hands.

Then I added extra paper for her to scribble on (or crumple, or rip up), as well as safety scissors for practice and pieces of tape.

She loved when I stuck several lengths of the tape to the top of the bin so she could grab them down and use them like stickers on her artwork – or herself!

Bin 6: Gadgets Galore

Let’s call this final bin the miscellaneous leftovers. Think anything with buttons your little one can push (old remotes, old cellphones, old cameras) as well as anything that spurs the imagination.

Okay, Veronika is too young to really play detective, but armed with a magnifying glass, flashlight, and balance scale, perhaps she could start to dig up clues.

Certainly she caught on to my excitement when I pretended this was the game!

Simply having all these old gadgets out is sure to fascinate your toddler. And yes, this is when parents realize that the items from our childhood are now antiques.

If your toddler loves playing with toy food and kitchen sets, here’s a fun way to extend the play!

I went through old magazines and clipped out images of food, then glued them onto small paper plates. You can either attach one food item per plate, or make little “meals”.

Now I set Veronika up with her own “restaurant”. I mimicked how to be a server, bringing over a plate. “Here is your soup and sandwich,” I could say. Or, I flipped the game on its head and said, “I’d like the pasta please,” to see if she could bring me the right plate.

Of course she wanted to combine these plates with her food toys, which meant the game could extend into solo play.

The plates are also great vocab builders, because there might be foods that your toddler has never seen before.

Incidentally, if your child is having a difficult time vocalizing their wants, these images would be a great way to ease frustration at meal time. Cut out images of foods you actually cook or keep in the pantry, and ask your child to point to the one they want!

I raided our toy bins today and filled a basket with items that can keep Veronika as busy as a bee by herself. Although the basket for your “busy bee” might look a little different than mine, here are some categories of toys she could manipulate solo.

To start, we went through all the items together for special mommy-and-me time. That way, I knew she’d be able to handle the toys solo later!

Busy Building: The first category includes any toys a toddler can build or manipulate, to hone fine motor skills. I gave Veronika a set of take-apart eggs with matching shapes. She loved looking inside. “I got a blue egg!” she might say before cracking open the next.

These were great because she could take them apart, fit them together, stack them back into the egg crate, and numerous variations thereof.

Busy Basket: Next up, look for anything with baskets or barrels that a toddler can fill, dump, refill, and repeat. I included a veggie farm set for Veronika. She loved “planting” the veggies in the pretend farm and pouring them from one bushel into another.

I love that this one tosses in a little learning for colors and counting.

Busy Board: For a board to keep her busy, I gave Veronika a magnetic tracing set. Although she’s too young to know her letters, this activity is excellent for future pen control. Plus she loves the click of the magnets as they pop to the top! Another option in this category would be a classic toddler latch board.

Busy Band: Finally, I included a magnet animal band set, featuring lots of magnets for her to mix and match. As always, supervise magnet play to make sure none are ingested. Veronika is interested in articles of clothing right now, so she was particularly interested in the outfits she could give each silly animal.

Needless to say, she was a busy little bee! What’s Busy B’s would you include? Please share in the comments!