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.

When you need to occupy a toddler quickly, it’s useful to have something on hand that’s both visually stimulating and makes noise, a double-dose of sensory play. This one ticks both boxes!

The toy is simple as can be: an empty plastic bottle filled with colored pasta and rice. To color the rice and pasta, fill a cup with 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol. Add the food coloring of your choice, then add the rice or pasta. Let soak, then transfer to wax paper to dry.

This method worked great on the rice, but not so much on the pasta, probably because I used a dark, whole-wheat variety. So I do recommend standard white pasta (and rice) for this project.

Once dry, add the pasta and rice to a clear, empty water bottle. Use hot glue to secure the cap.

Then just store the bottle in a cabinet and hand it over as soon as your toddler needs an activity! Veronika had seen the pink rice as I was pouring it into the bottle (a funnel makes this step much easier), and so she was eager to get her hands on the bottle and investigate. As I hoped, she loved the sound this made. It was like a giant maraca.

And then there was the visual stimulation, as she watched all the colored bits shake around inside.

Needless to say, this easy toy is a winner.