Quiet Time Bins

Behold, my secret weapon for successful quiet or resting times in my house ... Quiet Time Bins! Quiet Time Bins are packed with items/activities that a young child can use to entertain him/herself during times of quiet or rest. These bad boys have been my secret weapon as my children have transitioned out of naps. This helps still give me a break, but keep my children occupied if they aren't in the napping mood on a given day.

Read on to find out how to create Quiet Time Bins for your child, a list of ideas to fill your bins, and some helpful tips on using your bins.

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Creating Quiet Times Bins

1 - Purchase 5 plastic bins for each child - 1 for each day of the week (in my case I had 5 for my 4-year old and 5 for my 2-year old). You can also use shoe boxes that you have around the house.

2 - Label bins with child's name name and a day of the week (I printed out labels and then attached them on the inside of the bin using packing tape).

3 - Fill each bin with items age-appropriate for your child. My goal for each day was to include at least one book (board books for my 2-year old), one item to promote problems solving or creative play, and one manipulative items to foster fine motor skills.

4 - On the appropriate day I give my child that day's bin to use during her resting time. When rest time is over the bin is put away. Having a different box each day prevents boredom with the toys inside.

Here are samples of what my girls' bins look like:

(2-year old bin - magnetic "paper" doll, small board book, Etch-A-Sketch)

(4-year old - puzzles, small book, blocks, Play-Doh, Etch-A-Sketch)

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Great Quiet Times Bin Content Ideas {with some helpful links, too}

• Geo-Boards
• Magnetic Dolls or Activities (Mudpuppy Robots or Melissa & Doug Dolls are great choices)
• Lace-n-Trace cards
• Small plush animals (Aurora Pets or Barnyard Animals are fun for little ones)
• Lincoln Logs
• Tinkertoys
• cars (Matchbox cars or even these clever emergency or construction vehicles)
• toys that teach skills (this Tie-Up Shoe is an example)
• AquaDoodle {travel size}
• Water Wow! books
• wooden building blocks (make sure they are eco-friendly - safe paint, safe wood - Sprig, CITIBLOCS, and Tegu all make great blocks)
• Play Doh (Use your judgement on this. Some children can't be trusted along with PlayDoh - I would know because I used to eat it as a kid)
• calculator (my kids love pressing the buttons or even pretending it's a cell phone)
• Stacking pegs (Lauri makes some great ones - we have the Tall Stacker Pegs & Pegboard Set. Lauri's Smart Shapes Stacking Pegs is great one for toddlers.)
• yogurt cup with clothespins (you would be amazed at what kids think to do with this)
• Tangrams (Tanoges Jr is fabulous! The magnetic board is too large for the bin so you can either toss the shapes and pages in the bin to use as-is, or on give your child the magnetic board on the day he/she would get the Tangoes in their bin.)
• books (board books for the very young or for children who tend to chew on things) - here are some of my top picks for children's books
• mini Etch-A-Sketch
• crayons & coloring book (if your child is trustworthy enough to color unattended)
• small puzzles (Infantino has a great line of puzzles for young children. We have several of their puzzles and they have all been huge hits with our kids.)
• small stuffed animals
• small photo album with photos of family members (my 2-year old LOVES this)
• counting items (bears, cubes, etc)
• Bendaroos 

Many of these items are also great for Travel Busy Bags {read post}.

Helpful Tips & Pointers

• Make sure the toys/books in these bins are not ones they will play with every day. Try to make the items in your bins a special treat. This allows the bins to hold their interest for longer periods of time.
• Follow age guidelines for toys to prevent young children from choking.
• Refrain from adding items that are going to make noise. I try to steer clear of anything electronic. The goal of these bins is to help your child play quietly and rest their body and mind.
• Look at the items you already have in your house to get your bins started. You don't have to go buy new things. Over time, as you spot a great deal, you can purchase extra items for your bins to replace or include in an existing day's bin.
• Give your child items for their quiet times bins in their Christmas stocking or as Birthday presents.
• Don't force your child to use a bin if they aren't wanting to. My kids understand that their rest time each day is for laying in their bed and resting or for playing with the items in their bins. My 2-year old actually starts out playing with hers and, on some days, puts herself in bed for a short nap!
• Don't overload your bin. You want to provide enough items to have options, but so many that it becomes overwhelming. I typically have around 4 different types of toys/activities in my bins (see photos above).
• Try to use a bin that is easy for your child to open and close him/herself. The bins I purchased are excellent. I did see some cheaper bins in the store, but the lids were difficult for a young child to open on his/her own.
• If your children are older and do not nap, try this alternative: instead of labelling the bins by day just fill them and store them in a place your child can reach them. When your child gets bored or needs some entertainment he/she can go and select a bin of his/her choice. My oldest child loves taking one of these up to her room to play by herself.

Do you have use Quiet Times Bins in your home? If so, what do you put in your bins?