Cleaning the kitchen with a toddler can be challenging. Christopher is either trying to climb on the open dishwasher door or grab a pointy utensil anytime I’m loading or unloading the dishes, making it feel like a never ending chore. This evening, I decided to let him pull a few dishes out of the cabinet to keep busy. He’s been gravitating towards these bowls lately so I added the lids and some spatulas then let him play freely.
Supplies
- Nesting bowls with lids
- Silicone spatulas
This simple activity kept him busy for nearly an hour. During that time Christopher used the items as a drum set, pretended to cook, stacked the nesting bowls into each other and built a tower. It was a great way to fill the evening with unstructured interactive play that truly captivated his attention.
While I used nesting bowls and spatulas, this activity can easily be duplicated with items from your own kitchen. What’s better than a free activity that encourages independent play, fosters imagination and always your child to explore and create within their own environment.
