(Don’t) Spill the Beans!

Need an easy, fun, and inexpensive activity for your toddler to preschool age children?

Last time I was at the grocery store I picked up a bag of uncooked Navy beans (they were 99 cents at my local store). When we got home I poured them into a tupperware container and got out some small bowls I had laying about and a variety of measuring spoons and cups. My two boys, ages 3 and 4, love taking turns measuring out beans and filling and dumping the glass bowls. The cookie sheet underneath serves to minimize the mess.

This is a great activity for building fine motor skills, building sensory skills (they love feeling the beans with their hands), and you can incorporate volume and measurement skills with older children. Not bad for under a buck, right?