Seven Busy Bags to Make in an Afternoon Using Craft Sticks

This shop has been compensated by CollectiveBias, Inc. on behalf of its advertiser, Similac. #NutritionintheMix #Collectivebias #Walmart

Back to School season is always an exciting time, even for us homeschoolers. Everyone's ready to dig into the new year including the baby who turned into a toddler over the summer. But when we’re busy with the older kids’ lessons it's easy for the younger ones to feel shuffled aside. That’s why it's important to have activities, like Busy Bags, on hand that helps them participate in the learning atmosphere.

Busy bags are great for building a toddler’s problem-solving skills and give Moms the minute or two they need to explain Algebra to an older student. But as any caregiver knows, a toddler’s tastes can change from one minute to the next. While it’s easy to offer options when it comes to play, it’s not so when it comes to eating. It can be a real challenge keeping up with a fickle palette, which is why I have a secret weapon, Go & Grow by Similac® Mix-Ins™. And right now you can earn $3.00 with the purchase of any size of Go & Grow by Similac® Mix-Ins™ through Ibotta!

Go & Grow by Similac® Mix-Ins™ aren’t a replacement for healthy eating, nor or they a way to excuse unhealthy foods. They are instead, a way to put “Nutrition in the mix,” making it easy for me to add extra nutrients, like fiber, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, to the foods I know my son likes. This week that means yogurt, next week it might be mac and cheese.

In addition to Go & Grow by Similac® Mix-Ins™, Go & Grow by Similac® Milk Based Powder helps support brain, eye and physical development as my little guy transitions from a baby to a toddler. Both of these products are available at your local Walmart or Walmart.com so

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With Go & Grow by Similac® Mix-Ins™ helping my toddler maintain balanced nutrition it leaves more time for me to create fun, back to school activities like busy bags!

7 Craft Stick Busy Bags

Supply List

• Craft Sticks
• Washi Tape
• Pom-Poms
• Hook & Loop Tabs
• Markers
• Glue
• Felt or Craft Foam (not shown)
• Binder Pouches (optional)

Building Stick

Challenge: Build something!  This is the easiest bag to build and one of the most fun to play with. All you need to do is stick the hook & loop tabs on the ends of your craft sticks, and on both sides. Now go build something!

Counting Line Up

Challenge: Count out pom poms!  Here's another easy bag to put together. Separate and count out the pom poms by color, and then write numbers 1-10 on the end of a craft sticks using a coordinating color. The matching colors helps them count out the right number of pom poms on the right stick!

Craft Stick Puzzles

Challenge: Put together a puzzle.  Cut pictures out of old children's books, magazines, or use coloring pages to make these easy craft stick puzzles. Simply lay out your craft sticks and then glue the picture onto them. After it's dried use a craft knife to separate the sticks and create your puzzle pieces.

Color Pattern Matching

Challenge: Complete the pattern.  Use markers to create color patterns on the craft sticks - purposefully leaving parts of the pattern unfinished! While we used a stencil for this project you can easily freehand circles or squares. Provide pom poms in the necessary colors to complete the patterns in the bag.

Shape Making Activity

Challenge: Make shapes!  First, count out the number of sticks you'll need to make a variety of shapes, and then put different washi tapes on each shape. To make it a little easier, you can also write the name of the shape on the back side of the sticks.

Recreating Patterns

Challenge: Create the patterns on the cards.  You can use pre-colored craft sticks OR you can use the markers to color four sticks, red, green, yellow, and blue. From there print this sheet of patterns, or you can make your own!

Color Matching

Challenge: Match the colors.  Write the names of the colors you want to learn on the craft sticks and then create color pockets by folding over and gluing two sides of either felt or craft foam. Make sure the color pockets match the colors on the craft sticks.

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Back to School can be an exciting new adventure for toddlers too. Help your little one be at the top of his game with Go & Grow by Similac® Mix-Ins™.

How do you keep your toddlers engaged during the back-to-school season? Let me know in the comments!