Quiet Time Activities That Every Child Loves

Are you a parent who could just use some silence? We’ve got you covered! We know how fun it is for kids to be loud and crazy while getting their energy out. It’s totally normal and even really important for their development. But equally important for their development is quiet time. 

Quiet time helps kids slow down their brain and process their emotions and thoughts. It also helps kids become more creative and learn self-play. While it may seem like kids can literally run around every second of the day without wearing themselves out, this isn't the case. They need quiet time to recharge their growing bodies and minds. 

We know it can be easy to give kids your phone or a tablet as the main source of their quiet time, but that’s maybe not the best idea. Don’t worry though! There will be no parent-shaming here! We get that it’s the easiest way to keep your kid occupied and quiet. If it’s best for your mental health to just give them the tablet for the time being, then go for it. But if you have the energy one day, consider putting together a few of these activities! This way, you’ll have your “bag of tricks” ready to help your kid reap all the benefits that quiet time provides. 

Playing with Legos

You've probably heard that Legos are a fun way for kids to build things, but did you know that they're also a great tool for enhancing children's development?

A study from the University Of Washington found that Lego toys help improve spatial skills and creativity in both boys and girls. The study also found that Legos help children develop reasoning skills and the ability to think critically. Studies have even shown that after playing with Legos, children are better able to focus on tasks like schoolwork.

As if all of this isn't enough to convince you of the benefits of Legos, let us remind you of their other benefits as well! These toys encourage problem solving, perseverance, teamwork, and fine motor skills in children.

Lego sets are also great because they promote open-ended play. Allowing your child to choose their own path when playing with these toys, allows them to develop imagination and critical thinking skills. Children can use their imagination when they play with Legos, making up stories as they go along. This type of play has been shown to encourage creativity and originality, which is a benefit for life skills like problem solving and critical thinking.

There's no doubt about it: Legos are an excellent toy for all kids!

Note: Puzzles and blocks have the same benefits!

Playdough/Clay

Playdough is a great quiet time activity and easily affordable! Playdough too has a surprising number of purposes and benefits for children. Here are some reasons why it’s so great!

• Playdough helps children develop their fine motor skills. The act of squishing, twisting, and rolling playdough teaches kids how to grasp and hold objects without dropping them, which is incredibly helpful as they grow.
• Playdough helps children develop their creativity. Whether they are making shapes with playdough or simply creating random marks on a page, the act of using their hands to create something new is important in helping them begin to understand their own creative abilities.
• Playdough helps children develop their language skills. Pretending that they are different characters while they play with playdough encourages kids to use a variety of voices and personalities—something that will help them when they begin speaking in full sentences!

Eye-Spy Rice Bags

An eye-spy rice bag is easy to make, and helps your kids with their short term memory skills! It’s great for young toddlers. To make this bag, just fill a gallon size bag 3/4 of the way full with uncooked rice. After this, put different sized toys, balls, letters, legos, keys, pipe cleaners, etc. in the bag and shake it up. Now, make a little book with a picture of each item on different pages. Now, your child can flip through the book, and try to locate each little item, matching it to the corresponding picture! 

Kids love this because they get to do something with their hands, while also learning to pay attention to physical qualities such as shape, color, hardness/squishy-ness and more!

Bean Sorting Bag and Egg-Carton

Like Legos and Playdough, this will also help young toddlers with their fine-motor skills. In a single bag (you can use a small bag for this activity) put 4-5 different types of dried beans. In an egg carton, or on a piece of paper, label where each type of bean should go. Now, let your kids go to town playing with beans while learning how to group things together!

Spider Web Basket

Finally, this is a fun one for kids who like getting into all your things! In a laundry basket, weave pieces of string tightly across the length of the basket! Do this many times, in many directions until you have a basket that when looking into it, looks like a complicated spider web. Throw some small toys into the basket until they’re mostly at the bottom. Now, watch your young one learn how to solve problems and control their anger!

This is a great activity to teach kids patience and perseverance. If you secured the string tightly, your child should have a somewhat difficult time maneuvering their toys through the tangled web. It’s important that kids learn to keep trying when something is hard. It’s not okay to give up so quickly, and it’s important to ask for help. Your kids at first, will likely need to ask for help, but will quickly learn the best strategies to retrieve their toys. 

Subscription Box Kids

Here at Subscription Box Kids, we make it easy for you to provide your kids with fun and stimulating activities! We have two different types of boxes to choose from based on how old your child is and where they’re at in the development.