I am a dedicated baseball mom and need my kids to let me (mostly) enjoy their older siblings play baseball. So I came up with a plan. 😏 Ps- this works for any sport watching not just baseball. 😉
For the last two years, I just brought items randomly tossed in my bag. But then they would get bored because I wouldn’t take the time to clean out my bag and put new ones in.
This year I updated my “game plan.” KEEP KIDS DISTRACTED AND HAPPY WHILE I WATCH BASEBALL! 🙌🏼
Step one: Figure out your organization! I ordered file folder envelopes that I can swap out and have different activities every other day. QUICK GRAB! 💪🏼 🙌🏼
Even gallon ziplock bags work! I just prefer something durable and “fits” with how often I plan to use them.
I plan on also using these at dance competition days too, so I color coordinated them so I knew which ones had more girl items and which ones were better for older or boys and girls!
Step 2: I filled them with the variety of items! Here are some ideas:
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES: some extra special activities are always fun because they don’t have them at other times! Example a mini whiteboard traveling set, sticker books (or pads of stickers and paper), mini travel games and water reveal coloring books! The travel game I grabbed was Connect Four because kids of all ages enjoy playing it. My toddler likes to play it by herself, but sometimes lets me join. I also got magnetic games: Tic Tac Toe and Go Fishing!
MINI TOYS: any little toy that they might not normally play with is a great toy to take. Fidget toys or another great option for example spinners, pop its, puzzler thinking toys. I also brought Play-Doh, but I only bring the tiny Play-Doh packs because they don’t last long or may get dirty. Another one that I toss in are those ridiculous birthday party toys that always end up on my floor 🤦🏻♀️ or leftover party favors that I’ve given out!
If these little birthday toys gets dirty or lost, it’s no big deal! If a kid wants to walk away with it, it’s again, not a big deal.
Boys love cars and trucks, but really even my girls would play with these. I toss in any toy that is easy to clean like our bath toys or dolls. 😏
BUBBLES: kids always enjoy bubbles and there are several different kinds you can go with! If you have the little mini bubbles from birthday parties you can share with other kids and if you have a little one then they really don’t spill that much and when they’re out they’re out so hopefully they’re a little bit more careful. These spill proof bubbles called Fubbles are wonderful! The long bubble wands are very fun as well! Another option is a bubble gun, but I wouldn’t take it because I can see it being more frustrating then helpful.
COLORING: coloring books or pads with crayons or colored pencils- or pens (if pens are a no no at home. Something special.) I like to get mini white books from Target dollar section with back to school sale, but these blank books are similar on Amazon since others aren’t always available. Magic markers are another fun option!
THINKING ACTIVITIES: not always do kids want to think but when there’s not much else to do but sit and wait for your sibling to finish their game or dance competition they will do some of the thinking activities. Sudoku, word searches, crossword puzzles, madlibs are fun ideas! This game pad has a variety of games for kids to play. Kids can even make their own tic-tac-toe with little notebooks.
STICKERS! Blank books and stickers are always fun for little ones. Older kids enjoy stickers, but you can make theirs a bit more challenging by asking them to add a backdrop or write a story to go with the stickers.
FILLED PURSE OR BAG: If you have a 1-3 year old, I like to have a purse (a wipe easy clean purse) is a huge hit. I fill it with items (that won’t hurt them) and sit them in a wagon or the ground to have plenty of fun taking everything out and putting it back in. 😊 This way it’s not my purse.
CHALK: My kids love to draw with chalk and it washes off, so it’s a fun one to have for sidewalk. I just put 2-3 in a bag instead of taking the pack.
Dollar Tree or other dollar stores are a great place to get some of these items, but I linked the ones from Amazon I have.
I have more items shared in my Amazon Kid Must Have List. I hope this idea helps you enjoy the games as well.
SNACKS! This is huge for my family bc we always want to snack, but I don’t always want to buy food at concessions! 😉 So I put together 3 bags of a variety of treats (ones that won’t melt) besides granola bars. I have 1 bag in the car and 2 at home. As the season goes on I just swap out my bags rather than having to stress going to get more treats at the store.
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