Minimal Mess, BIG fun!

With my first kid, I would try to pick up after her after every mess she made… ROOKIE MISTAKE- because all you do in pick up messes all. day. long. Fast forward to kid number two where I am choosing to work smarter, not harder: minimal stuff, LOTS of play, and happy momma. win win win

There’s a laundry list of ways you can use items that EVERYONE has around their house for big fun, but here are some of our favorite minimal mess indoor activities:

Blankets:

-making tents- a classic activity that never goes out of style
-parachute- think elementary P.E. class.. except use a blanket. shake the blanket up and down. For some extra fun, toss some stuffed animals on there to make them fly! Tip: use smaller blankets! Don’t want to hold the blanket? Tie or attach one end to something and have your child shake the other end.
-magic carpet rides- have your child sit on the blanket and drag them around the room. Extra credit: pretend you are flying to a different country or state. Have your child tell you where they want to go next.
-animal hide & seek or peek-a-boo. Act as a different animals every time you hide. when they find you (or uncover the blanket), make that animal sound. Have them guess the animal.
-indoor picnics- can do with both pretend food and real food

Laundry basket:

-basketball hoop: you don’t even need balls for this one. Grab whatever toys are around and toss them in the basket, dump them out (the fun part), and do it again!
-boat- sing or play “row your boat.” You can grab a wooden spoon to use as an oar
-car rides- have your child sit in the basket and hand them a paper plate for a steering wheel. Push your kids around the house
-sled drag- tie a string to the laundry basket and have your child pull it around the house