Crayon Push Activity

An easy activity you can make right now!

The time between afternoon naps and dinner will forever be known as SAHM purgatory in my mind. Time ticks backwards. Everyone is dragging. Dinner needs to be made but children who have entertained themselves all day suddenly can’t remember how to play without Mom.

With this scene playing out at my house, we needed a fast, easy, and simple to make toddler activity for my 27 month old. Enter the perfect DIY toddler toy that you’ve got to make.

I bet you have all the supplies on hand!

There’s nothing I hate more than seeing an amazing idea on Pinterest only to realize I don’t have all the supplies. Or I’d need some really specific supplies. Or I’m going to need a few hours to prep.

No thank you.

I don’t have that kind of time. I have toddlers.

My goal is always to find really easy activities that I can do using normal household items.

And this DIY toddler toy totally fits the bill.

Materials

(this list contains affiliate links)

• Crayons
• Oats container (or something similar)
• Scissors

I remembered last summer how much my daughter loved our Card Slot Drop activity that I made her using an oats container.

I wondered if I could recreate that magic but with a little twist…

This activity was magical!

SUPER CAREFULLY I cut three holes in the top of the lid just big enough for a crayon. I made sure to cut off any sharp edges – I checked my work and then double, triple checked it.

In fact, here’s a little tip: I pushed a crayon back and forth through the holes to make sure it was just big enough that the crayons could go through, but would need a firm push from my toddler. This also helped smooth everything.

Why did I pick crayons to push through?

Because everyone (at least I hope) has crayons on hand.

And my goal is to make sure that my activities use really basic items. Not a lot gets fancy around here.

Sure, you could use craft sticks, or straws, or pipe cleaners but only if you have them on hand. Otherwise, grab the crayons. They work great.

A DIY toddler toy was a bonafide hit!

I wish I could have invited you into my house to watch my daughter play this but that might be blurring the lines slightly. Well, if you could have peeked in on us, you would have seen my wild child firery daughter sit quietly for 30 MINUTES playing this on repeat.

She loved it.

She talked to the crayons.

She sang to them.

She slightly taunted her older brother with her cool new DIY toddler toy.

She’d put them all in, then open the lid, dump them back into the small bowl and start again. Conservatively, I’d say she restarted this activity 8 times. It was a Gwen Stefani activity for her (you know, bananas).

You’ve got to try Crayon Push

This activity was perfect for my daughter and perfect for her to play while I slogged my way through afternoon purgatory. You know, time doesn’t move quite as slow as it usually does when you have an awesome activity to play.

Think you’ll make this DIY toddler toy at your house?