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Keeping My Kids Busy While I Work From Home
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items As a work-from-home mom of three, I'm always looking for ways to keep my kids entertained while I work—without relying on screens all day. This board includes the toys, crafts, games, and activities we use (and want to try) to encourage independent p...
Sections
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⭐ Our Favorites
🛒 Wish List
🎨 Arts & Crafts
📚 Educational Activities
🧩 Independent Play
👨👩👦 Activities to Do Together
⭐ Our Favorites
The toys, games, crafts, and activities my boys reach for again and again while I work from home.
The one my boys reach for every single day. Hours of quiet building time, and it doubles as a rainy day lifesaver.
MAGNA-TILES Classic 32-Piece Magnetic Set
Screen-free stories on repeat in our house. My boys pick their own Tonie and press play, no fighting over the iPad required.
Toniebox Audio Player Bundle: Wireless Learning System - Target
🛒 Wish List
Activities, toys, and learning resources we're excited to try to encourage more independent, screen-free fun.
On our wish list! Uses hands-on pieces with the iPad camera instead of a screen alone, so it still feels like real play.
Osmo Genius Starter Kit – Educational Toys for Creativity and Learning | Target.com
Another one on the wish list. Great for little hands still working on fine motor skills, and way less screen begging when there's something new to figure out.
Lacing Cards for Toddlers: Fine Motor Toys and Activities | Target
A busy board is on our wish list for the car and quiet moments at home. Zippers, latches, and buttons in one spot means less “can I use your phone.”
Melissa & Doug Wooden Activity Boards for Toddlers | Target
🎨 Arts & Crafts
Creative projects, coloring, painting, stickers, and craft kits that keep little hands busy.
Coloring and tracing that never gets old because it lights up like magic every time. Easy cleanup, zero mess on my table.
Crayola Ultimate Light Board Markers - Target
Scratch art notes are a five minute win when I need my boys quiet and focused. No paint, no markers, just a wooden stylus and rainbow underneath.
Melissa & Doug Scratch Art Rainbow Mini Notes at Target.com
These dot markers are toddler-proof in the best way. Big chunky grip, no caps to lose, and they wash right off skin and most fabric.
Shop Do-A-Dot Art Washable Markers | Target
📚 Educational Activities
Learning toys, workbooks, STEM activities, and hands-on resources that make learning feel like play.
A board game that sneaks in letter recognition without feeling like a worksheet. My guys just think they're racing around an island.
Learning Resources Alphabet Island Phonics Game | Target.com
Counting, sorting, colors, patterns, this one set covers so much ground. My youngest just likes dumping the bears out and starting over.
Learning Resources Counting Bears with Sorting Cups – Target.com
A Highlights subscription shows up like a little present every month. Hidden pictures and puzzles buy me a solid 20 minutes, easy.
Highlights Magazine for Kids at Target | Popular Kids Highlights Books & Activities
🧩 Independent Play
Toys and activities designed to help kids play on their own while you tackle your to-do list.
Chunkier than regular building bricks, so they're easier for little hands and way less painful to step on. My boys build for way longer than I expect.
Target Plus-Plus Big Building Blocks: Durable, Creative Construction Toys
Wooden puzzles are a rainy day go-to. Chunky pieces are easy to grip and they hold up so much better than cardboard ones after a hundred uses.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Puzzles for Toddlers | Target Shopping
👨👩👦 Activities to Do Together
Games, projects, and activities perfect for family time or when everyone wants to join in.
This one is a genuine favorite for family game time, even with a big age gap between my boys. Easy enough for the little one, still fun for the older two.
Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game | Educational Insights - Target
The most reached-for deck in our house, road trips, waiting rooms, rainy afternoons. Always a good call when everyone wants to play together.
UNO Card Game Variations | Family Fun & Themed Editions - Target
🏠 Indoor Activities
Great ideas for hot days, rainy weather, or anytime you need fun inside the house.
A pop-up tent turns our living room into an instant fort on a rainy indoor day. Folds flat for storage, which matters a lot in our small space.
Target Pop-Up Play Tent for Kids - Shop Pop-Up Tents at Target
Great for burning off wiggles indoors without leaving the house. Soft pins mean it's actually safe to play in the living room.
Kids Indoor Bowling Set - Target Online Shopping
🌳 Outdoor Activities
Backyard fun, active games, water play, and outdoor toys to help kids burn off energy.
A bucket of chalk buys me a solid chunk of time on nice days. Driveway art turns into hopscotch turns into who knows what, and it hoses right off.
Target Sidewalk Chalk Bucket Set - Fun Outdoor Art Supplies for Kids and Families
An automatic bubble machine means I'm not the one blowing bubbles for 45 minutes straight. My boys will chase bubbles around the yard forever.
Bubble Machine for Kids: Automatic Outdoor Toys & Fun - Target
🧱 Building & STEM
Building sets, engineering toys, puzzles, and STEM activities that encourage creativity and problem-solving.
Simple wooden planks that turn into towers, ramps, whatever they can dream up. Open-ended toys like this one get played with way longer than anything flashy.
Target Keva Planks Building Set – Buildable Construction & Brain-Boosting STEM Toy
Building the run is half the fun, and then watching the marbles drop keeps them going for another round. Great for problem solving without any screens involved.
Marble Run Building Set for Kids | Target
🎭 Pretend Play
Dress-up, play kitchens, forts, and imaginative toys that inspire hours of creative play.
Pretend food and kitchen accessories get more playtime in our house than half our real toys. Great for imaginative play while I'm on a work call nearby.
Play Kitchen Food Accessories Set – Target Online Store
A trunk full of costumes turns twenty minutes into an hour of superhero and knight adventures. Keeps all the dress-up chaos contained in one spot too.
Target Dress Up Costume Trunk for Kids | Costume Storage & Play Sets
📖 Quiet Time
Books, puzzles, fidget toys, and calming activities for when everyone needs a slower pace.
A little basket of fidgets by the couch is my go-to for quiet time or car rides. Something to keep hands busy without needing a screen.
Target fidget toy packs for kids | Toys & Games at Target
A soft busy book with zippers, snaps, and buttons is perfect for church, waiting rooms, or right before nap time. Quiet, contained, and actually holds their attention.
Quiet Book Toddler Busy Book – Sensory & Educational Fidget Toys for Kids at Target