Fun Ball Tub: Guest post from Suzy at Suzy Homeschooler!

We have a ball pit for our children. It is just like a pop-up tent and it is big enough that a several children (or one small adult and one child) can easily fit into it. We love it, our children love it- who wouldn’t love it?! Ball pits are fun.

Last year we moved and our ball pit was unavailable to us for quite a number of months yet we still had our big bag of balls. (Don’t ask me why the balls weren’t packed with the ball pit, I just don’t know.) One day my children were climbing in and out of laundry hamper when it dawned on me that I could fill that with balls as a sort of make-shift ball pit.

It didn’t work so well with my son who was 3 at the time, but the laundry hamper was the perfect size for my 6 month old daughter and her favorite teddybear. Actually, in a way the laundry hamper was better.

Because there was less floor space, the balls had no where to go but up, making a deeper, more full-body sensory experience. And, as you can see from the pictures, SunnyGirl and her favorite teddy continued to fit into their make-shift ball pit for many months, until well after her 1st birthday.

So if you happen to have a lot of balls around for whatever reason, maybe your ball pit broke or maybe you accidentally packed it in the wrong moving box, do not despair. Simply dump your laundry out onto your bed and use the basket as a make-shift ball pit.

Incidentally, while a ball pit can cost $40-100, a bag of balls generally runs $5-12. Perhaps a bag of balls might be the perfect gift for pregnant woman, baby’s first Christmas, or even a one year birthday- just make sure the family has a laundry basket on hand!

Suzy is the proud geek mom of two fun-loving kids. She blogs about play-based learning, sensory play, and other kid stuff at Suzy Homeschooler. You can also follow her on Facebook and Pinterest.