Gingerbread Man Button Counting Busy Bag

I am so excited to bring you our Gingerbread Man Button Counting Busy Bag today!!  This simple, holiday-themed busy bag reinforces counting and colors, while helping children with their pincer grasp and fine motor skills!! Sometimes, it is difficult to keep little hands busy when you just need a minute to {fill in the blank} load the dishwasher, fold some socks, put mascara on, etc, the list goes on!  Busy bags are a great, prepared way to handle these moments.  Children love them, and you can get what you need done while knowing your child is engaged in a meaningful learning activity.  They can also be incredibly useful when on the go, at a doctor’s visit or in those waiting moments that come too often with little ones :)

Word of caution: this Busy Bag includes small pieces and children should be supervised at all times.

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How to make the Gingerbread Man Button Counting Busy Bag:

• Assembled my materials: Gingerbread Man cookie cutter, brown foam paper, colorful buttons, Velcro Dots

• I traced our Gingerbread Man cookie cutter on brown foam paper {foam paper is a go-to craft supply in our household!!}.

• Then I cut the little men out {my son had fun cutting his own out, which gave him some scissor skill time!}.

• I labeled the Gingerbread Men from 1 to 5 with a permanent marker.

• Then, I attached Velcro Dots to the back of our little color-coordinated buttons.

• The Velcro Dots didn’t stick well enough to my foam paper, so I took out my trusty hot glue gun {I carry this thing in my purse everywhere I go, just kidding} and a little dab of glue helped the Velcro Dot stick very well.

• I put my cute little Gingerbread Men and the buttons in a Ziploc bag, ready to go for a time when I need a quick activity for the kids! {You could of course get a cute, reusable bag, but we stick with good ol’ plastic baggies in our Busy Bag collection :) }.

I have to note that my son did not like this kind of busy bag when he was two years old, but my daughter thrives with them.  She has the patience and the desire to stick things and unstick them.  It is important to know what works well with your own child and their needs! The children didn’t quite get that each number had a corresponding number of the same colored buttons, but I imagine the next time we bring this little game out, they will discover it! Super simple, reinforcing counting skills and one to one correspondence, and color recognitions.  This Counting Busy Bag also helps young children practice their pincer grasp and fine motor skills :)  Enjoy!!

This post is a part of a Holiday Busy Bag Blog Hop!!  Check out these awesome ideas from some of our favorite kid blogger friends!!

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Gingerbread Man Shape Matching Busy Bag // Powerful Mothering

Christmas Activities for Kids Printable Busy Bag // LalyMom

Christmas Counting Busy Bag // Coffee Cups and Crayons

Decorate a Play Dough Christmas Tree Play Kit // Mama. Papa. Bubba.

Gingerbread Button Counting Busy Bag // Wildflower Ramblings

Snowman Busy Bag // Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Reusable Christmas Sticker Busy Bag // Still Playing School

Christmas Posting Busy Bag // Adventures of Adam

Christmas Tree Busy Bag // The Pleasantest Thing

Christmas Jingle Bells Fine Motor Busy Bag // Sugar Aunts

Printable Mix and Match Christmas Puzzles // Itsy Bitsy Fun

Christmas Chocolate Maker Busy Bag // Best Toys 4 Toddlers

Printable Q-tip Snowflakes // Playdough to Plato

Candy Cane Stripe Counting // Preschool Inspirations

An Early Reader Christmas Busy Bag // The Educators’ Spin on It

And check out our Busy Bags Pinterest Board!!

Follow Amy – Wildflower Ramblings’s board Busy Bags on Pinterest.