practical life skills: their own makeup bag

If I’m going out, I curl my eyelashes and wear mascara.  I’ve never been a full-face makeup kind of girl, but I feel good if I’m wearing mascara.

This routine can sometimes present challenges when you have two little ones and the older one sometimes likes to get a little aggressive with the younger.  I really can’t leave them alone.  For a second.  10 month old May is often on my back in my Ergo or I bring my almost-3-year-old into the bathroom with me to help with my makeup.  He has enjoyed watching me over these past few months and also wants to look through my little bag of treats/makeup.

I decided to make the time pass by easier (with me not upset if he drops my Dr. Hauschka eyeshadow) by making him his own makeup bag.  I found an old clear Burt’s Bees bag and threw in some items from my “maybe I’ll use it again” makeup collection.

This was such a fun, easy, and {free!} activity to help promote independence (and civility) in our home! I hope you try it — boys and girls alike! (My husband and I don’t have a problem with giving our little boy makeup — he knows that mommy uses it and daddy shaves.  I don’t think this is promoting any worldview, I just think he thinks it’s fun!)

I presented it in a small basket, so he had somewhere to put the contents.

He was so excited to get started.  He asked for help with the zipper, but I told him he had to do it himself.  And he did!  This is a great way to develop his fine motor finger muscles!

He was so excited about his own “makeup.”

He started sharpening his little eyeshadow brush.

And then applied some eyeshadow to his lips.  (I only gave him a light green and light tan eyeshadow, so you can’t see them on him ;) I would never let my child, boy or girl, out of the house wearing any visible makeup, that’s just how I roll.)

He had to open his own Burt’s Bees lip balm.  He is still working on this one.

Opening some concealer.

And he put all the contents back in the bag and zipped it up.  What fun!

Happy playing,

Thanks for featuring me!