What does a busy homeschooling mama do with those little ones when she needs a few minutes with her older ones? I compiled this list long ago and thought I would share it.

Dot Paints - look at Michael's or Joann's with a coupon for good prices

Blocks of any kind (regular wooden, Kapla, Lego, Duplo)

Plastic animals in a box (Target now sells some really realistic ones that are heavy duty and great fun to set up into a zoo with the blocks above.)

Wooden/Plastic Train Set - You set it up (or have the older children help) and then they can happily play.

Laurie Crepe Rubber Puzzles  or Fit-A-Space  - These are fantastic for smallish persons! They have all sorts of puzzles, both things and letter shapes.

Wooden Puzzles by Melissa & Doug - wonderful colorful puzzles of animals, castles, trains, etc.

Lincoln Logs

Special books only brought out for quiet times. Flannel books or magnetic books are great for these moments. Often school supply places have these.

Coloring, of course! We use washable pens, crayons, colored pencils, stamps, and ink pads, to color regular paper as well as coloring books. Some of the new Crayola special paper have been big hits here. They are also wonderful for church - keeps the littles quiet so mom and dad can listen!

Craft Creation Container - glitter (if you are a daring mom), glitter glue, child scissors, tape, regular glue or stick glue, beans, pasta, letter-shaped pasta, foam shapes, stickers, confetti, feathers, poms, and let your little go for it!

Read a story about a fort or a sailing ship and help make a fort to play in with chairs and blankets. Don't forget the play swords!

Shape Sorter from Lauri

String Beads - all different shapes, wooden or not.

Lacing Shapes come in all different kinds of sets. This is one of them.

Buy some play-acting tapes, like the Wee Sing ones, and learn them. Then when you need some time, they can do them with their smaller siblings and lead them!

Make bread dough without egg and allow them to shape their own for baking.

Sandbox filled with either sand, pea gravel, for outside. For inside use rice or beans.

Kitchen toys with a small wooden kitchen.

Give your little a "plot of land" they can cultivate with a few small plants. They can be in charge of watering, weeding, etc. Seeds are fun to watch grow - sunflowers reward the best because they are so huge. Cherry tomatoes, beans, or snap peas are rewarding too - they can pick a snack right off the plant!