Dollar Store Quiet Bins

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to create a weeks worth of quiet bins with one stop at your local dollar store. We are going to go over some great items that you can pick up at the dollar store and be able to create some great quiet bins that your kids will love.

As a mom sometimes we have the budget and not the time to get things done. Other times we have the money but not the budget to be spending on toys for our kids. This post is for those moms that have the time but have a smaller budget to work with in getting those quiet bins put together.

Dollar stores have a ton of items that you can purchase that you can add to your quiet bins. Here I’m going to show you some great items to get and how they can work together. Some items you have seen numerous times at the store and will be surprised how they can be used to help your child learn and grow.

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Making Quiet Bins on a Budget

As a mom to a toddler you know that sometimes you just need 5 minutes to get a quick task done but it can turn into a 20 minute ordeal when you have a 2 year old in the house with you. So lets grab a few items to get them busy without breaking the wallet.

My toddler is no longer a toddler, teenager attitude kicking in, but as a former toddler mom, a current toddler aunt, and a parent support specialist for many moms in my community I know how hard it can be sometimes. Let’s make those small tasks a little easier by setting them up with a few items from the dollar store and let them explore.

When my daughter was two, she was helping me with the laundry. She was swinging the door to the dryer like she’s done many times before. This one day while I was reaching into the washer I heard a blood curdling scream. Honestly, I don’t know exactly how it happened but she bit her tongue and it was bleeding like crazy.

As a first time mom, I was freaking out.

I called the Emergency room to see if I needed to bring her in. The nurse told me to give her an otter pop because as long as she was still upset and crying it would make the bleeding worse. Sure enough when she calmed down the bleeding did as well, thankfully. Since then I was always finding something else for her to do while I was doing housework.

Tips for Creating Bins

• create themes when you can
• include things your toddler is interested in
• kids love to move things from one container to another
• toddlers love colorful things
• playing is the best way to learn
• playing is great for building on their motor skills

What Dollar Store Items Work Best in Quiet Bins?

There really are so many ways to combine a few items to make several bins. Here great ones to pick up to get you started:

While there are countless options to pick up at the dollar store I wanted to give you these few ideas to get you started. Once you are there and you realize the potential in the items they have you will see your own ideas come to life.

Don’t have the time to get to the store, you can still shop the online Dollar Tree website.

Now For Some Dollar Store Storage Ideas

Storage is another task to tackle when you are putting together quiet bins for toddlers.

Not all dollar stores have a lot of options but I you have more that one in your town you can shop around for what you need.

Make sure the container is big enough to fit everything inside with out having to be in there a certain way. It needs to be big enough so that you can let them be in charge of picking the pieces up and placing them back in the container. This gives them some responsibility when it comes to their things.

For more on storage for quiet bins check out this beginner guide.

Basic steps to grouping items together:

You want between 3-5 items that

• they can build with-blocks, craft sticks,
• they can use your imagination with-toy animals, toy cars,
• they can write on-paper, whiteboard, chalkboard
• they can write with-dry erase markers, washable markers, crayons (best to use non-toxic and non-staining items)
• they can put things into-cups, bowls
• they can move and manipulate-pom poms, cotton balls, scoops, spoons
• 1-2 age appropriate book
• printables that can guide their imagination

6 Bins to Assemble with the Items from Above

The Last Thing You Need to Know Putting Together Quiet Bins

Quiet bins are meant to be something special for them to play with. These are not meant for them to be able to get into and keep them accessible all day. Create a routine for when they are allowed to play with them and know what you want to accomplish while they are busy before you give it to them.

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Check out these other great ideas to keep your little one busy:

• Beginners Guide to Quiet Bins
• Learning Activities for Toddlers
• 7 Ways to Play with Household Items Series