Nicky has his own personal cupboard in the kitchen. It keeps him occupied when I am busy cooking or doing dishes.
Here is a list of what he gets up to with them. Of course there are probably more things I could be missing.
1) Throwing. This is the first thing he normally does. Always fun. Especially when it makes a lot of noise. I have wised up to which containers make more noise and now the popcorn container and the lemon squeezer have changed locations.
2) Put them all in a row. Even the truck gets parked next to them. Sometimes the containers go for a ride on the truck.
3) Take them outside. Often he will take one or two behind the kennels (where it’s really dirty) and have fun with them there.
4) Pour sand between them. Rather than throwing sand in the kitchen I am working on him putting it in a bowl. Even more advanced is to pour the sand between them.
5) Put the container on your head. Oh this is so much fun.
6) Stack the containers. We have so many stacking exercises in the house, but in the spirit of real objects being better than toys, plastic containers are just as good. Of course he didn’t do this by himself. I helped him!
7) Put them back. We are working on this. But every now and then he spontaneously puts some back, or gives them to me to put back. I also do it with him. I am so super proud when he does this without prompting.
Oh, you’re probably wondering, how on earth can she just put those containers back in the cupboard without washing them? Well, I don’t use them, and they are just going to get dirty again. If I do really need to use a bowl, I just make sure I wash it thoroughly!
Haha! How fun. We have a box like this too. Mine love things with lids and will just pop them on and off!
🙂 I have a child same cupboard as well. It’s Cameron’s favorite toy right now.
I agree, my kids love these. I think they are just cheap toys and let them play!
I don’t know why we buy so many toys for our kids when they have so much fun with the things we already have!
so true!
haha, Ours have had many hours of play with them!
Cute!
teaching them “put them back” doesn’t get any easier when they are teens…but how cute he is! I sooo miss that stage!!
Great idea! Harper is now interested in playing with pots and pans. I didn’t think to have some set aside for her and her own cabinet.
I used to have a drawer just like this! It was the only way I could ever actually get dinner made. Love the container on the head 🙂
I agree, the only way to get things done is to keep them busy!
Perfect distraction and learning tool for little ones! 🙂 Stopping by from SITS. Blessings!
Isn’t it great – how the simplest things can be the greatest amusement?! Will always love how kids can find so much to do with boxes and containers! 🙂
Too cute! My son had a special cupboard when he was at the age also. He kind of took it over and I went with the flow. LoL! Kids tend to take over everything after time..in a good way though! 🙂
My daughter-in-law taught me the “real things are better than toys” principle. She swears kids can sniff out a fake at 100 yards. stopping by from SITS Girls
My daughter had the run of the kitchen when she was a kid. All the bottom cupboards were full of things it was okay for her to play with. Pots and pans on tile floors are LOUD, but she certainly enjoyed it. And now, at 4, she loves to be in the kitchen helping out.
Wow, I didn’t think of that as a side benefit! But come to think of it Nicky loves to “help” me unpack the groceries in his own way.
Kids sure are creative! Enjoyed stopping by today for #SITSblogging!
haha kids are so funny 🙂 Amazing how creative they can be! But I don’t see what’s wrong with throwing noisy things around? 😉
True, and most of the time I can handle it, it just gets to a point, especially when others are in the house and I know they won’t be able to handle it, and my dog is getting a fright, when I have to calm things down.
It’s amazing how kids just love those plastic containers!! My little man is 3 and still gravitates towards them! #sitsblogging
Plastic containers and cardboard boxes are the ideal toys for children. They will spend hours playing with them! There are really endless possibilities! Who needs anything else?
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I also have a fan of plastic tupperware. He used to play for hours with it, but now mostly wants to put snacks in them
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I think it’s wonderful that he has his own little stash to play with. He’s happy, your other dishes stay clean and tidy. Everybody wins! 🙂
Oh Nicky is so cute! I have a cabinet in our kitchen that is reserved for my son as well. He loves to “cook” while I’m cooking. It’s adorable!
This really takes me back! I gave my twins a whole drawer of plasticware of their own when they were 1-3 (and they still play with it now that they’re 7). They spent hours every day emptying it, filling it back up, and putting all kinds of toys in bowls all the time. So fun!
I always get a kick out of the things kids will do with a bunch of plastic containers! It begs the question…why is there such a huge toy selection at all the stores!
Stopping by from The SITS Girls. Clean up is always the hard part, but teaching them young always works fantastic!! I love that you do that. I keep the pots and pans low so that he won’t grab anything glass or dangerous. He plays with them by banging them with a spoon. It used to bother me but now I know that he is learning tone and sound and he might be making music in his head cause he “sings” as well.
What a fun and touching story! It immediately took me back to a time when my children, now grown and with children of their own (and yes they have their own kid’s cupboards) were little! Kids are the best-they make every day a day worth living!
My kids have a cabinet too but it’s full of construction paper, crayons, pencils and random stuff they find and like. I love being able to tell them to “go to your cabinet” when they need something.
Good strategy!
Sometimes I just look at my kids, and think, “You have no idea how good you have it!” It’s gotta be good to be a kid!
What a cutie! My sister and I used to climb in the cupboard when we were little and play with the pots:) Stopping by from your SITS Girls Tribe.
Love this idea of having a special place, like a cabinet just for the plastic containers that little one plays with. I wish I had done this. I spent a lot of time washing plastic containers in my house when my kids were younger. Oh well, it’s one of the things we do for our babies. 🙂 I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Your blog is wonderful. Stopping in from SITS!
Thanks! Sorry you had to do so much container washing!
oh i miss these days! the best toys are the ones from everyday items around the house…cardboard boxes being my fav.
best,
diane
Dropping by from SITS girls today.
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Oh this makes me miss the toddler days! I am well beyond that stage now with my boys entering their teenage years! But I love sharing in your experiences with your little guy, it brings back memories! Your little dude is such a cutie! this is such a fun age, they learn new things every day and it is such a joy to watch them and celebrate with them when they master a new concept! Stopping by from #SITSBlogging!
Haha, this is great! I can’t wait to have children, I’ll have to remember to give them their own cupboard in the kitchen with their own plastic containers. I remember when I was a kid having something similar and having all kinds of fun playing. This brings back some great memories!
So super cute. Brings back all the memories when my boys were all in this stage. I even had a cupboard just for them. Thank you for sharing!
I think he is going to be a scientist one day. Doing experiments is a kind of habbit for him.
My child always busy with the pots when I cook our food in the kitchen. Sometimes, she disturbs me but I can do my work when she plays with the pots.