Recently my son received these gorgeous home made beanie bags as a gift from a friend. It was such a delightful present that I just had to share. We have had so much fun with these together. Here are ten of our favourite games to play with beanie bags:
- In and Out – very young ones enjoy the simple pleasure of putting things in and out of boxes and containers. My 13mth old put the beanie bags in and out of a large plastic bowl, over and over again.
- Beanie Toss – to step this up for toddlers, try throwing the beanie bags into the bowl. Start by standing close, then step away as you achieve success!
- Heads Up – little ones are entertained simply by watching you put a beanie bag on your head, or you placing one on theirs. Toddlers can see how far they can walk with one on their own head – no helping hands! (Or just pile ‘em up on Mum…)
- Body Balance – where else can you balance a beanie bag? On your foot? Shoulder? Elbow? Knee?
- Counting games – my three year old played lots of counting games with our numbered beanie bags. Counting up to five, back from five, taking away one number and guessing which was missing…
- Rainbows – our beanie bags are beautifully coloured so we were able to talk about colours and order our beanies according to the rainbow. (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue at least)
- Hide the Beanies – we had heaps of fun playing this game. You can do it with any toys really, but the beanie bags were perfect. One person counts while the other hides the beanie bags. At first we just hid one, but after a while my daughter wanted to hide all of them! Older kids still enjoy this too if you set a timer and they race to beat the clock.
- Catching – catching an item in midair that is coming right for you is a BIG deal for a toddler. It’s a skill that takes a while to develop. Beanie bags are one of the easiest items to use for early catching and throwing practice. We talked about keeping our eyes on the beanie and our hands ready. Don’t be surprised if your child doesn’t get it straight away!
- Shape and Colour – cut out some simple shapes from paper and put them on the floor. See if your child can follow instructions to put a green beanie on the triangle. A yellow beanie on the circle. You can make it a challenge for older ones with instructions like: can you put a beanie that is NOT yellow on the shape with no straight sides…? Oohh tricky.
- Whack the Stack – stack five cups upside down. Three on the bottom, then two on top. Stand a few steps away and throw the beanies at the stack to knock them down. Older toddlers will enjoy rebalancing the stack too.
Thank you again to the lovely friend who made us these little bags of fun and contributed some of these great game ideas too!
Thanks, once again, for the inspiration Cath! Have been meaning to make some of these – now I have a great Christmas pressie idea for my day care little people!
Great ideas Cath. for number 10 formula tins are great too.
Do you know where your friend got these from?
Nicole´s last blog ..Are you a helicopter mum or a coffee mum?
@Nicole – she made them herself!! Didn’t she do a fab job?
Ooohh we haven’t got out the bean bags in ages! Thanks for the reminder
Your set look absolutely gorgeous. Are the numbers printed or sewn on???
Alison´s last blog ..Honest Scrap
What a fantastic gift idea- the most simplest things can keep kids entertained for hours!!! Thanks for the blog Cath.
Love these brightly coloured bean bags, will definitely have to have a go at making some of these, maybe even in time for Christmas!
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Thanks so much for this post! I used to use bean bags when I was teaching (I remember making loads of them for music, great for passing with the beat). But I had forgotten all about them. I’ll be making some for my kids now. Thanks for the ideas, excellent!!
wonderful !
I so want to make some …would your friend consider guest posting A HOW TO MAKE BEANIE BAGS ?
Trish´s last blog ..Money Pig
We play hotter/colder with items too, Lily might be old enough for that concept.
off to spot light I go. What are they filled with. I might just need to make some for playgroup too.
Nicole´s last blog ..Are you a helicopter mum or a coffee mum?
They are filled with rice, and the numbers are sewn on. Hope that helps!
What an awesome gift, so versatile and fun.
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I’ve been wanting to make beanbags (I’m hoping I might manage it for a stocking stuffer). Are yours made with felt?
Thanks for the ideas for games to play once we have some beanbags.
Catherine´s last blog ..aeroplanes and gyrocopters
ooh so much fun!
Wonder if I have time to sew my boy some for Christmas… love that they are numbered!
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Sad to say, spotlight did not have ready printed squares with numbers on them. I was being hopeful! Back to the sewing cupboard to see what I can come up with. Im glad they are filled with rice and not some exotic bean.
Nicole´s last blog ..Are you a helicopter mum or a coffee mum?
Looks like there’s a market out there for your friend to sell these lovely beanie bags Catherine.
There’s so much fun in beanie bag games. Thanks for all the ideas.
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What a great idea for a gift! And of course you came up with some wonderful ways to use them.
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Yes I’ve done this too for my kids and they play with their bean bags for hours! I did different patterns for each child because they were quite possessive of “their” bean bags. I’ve made them for nieces too and my friend’s kids when she had her 3rd baby.
(http://lovingmums-lovingmums.blogspot.com/2009/07/creations.html)
Love them with the numbers too. I’ll have to make more now!
Andie´s last blog ..It’s time…
I had no idea there were so many things you could do with bean bags. These are awesome!!! What a great gift!
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