Tons of Ideas for Preschool Busy Bags

I went through a phase where I was obsessed with toddler and preschooler busy bags. I was part of a mom’s group and we did a giant swap of busy bag activities (so big I got five blog posts out of it, check them out if you’re in that age group) and I always loved having those handy activities for on the go or quiet time or when I just needed a minute to get something done.

At Arrows and Applesauce, she has busy binders instead of bags, with each activity in a pouch that kids can easily flip through and pull out what they want to use. (This would also work in a box, with each activity in its own bag.)

She has a post all about what’s in her busy binders. There are two of them, one relating to letters and colors, and one full of activities about numbers and shapes. There are lots of great ideas here even if you don’t want to make a big binder full of activities right now.

Do you have a favorite busy bag idea? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Arrows and Applesauce.]

There’s something great about every state, and Clive Gifford has collected fun facts, trivia and firsts from every state in Record-Breaking USA: Celebrating America’s Biggest, Brightest and Bravest.

Each state gets a one or two-page spread, with facts scattered around the page and illustrations by Paul Hammond. The page lists a state nickname, the capital, state mammal, a fun fact and some famous residents, as well as firsts and record breaking events that happened in each state.

You’ll learn that Alabama is home to the biggest unclaimed baggage center in the world, that Florida is home to the most toxic tree (the manchineel tree, which has sap that can burn the skin and make people go blind, and its fruit is toxic) and that Iowa is home to the largest model of a strawberry, to name a few facts. Loma, Montana, holds the record for the largest temperature range in a day (from -54 to 49 degrees F, which is a 103 degree difference), while Ohio’s Geauga County once employed the smallest police dog on record, an 11-inch-tall chihuahua/rat terrier mix.

South Dakota has the world’s biggest Bigfoot statue, the cotton candy machine was invented in Tennessee, and a car that was 91 percent cake was driven (and eaten) in Washington state in 2021, now holding the record for the fastest moving mostly edible car.

As you might guess from these sample facts, kids will find this book funny and probably learn some things, too. In addition to the states there’s a page for Washington, D.C., where President Theodore Roosevelt broke the record for the most hands shaken in one day (8,513, a record that’s held since 1907), and the US territories, as well as records that cross state lines and span the globe.

Readers will also learn about records set in space and read what it takes to be a record breaker. There are even a few records listed that you can try to break yourself.

This fun and colorful book is sure to engage kids who love facts, and would be a great one to take along on your next road trip.

About the book: 96 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail price $24.99.

Have you read?

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