Tissue-box Tactile Activity for Babies and Toddlers

Searching for fun new activities to engage my 13-month-old toddler, I came across the idea to fill a Kleenex box with objects to be pulled out and put back in. As a mama, I know how much my little one likes to empty and put-in containers, so I was eager to try something like this.

My first thought was that pieces of material would be a great insert, as my little munchkin quite enjoys pulling out wipes from the container and this would be a more practical activity than creating havoc out of the wipes bin.

I wanted to include small squares of fabric, with different materials, textures, colours and patterns. I was just about to go raid my fabric stash and start cutting squares when I realized I already had something that would work even better. Best yet, they were now useless to me in their original intention and ready for action – little baby bibs.

Having been given a ton of these small fabric bibs, there was certainly enough for a good selection. I was excited to finally have a use for these little bibs, as they hold very little value in protecting a messy munching one-year old from meal-time splatters. What is the point of making bibs sized for newborns, who don’t even eat food yet?? By the time we actually needed them, they were much too small. We’ve since stocked up on large, wipeable, fully covering bibs with drip catching pockets. They are much, much more useful.

So I selected 6 different mini-bibs, folded them in half and stacked them inside the empty tissue box. Success! My little one has been back and forth playing with this new activity again and again over the last few days. She will pull each piece out, carry them around, stuff them back in the box, and explore them. While I play with her, I can talk about each different piece, helping her to notice and providing words to lable the different colours, textures, patterns and actions to build on her rapidly growing vocabulary of receptive language.

Do you have another creative idea for creating learning experiences by re-using tissue boxes, or other household odds and ends? Please share them in the comments below. If you liked this idea and want to see more, follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, and don’t forget to share this post using the little clicky buttons below to help others get in on the fun. Enjoy playing with your little loves!