Keep them Hopping

Here is an EGG-citing project that is perfect for this time of year. This is an activity jar. Inside this jar are eggs that have an activity listed on it.

Here are some objectives accomplished by our EGG-citing Activity Jar:
1. It answers the question... What should I do now? And it is a great alternative to letting them plop down in front of another episode of Strawberry Shortcake.

2. It reminds us of toys, games and activities that they don't play with every day. I intentionally wrote individual games and things that are tucked away in cupboards so that we remember to get them out and use them.

3. All of these activities inspire creativity and family interaction. This is also a great way to break free from boring ruts. We all know that especially when kids are young repetition is a great learning tool for kids. But it is also great to try something new, or rediscover something you have forgotten. And for the adult who is involved, it can be a refreshing change!

How does it work?
At a designated time of day, or when the time is right, get down the jar from it's shelf. Let the children choose one egg. Sometimes we let both of our daughters choose one each. Then decide which activity to do first. Perform the activity and put the completed egg into a separate jar. That way you won't keep pulling the same eggs out of the jar each time.

What do you need to make this project?
1. A large jar. I used an empty Costco sized Animal Cracker container.
2. Eggs or ping pong balls. I made my jar around Easter time. Go to the $1 store and see if you can find something that would work. I was originally going to use ping pong balls but they didn't have them at the dollar store and I couldn't find them for a cheap enough price.
3. An Inventory List of toys and games, and flash cards you want to include on your eggs. You may also want to add things like: Make a puppet show with stuffed animals behind the couch, or Dance Party!, and Put on a play of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
4. A Permanent Marker. Write on each egg one activity.
5. A shelf. Once you have written on all the eggs and put them in your jar, put them up on a shelf. The activity jar is not down where the kids can get into all the time, or dump it all out. I get it down when it is time to do an activity. Keeping it up actually adds to the excitement! 
A few pointers...

*** You may want to keep a time limit in mind. In our jar the average egg activity lasts from 10 to 30 minutes.

*** You may also like to approach your activity jar from a "Jump Start" perspective. Where you as the parent jump start the kid on the activity and then they complete it independently. This works really well if there is some kind of performance at the end. For example, put on a play and then perform it for mommy in 20 minutes. This also works well with activities like play dough.

However, I have found that the time when the eggs come in the most handy is when the girls need some parental interaction. More often than not, after completing their Egg-citing activity they are ready to do some independent play.