Pom-Pom Poke: $2 Toddler Game

As the time of the Great Mall Migration moves nearer, we’re making more and more preparations. One thing that absolutely must be taken care of? Surviving the drive there. The other day, with Max and Charlie’s help, I created a pinboard (yes, I’m on Pinterest too) with all of the best car-friendly, practical, child-friendly, inexpensive ideas I could find. We’ve bought some supplies and I’ve already made the first activity.

Idea from Money Saving Mom.

You will need a small plastic container with a lid that closes securely and some pom-poms. I found both at the Dollar Tree. (The container came in a five-pack and the bag of pom-poms was enough for both containers, so each game only cost me $1! If you have old tubs that you want to use for this, you could take your overall project cost down to the cost of pom-poms.) This activity works best with pom-poms that are all the same size.

Cut a hole in the lid that is smaller than the pom-poms. That way the kids have to actually poke the pom-poms in instead of just dropping them, and it keeps them from going everywhere when your child (invariably) shakes the container wildly.

PRO TIP: I cut the first side of the triangle with a knife, but doing that for the other two sides leads to broken lids. Finish up with scissors and check against your pom-poms to be sure you’ve reached a size that will let the pom-poms pass with a little effort (not TOO much, though).

You’re done!

This is a huge hit with Tommy and Teddy. They poked all the pom-poms in three and a half times before they even started throwing them around. You should have heard the tears when we put it away to go to bed last night. This morning when I pulled it out to photograph things they came running yelling “BAAAA! BAAAA!” (Ball, ball) and immediately began poking pom-poms back through the hole. Even Max and Charlie wanted to play with it, although I doubt it would hold their attention as long as it does the twins.

Now, obviously bringing this game in the car is going to lead to pom-poms all over the floor. But who cares? We’ll clean it up at the other end.

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