Kids Love Junk

If you don’t know what to do with little “junk” toys that might be sitting around the house, this is the activity for you! Did you know that kids love to play with junk? Over the years I have collected junk toys (McDonalds toys, toys missing from a set, mismatched toys, etc.) and combined them into one bin which occasionally gets dumped out on a table during choice time in my classroom.

Not only do they do great things with all these toys, the social-interaction you see at this table is amazing! But, the best part is that you can easily do this at home! Go around your house and gather small random toys (you can add some regular toys too — I added Legos, cars, people). Find an open table and dump the toys out (you could use a hardwood floor but for some reason toys can become way more fun when they are at tables)! 

After I lay all the toys out I usually pair them with some kind of building materials such as blocks, legos, Lincoln logs, etc. and let the kids have at it — the possibilities are endless!