I started doing these stations when my first son was about 8 months old. He was a little young for most of the stuff, honestly. Really all he needed at that age was a couple of pots and pans and he was entertained!
But doing these station was actually not for him, it was for me.
I was home a lot in that season of my life – I didn’t know anyone to schedule playdates with, I didn’t have family living close by, and my son was too little to really enjoy a playground or library outing. So it was the perfect storm for us to be at home majority of the time. I was trying my best not to go completely crazy, and not to count down the minutes until my husband got home from work because I was bored.
I didn’t want MY boredom to be the thing that got in the way of enjoying the days with my little one.
Thus, the stations were born! Putting these together was a way for me to mix up the day in a fun way, and I hate to say it, it was a way for the time to pass a little quicker, because sometimes being at home alone with a small child means that every minute is actually an eternity.
The purpose of these stations is simply to be present with your kids at home and have fun with them. We don’t want the monotony of the day to stop us from enjoying it or enjoying our kids. So, we do what we have to do to make their play time fun and purposeful for us as parents!
Oh and a little PS – None of this is like, “you must follow exactly what I do to make this work”. It’s just a loose guide of what I do when I get bored and need a change of pace. You can adapt these stations based on how many kids you have, what their ages are, and what you have at home. You don’t have to buy anything new and you don’t have to do this in an “instagram-worthy” way. Make your stations imperfectly and make them your own – There is no pressure for perfection here, because after all, it’s about you being less bored, not about having the coolest activity for your kiddo.
Farm Station
This one is super easy to put together. I set out the toy barn, toy tractors, and some farm animals. Then I grab some books we have about farms, farm animals, or tractors to read while the boys play, and that’s all we need!
“Things That Go” Station
Very similar to the farm station, but with cars and trucks! We get out the toy vehicles and any vehicle books we have. I read and they play!
Water Station
This can be done outdoors, or if the weather isn’t cooperating, indoors works well, too! You can use a water table or different pots, pans, and bowls with water. I keep this pretty simple and just let my kiddos splash around, pour water into different cups, and get out the bath toys, too. In the past I’ve also used this Activity Center by taking out the seat and replacing it with a mixing bowl, then filling the bowl with water and toys – It’s like a make-shift water table but smaller and it works pretty well! And honestly, you could just fill up the bathtub too, and that would be perfect!
Sports Station
For this one when my kid was little, I literally just gathered up all the different balls we had and put them in a basket so he could toss them around. Little kiddos don’t need anything more than just that! As he got older, I started putting out laundry baskets for him to aim into, because once boys get a little bigger and stronger, they need a target and a purpose otherwise this gets out of hand quickly haha.
Music Station
Set out pots, pans, and wooden spoons, or if you have a musical instrument kit you can get that out too. This one pretty much explains itself haha.
Alphabet Station
We randomly have a lot of alphabet things, maybe you do too?? This is a list of things we have and use – It’ll look different for you based on what you have and the ages of your kids. Alphabet foam floor puzzle, fabric alphabet cards, ABC flashcards, and alphabet books. My goal at this station is not for my kids to learn their ABCs, although that would be cool. My goal is just to do play in a different way so we don’t go crazy with boredom. So, if they aren’t putting the alphabet cards in order or even paying attention to what letters are on the card, I don’t really care! I just let them free play.
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If you’re at home with your kiddos feeling bored, you don’t have to sit there feeling guilty; Just change it up! You don’t have to have a bunch of supplies and it’s not even about providing your kids with more entertainment. Sometimes all you need to do is gather up what you already have, move it to a new spot, and call it a “station”. I hope this list gave you some ideas to do just that. And as a reminder, if you have one kiddo who can’t walk or talk yet, they aren’t too little for you to do this! Like I said before, it’s more for us as parents to add a little variety to the often similar-looking days at home.
I am praying you find some genuine joy today!
– Jenn
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