Playtime for kids is essential to their development, but toys can be expensive. Luckily, an inventive mom created a simple activity for toddlers using old toilet paper rolls.
The scoop
On TikTok, Courtney (@creativecuriosity) shared an easy game that will keep toddlers busy and engaged with apples and toilet paper rolls.
@creativecuriosityy Do you save your paper towel and toilet paper rolls? If not - take this as your sign to! This activity could not be more simple and it's so good for your little one 🍏 works on fine motor skills (balancing apples) 🍎 promotes critical thinking (how to get them to stay) 🍏 encourages problem solving (what to do if it's not working) 🍎 teaches perseverance (by trying again and again if the apples fall) And so much more! I'm telling ya. Work on those important life skills AND soak in the giggles because this is a fun one 🥰 #apple #appleactivity #fall #fallactivities#playbasedlearning #creative #lettera #apples #finemotorskills #stem #stemactivity ♬ original sound - Courtney | Play & Mom Life
The game, dubbed "apple trees," involves having the toddler balance an apple on top of a toilet paper roll or an empty paper towel roll. "This activity could not be more simple and it's so good for your little one," she wrote in the caption.
She explained that it achieves several goals, starting with fine motor skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, and perseverance.
"Work on those important life skills AND soak in the giggles because this is a fun one!" Courtney added.
How it's helping
Reusing items around your house, like empty toilet paper rolls, is an easy and cost-effective way to entertain your children while building the skills Courtney highlighted. While the rolls can be considered "trash," Gwinnett Building Babies Brains, an initiative dedicated to early learning, explains that because kids are natural explorers, "trash" can be tempting. By creating activities with things like cardboard toilet paper tubes, you can encourage safe and healthy exploration.
Cardboard is one of the more easily recyclable products out there, but much of it still ends up in landfills. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, people in the U.S. threw out an estimated 112 million tons of paper and cardboard, with 56% ending up in landfills, 38% being recycled, and the rest being burned in 2019.
New toys also cost money and are often made of plastic, which produces a lot of pollution, beginning with production and manufacturing, and later, when it ends up in landfills, taking thousands of years to break down, releasing chemicals and microplastics in the process.
Repurposing items like cardboard is a good deal for your wallet not only by saving you money at the store, but organizations are offering incentives for recycling it too. Office supply store Staples has offered a recycling program for years and recently added a rewards system for everything from electronics to old crayons and pencils. You can also make money from old clothes, including kids' clothes, with companies like Trashie, which offers incentives to send them your items and keep them out of landfills.
What everyone's saying
In the comments, people were thrilled with Courtney's simple and fun idea.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
|
What motivates you to wash your clothes in cold water?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Saves money 💰 "Oh love this," one person wrote.
The toilet paper brand Scott even took notice, commenting, "LOVE this! trying asap."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
