Looking for a way to keep your little one (somewhat) quietly occupied?  Check out these amazing ideas from around the web!

We’ve all been there: at church or temple, at the doctor’s office, on an airplane, or anyplace else where we want our children to sit quietly for more than 30 seconds.  We’re trying to concentrate on something other than our children for a few minutes, or perhaps we’d like to afford those around us a break from our child’s constant stream of activity. 

For me this often happens at Baha’i community gatherings.  While I know my fellow community members love seeing my adorable little Monkey run up and down testing the acoustics of the room, I personally would like him to practice sitting (relatively) quietly for at least some of the time.

What to do?

When in need, I turn to my fellow bloggers, whom I have found to be an amazing resource on so many other topics.  And again, they did not disappoint!  Check out these amazing ideas for keeping your little one quietly and happily occupied.  Many of these also work well as activities to help little ones wind down before nap or bedtime.

Quiet Time Activities

Mom Endeavors has an easy to follow tutorial on making these adorable popsicle stick photo puzzles for your little ones.  Best of all, you can vary the difficulty depending on the age and ability of the child.

Little Red Farm shares this darling quiet play suitcase that she prepared for her son before the birth of her second child.  It is full of activities that little ones can do with minimal assistance, so that Mom is free to do other things, like take care of baby.

Laura Harley shares that her nearly two year old son “loves credit cards, so I took an old purse of mine with lots of pockets and put animal cards I found that are the size of credit cards in the various pockets. He spends time taking the cards out, turning them around, and placing them back in the pockets.  He also loves to look at photos of himself and his family on my iPhone, so when I really need a distraction, I pull that out. The only problem is, he sometimes gets excited by who he sees in the picture and will yell, “Grandma!” (adorable and sweet, but not the best thing to happen during consultation at Feast ;). No one seems to really mind, though).”

Quiet Books

Quiet books are the ultimate quiet time activity.  Here is a one version from The Good Long Road, with great ideas about activities to include and how to personalize the book for your child.

Expect Moore shares a twist on the quiet book idea with a tutorial for a Pocket Quiet Book, made for the growing child.  By using pockets, activities in the book can be easily changed to match developing abilities and interests.

On the Road

Traveling, even short distances, can be challenging with small children.  Veritable Treasures shares their family solution: this wonderful outing bag, filled with activities and treats for keeping little ones busy on car trips and family outings.

In a similar vein, the Princess and the Tot created these cute toddler busy bags, each with a different activity.  They are easy to grab when you head out the door and fit neatly into a diaper bag or tote.

If there ever were a time for quiet activities, it is on an airplane!  Vibrant Wanderings put together this amazing ensemble of activities for her toddler in preparation for 26 (!) hours of travel – everything from handmade felt activities to art supplies and magnet books.

At Home

And of course, who doesn’t need an activity for the kids at home, so you can take care of things around the house?  This fun rainbow collage from Bilingual Babes is great for quiet time and so simple that toddlers can really enjoy it, at the same time as they learn about color sorting.

At Bedtime

Children often have a hard time winding down at bedtime, so quiet activities are a perfect way to help them with that transition from active play to rest.  This beautiful lavender sensory bin from NurtureStore looks so soothing that I may try it for myself (oh yeah, and for my little Monkey, too!)

For Very Little Ones

Babies will be entertained with this safe, sensory play activity from NurtureStore (posted on Baby Centre).  Discovery bottles are a great way to let your baby explore without worrying about them putting everything into their mouths.  And while these bottles can be made into great, noisy toys as well, there are also suggestions here for adapting this activity for “quiet time.”

For Older Children

Once your child can handle a needle and thread, try this activity from the Sewing Loft Blog: Do-it-yourself easy stitch cards!  It requires some prep work by Mom, but what a fun way for kids to spend an afternoon!

Looking for More Ideas?

Be sure to check out this amazing collection from Playing with Words 365:  50 Ways to Keep Your Toddler or Preschooler Busy on a Plane or Elsewhere.

Thanks to all of the bloggers who allowed me to highlight their ideas above!  I can’t wait to try these out with my little Monkey!

How do you keep your little ones busy during quiet time?

This post has been shared at Say Not Sweet Anne’s Sweet Sharing Monday, Made in a Day’s Made U Look Linky, Living Life Intentionally’s TGIF Linky Party, One Creative Mommy’s One Creative Weekend, The Magic Onions’ Friday Nature Table, Chicken Scratch’s What’s Cluckin’, Science Sparks’ Fun Sparks, and Bowdabra’s Saturday Showcase.