Craft Stick Play Ideas for Kid-Led Indoor Fun

Somehow I thought it was reasonable to obtain a box of 1000 wooden craft sticks. I was sure they would come in handy for some cool kids activity or craft. Well they did. Let me tell you how it came about.

I left a box of 1000 craft sticks on the table.

The end.

Well, not exactly the end.

You see, my son took this box of 1000 craft sticks. Opened it. Dumped out about 200 of them and started playing.

Playing with sticks turned into a great idea for a rainy day, and it required no intervention on my part. This is the best kind of screen-free indoor activity!

These little wooden sticks kept my child busy for quite some time. It may seem a little unusual, but hey!, whatever works, right?

Instructions

Wait. Watch. Enjoy your coffee. Your child will figure it out.

MORE: 10 quick activities for 2-4 year olds

Tips

There's nothing wrong by allowing your child independent play time. If they want you to, you can also get down on the floor and play with your child. Kids love it when you come down to their level.

Here are some ideas for how to use some of those 1000 craft sticks. You can:

• build with them
• use them to form letters and numbers
• use them to make stick puppets
• make a tic-tac-toe board
• pile them onto toy trucks and drive them around the room
• create a road by lining them up side by side and driving cars through them
• make an incredibly long line with them
• measure stuff, "How many craft sticks tall is my mom?"

I think my son's favorite method of play was forming letters and trying to spell words! If you recall, he loves to spontaneous spell words with his letter cards.

Need more ideas? Visit our giant list of indoor activities for kids.

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