Now, at first glance, you might think this activity is NOT an ideal quiet time activity for preschoolers. I get that, what with it being a slingshot and all, but hear me out…
First things first, we are using pompoms, so it’s not a loud activity, and really, those pompoms don’t go all that far. It actually makes an awesome quiet time activity and meets all my (incredibly stringent) criteria:
- It is incredibly engaging, drawing those little ones deeply into a time where they can play independently.
- It has minimal setup and prep.
- Little bodies stayed relatively quiet and still, allowing rest.
- The cleanup is a breeze as long as you only include a few cotton balls.
- And it is even educational! A few elastics of different lengths and widths clipped to the sides of the bin with clothespins and there is loads of learning happening.
So I am indeed deeming this a Quiet Time activity. It has my personal Quiet Time Queen seal of approval (which, of course, is ridiculous, but that is how I roll).
For this quiet time activity I cut some elastics in half. I wanted to use elastics of various widths, so my little one could play with thick elastics and thin elastics with this slingshot. I then added some clothespins and the all important pompoms.
The clothespins worked surprisingly well to secure those elastics on. My 4 year old could do this all on his own and successfully use the sling shot without the elastics falling off. Of course, if this is a challenge, you could always use duct tape to secure the various elastics on.
Children will come up with all sorts of games for this activity! I like to leave quiet time activities nice and open ended, allowing creativity to take over for my child. You could add in a few additional supplies to spark some additional ideas though, if your child is new to quiet time and needs a bit more support.
Perhaps you could add a plastic cup to have your child try to slingshot the pompoms into!
This activity is actually found within my Dollarstore Quiet Bins ebook! If you are just starting out on your Quiet Time journey, either of my two Quiet Time eBooks—Dollarstore Quiet Bins or A Year of Educational Quiet Bins—are a wonderful place to begin.
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I would also love you to join me in the Quiet Time Club! We have hot tea, warm showers, calm kids, and a whole hour to ourselves every day. Check it out right here: https://shop.howweelearn.com/pages/quiet-time-club
I hope you get a few moments of quiet today, friends! Thank you so very much for reading.
xo
Sarah
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