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Sometimes, we just need an activity to keep kids busy when we are trying to do something.

keep kids busy while cooking

It might be paying bills, doing work, cleaning the house, using the phone… or the biggest one in our house… cooking dinner.  I find that the worst time of day for our kid’s behavior happens to be right around dinner time.  They are hungry, tired, impatient and just winding down from the day.

I wanted to share this activity.   Our kids really love to do this and they could do it every day and never get bored because they can be as creative as they want!

activity to keep kids busy

Just print out a picture of your child (colored or black & white) – I chose the biggest setting on our printer.  Give them their crayons, pencils and art supplies (You could let them have glue, cotton balls, wiggly eyes, yarn, etc…)  Talk to your children about how you want them to turn their picture into a new picture by drawing on it or adding things to it.
Do they want to be a Princess?
Santa (use the cotton balls for a beard)?
A favorite character from a movie?
Our older boys turned themselves into “Knights” in this picture.  We had just finished up the latest Magic Treehouse Book and they were talking about Knights in the book, so our kids used this as an easy extension activity.

A photograph of a boy with someone drawing a beard on him with markers.

If you are looking for more kid-friendly activities, see these other activities on Your Modern Family.

This DIY creativity kit will keep your kids busy for an hour or more!
gift for creative child

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Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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