I always find it beneficial when there are more uses to a household item than one. As a mother, I especially get excited when a completely ordinary household item can also be utilized in my child’s play. Mae and I have recently discovered many fun uses of mug trees. Mug trees are a home organization tool, but believe it or not, there are many ways to incorporate them into your child’s play.
1.Grapat Rings
I love Grapat rings, coins and nins! They are lovely open-ended toys, so your imagination only restricts their uses. I feel that they add an element of whimsy to any play space. These wooden rings will surely attract the attention of children of various ages and developmental stages. Children will love stacking these beautiful, colorful rings on the limbs of the mug tree. One definite advantage of using Grapat rings is that their size ensures that even the youngest children can participate in this activity.
2.Hang Letters
This idea is inspired by “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. You can make these letter ornaments with magnetic letters or print or write the letters on paper. Children will enjoy reenacting the story and improving their letter recognition and fine motor skills.
3.Hang Stockings or Ornaments
Children will love contributing to the Christmas décor as they decorate and redecorate their mug tree with these mini stockings and ornaments. The Dollar Tree sells these mini Christmas stockings every year so keep an eye out for them!
4.Tying Ribbons
Have any left-over ribbons from a project? Please don’t throw them away! Your child can use them to drape or tie on their mug tree. Learning to tie knots is an essential life skill, so why not introduce it in a fun and engaging way?
5.Plastic Links
These links already benefit your child’s fine motor development and help strengthen tiny hands. Here is a new way to put them on your child’s shelf to breathe new life into these toys.
6.Pipe Cleaners and Beads
You can use pipe cleaners by wrapping them around the mug tree, and to add even more fun, you can use the exposed ends of the pipe cleaner to thread beads or buttons on. I used to do a similar activity with my preschoolers when I was a teacher, and I was impressed by how long this activity held their attention.
7.Rubber Bands
You can thread the rubber bands on each limb, similar to the activity with the Grapat rings, or you can take this a step further and stretch the rubber bands over multiple limbs to create a web-like texture on your mug tree.
What do you think of these seven ways to play with a mug tree? Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how they can be used in young children’s learning? I plan to write more posts on using everyday household objects in the play of toddlers and preschoolers. Let me know in the comments below if you want to challenge me to create ideas for a particular household item.