My kids love… no… make that L O V E playing with ball pit balls. They are hands down one of the best investments we’ve made in the toy department. If I had to downsize the toys, these would stay. There are so many ways that you can play with them! You don’t even need a traditional ball pit to have loads of fun.

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I put this activity together with the idea that the tongs would be used to transfer the balls from the big bin to the little ones and back again. As you will see my three year old really got “in” to it.

The set up is simple!

Set up Your Own Ball Pit Ball Transfer Game

Large storage bin or box (like this under the bed storage bin)
Various other empty containers or boxes. We used plastic shoe boxes and bins I had found at the dollar store.
Ball pit balls (I like these because they are BPA & Phalate free & come in their own storage bag)
Kitchen tongs

Start with all the balls in the large bin. Arrange the two smaller boxes next to the large one and lay the tongs out. Then, invite your child over to play!

Ball Pit Ball Transfer Game

Perfect for Toddlers & Preschoolers

See! Without hesitation my three year old jumped right in!

I don’t know why, but I never anticipated them sitting in the bin to play with this (I know…duh! right?). Once he was in though, even without me leading him, he did play with it in the way I had intended.

I think the fact that he could get his whole body engaged kept him at play for a long time.

I haven’t shared much about this here on the blog but my youngest has been dealing with gross motor delays. He never stood until he was 18 months, walked until he was two and to this day still can not do stairs independently at three. We had a wonderful experience with early intervention but in February he aged out of the program. While I know he will eventually get there, we still try to do our part to make sure he’s getting a good work out to help develop those muscles. He’s made great strides and an activity like this is perfect for him! Think climbing in and out of that bin. His muscles get a good workout along with his hand eye coordination and fine motor skills too.

The fun didn’t end with filling the bins either!

There were fits of giggles as they dumped the smaller bins back into the larger one. And there may or may not have been a few balls dumped over brothers’ heads too 😉

Set it all up and see what happens! My four year old had just as much fun as the little guy. Of course it eventually leads to balls flying all over the house but who cares if they are entertaining themselves!