We all have those moments where you need to finish up work from home, or just send those last few emails, but you've got kids who want your attention right now and you need to keep them entertained while you finish up. If you've Googled "activities to keep kids busy while working from home" in one of those moments, you've probably seen the same list recycled a hundred times: sensory bin, colouring page, screen time, repeat. I get it, those ideas exist because they work. But as an OT, I also know that kids (and parents) get bored of the obvious stuff fast, and that truly independent play needs a bit more thought behind it.
The trick isn't finding activities that distract your child. It's finding ones that genuinely absorb them, because the activity itself is open-ended enough to hold their attention without you hovering nearby. Below are nine ideas I actually recommend to the families I work with. Some use open-ended toys from our shop, others cost absolutely nothing. All of them touch on different areas of development, gross motor, fine motor, sensory processing, and open-ended thinking, because variety is what keeps kids regulated and engaged for longer stretches.
1. The "Delivery Job" (Gross Motor + Executive Function)
Give your child a laundry basket, a few soft toys or cushions, and a "delivery map" (literally just a few chairs or cushions placed around the room as delivery stops). Their job is to load the basket, deliver an item to each stop, and come back for the next load. It sounds simple, but it combines heavy work (pulling/pushing the basket builds proprioceptive input, which is genuinely calming and organising for kids), sequencing, and sustained attention , often for 20 minutes or more once they're in character.
2. Pour and Play Sensory Trays (Open-Ended Toy)
This is one of our most-loved products for exactly this reason: a themed tray with legumes, rice, or sand, plus little figurines, scoops, and tools, gives a child a fully self-contained world to explore. Unlike a toy with "one right way to play," a sensory tray invites hours of pouring, sorting, burying, and imaginative storytelling, and it's mess-contained if you use a tray with edges. Our Pour and Play Sensory Sets come in themes from dinosaurs to farmyards, so you can rotate them to keep things fresh without buying something new each time.
3. Sock Skating (Gross Motor + Balance)
Clear a small patch of non-carpeted floor, put socks on, and let your child "skate" from one point to another; sliding, gliding, spinning. It's a brilliant way to work on balance and core control without equipment, and it burns energy fast (useful right before a big call). For an extra challenge, give them two paper plates to stand on and "ski" across the floor instead.
4. Wobble Stones or Stepping Stones as a Custom Obstacle Course (Open-Ended Toy)
Rather than a store-bought obstacle course kit, our Wobble Stepping Stones work because they're genuinely open-ended, kids design their own path each time, which keeps them problem-solving rather than just repeating a fixed route. Balance work like this builds core strength and vestibular processing, both of which support a child's ability to sit still and focus later (which, as a working parent, you'll appreciate).
5. The Texture Hunt (Sensory + Language)
Give your child a small basket and send them on a mission to find five things that feel "rough," "soft," "cold," and "bumpy" around the house. No screens, no supervision needed, and it quietly builds sensory vocabulary and tactile discrimination skills that matter for handwriting readiness later on, even though it feels like a game now.
6. Threading and Lacing With a Purpose (Open-Ended Toy)
Fine motor toys work best when there's a "why" attached. Our Caterpillar Threading Set is a favourite because kids can turn it into a story ("feeding" the caterpillar) rather than a repetitive drill. Threading strengthens the small hand muscles needed for pencil grip, and because it's genuinely open-ended, older siblings often extend the play by inventing their own patterns or racing to finish.
7. Cardboard Box Architecture (Fine + Gross Motor, Planning)
Save your delivery boxes. Give your child masking tape, a marker, and however many boxes you have, and let them build something; a shop, a rocket, a maze. This is one of the most underrated activities out there because it combines planning, spatial reasoning, and bilateral coordination (taping, cutting, holding), and because it's never the same twice, kids return to it far longer than a single-use craft.
8. Magnetic Drawing for "Grown-Up Work" Moments (Open-Ended Toy)
For the moments you need your child seated and quiet nearby (a call, an email), our Magnetic Pad is genuinely mess-free and screen-free, and works on the exact pre-writing pincer grip skills we look for as OTs. Unlike a screen, it doesn't overstimulate kids tend to settle into calm, repetitive drawing rather than needing more and more input to stay engaged.
9. The Gogga (Bug) Expedition (Open-Ended Toy)
If you have any outdoor space at all, a bug-hunting mission is one of the best independent activities going. Our Wooden Gogga Box gives kids tweezers and a proper collection box, which turns "going outside" into a focused science mission. Tweezer use is fantastic for pincer grip and hand strength, and the observation element (watching, waiting, being still) builds sustained attention in a way that's very different from, say, running around a nice option to alternate with the higher-energy ideas above.
Why Mixing It Up Matters
As an OT, the pattern I look for isn't "which single toy will buy me the most minutes" it's whether a child's day includes a mix of movement, stillness, sensory input, and open-ended thinking. A child who's had a chance to move their body (Ideas 1 and 3), regulate through sensory play (Ideas 2 and 5), and build fine motor control (Ideas 6, 8, and 9) is generally far more settled, and far more capable of independent play, than one who's had the same type of activity on repeat all day.
You don't need a house full of toys to achieve that. A mix of one or two good open-ended toys, rotated occasionally, plus a handful of free, low-prep ideas like these, will get you further than an overflowing toy box ever will.
Want a hand picking a few open-ended toys that'll actually earn their keep? Pop into the shop or browse our Open-Ended Play collection every item is chosen with exactly this kind of independent, developmental play in mind.