I love the Dollar Tree….like really love it. Â It’s my favorite dollar store, and I go about once a month and stock up on all our favorite supplies for play
You should know that this is NOT a sponsored post my them. Â I just love what we’ve done with some of their products and wanted to share.
First I’m going to list our current favorite things from the Dollar Tree and several ways to play with them. Â Then at the bottom of the post there is a long list of stuff that I also buy regularly. 
Click the blue link to take you to an activity for that product.
Paper Cups
We play with these paper cups every day. Â J is always coming up with inventive ways to play with them, and E, my 1 year old, loves to sing in them to hear his voice resonate. Â Here’s a few ways we play with them.
- Use them as blocks to make towers.
- Tape them together and cut out the bottoms to turn them into pretend binoculars.
- Make pom pom shooters
- Filled them with beads to make shakers.
- Fill with soil and sow seeds for the garden
Dish Sponges
We haven’t used the sponges quite as much as our paper cups, but they have been getting some good playtime around here lately.
- Cut them up to make silent blocks
- Use them as brushes for painting.
- Put in our pretend kitchen for cleaning.
- Turn them into water bombs.
Spray Bottles
J loves spray bottles. Â I like the small ones at the Dollar Tree because they are a perfect size for his hands. Â We use them mainly for spraying water, but we’ve done a bit more than that with them.
- Fill with vinegar to spray baking soda to make eruptions.
- Fill with liquid watercolors to “spray paint”
- Spray marks made from washable makers with water to make them drip.
Masking Tape
We use masking tape all the time around here for various things. Â J uses it mainly to turn his tape is trucks together…don’t ask. Â Anyway, here is how I’ve used it to set up activities for him. Â Some of these use blue painters tape, but masking tape will work just as well.
Glass Gems
We’ve been playing with our glass gems for a very long time around here. Â I bought one pack and they’ve lasted for about 2 years now. Â My son calls them his “red beads” and they get played with almost every day. Â I actually did an entire post on them. Â Here’s some of our favorite ways to play.
- Use them in a small world construction site
- Add them to a wooden train track as cargo for hopper cars
- Put them in a sensory box
- Use them on a light table
- Pair them with water beads to explore the different textures
- Push them into playdough
- Fill up jars and cups to make shakers
Other Favorite Dollar Store Items for Play
Paper plates are great to pour paint on when painting.
Shower Curtain for drop cloths to keep the floor from getting wet or dirty.
Hair gel for sensory bags or bottles.
Hair conditioner for this amazing dough.
Bubbles Small figures for make believe play and making small worlds.
Water balloons (the ones from Dollar Tree are pretty good quality)
Glow Sticks for a glow bath
Shaving Cream for messy play and foam dough
Craft supplies like googly eyes, craft sticks, foam shapes, and pom poms.
Pasta to dye for sensory play and fine motor play.
Rice to dye for rainbow rice and other sensory play
Well, I think that about covers it. Â Can you see why I love that store? Â They have just so many great things that can be used for play….and all just for $1!
So, did I leave anything off that you love from the Dollar Store?
I just love simple, easy, quick, FUN ideas, and this post is full of them! We also love glass gems and they get taken out nearly everyday as well! I think I’m gonna try the hair gel sensory bag soon–looks amazing! Pinning for sure!
Yup, all of the above are items I use in my classroom all the time! My kiddos love stacking cups and sorting gems and making concoctions with conditioner and flour or cornstarch. I have a post coming up on my blog about a handful of dollar store items that include toothpaste, cat toys, pony tail holders, sponges, cupcake liners and more! i just picked up spray bottles from World Market. Thank you for all you share, love your ideas!
Love this. We use the dollar store all the time. When we made the decision to homeschool it was the very first place I went. Great post… However, it was so good, now my to do list just got longer because I can’t wait to try them out!
These are great ideas but I’d be worried about some of these materials being toxic for little ones. Skin absorbs very well, which is the reason why some medications are delivered transdermally. Shaving cream for example, or artificial dyes used for rice above, would be definitely introducing toxins to children’s bodies. I shop at the dollar store every now and then, but worry about cheap plastic stuff imported from China. Mardi Gras beads, for eg were found to have very large concentrations of lead. I hate to think what’s in dollar store products that are not intended for the use of children, and, therefore don’t need to pass any safety regulations.
I also would like to recommend silicone ice trays. We like to play with different shapes figures.Here in Russia it calls Fix price. And also one of my favourite places to shop and search not ordinary ways to play!!!
We like to buy ice cube trays, and the little eraser bags. The kids LOVE to sort them and count them, and categorize them into the ice trays. It is a great fine motor and math activity!
Oh great idea on the erasers! We do buy the ice cube trays and have used them some…actually have a plan for them this week 🙂
Love this post – I just made myself a long shopping list and will head into our store on Tuesday to buy some goodies! I like to shop the seasonal section – we got some great Easter crafts, and also sticker books.
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Thank you for this list of amazing ideas for budget-conscious moms. I’ve also found magnetic alphabet letters at the dollar store. You just never know what new treasures will be there. I love them!
looks like the kids and i will be busy this weekend with all these fun projects to try! thanks for sharing!
I agree some of items are mouth inviting. Chock hazards. But if you are doing one on one and are able to give complete attention the danger might be eliminated.
But I can see the child enjoying it. Dollar stores are a good resource.
Carole-an early childhood teacher who has taught longer then I want to admit!