By half past ten on Saturday, I had heard “I’m bored” four times, and the sofa cushions had been built into a fort and flattened again.
It was still raining. My daughter’s craft box looked picked over, and I had no appetite for anything involving a screen or a pot of glitter.
What finally worked was simple. A few squishy toys and a pile of scrap paper filled most of the afternoon. The table stayed tidy, and I drank a cup of tea while it was still hot. Here is how it went, in case a wet weekend is heading your way.
Why I Went Looking for Squishy Toys
My daughter is five and she squeezes everything within reach, including the dog’s ears when he allows it (I’m working on it). I wondered whether a proper squishy toy might give that habit somewhere better to go. Squishies are soft and slow to spring back, and they’re light enough for small hands.
She also loves anything shaped like food, so I started searching in that direction. I spent a while comparing sizes and age labels, then ordered a few dumpling squishy toys through Allegro, where I already do most of the family shopping. The longest part of the process was taking the time to read the recommended age and material details on the product page, mostly because my daughter still sniffs everything she picks up. But the whole thing took about ten minutes, and the parcel arrived within a few days. They were just the size I’d hoped for, small enough to sit on a paper plate.
Open a Dumpling Shop
Our first game was a dumpling shop. I lined the squishies up on a paper plate, and my daughter made a menu on a folded sheet of paper, spelling “dumplings” a different way every time it appeared. She cut out a few paper circles for coins and used a shoebox lid as the counter.
I was the customer. I ordered a dumpling and paid with a paper coin, then asked for a bag, so she tore off a strip of paper and wrapped the toy up with great care. Then I came back and ordered another. We carried on like that for a good while, mostly because she liked deciding what I was allowed to buy.
Younger children can simply pick a toy and hand it over. An older child can write the prices and work out the change. And when you introduce your child to the kitchen (carefully, of course), they can really get into the spirit of chef-owner. Order up!
A Matching Game with Scrap Paper
This one needs almost no preparation. I cut scrap paper into small cards and coloured a circle on each. My daughter then placed each toy on the card closest to its colour. When that got easy, we sorted by size instead, and later she invented a rule I never fully understood but obeyed anyway.
Start with two cards for a young child and add more once it feels easy. If a card gets creased or scribbled on, it has done its job.
Play Dough Dumplings and a Story
Next we got the play dough out. I put one squishy on the table as a model, and my daughter rolled a flat circle of dough and pinched it shut around a small blob in the middle. Her first attempt looked nothing like the toy. By the fifth, the dumplings were passable, and she lined them up on a plate for the shop. If you press the squishy gently into a lump of dough, it leaves a shallow dent in the shape of the toy, and she liked that just as much as the folding.
While she squashed dough, one of the squishies picked up a name. Pip, apparently. Over the next hour Pip went to school, made several friends, bumped his head at the playground (that was my fault, somehow) and fell asleep, and I asked what happened next and then kept out of the way, which is harder than it sounds. She drew Pip a house on a folded sheet of paper, with a door that opened, and asked to carry on with the story on Sunday. Even the best writers need a break, eh?
Play dough and paper are my low-mess choices, since both are quick to clear away.
Quiet Time with a Squishy Toy
Not every moment needed a plot. Around four o’clock she settled on the sofa with one dumpling and squeezed it slowly, watching it rise back. I left a book nearby, grabbed one for myself and settled in to read another chapter while she entertained herself. The soft texture and repeated squeezing seem to suit her when she’s tired, and it gave her hands something to do as she wound down.
Children differ here. A friend’s son dislikes the feel of squishies and wants nothing to do with them, so if yours pulls away, put the toy aside and try something else. I see it as one pleasant part of a quiet routine.
Keeping Mess and Risk Low
A tray or washable mat under the paper and crayons keeps the table clear. I leave glitter and glue out of these sessions because cleanup takes longer than the game itself.
Check the age label before handing over a squishy, and read the product description for the materials used. Stay close to younger children. Squishies should never be bitten or put in mouths, and anything torn or leaking should go in the bin. A quick look over the toys before each session takes seconds.
Afterwards, we drop the toys into a small tin, so the shop can reopen tomorrow without a search party.
Where I’d Start
If you are only going to try one idea, I’d pick the shop. Ours ran for nearly an hour before the dumplings turned into astronauts, and I was happy to let them. The day ended with a tidy table and a child who had stopped asking what to do next, which felt like a small win. Try one next time the rain sets in, and keep a paper hat handy.
