My boys love rice. And surprises. I buried the letters from an alphabet puzzle in a bin of rice and J went on a letter hunt.

This is great for sensory input, letter recognition, and puzzle practice. Not so great for mess, but that’s what outside is for (or a blanket).

J was most engaged when I hid one letter at a time. You could also do this with 

• numbers
• shapes
• sight words
• any objects your kids love

And of course, always IN the bin. 

Don’t knock it till you try it.