I’ve always been a stickler for quiet time. Even after my kids outgrew naps, they were still required to spend time in silence—yes, silence. This is not audiobook time. Our world is constantly shouting at us, and rather than seeking silence, people have become afraid of it. Yet it is in the quiet that we process our thoughts and often hear from God. From the beginning, I’ve wanted my children to be comfortable without noise filling every moment. So we created a habit after lunch of setting aside an hour to each have our own space.

That said, these resources can also be helpful tools for keeping little hands busy during read-alouds, church, or travel.

If your kids love to draw but loose, crinkly pages are filling your purse and back seats of the car, you’ll love Doodle Pads. They aren’t a perfect replacement for paper, but for trips or church they’re easy to grab and go. It’s a drawing pad that lights up wherever the pen touches and clears at the click of a button. The battery lasts for years, and they cost less than $10 each. We also use ours for spelling and math practice.

Tip: Be sure to get one with a string that attaches the pen so it doesn’t get lost.

For kids who enjoy stickers, Paint-by-Sticker books are a great option. They take time, encourage number sequencing, require focus and careful placement, and result in a fun mosaic that can be gifted to a friend or grandparent.

Diamond Dots are not recommended if you have toddlers underfoot—the small pieces spill easily and aren’t safe for little ones. However, they’re excellent for developing dexterity and focus. We’ve used ones that make stickers, bookmarks, ornaments, and larger images. They work like paint-by-letter or shape: the image is sticky, and the pen has a waxy tip that picks up each diamond until it’s placed on the design. We’ve even used them for letter recognition. While placing black dots on all the spaces labeled “A,” my son repeats the three “A” sounds aloud. They’re also helpful during read-alouds and audiobooks to support focus.

No I didn’t make a mistake. “A” makes three sounds “apple,” “ate,” and “water.” We use All About Spelling and I highly recommend it!

Water Wows are perfect for church. Although my boys have outgrown them, I still keep one in my church bag for my niece or other children. Simply fill the pen barrel with water, and as the brush moves across the page, the images magically appear in color. It’s completely mess-free—and the water dries making it reusable!

Another great on-the-go item is tangrams. We use magnetic sets that come with a book of image prompts. This classic brain teaser shows a picture, and the challenge is to recreate it using the shapes provided. Everything sticks together and folds up neatly, making it ideal for travel or passing back and forth.

This one is new to me. A little girl in our church showed it to me last Sunday. It’s advertised as a Sensory Activity Board. The bendable silicone colors are similar fit between the pegs allowing your child to create but also experience different textures and work on fine motor skills. I have this is in my online shopping cart ready for my next order. I was surprised at how affordable it was!

You know what gets me more than the toys making noise? Trying to quietly hand my child a snack, only for the bag to be outrageously loud. While I don’t always use this style, I do appreciate it when we’re in a public place where silence is necessary and my child still needs a snack. Which brings me to these…

These bags aren’t completely silent, but they’re far quieter than foil, Velcro, or tins—and sometimes that makes all the difference. Pencil bags also work for many things. I love that we can see what is inside and you can get them in a variety of sizes.

The truth is no matter how well you plan your kids can make anything make noise and with their imagination sometimes sounds just come out. Don’t stress it too much. Children are a blessing! But do set aside time each day for your kids to get some peace and who know, maybe they will fall back into a nap habit also and that’s not bad either.