Magnetic Christmas Tree Busy Bag With Scotch® Expressions Tapes

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. I hope you and your kids enjoy this fun magnetic Christmas tree busy bag over the holidays. #CraftAmazing #CollectiveBias

Lets face it…Holidays are a busy time for Mom! Trying to tackle all the prep for the holiday all while keeping the kids busy and entertained during the day can be a daunting task. On those days that my to-do list is longer than I can imagine, I love to set out a variety of busy bags that my preschooler can play with while I’m busily working. This gives me some free time to get things done and crossed off my list. Last week I used Scotch® Expressions Tapes to help me create this stunning Magnetic Christmas Tree Busy Bag. Although it’s intended for kids to play with, I have to admit I’ve already had quite a bit of fun with it also.

There are so many reasons to adore this simple magnetic Christmas tree busy bag. Not only do the bright and vibrant colors of the Scotch® Brand Expressions Tape make it stunning, but there are some fabulous learning aspects to the activity. Toddlers and preschoolers get to use those oh so important muscles in their fingers and hands to move the pieces around working their fine motor skills. They also practice sorting objects from small to large to make their Christmas tree and can work on forming patterns as they lay their pieces out. Go grab your supplies and get ready to make this fun holiday-themed activity for your kids!

HOW TO MAKE A MAGNETIC CHRISTMAS TREE BUSY BAG

Supplies you will need:

Scotch® Expressions Tapes (choose a variety of colors and patterns including green)
Scotch® Brand Repositionable Magnetic Tape (2 rolls)
small craft gems
star foam stickers
tacky glue
ruler
scissors
small metal baking sheet (or you can use any magnetic surface like a refrigerator)

Directions:

1. Gather all of your supplies. Open up your Scotch® Brand Repositionable Magnetic Tape and using your ruler and scissors, cut a section that is 8 inches, 7, inches, 6 inches, 5 inches, 4 inches, 3 inches,

2 inches and 1 inch. These are the pieces you need to make one tree. I cut enough pieces to make 2 trees, plus a few extra pieces, so I used two rolls of the magnetic tape.

As a side note, while I was buying my supplies at Walmart, I couldn’t believe how many fun products are in the Scotch® Create line. I’ve been busy thinking of more fun busy bag ideas I can make with some of them. From masking tape to spray adhesives and everything in between, they have all of the supplies you’ll need to get any kind of project done.

2. Now you need to add the Scotch® Expressions Tapes to the Scotch® Brand Repositionable Magnetic Tape strips. Do this by peeling the backing off the magnetic tape and then place the Scotch® Expressions Tape on the sticky side of the magnetic tape.

I found it was easiest if I laid my Christmas tree pattern out and made every other piece green. Then I used another color or pattern on the rest of the Christmas tree pieces.

3. Use tacky glue to glue small craft gems onto the pieces that aren’t green. The gems are a perfect touch since they look like bright and shiny ornaments on the tree.

4. Attach a small piece of Scotch® Brand Repositionable Magnetic Tape onto the back of a few star felt stickers. Now all of your prep work is finished.

5. Put all of the pieces into a plastic baggie until your child is ready to play. When you want to play with the busy bag, lay all of the pieces out next to a small baking tray (or any magnetic surface such as the refrigerator) and your kids will have fun using the pieces to build a Christmas tree.

Since there are so many different pieces, your child can design a tree and then swap out pieces to create a new tree with a different design. The design possibilities are endless! Every time I made a different Christmas tree design I was in awe of the bright and bold colors of the Scotch® Expressions Tapes. They are so fun and versatile and bring such great inspiration for every day projects and creations.

The next time you’re out shopping you can find the Scotch® Brand products at your local Walmart. I found the Scotch® Expressions Tapes in the Crafts section on the aisle with the scrapbooking supplies and I found the Scotch® Create line and Scotch® Brand Repositionable Magnetic Tape in the office supplies aisle.

One of my favorite parts about this activity is that it is small enough that we can bring along our bag of pieces and baking sheet while we are traveling to Grandma’s house and other relatives over the holidays so we have a fun activity on hand to keep the kids entertained.

Make sure to check out more amazing craft ideas with Scotch® Brand products. What other fun holiday crafts can you create with these great products?

NOTE: Magnets can be dangerous if swallowed. Small children and children who put objects in their mouth should not do this activity or should be supervised at all times with this activity.

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rachel