Busy Bags for kids at church?

[Lamb]

What kinds of things are quiet and keeps kids busy at church?

My church doesn't have any busy bags like my previous church did, so I'm going to try to make some up. They'll be kept on hooks in the narthex and I want to make 3 different age groups, probably have 3 bags for each age group.

Here are some ideas, but I'd like to see more:

Fabric books
Books with flip pages or things to do in the book
puppet toys
foam sew items, where the string stays attached at one end

 

[NewCreation435]

when I was a little kid we could bring some coloring pages and colors
word puzzle books might be good for some kids also

 

[Lamb]

when I was a little kid we could bring some coloring pages and colors
word puzzle books might be good for some kids also

When my previous church used to do the yearly pew cleaning, we saw a lot of crayon marks in some of the pews where the kids would be with families. It's a good idea for kids whose parents will monitor them though!

 

[Lamb]

I went to GoodWill and picked up a bunch of books to put in the Busy Bags (toddler appropriate). The sign for books said $2.99 each, but when I got to the counter, the lady counted them and gave them all to me for $2.99 total. I was so happy and told her it was for my church and thank you, and she seemed pleased that she was able to help. I think sometimes they want to give things away because there are so many items there at those stores.