3 Dollar Tree Items Any Parent Would Love

Don't leave the Dollar Tree without them!

As a parent, finding affordable ways to keep my kids entertained is crucial for my bank account -- and for my sanity. Fortunately, the Dollar Tree provides me with plenty of opportunities to buy fun activities to keep my children occupied without giving my credit cards too much of a workout.

While there are many great Dollar Tree items I buy for my children, here are three of the best bargain items from the Tree that any parent would absolutely love

1. Paint With Water books

My 3-year-old adores crafts, and I like to encourage his creativity. What I do not love, however, is cleaning up giant messes which are inevitable when we do most craft projects. But, there's one awesome Dollar Tree product that is completely mess free, that I can leave him to do without close supervision and that we can even bring with us in the car.

What is this miraculous product? It's the Paint With Water books the Dollar Tree sells. As the name suggests, these books allow you to "paint" or make beautiful colors appear just by running a wet paint brush over the pages.

This product has kept my son busy at restaurants, on planes, and at home for hours. I never have to worry about anything staining, either, because the worst that can happen is he spills a cup of water. It's truly like magic -- both for me, and for him, as colors appear on the page perfectly within the lines to create a beautiful finished product.

2. Learning Activity Workbooks

Although my son attends an amazing preschool, we try to do some educational activities at home. And the Dollar Tree Learning Activity Workbooks actually make this fun.

There are dozens of different activity workbooks available at my local Dollar Tree at any given time, and they target a wide array of different age groups and subjects. We've done some really fun books that have provided a great introduction to numbers and letters. And because the books only cost $1 (or $1.25), I don't worry too much if my son just wants to color on some pages rather than doing the assigned activity.

3. Make-It Blocks

Building with Legos actually has some educational benefits for kids, including improved hand-eye coordination and development of problem-solving skills. But, let's face it, Lego sets can be expensive -- especially for a 3-year-old who doesn't necessarily keep all the pieces together after constructing a masterpiece.

Fortunately, the Make-It Blocks from the Dollar Tree are a really affordable option that allow my son to build all kinds of cool stuff including everything from dinosaurs to construction trucks. My husband and son adore putting them together as a team, and we can buy a whole bunch at once since they only cost $1.25. The best part is, they are also fun to play with after they have been built (at least for a short period, before they end up taken apart!)

Each of these three items are some of the best deals for kids at the Dollar Tree, and parents should check them out if they want affordable entertainment for their own kids.