What works for me... Beads.

A mason jar full of beads and another full of pipe cleaners
serve as instant entertainment and practicing of fine motor skills
for little fingers.

I usually pour a small amount of beads into a bowl and let my
little Buglett pick out a pipe cleaner to string them on. 

I often end up with more strings of beads than I really know what
to do with, but I have been known to bend the pipe cleaner just
enough to hook over a flower pot or hang in a window for a few days.
When it's been there long enough (what's "long enough" may vary ;-))
and no one notices, I sneak it down and unstring the beads back
into the jar. 

I can't help but love how pretty it is to store craft supplies this way!


p.s.  The Dollar Tree is a great place to "stock up" on pipe cleaners
        and sometimes beads too.