Self-contained activity/brain game ideas for ages 2-6?

[Veritaserum]

I'd like to have a few quiet activities to keep my kids occupied while I do one-on-one learning with another child. Ideas I've had:

Sorting (shape, color, size, etc.) I've seen large boxes of buttons at the craft store that have a nice assortment of colors, sizes, shapes, and designs.
Tangrams (anyone know a nice source for tangrams with puzzle cards?)
Lacing cardsDoes anyone else do this? What do you do? I recently gave birth to number 5 and am feeling a tad overwhelmed about this coming school year....

[Veritaserum]

Clarification: I guess I'm mainly looking for stuff for 4-6 years old. My 8-year-old can work independently after I give her some instruction. It's just frustrating to be interrupted every five seconds by one of her younger siblings. :tongue_smilie: Since they aren't yet at a level to do their work completely on their own I'm looking for activities to hold their interest long enough for me to give instruction uninterrupted.

For my 2-year-old I'm hoping that crayons and paper, wooden puzzles, and stuffed animals will hold her interest more this year...but if you have some good ideas for little ones I'd love to hear them! :)

[Tonia]

I've got some ideas for preschool activity bags that might be modified for older children. Link is in my siggy.