I’ve noticed recently that one of A’s favourite pastimes is to bang and to hit objects. For Christmas, T gave him a small xylophone and there is no doubt that it is one of his absolute favourite toys! In particular, he loves the beater, and can often be found crawling around the house armed with […]
play
Mini Scientists: Invisible Ink
Over the last few months, I’ve become aware of how much T enjoys doing experiments. I’m really keen to nurture this, but as subject knowledge goes, Science is probably one of my weaker areas. (As an aside, it is possible that I once thought petrol pumps were directly connected to oil sources and that central […]
Bread Making with Playdough
I love finding different ways for T to play with playdough. Playdough is so much fun; great for keeping kids entertained; and helps improve fine motor skills by strengthening hand muscles. While the usual play dough cutters and tools are fun, I really like to incorporate different elements in to our dough play, such as toy […]
Baby Play: Balls!
T & A were given a tuff spot tray for Christmas and we’ve been enjoying putting it to use. In the last couple of months A has become increasingly engaged in playing and exploring the things around him. I love this age; it’s so fun to see what they enjoy and how they react to […]
Sweet Shop Role Play
Role play is a brilliant activity for children as it promotes the use of language; applying specific skills (such as counting or writing) in context; is great for social development; and best of all is lots of FUN! For T’s 4th birthday we gave her a ‘shop front’, and for one of her party activities, […]
Messy Play: Cloud Dough Sandcastles
Cloud dough is a lovely sensory material and really simple to make – just flour and oil! I know some people use baby oil, but I have always used vegetable oil because I have it to hand and it is also taste-safe! This is a lovely activity to do with babies once they are sitting […]
Messy Play: Shaving Foam and Paint
Before Christmas, I set myself a challenge of doing 20 days of messy play. While I didn’t actually manage the whole twenty days (not sure why I thought that was possible right before Christmas?!), we did have lots of fun!
BFG Dream Potions
For her last birthday, T had a ‘story’ themed party. The children came dressed as book characters and we had several activities based around some of T’s favourite books. My favourite of all of these was making dream potions, inspired by The BFG! I have to admit that being 4, we haven’t actually read the […]
Baby Play: Treasure Baskets
Not long after T was born, I came across the concept of a Treasure Basket. I’m always keen to develop my knowledge and understanding of play and learning so I was keen to give the idea a go. As far as I could tell, the idea was to provide a baby with household items to […]
Glitter Snow Dough
Ok – you’d like an activity that is quick to prepare, cheap as chips (or possibly cheaper) and will keep your little ones entertained long enough for you to at least make and drink a cup of tea? Then you’re in the right place! Keep reading!