Growing Play
Disclaimer: These pages are not intended to provide medical advice or physician/therapist instruction. Information provided should not be used for diagnostic or training purposes. Consult a therapist or physician regarding specific diagnoses or medical advice.
Homemade “Nail Polish” for Toddlers
My little toddler LOVES to get her fingernails polished. One day we were making some homemade paint and we realized it would work great as pretend nail polish. It was some corn starch and colored water. She really enjoyed “painting” my nails. The corn starch made it dry hard on my fingernails but it washed […]
Toddler Time: Hide and Seek
I am all for keeping it simple and this activity certainly keeps it simple. No materials or preparations are needed. All hide and seek requires is your time. When you stop to think about all the benefits of hide and seek it is really a learning game for little ones: visual perceptual skills – the […]
Surfing on Dry Land
Watch this quick video on how the kids came up with surfing on dry land. This was a lesson in engineering, design, balance skills, imagination and loads of fun!!!!!
Playing to Get Ready for a Doctor’s Visit
If your child is fearful about going to the doctor here are a few tips to prepare your child through play for a doctor’s visit: 1. Play pretend – Start off by using a pretend doctor’s kit (homemade or store bought) to check a stuffed animal or a doll. The child can watch you check […]
Toddler Time – Giant Abacus
Next time your toddler needs something to entertain him or her, try setting up this giant abacus. All you need to do is grab items from around your kitchen that have a hole in them. Here we used cookie cutters, paper towel tubes, measuring spoons, cups and pastry brushes. Lace a string through all of […]
Homemade Play Dough You Can Eat!
This edible play dough was actually created out of necessity. My littlest one is currently crazy about using play dough but we were running low. We decided to make a new batch but realized I did not have enough salt. I did have lots of butter though! Why couldn’t we make cookie dough to look […]
My First Matching Game
Set up a sensory box for your toddler to explore same and different. Here we collected items from around the house that were all the same. Some of the items we collected were: paintbrushes, toilet paper tubes, sponges, cups, lids, felt scraps, plastic spoons, popsicle sticks and straws. The toddler explored the sensory box and […]
Taking Pretend Play Outdoors
Taking pretend play outdoors can encourage children to explore dramatic play in a whole new way. Here we created an outdoor tree swing for baby and a slide. My little one pushed her baby doll in the stroller over to her “pretend park”. She fed baby, pushed her on the swing and helped her down […]
5 Creative Computer Activities
As much as I want children to play outdoors and experience daily physical activity you also need a balance in life. Technology is large part of our culture. Of course, I also want children to be proficient in computer use. What I mean by proficient in computer use is know how to use the […]
Simple Fishing Game
So we made some bow and arrows the other day which you can read about here. After awhile of shooting arrows, the children took the bows apart and started using them as batons pretending to march in parades and do dance moves. I love when toys take on new roles. Well, this morning the toy […]