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 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 […]
Toddler Time – Simple Sensory Path
Need a quick toddler activity indoors to burn off some energy? Set up this simple sensory path. Gather objects from around your house. We used some bath mats, the top of a ottoman, rug grippers and a baking cooling rack. Off came the shoes and down the textured path the toddler went. We practiced following […]
How to Make Activities Reusable with Wipe Off Markers
Do you have mazes, worksheets or maybe pretend pages from GrowingPlay? Check out these ideas to make some simple alternatives using wipe off markers and cheap supplies from the office store instead of lamination or loads of color printing. When we tested them all out, we found the binder slant board and the report book […]
Pretend Play Plus Sensory Play = FUN!
Combining pretend play with sensory exploration is loads of fun. We love to add pretend props to mix up sensory activities. Today, the dried beans were “cooked” on the cardboard stove top and mini bean muffins were “baked” inside the oven. As children get older they can expand their play repertoire and you can help by adding […]
Toddler Time: Semolina Sand
Here is a quick, simple recipe to make play sand. Grab some semolina flour from your pantry and mix in some cooking oil to make it a consistency of wet sand. That’s it! Stick your hands in and start building sand castles. Just use kitchen utensils to play with your sand and to build castles. Measuring cups […]
Do It Yourself Amusement Park
Looking for something to do? Suggest to the kids to make their own amusement park. My children invented the games above: twisty swing, sled carry and the roller rider. They created their own fake tickets to sell and gave the younger kids rides all afternoon. In addition, they opened up a snack bar with signature […]