Here is an activity that is quick to set up and practices fine motor skills and creativity.

Having both a toddler (N is currently 17 months) and a preschooler (M is 4) means that there are plenty of times I need to find activities that are going to be appropriate for the two of them to work on together.

Enter the virtually mess-free activity, the contact paper sticky table.

(Contact Paper is also known as Sticky Back Plastic in some countries)

Ages: 6 months+

(See the Handy Tips at the bottom of the post for more ideas to suit your child's development)

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Here is another open ended Invitation to Play idea that could have your child occupied and learning for ages. A Multi-Material Playdough Exploration.

Develop those senses, practice skills and give their brain a work out by providing a range of attractively presented materials to work with a play dough base.

Ages: 1+

Materials: This was a simple set up of 4 different coloured balls of playdough and 6 different tubs of materials



 The containers held the following materials.

1)Patty pans and doileys (she used them before I got a pic), 2)Soft things- pom poms and wool, 3)Pretend play objects- Small plastic animals, trees and fences 4)Long stick like objects, straws, coloured sticks and coloured popsicle sticks, 5)Mix tub- cut up pipe cleaners, little bits of wood ends and plastic teddy bears and 6)Basic playdough tools- rolling pin, cutters and pattern roller

Simply 'discovering' and exploring the different materials within each tub was fun and exciting.

Giving her choice and control over what and how she used each item was what kept her exploring and manipulating for quite some time.

Some tips:

- Repeat this activity time and time again with the same or different materials. You will be surprised by the amount of different ways they use the same materials.

- If you feel your child gets "stuck" repeating the same process again and again, you could play along side them and explore different ways to use the materials yourself. Your child will see what you are doing and how you are doing it and learn

- Use the materials you have at your own house. You don't need to buy things specifically. Be creative with what you find around the house for them to use.

- This activity would be enjoyed by children of all ages

Happy playing,

Debs :)

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Quite some time ago, inspired by some amazing play sets I saw by a business called "Homemade Rainbows", I had a blast going through old nick-nacks around the house and collecting natural and re-purposed goods to make a play set for my daughter.

The idea of using objects that children are normally told to "look at but don't touch," as well as fun and sensory items like smooth rocks and shiny glass pebbles, really excited me and made me look outside the box as to what could be used for play and thus learning.

(For this, I really thank the wonderful ladies from Homemade Rainbows and please stop by their facebook page to say hello.)

 For this playset I purchased a cheap brown bathmat for the base (Reject Shop), some white stones and blue glass decorator pebbles ($2 shop) and then collected the rest of the items from around the house and garden

 It was so exciting to be allowed to play with the little pots and fake plants that you're often told to leave alone

 Exploring the different textures and the weight of the porcelain. Different to plastic.

 Loving the freedom to explore, touch, pretend, manipulate etc. She insisted it be put on the floor so she could play more freely

 Come here little lady bug

 These types of play sets are so versatile as they can be set up differently every time

 It was tricky making a teepee from sticks, but little Toadie needed a shelter

Some tips:

- If you love this type of play but you don't have the time nor the inclination to make one of these for yourself, go over to Handmade Rainbows where you can purchase one of their many amazing and inspiring designs. Remembering that each one is pretty much a one-of-a-kind as they all contain different items.

- See this playset in use in a different way on one of our playdates

- Talk with your child about what they are experiencing. This will help them understand the physical and mental processes they are going through as well as giving them the vocabulary to describe it.

- Use new language and descriptive words like, "porcelain" This will help with their language development.

-Ask questions to help connect their understanding and use vocabulary to give them words to describe what they're exploring, eg. "What could this be used for?" "What is this made out of?" "How should we handle it?" "Why are you making a home for Toadie?" etc

- As your child may be playing with an exploring fragile items, take the time to talk with them about how to handle them carefully and what might happen if they drop it or bend it etc



Debs :)

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Playing with rice is a great tactile experience for children. Here I provided some basic "tools" and then let the playing begin.

As we were using a real ingredient, Madeline wanted to pretend to be cooking.

Using fine motor skills and coordination to move rice from a container to an ice cube tray with small tongs

 Some of the tools. Large spoon, small spoon, small tongs, measuring cup, scoop

 It takes time and concentration to fill such small holes

 Filled! Little "cakes" ready for serving

 "I'm making you a milkshake." Using a shaker and large cup to practice pouring and shaking

 Carefully spooning rice into a large cup and dividing it up between the cups

 Hand eye coordination working hard

Now I'm a chef. Adding her cooking apron and hat to get into character

Some tips:

- Try getting out a few different tools and vessels each time you do rice play to get a different learning experience each time and to practice different skills

- Whilst rice is easy to vacuum up, if you want to re-use it (waste not, want not) for future rice play, you will need a mat underneath and to encourage your child to attempt to keep it off the floor

- Dressing up can play a part in your child's experience. It may add a different element or change the direction of their play. How would a cowboy play with rice? (Why not find out?) :)

- Use correct vocabulary to describe the processes and experiences your child is having while they are playing. This puts it into context for them and helps develop their literacy skills

- Make your child aware of the problem solving they are doing. "How did you get the rice from that container to that container?" "That was a great idea" "How will you pour it into such a small hole without spilling it everywhere?" etc

Debs :)

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