Learning through Play
On the Blog...
Making Potions: Playtime Hack
Making potions together is so much fun. Especially if you read 'Room on the Broom'.Find a big tub or bowl to be your cauldron and explore the garden to find...
Minimal Effort Messy Play
When toys get boring - you have to get creative. Instagram is full of glossy images of the perfect play set ups for kids but in reality - they don't...
Imagine there's food
I’ve modelled this strategy for so many early childhood teachers - I figured you guys might want in on it.I see it all the time - the kids with the...
Autumn Art
It's free to crunch in the autumn leaves, so we've been doing loads of it. We talk about autumn every day, pointing out the bare trees and the different...
Indoor Camping
Here's a gentle reminder to pitch a tent indoors! Especially if you're not a camping person (like me!). Kids love enclosed spaces - even when it's not all that enclosed...
Connetix Creations
We’re loving these at the moment so I had to do a post about them. Magnetic tiles are fab for so many reasons:🧐 fine motor skills - holding and manipulating...
Masking Tape Motorway
No road? No problem! Just make one out of tape! Auggie is showing more interest in driving his vehicles. In the absence of one of those road map rugs, I...
Sensory Play: Backyard Beach
We FaceTimed August’s grandparents and they were lying on the beach on Waiheke island. Through my jealousy that they are on holiday and I’m not, I had an idea! We...
Feed the birds
Auggie loves to throw things but it’s not always ideal - especially in the house! I wanted to do an activity that would let him practice the motor-planning and big...
Exploring Colours: Red Bath
Bath time is a great time to explore colours. I had some beetroot juice left over from our summer soup activity so I added it to August's bath for something...
Summer Soup: Imaginative Water Play
The best activities are the ones where you already have all the stuff at home. Here's a new one for you - soup making. Or tea. Or coffee. Or anything...
Peg Peg Peg – Practical Life Tasks
Auggie got a little peg apron for Christmas and since then he's loving helping to peg out some of his smaller pieces like bibs and socks.WHY?Kids love helping out with...
Backyard Pond
One of Auggie's favourite things to do with his Nana and Granda was to throw stones into any body of water on their outings! My parents did a fantastic job...
Play in Nature
We very very rarely take toys out with us when we have adventures because there's so much to engage with in the environment. Auggie is in to counting and giving...
Make your own shaker
I'm so happy that I did this activity. I briefly underestimated Auggie and thought he wouldn't be in to it, that he'd try and eat everything or that he wouldn't...
Painting with a brush
We've done a lot of finger painting in the past but not a lot of using a brush. It's HARDER for little ones to get their heads around using a...
Blow your own bubbles
Ok the secret is out, I absolutely HATE bubble machines! I'd hazard a guess that there's not one Speech and Language Therapist who would use one - they're fresh out...
Crayon Corner
I've taken to setting up August's little play table as a crayon corner in between snack times (as he sits here for his snacks if we're home). Whilst felt tips...
Scent Bags
@navybabynz packages their toys in these gorgeous organza bags and I've been saving them for an activity! Today we picked lavender when I spied a big bush of it in the...
Mystery Bag
August is truly in the 'enclosure schema' of play. This just means that he's really enjoying hiding things inside of other things, putting blankets/clothes over his head and crawling into...
