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4 Easy Water Experiments for Kids
Splash into science fun with these four fascinating and super-easy water experiments designed for kids! These experiments are not only fun but also educational, making them perfect for young scientists and curious minds. Using basic household items like food colouring and oil, these experiments are safe and easy to conduct with adult supervision. They're perfect for sparking curiosity and promoting hands-on learning in children. Explore concepts like density, water tension, and absorption in a playful, interactive manner. Your little scientists can spend as much time as they like exploring these fascinating principles!
10 Cooperative Games to Promote Teamwork and Communication for Kids
Foster teamwork and collaboration with our collection of 10 engaging cooperative games for kids! We outline a variety of fun activities designed to promote and strengthen teamwork and communication skills among children. From classic teamwork games like a three-legged race to creative communication games like tower building, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Watch as kids work together, problem-solve, and celebrate each other's successes in these interactive and inclusive games.
DIY Cardboard Sensory Board: with Interchangeable Tiles
Create your own DIY sensory board. In this step-by-step guide, we'll show you how to craft a unique cardboard sensory board. The beauty of this project lies in its interchangeable tiles, which allow you to tailor sensory experiences to your child's preferences and developmental stage. With 24 ideas for sensory items to place on the board, you'll have a wealth of options to stimulate your child's senses. From different textures to various shapes and sizes, these items promise endless sensory exploration and learning.
10 Rubber Band Activities to Boost Fine Motor Skills
These 10 innovative ideas enhance fine motor skills and pre-writing skills using rubber bands. In this blog, we explore various activities such as stretching rubber bands over blocks, wrapping them around popsicle sticks, rolling them over cardboard tubes, and creating intricate pictures across pins on a corkboard. These engaging exercises provide an excellent opportunity for children to develop their hand-eye coordination, finger strength, dexterity, and the foundational skills needed for writing in a playful and interactive way.
DIY Cardboard 100s Board Ideas
This cardboard hundreds board is one of our best ideas. We have found so many ways to use it, play with it and learn with it. Children love the size and learning about the number 100 by interacting with it. You can use this board to learn about numbers, play games or make many other interactive activities for children using it.
Indoor Game Ideas for Rainy Days
Make rainy days fun with these indoor game ideas. Children will love making and playing these easy, low-prep games. They are easily adaptable to suit your little players. Kids will have their favourites and are likely to play them over and over again. These rainy day games are great for kids who need to move and use energy even on indoor days.
Play then Recycle - 10 Recycled Items to use in Play
We love using recycled items for play! Here are ten of our favourites that are always available for our Superstars to create and to play with. Using recycled items is a no cost way to stimulate children’s imagination in play. Add some recyclable items in your child’s play area and see your child’s imagination lead the way! You will be amazed by the creative thinking and problem solving that will unfold as your child is determined to make things work.
Process Art Ideas - 8 Ways to Paint with Nature
Use nature’s gifts for your next painting experience for some spectacular effects! This painting adventure is all about exploration and creating process art which means there is no particular picture or end product to create. We collected a few sticks, different shaped leaves, shells, stones and a couple of flowers for painting tools. Working together we explored different ways to make some amazing effects that only nature’s gifts can make! Check out the 8 ideas we came up with using nature to explore a new painting experience.
Playing with Cardboard Shapes and Loose Parts
Get creative with some big cardboard shapes and loose parts. Children can make big picture scenes using these shapes or just enjoy using the shapes as shapes! They can fill in the shapes with loose parts or add loose parts to the outside. Shapes can be joined together to make objects like rockets and houses then filled in. This is a great way for children to learn about different shapes while playing and creating. Read this blog to find out more.
5 Magnetic Tile Games for Kids
Did you know that you can use your magnetic tiles to set up games for kids to play? There are so many different ways to use these tiles to make the right shape and coloured board that you need for your game. We have five fun games that also promote learning for children. From learning colours to counting, there will be a game to suit what your child is interested in. Read our blog to find out more!
10 Fun Ideas for Using a Maths Tens Frame - Early Maths
Have fun with maths using tens frames! There are lots of ways to explore and play with numbers using an easy to make cardboard tens frame. Children can work independently or collaborate with other children to count, add, compare and make patterns with numbers. Read this blog for more fun ideas on using tens frames for children to understand early maths concepts.
Playing with faces - learning about emotions and feelings
Learning about emotions couldn’t be more important than in these current times. Having children explore the concept of emotions and facial expressions is a playful way to encourage talking about their own feelings as well as identifying other emotions. Read our blog to find out more about a playful way to help children explore and learn about emotions.
Dinosaur play! 3 EASY dinosaur small world ideas
Dinosaurs are a popular playtime theme among children. Many enjoy learning facts and information about these fascinating creatures that once roamed the earth. They also enjoy pretend play to act out their knowledge and ideas about these creatures. We have three easy ways you can set up a dinosaur small world to spark imagination and continue a budding interest in this exciting and mysterious theme of dinosaurs. Read along to get some new ideas for your own dino-enthusiasts.
Playdough colour mixing and fun ideas
Playdough is relaxing and soothing to play with. Playdough is easy to make, we have provided our very own playdough recipe card for you. We have also included some fun ideas of things to play with the playdough to stimulate and extend creativity, skills and learning. The feel of the playdough is a great sensory experience too. While kitchen play equipment is great for playdough, using toys and loose parts add more possibilities for creativity and learning.
Yoghurt container building - using recycled items for play
Use empty yoghurt containers for something to build with that’s different. Stimulate your children’s play and offer other learning experiences by offering these as alternatives or additional to play with blocks and connecting equipment. Allow your children to add other items to their yoghurt container play such as loose parts and other toys. Yoghurt containers are easily bowled down which adds another element of excitement to children’s play. There are many other recyclable items that can be used to stimulate imagination and creative thinking so start collecting!
Obstacle Courses for Indoors and Outdoors
Obstacles provide opportunities for fun active learning. You don’t have to have all the gym equipment to do this. You can improvise and create your own obstacle course equipment by using some of the ideas in our videos. Children need to move to learn about their bodies and how they work. Obstacle courses are also great for children to learn action words and positional words. Obstacle courses can be set up both indoors and outdoors with whatever you have at home.
Marble Painting - Painting without Paintbrushes!
Marbles can be used for more than games and marble runs! Why not try this fun idea of rolling marbles through paint. Create an abstract work of art with two marble painting techniques. Use primary colours to demonstrate colour mixing in this fun marble painting activity. Place painted marbles straight on paper and roll around or roll painted marbles on a tray then place your paper on top to make a print. This activity is both fun and promotes motor skills. Read this blog to find out more about marble painting.
Playing with Loose Parts Counters - Messy Play without the Mess
Pouring play doesn’t have to mean water! Try using counters or a similar loose parts for a new pouring play experience. Add bowls, spoons, cups, eggboxes and cardboard tubes to encourage different skills to be developed with this kid of play. Whether children are using the counters for pretend play or working on skills by scooping, pouring and sorting, they will be learning while they play.
Playing with Science - Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments
We have a collection of easy experiments that will introduce your child to chemical reactions. Bicarb and vinegar combined cause “eruptions” that are sure to intrigue your child. These experiments are easy to do and can be further explored by using your child’s ideas to see what happens if a step is changed. Experiments develop language and ideas relating to science. They also develop thinking and knowledge that can be used when other experiments are done. Read this blog to find out more.
Indoor Loose Parts - Open-Ended Creating
Indoor loose parts are perfect for rainy day play. Start collecting items that can be used and be amazed at the creativity that will unfold as your child starts playing. This is open ended play that provides endless opportunities to be creative. There are no expectations that something specific should be produced. The benefits of loose parts play are many including creative thinking, risk taking, perseverance and exploring different ideas. So get started with making your loose parts collections and soon you will see amazing creativity flow.