During the toddler and preschool years the word, “No!” becomes a very powerful word. It derails the happy atmosphere, stops a quick exit on errands, means we scoop our little one off the floor in that shop and march out. They want an input. They want a choice.

As a parent you can allow for extra time for the No! We get all forceful and insistent. Neither of these work well overtime. Even we as parents need to practise what to do when we get that No. It’s hard to play with a child that insists on having things their way or you having it totally your way. Personal, social and emotional development is a crucial aspect of play. We need to be able to get along and well. This is the first of a two-part series.
{Image Credit}

Practice when you are calm and have a script

Think about what you will say when they are shouting and yelling at you. Replay times when you saw this or experienced this and work out what you could do differently and try it out.

Getting down to their level; looking them in the eye and smile. The smile is for you to calm down however brief. Watch how other people  de-escalate their children and try it out.

Identify 2-3 activities at home to regularly give choices

Practise choice activities at home. Choose choices that you are happy with either option. Keep them simple. Children have very few choices so  having the red counter or the blue counter when playing the board game may seem trivial to us but they don’t see it that way.

Choices like; clothes, food, activity, play.

• Scrambled eggs or cereal?
• Blue jeans or green trousers with Bob on the side?
• Pretend food or Dolls?

What’s your number one struggle with your under 5?

Preparing a place of choice is a post from: Play-Activities.com
Pop on over and leave a comment.
Check out more sensory play activities

On a recent visit to an Art Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic. I was delighted to come up against these wonderful collages or sculpture by Shalom Tomas Neuman.
Love how everyday toys, electronic items are used to create really zany pictures.

You can see more about the work here,

Art at home does not’ have to be about pen, crayons and paper. Hope you’re inspired from your environment too.

What art work have you taken your little ones to see that you would recommend?

Collage and sculpture inspirations is a post from: Play-Activities.com
Pop on over and leave a comment.
Check out more sensory play activities

Dinner time and play isn’t the first thing that comes to mind with children.

But it’s the one time where we can all connect together with a focus in mind. If you’ve ever struggled with getting a conversation going you’ll know how hard it is to find open ended questions after you’ve spent a good while getting everything ready for the meal. Commonly, we are so exhausted from it all.

This is the sixth monthly edition of the Dinnight play activities. To find out more about check out the other free monthly downloads.

Photo credit

Download June here

Family night and dinnertime play activities- June is a post from: Play-Activities.com
Pop on over and leave a comment.
Check out more sensory play activities

Dinner time and play isn’t the first thing that comes to mind with children.

But it’s the one time where we can all connect together with a focus in mind. If you’ve ever struggled with getting a conversation going you’ll know how hard it is to find open ended questions after you’ve spent a good while getting everything ready for the meal. Commonly, we are so exhausted from it all.

This is the fifth monthly edition of the Dinnight  play activities. To find out more about check out the other free monthly downloads.

Photo credit

Download May here

Family night and dinnertime play activities- May is a post from: Play-Activities.com
Pop on over and leave a comment.
Check out more sensory play activities

It’s raining; it’s pouring.

The old man is snoring.

He went to bed and bumped his head,

And he couldn’t get up in the morning

This was the song I could hear being sung early morning on Sunday. Yes! I had planned some outdoor activities and No. I hadn’t remembered to check the weather forecast. Otherwise I would have known it did say showers all day. Lying in bed I had moments before the children would bound in to tell me the news. I could tell from their song that plans would have to change. What do you do when you find yourself with a rainy day and children?

When you’re surprised by a rainy day it’s just the hardest thing to think about how you’ll get through the day. You’re a little sad and they certainly are too so moods often reflect the overcast day from the get go. I started making a list of activities to do for rainy days to overcome that sinking feeling and offering alternative solutions pretty quickly seems to keep everyone from slipping into a despondent mood. Nothing is worse than moody children who when given choices are too fed up to make them Nothing is good enough.
Making this list helped us keep upbeat.

We are in for a lot more rainy days in the future.

1. Water races on the window

Choose a raindrop both of you really quickly. See which one rolls down the window the fastest.

2. Playing in the bath

Bath time is not always about getting clean in our family. It’s a good opportunity for play. Without the pressure of getting clean and getting into bed- your imagination can really get going. There are the usual traditional bath toys but don’t forget foam for your latest masterpiece and making stories with stickies.

3. Sink and water play

Photo credit: unclebo

Along the same lines as No.2 Bathtime play. When you have time you can have fun with Sink and Water play. Oftentimes, this type of play is an activity they do while we are in the kitchen. So they are “helping” us. It’s a quick activity that ends because dinner is done or you have to leave for an errand. Think of all the things you can do with sink and water play when you have oodles of time. Raid the utensils, blocks, cars. Clean them, wash the dolls hair; colour the water or scent the water. Let both your minds enjoy the creativity that comes with a large sink of water and ample time and a houseful of versatile equipment.

4. Post it note ABC

What to do with the no running rule during a wet day? We try to discourage running in and out of the doors mostly because we have little people of all sizes around. Usually the worst accidents are excited brothers knocking over another brother. But on a wet day there has to be a way to get rid of this excess energy. I’m all for energetic games and running activities but when we all know that’s what’s happening. Post it note ABC works on various levels. We’ve just introduced sound ABC as the MO is learning his sounds using the Jolly phonics program. I must admit it does make us smile seeing them running around the house saying, “MMMMMmmm.” and rubbing their tummy. We like competition but this game is easily changed to collaboration with each child told to bring a different letter. ( Mine actually help each other)

5. Shaving cream

6. Tracing finger on track

Glue doesn’t take long to dry. This is activity can be small scale or on a large scale as well as being totally resuable. Squeezing the glue and concentrating on getting a line or zig zag take plenty of concentration. What child doesn’t like squeezing glue. Here is a legitimate reason for them to squeeze glue while getting in some muscle work and fine motor pracitse. Sssh don’t tell them.

7. Create a sensory tub

Photo credit: Counting Coconuts | Photo credit: No Time for Flashcards | Photo credit: Little Coqui

We have a lot of fun with our sensory tubs at home. They are super easy to make from things you can easily find around the home. This creative

8. Bake

Whether it is the instant cookie dough you have frozen for the friends who pop by or you are a from scratch baker, the smell of baking does wonders for the mood and the belly. If you can keep the staples in your house then this instant mood lifter will cheer everyone up on a damp and dreary day.

9. Make hot chocolate

Cocoa powder and warmed milk whipped. Let the kids add the mini marshmallows or squirty cream. Plus a few sprinkles. The start of your very own Hot chocolate menu. Yes it is easier to buy the ready made hot chocolate that you just add water or milk. But making this simple drink from scratch and having the chance to make a signature hot chocolate drink always gets the boys in our house excited with new ideas. Hot chocolate is made so differently around the world. Spice up your hot chocolate by choosing a new style.

10. Combine all the puzzles in a big heap and make them all.

I’ve talked about our love of puzzles and how we love to get them all out and spend an afternoon fitting them altogether. It’s not as easy now with an active toddler but it’s something we’re trying to encourage him to do as well. This activity has benefits all around. Firstly the children love the mess and chaos of 15 or more puzzles in a massive heap on the floor. They also love the challenge of finding the puzzle and working on several at a time. There’s also the competition that naturally happens and that you can have puzzles that are toddler puzzles up to 50 piece puzzles.

The children can really choose which puzzles to work on. We tend to have music in the background but an audio book works just as well or a podcast. The big bonus I’ve found is that doing this regularly means we find out they have lost X number of puzzle pieces but they also are aware of the lost pieces scattered around the house. We end up with a parade of puzzles which we move through making our very own puzzle gallery. Before each one is destroyed and put back.

11. Make a boxasaurus

Photo credit: Michelle | Wee Folk Art Publisher

Dip into your junk box and find those boxes from the shed or attic you have been saving and have fun making something big. You’ve got the time!

12. Write a story & 13 Tell a story

 

Photo credit: Childhood 101 | Photo credit: Frugal Family Fun | Photo credit: nurturestore

14: Act out a story with props and puppets

15: Cornflour /paint/gloop

Photo credit: muminthemadhouse

16: I’m bored Jar

Make a jar of activities.

17. Create thumbprint pictures

These are such fun.

Photo credit: The artful parent

18. Listen to audio stories and make your own

With smartphones, and computers it’s really easy to say your own stories or make your own.

Watch and listen to http://www.smories.com/

 

19. Get out the Manipulatives and create something that combines 2 or more elements

 

20. Just let them play by themselves

It’s one of those times when they can just………………play by themselves.

21. Cutting paper

That big pile of Sunday papers or recyling comes in really handy here.

22. Recycling art

 

23: Puddle jumping

Photo credit: One little room

If you can beat the weather then go out in it.

24. Go out and spot rain soaked spiderwebs

25. Get crafty and find a Play Activity

Photo credit: NannaX3

Search for activities

What do you do on a raining day?

25 Rainy day activities for kids is a post from: Play-Activities.com
Pop on over and leave a comment.
Check out more sensory play activities

What’s family dinner like in your home? Probably pretty busy. Anytime for play activities?

Family meal times can be a really chaotic time of day with the bewitching hour close by/ clubs and activities/ and the general hustle and bustle of preparing a meal with children underfoot. By the time we make it to the table we’re all a little frazzled. Once we start eating we try a conversation and get mixed results.

Dinner time is a great time to connect and feel that family bond. We’ve had a lot of success with Dinner games and now were extending the fun.

Extending the fun

During the meal we try the conversation starters to get to know our children. Then move onto family night activities.

At the end of each month I’ll be sharing a download full of activities to try over the month for dinner conversation and together family activities.

Photo credit

Download April here

Contents

Since we’re at dinner I thought I would continue the theme………………….

Appetizer: Conversation starters during dinner

4-6 questions to promote conversation with your under 5s plus space to add your own.

First course: Recommended family game or activity

Games we recommend that encourage team work, participation, conversation and appeals to various ages.

Second course: Book recommendation

These books work really well read aloud or working together as a family.

Salad course: Podcast recommendation

Podcasts for kids or parents to enjoy

Dessert: Music

Start their musical appreciation with some carefully thought out musical journeys.

Cheese course: find some excellent play activities to do for the month.

How?

Combine them in one night and have a playful family’dinnight’ or try different parts over the month.

Photo credit

Happy family ‘dinnight’!

Download April here

Family night and dinnertime play activities- April is a post from: Play-Activities.com
Pop on over and leave a comment.
Check out more sensory play activities

Meet our latest kitchen addition.

The one benefit of having lots of boxes from a move is the endless fun you can have with them.

I’ve been on the lookout for a kitchen set for a long time but everything I’ve seen didn’t fit for one reason or another. We’ve never been shy about our creations even if they don’t look the greatest I’ve never been shy to share them. Some will laugh and point the finger and I hope you are inspired to do better then. The best thing about these types of project is how we all get involved. It’s not about how perfect it looks but how functional.

Two brothers

This is how the minds of two brothers think for their little brother one Easter holiday….with a little help from mum.

Small empty box wrapped in white paper

Kids:We don’t want to see that writing and maybe we can paint it

Me: Thank goodness as I kept meaning to get a better covering for it.

Kids: We need bits on the top……[looking around the room] How would I draw a circle?

Me: Introduces a cereal bowl.

Kids: off to find paper. Problem 1- no paper in the size for 4 burners so improvise with white ( we’ll colour it) and red card – probably left over from St George’s day craft.

squabble over who will do what…….

Brother runs off with paper ….

Discussion about distracting the LO and working together. MO decides to play or distract his brother while the BG can quickly finish the colouring and cutting.

Peace …… negotiation complete

me: How do you turn it on then?

Kids: run off. MO comes back with lid from a bottle. Puts it on the box. Lots of different bottle tops tried. Some from things in use………….

A little while later, the DIY stove is fully functional with Chef MO cooking up a feast and Chef LO lining up the ingredients.

There were more steps inbetween these.  Lots of excitement, diversions, breaks for snacks etc But over the course of one morning it was completed.

This picture was taken at bedtime as activity is too fast and furious during sessions. The beauty of this stove is………

portable

homely

precious

full of memories

lovingly made

Designed and mostly made by brothers for their brother

played with by all.

Don’t be put off with making your own play activities or encouraging your children to do so.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive list of DIY projects check out childhood 101.

Sorry ….. I have to go………..been invited around for some tea and a baked bean tin?

This post is part of the meme We Play: Pop on over and view the other players

DIY kids play stove is a post from: Play-Activities.com
Pop on over and leave a comment.
Check out more sensory play activities

Cars. Cars. Cars.

The LO loves vehicles.

Using what he loves in a fun a playful way took a new turn this week with the    Tissue Box Challenge

We raided our junk box ( aka recycling bag) and using some other familiar (borrowed) items to make a new truck for him using a tissue box.

This is what he saw when he came down from his nap, thanks to his older brothers who put the finishing touches like a window and changed the little man from a robber to who we have there now.

He pushed it up and down which gave us the idea of prepositions.

As he naturally pushed it under the coffee table we all yelled “UNDER the table” and he got the hang of it and would put it in place for us to say ” ON the sofa”.

Can you guess which ones?

Hint: If you place the cursor over the photo you’ll see

We did a few more over things like flowers but he was happier to see how well the flowers splayed out and how well the truck stuck to on the flowers than over…………

The tissue box was transformed again in hours and parts used elsewhere. Now they had the bug for making it went on for most of the day.

Tissue Box prepositions is a post from: Play-Activities.com
Pop on over and leave a comment.
Check out more sensory play activities