July 4th, 2008 Creating a lift-the-flap book Posted by Melitsa in Homemade, play activities

***Hear my interview with Carrie Lauth on Natural Moms Talk Radio : sharing some of my
favorite low tech toys and fun activities for your littlest ones.

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Fine motor skills: Cutting and sticking practice or just a bit of fun.

Kids are always interested in photographs. Like many others, we have our screensaver running with family pictures. The kids watch it like television. They talk and reminise about what they see. It’s great for them to have hard copies of pictures in albums to flick through and examine. With the little time we all have these days often photos don’t make it from the computer anywhere else or else they go into a box. Only a few manage to get them into albums…..Good for you.

Here’s a simple activity that involved me printing a few colour photographs ( reduced in size all onto one sheet of paper), a few labels and finding a marker and cardstock.

We did this together a long time ago and it’s still a favourite with both guys who like to look at it especially at bedtime. It’s often in the pile of books they take to bed.

We worked on this together with a lot of direction from me. It was one of those evolving projects sparked from a conversation.

All the cutting and sticking was from the big guy, when he was about 3 1/2 going on 4. I printed some family pictures and used the marker pen. Names and faces blurred to protect the innocent

I remember I used a pencil to show where to cut but certainly not a ruler or worried about lining things up. I wanted it to be his project. He was very proud.

Sometimes cutting and sticking can be really boring but here was a practical, fun play-activity with a purpose. The flaps keep them guessing even though they know what’s underneath. They learn to recognise their names and family members.

The book is now a little ‘Loved up’ all the manipulation of two guys who can’t get enough of seeing their family. This is an album I don’t mind sticky fingers all over.

We’ll have to make a new one soon to add the new addition.

Who said cutting and sticking can’t be fun!

Melitsa Avila is a former teacher, mother of three boys and military wife who talks about living an intentional play lifestyle using practical and everyday play activities to do with the under 5s. She publishes related ebooks & newsletters. Melitsa is the host and producer of a weekly Early Childhood radio show: Raising Playful Tots bringing parents and carers together with Early childhood practitioners. Thanks for reading!

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