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Educational toddler activities that promote development through play!

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Tag: pre literacy

Home / pre literacy
Fine Motor Activity

Fine Motor Fun With Play Dough Letter and Numbers

by playinspiredmumupdated on December 19, 2019November 12, 201821 Comments on Fine Motor Fun With Play Dough Letter and Numbers

Learning letters and numbers doesn’t have to be all text books and flash cards. Your child certainly doesn’t need a pencil in hand to begin to build up skills that …

Book Reviews Uncategorized

Story Tray – Dear Zoo

by playinspiredmumupdated on December 19, 2019September 21, 2018Leave a Comment on Story Tray – Dear Zoo

“I wrote to the zoo and they sent me a…” This mornings story was aimed towards Miss 18m. She has been enjoying all things animals so I thought a visit …

Fine Motor Activity play Play Ideas sensory play

Discovery Bags of Squishy Fine Motor Fun!

by playinspiredmumupdated on July 28, 2020September 6, 201815 Comments on Discovery Bags of Squishy Fine Motor Fun!

Scanning and searching for patterns, symbols and objects are known as a great pre-reading exercise. These Discovery Bags make learning so interesting and fun! While I feel Miss 18m is …

  • 🌈 Baby Sensory Jars 🌈

Sensory bottles are always so popular with our crew. I have been excited to make some for Mr 21 weeks however been put off using larger bottles that may be to heavy or awkward for him to navigate. 

Then I discovered these candy jars at good old @kmartaus! They are plastic and the perfect size for babies! 

We have filled them with so many things! Coloured rice, feathers, pipe cleaners, buttons, flowers and so much more! He loves them! 

This is a safe way for him to explore items that we would otherwise have to avoid due to safety risks πŸ™Œ

The girls are always swapping out the contents with new treasures they find. While Mr 21 weeks cannot touch what’s inside, he is still benefiting from the experimenting with shaking the jars, the way the fillers are moving, the weights and sounds. 

Luckily they spend most of their time on his play mat. With his concentration targeting the #sensoryjars , we have been getting some intense dribbles streaming down to the mat. Waterproof backing and quick to absorb moisture, his play mat helps protect the carpet and prevents pools of drool πŸ˜†

#playinspiredmum #babyplayhack #sensoryplay #babysensoryplayidea #babysafe #diybabytoys #diybaby #sensoryplay #sensoryplaywithbabies #learningathome #playwithbaby #babyactivities #activitiesforbabies #kmartplayhack #playmat
  • πŸ“š Books & Play Discovery Series: Week 1 πŸ“š 

🌟 🐘 Dear Zoo 🐘 🌟 

Dear Zoo has been a family favourite since our very first time turning the pages and lifting the flaps. I was so excited to learn that it was one of the littles in this amazing bookish play subscription! 

Miss 4 eagerly worked through each of the Dear Zoo themed activities. We read and reread the story throughout our exploration of the book and these fun comprehension activities. 

Her favourite was laying out her own zoo. This seemingly simple activity opened up so many conversations around different habitats, behaviours and dietary requirements of some familiar animals and new! 

Do you love the look of this subscription? Comment below and I can send you more details πŸ₯°

#bookish #dearzoo #earlyliteracy #playtolearn #learningthroughplay #playwithbooks #bookishplay #bookishplayideas #toddlerplayideas #playideasfortoddler #learning #learningathome
  • 🚧 πŸ¦• Muddy Trucks and Dinos πŸ¦• 🚧 

Super simple to create and Miss 3 was happily playing for ages! 

Taste safe mud with trucks and dinos in one tray and then bubbly soapy water in the container beside it. When i suggested some messy play for the day, Miss 3 quickly asked for bubbles and mud for her animals. When I asked her to choose her animals, she returned with trucks and dinos instead πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ πŸ˜„

Would you like the recipe for the mud? Either comment below and I’ll PM you the link of search β€˜mud’ via link in bio to find it on the blog! 

This mud is so easy to make and a hit every time at our place! 

#playtolearn #messyplay #messyplayideas #sensoryplayideas #tastesafesensory #trucks #dinosaurs #bubbles #messyplaytime #busyhands #preschoolactivities #toddlerplay #toddlerplah#yideas #tastesafeplay  #tastesafesensoryplay #tastesafemud #kmartplaytray #mummyblogger #aussiemummyblogger #mummyblogger #learning #experimentalplay
  • πŸ₯ž Shove Tuesday Pancake Day πŸ₯ž 

This morning, breakfast was done a little differently. Pancake faces(as scary as it looks) were a hit! Just quietly this mumma is super happy with the extra fruit the kiddies ate while building their monsters too!
#pancake #pancakes #pancakefaces #kidsbreakfast #foodwithfaces #feedingkids #mostimportantmealoftheday #shrovetuesday #perthmummy
  • βšͺοΈπŸ”΅ Sensory Tummy Time πŸ”΅βšͺ️

Continuing our quest to strengthen Mr 19 weeks upper body, we revisited our taped aluminium foil experience and added to it! We discovered he loves bubble wrap (really, who doesn’t?) so fastened some next to his foil with masking tape. He loves it! 

Even Miss 3 joined in for some moral support (and head banging- check out the video in stories πŸ˜†)

These two textures definitely helped him clock up his tummy time hours! #bringonthegains 

#babyplay #playhacks #babysensory #sensorytummytime #tummytime #tummytimeplay #playideasforbabies #tummytimewithbaby #playideas #babyplaytime #playwithbaby #activitiesforbabies #fourmonthsold  #diyplayideas #diyplaythings #playthedayaway #aussiemumblogger #mumblogger #mummyblogger #perthmum #perthmums #parentingunplugged
  • 🌈 Feeling the Love 🌈 

Celebrating 2021’s weekend of love with our all time favourite toy! 

These tiles get so much game time and inspire so much creative play! So many life skills practised while the kids build their creations 

πŸ’œ Problem Solving Skills
πŸ’™ Communication Skills
πŸ’š Resilience 
πŸ’› Planning & Sequencing
🧑 Cognitive Development 
❀️ Creative Thinking

Love our tiles so much! 

#playbasedlearning #magnetictiles #learnandgrowtoys #learnandgrow #connetixtiles #openendedtoys #appreciation #love #playideas #valentinesplay #hearts #playmums #aussiemummyblogger #playthedayaway #funwithkids
  • πŸ§‘β€πŸ³ Kitchen Utensil Baby Gym πŸ‘¨β€πŸ³ 

Mr 19 weeks is increasingly enjoying reaching for objects this last week. His play gym has been a favourite for attaching things too. The latest addition has been a few items from the kitchen utensil draw! 

I chose three items of different materials; plastic, silicone and metal. Little Mr is loving this set up! 

What do you have in the good old second draw down that you could add to your babies play gym?

#babyplayhacks #diybabyplay #diybabyplayingtime #reaching #grasping #handeyecoordination #funwithbaby #babyplayideas #babyplay #aussiemum #perthmum #mummyblogger #playideasforkids #sensoryplay #sensoryplayideas #babysensory #babysensoryplayideas #stayathomemum #aussiemumbloggers #usewhatyougot
  • πŸ¦• Dinosaur Sensory Small World πŸ¦• 

Small world play is always a win here. Add some sensory elements and their imaginations soar!

We teamed up some water beads with some of our small world staples to create a prehistoric island, exclusively for herbivores (per Miss 3s request).

Truth be told I mainly listened to her play from another room while tending to Mr 18w. The water beads ended up all over the table after the dinos were doing β€˜bombies’ πŸ˜…

Please be mindful when choosing water beads for your child’s play. Although they maybe non toxic, they can still cause an obstruction  if swallowed πŸ™

#dinosaur #dinosauractivities #dinosauractivitiesforkids #toddlerplayideas #sensoryplay #waterbeads #sensoryplayideas #waterbeadssensoryplay #waterbeadsplay #playtime #learningthroughplay #smallworldplay #smallworldplayideas #smallworldforkids #creativeplay #imaginativeplay #preschoolactivities #kindyplay #playtolearn #mummyblogger #mummybloggerau #mummybloggeraustralia #perthmum #stayathomemum #preserviceteacher #preserviceteachersofinstagram
  • 🌱Aluminium Foil Tummy Time 🌱

There are many thing that Mr 18 weeks has on his favourite list. Tummy time is still not one of them πŸ˜†

That being said, guess who actually enjoyed a little tummy time session today?! He did! 

Aluminium foil taped onto the carpet got more game time than any other experience we have set up for him!

First first reaction was to roll onto his back (and wasn’t he proud) however the second time was where the hard yards were put in. He loved exploring the foil (so much so the dribble stream was next level)!

After he had enough on his tummy, we let his feet do some exploring too!

#babyplayhacks #babysensory #babyactivities #babyplayideas #babyplayideasathome #learningthroughplay #learningthroughplaying #sensoryplay #stayathomemum #perthmummy #mummyblogger #mummybloggerau #fourmonthsold #fourmonthsbaby #tummytime #tummytimeplay #tummytimeideas #meaningfulplay #meaningfulplayideas #babyplay #babyplaytime
  • A slightly different magnetic tile build however I was impressed! 

I am still pumping around the clock for Mr 17w and it seems this became some inspiration behind the build today! πŸ˜†

#playinspiredmum #pumpingmum #magnetictiles #normalisebreastfeeding #roleplay #learnandgrowtoys #playbasedlearning
  • πŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί Western Australia- We got this! πŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί 

With 5 day lockdown being implemented from 6pm tonight, I have three disappointed kiddies on my hands - as I’m sure many parents do now. We have been strong before and we will do again! Let’s smash this virus out of our community #stayhome !

As a buffer we have gone straight to our Letter Basics! We started off with handwriting practise and now moved onto prewriting patterns - oh as I glance up we are back to letter handwriting practice! 

Letter Basics have a huge range of printable resources suitable from 2 years to early primary school age! 

Check out the huge range by tapping printables on our resource page in bio πŸ™Œ

If anyone needs to reach out to vent, chat or need some play inspiration, feel free to drop me a line #inthistogether πŸ’œ

#herewegoagain #lockdownwithkids #lockdown2021 #lockdown #lockdownwithkidsideas #playathome #handwritingpractice #earlychildhoodeducation #earlylearning
  • 🎢 Musical Instruments with Baby 🎢 

Singing and nursery rhymes take up a huge part of our day. Not only is it fun but there is so much for our children to gain through engagement in music! 

Mr 17w loved exploring a range of different instruments today. He loved them all! 

If you would like to learn more about music and incorporating it into your play, go check out @gumnut_music. Louise and E are so full of knowledge and have some amazing programs (including the famous Gumnut TV!) πŸ₯°

#musicmatters #musicwithbaby #nurseryrhymes #musicalinstrument #playislearning #learningthroughplay #playmatters #babyplayidea #sensoryplayforbabies #sensoryplay #playideasforkids
  • πŸ’¦ Super Foam Fun πŸ’¦ 

Soo... I had this idea... I presented it to the girls and they took it to level supersize! 

Perfect messy play (and I got two clean cushions out of it too πŸ™Œ) on a warm day! 

I had suggested they used trucks and their hands to create the foam. After ten minutes they had the cushions on the floor and their feet did the work! These two were bouncing, running on the spot and bopping about for the better part of an hour! Absolute winner! 

#play #grossmotor #messyplay #foam #soapfoam #playbasedlearning #activeactivities #sensoryplay #sensoryplayideas #sensoryplayideasathome #aussiemumbloggers #mummyblogger #bubbles #bubbleseverywhere #creativeplayideas
  • 🎈 Baby Balloon Play 🎈 

For something different we attached a balloon. With freshly filed baby nails and a splash of water in the bottom of the balloon, we presented him with his entertainment for however long it kept his attention. 

To begin with, he laid with his arms back behind his head just staring at the balloon. With a bit of encouragement, his curious hands began to investigate. Before too long, him and his frame were moving across the mat with all his movements. 

His loofah is still number one, however he did enjoy rolling around underneath his balloon. 

βœ… Gross Motor Skills
βœ… Hand Eye Coordination
βœ… Spatial Awareness
βœ… Cause and Effect

Inspired by @play_at_home_mummy πŸ’œ

#babyplaytime #playwithbaby #grossmotorskills #playtime #playtimefun #developmentthroughplay #learningthroughplay #babyframe
  • 🌈 Ball Run 🌈

After sharing Mr 17 weeks and I’s early morning play in stories this morning, we had a lot of questions about our ball run. 

I have added this ball run to our featured resources via the link in bio πŸ™Œ 

Our whole family love building with these tiles! They are such a valuable open ended resource! 

#magnetictiles #ballrun #openendedtoys #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #learningisfun #playtolearn #ballrun #meaningfulplay #playathome
  • πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΊπŸ“š Possum Magic Bookish Play πŸ“šπŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί

πŸ“£ COMING SOON πŸ“£

Calling all parents, carers, teachers, early childhood educators and child development professionals! 

We have been privileged enough to enjoy a sample of a brand new subscription from Little Wooden Toybox! 

Highlighting a popular book, each week there are a range of printables to further develop comprehension of the literature and other learning areas through play! 

I just love how both Miss 6 and Miss 3 have been able to benefit from our Possum Magic themed collection! 

Comment below and I’ll let you know as soon as it has been released! 😘

#bookishplay #subscriptionforkids #subscriptionfortoddler #learningthroughplay #learning #comprehension #teachersofinstagram #aussieliterature #possummagic #earlyliteracymatters #earlychildhoodeducation #earlychildhoodeducator #playathome #learnathome #teacherresources #teacherprintables #preprimary #toddleractivities #readingwithkids #readingtime #funwithbooks
  • 🌱 Seeds Exploration 🌱 

The girls were tired this morning after a later night last night. They were driving each other a bit batty so we went for a walk. To give them a bit of direction (and to help them leave each other alone), we went on a seed hunt! We collected seeds, pods and nuts - there were so many varieties! 

We then dropped into the store to get some yummy stone fruits so we could inspect the seeds from these too. Miss 6 asked if we could try growing them. From there we spent the afternoon smashing nuts and pits to reveal the seeds, then placing them in vials with damp cotton. 

Watch this space! Hopefully we will be showing you a plum tree and some gum trees 🌳 

#growingseeds #seeds #natureplay #biology #playinspiredmum #sciencewithkids #experimentalplay
  • 🌈 Baby’s First Felt Busy Book 🌈 

Mr 16w has really found his hands this week. He loved exploring his @bookywoo felt book this morning. 

His hands were exploring the different textures, running his fingers between the ribbons and materials. 

We even managed to slip in some tummy time while the contrasting shapes caught his attention πŸ™Œ

Love this book? Use coupon code PLAYINSPIREDMUM15 to get a 15% discount 😘

#playinspiredmum #feltbook #busybook #lookbook #babyplay #babyplayideas #tummytime #tummytimehack #playtolearn #learningthroughplay #sensoryplay #parentingunplugged #mummyblogger
  • πŸƒ Baby Nature Play πŸƒ 

I love incorporating nature into our play. On the way home from collecting gum leaves for our pet stick insects, I noticed Mr 16w watching the leaves. A prime clip on his frame and we had a happy chappy exploring the leaves. No fussing for ages - take that #forthleap! πŸ’ͺ 

Super multi sensory experience between the sound, smell, texture and gentle swaying of the leaves as his hands brushed through them.

πŸƒ Grasping
πŸƒ Hand eye coordination 
πŸƒ Spatial awareness
πŸƒ Cause and effect
πŸƒ Fine motor skills
πŸƒ Gross motor skills
πŸƒ Cognitive development

#playinspiredmum #babyplay #natureplayb#babynatureplay #playtime #babyplaytime #learningthroughplay #wonderweeks #happybaby #babyplayhack #babyplayhacks #mummyblogger #aussiemumbloggers
  • πŸ’¦ Tummy Time Splash πŸ’¦

Continuing on our quest to find Mr 16w happiness while tummy timing, we gave him a little baking dish with some water and cups. 

It bought us an extra few minutes before he started protesting. He did really enjoy watching Miss 3 scoop and pour water between the cups. 

Thank goodness for our Rudie Nudie Waterproof Playmat! There was water splashed everywhere. Luckily it was sucked up quickly and the waterproof backing prevented the water from getting on the carpet! 

There is a link on our resource page to save 10% off your own Rudie Nudie too πŸ˜‰

#playinspiredmum #tummytime #tummytimehack #playwithbaby #babyplay #babyplayideas #learningthroughplay #sensoryplay #sensoryaywithbabies #playtime
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