Most kids love hearing stories, and you likely aren’t getting any complaints about story time (though some kids like stories more than others). But no matter how much the kids like books, sometimes it’s just fun to shake things up a bit.
Story time can easily become a fun and interactive game if you know how, so for the first post in The Story Time Series, here are my three favourite ways to turn story time into fun and games...
Read MoreStory time with kids is a wonderful thing. It’s a chance to snuggle and share and learn and laugh. But have you ever thought about just how much story time can give?
Sure, reading books to kids teaches them about language and how to read, but did you know it can also be used to teach maths, critical thinking and the art of storytelling itself. Stories can also be turned into games, which is great for kids who are not that into story time.
So, in a series of posts (The Story Time Series), I’m going to share with you my favourite ways to enrich story time and use it to have fun and learn with kids. Here’s what I’ll cover...
Read MoreKids love stories—hearing them, preforming them, making them up! And they love puppets—playing with them, making them, putting on a show.
You can use just about anything as a puppet theatre: a couch, a table, a piece of cardboard. But sometimes it's cool to make something extra special...
Read MoreRing toss is a great game for kids. It's easy enough for even really young kids to play, but you can make it harder (for the older kids) very easily. Aiming is also a really important skill, so while they are having fun they are also learning something useful.
And you don't need to spend $20 and up on a ring toss game. You can make one in ten minutes (with stuff you probably already have at home), and it's just as good. Here's how...
Read MoreLooking for a fun indoor activity for the holidays or a rainy day (or both)? Why not make a flag banner. It’s really easy, and it will keep the kids occupied for ages (maybe?!?)...
Read MoreLooking for an easy craft to do in the holidays? How about making some crazy aliens? This craft is really easy, but the kids will love making weird and wacky creatures. And the best part? The messier the picture, the better the result!...
Read MoreLibraries are a magical place for everyone, but they are even more special for kids, and here's seven reasons why...
Read MoreHere's a fun game for the kids to help them get familiar with letters...
Read MoreWhen my first daughter was born, I heard a lot of views about reading to very young babies. Some people said read to them from birth, some said start a structured story time from about six months and some said kids don't gain anything from stories until they are older and can understand a storyline...
Read MoreI've been raving a bit about book launches lately (and peppering my Facebook feed with event details), so I thought I would write about why I think they are so fantastic. So here are my top 7 reasons to take the kids to a book launch...
Read MoreWhat's not to love about play dough? The kids try to eat it, it ends up all over the floor and it gets stuck in your carpet. No, but seriously, play dough it awesome. And it ticks so many boxes: sensory play, imaginative play, cooking practice and...
Read MoreMy daughter loved going in the bath. Until she didn't. So it was a huge shock to one day discover my little water baby was flat out refusing to get in the tub...
Read MoreSo, the word 'maze' is a little bit misleading here, but for lack of a better term, I am going with it. And no matter what this thing technically is, I promise your kids are going to love it.
Read MoreLooking for a cool treat you can 'sort of' justify because it has reduced bad stuff and added good stuff? Well, this might be the perfect recipe for you! As long as you like ginger. Oh, and as long as you have an ice cream machine (sorry!)
Read MoreLoved last week's Wombat Stew Book Play? Well, this week how about A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler?...
Read MoreI love reading stories with my girls, snuggling on some cushions with a blanket. But sometimes it's fun to do something a little... extra. My three year old love love LOVES to make puppets and act out stories, and her new favourite is Wombat Stew by Marcia Vaughan...
Read MoreI'm a little bit obsessed with banana bread, and particularly sugar-free banana bread. I like the idea of sweetening yummy treats with natural foods instead of refined sugars, but I have learnt the hard way that you can't simply take sugar out of a recipe and expect it to work. After so-many-I-simply-cannot-count-them attempts to make sugar-free banana bread, I think I've finally cracked it ...
Read MoreDo your kids like to sort things? Mine sure do. On a regular basis I seem to find my daughter sorting plastic plates and bowls stolen from the kitchen into coloured groups (whilst surrounded by a million toys)...
Read MoreThis is a great one for hot summer days. Find some small plastic toys (we have a stash of dinosaurs, bugs and frogs from Kmart) and put them in ice cube trays filled with water. Pop the trays in the freezer and have them ready for a warm (or cold) day when you need to keep the kids occupied for a while. ...
Read More2016 has been a challenging, exciting, wonderful and scary year. For me, it has been a year of firsts, with my second darling daughter learning to roll and crawl and walk. It has been a year of adventure ...
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