Our children learn best through play below are a few fun and easy activities to keep your Toddlers busy this week.
1. Building sets.
You can make your own building sets by taping up empty cardboard boxes with masking tape to create lightweight, reusable blocks.
Oatmeal boxes make great silos and large boxes can become child-sized rooms or vehicles with just a few cuts.
You can also create design elements with paint or markers.
2. Create collages
Collect a box full of images cut from old greeting cards, magazines and even advertising combine with wrapping paper, packing materials, buttons,silk flowers, feathers and just about anything else to produce collages and other works of art.
3. Explore science
Purchase an inexpensive magnifying glass and teach the kids to examine the details of everything.
Use egg boxes to sort collections of rocks, flowers, seeds or feathers to study later.
You could also punch holes in a plastic container with a transparent top to hold insects briefly for observation. I like to use the see through plastic fruit holders from Spar as they already have air holes.
4. Pillow mountains
Pile pillows and cushions on the floor in a heap of a mountain to encourage the crawling, climbing and running movement young children need to develop motor co-ordination.
5. Balloon bopping
Your kids can blow up a bag of balloons for throwing, hitting and catching on a gloomy day.
Hamish especially loves this activity and as a baby I would tie a balloon to each hand so he could watch it move wirh his arms.
6. Master a skill.
Kids love to work along side us. They want to help with ordinary things like dishes, cooking or cleaning. Let them help and turn it into a game.
7. Play dress up
Dress up is vital for learning social and emotional skills. You don’t need a massive dress up box , adult clothing and accessories provide great props for exploring self-image and learning about the world .
8. Personalized reading.
For a child learning to read, have them dictate a story about themselves. Transcribe it to sheets of paper and fasten them together, then let them illustrate each page.
Your child can practice reading their own words in a personalized picture book.
For smaller children you can video tape or voice record them telling you a story and play it back to them.
9. Do the math.
Buttons, beans, containers lids, and even dried pasta are ready-made tools for counting and arithmetic activities.
Actual coins work well to demonstrate financial transactions. You could put out a few groceries and play shop by letting your child take turns to be the person shopping and the teller.
Measuring cups and spoons teach measurement.
Find ways to introduce mathematical concepts around the house to your kids. Count the bread rolls, measure the milk, divide the cake, fill each cup equally, ECT.
10. Thinking and speaking.
Encourage your children to express their thoughts as you share everyday tasks and family activities. Get them to think and talk about all kinds of things, then, listen to them and give responses that invite even more conversation.
Each evening ask your toddler what the best part of their day was. 
We would love to share in your adventures. If you use any of our ideas please tag #funmammasa in your photos so we can see.
