Ideas For Free And Low Cost Toddler Play And Activities
By Michelle Newbold
© Budding Books 2012
Copyright Notice
First Published in 2012 in Great Britain by Budding Books at Smashwords
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted by any means save with the written permission or accordance with the provision of the Copyright Act of 1956 (as amended). Any publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Copyright © Budding Books 2011
Michelle Newbold is hereby identified as the author of this work in accordance wit Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cookie/Biscuit Cutter Play Ideas
Novelty Sandwiches and Pancakes
Colourful Tissue Paper Butterflies
Creating Salads and Sandwiches
Free Toddler Games That Use Everyday Household Items
Introduction:
As parents of busy and active toddlers, we need to have lots of ideas to keep our little ones entertained, but not necessarily games and activities that involve buying lots of expensive toys, especially in these days of thrift and frugal living.
Use this guide for lots of free and inexpensive games and activities making use of every day household equipment, or items you can pick up cheaply from second hand and charity shops.
The games and activities listed here will not only keep your toddler absorbed and busy having fun, but also help to develop your little ones concentration, imagination, and hand-eye coordination.
Don’t be afraid to join in and have fun with your toddler, as the most fun they can possibly have is sharing an activity or game with you that makes you both laugh and giggle together.
It can get messy but that is part of the fun. We are talking about working with paints. No matter what paint medium you choose, you can create masterpieces to share.
First things first
Parents are always wary of working with paints because of the mess. But, if you prepare ahead of time, there will be minimal cleanup. You can even get the kid to help you with the clean up so they know what’s involved in the process.
Before you do anything else, set up your area. You will need to put down newspaper so that the paints don’t get on the floor or the table. You can cover your kids in smocks or have them wear old t-shirts. You may want to cover their heads too just in case.
Have the paints ready in little containers. An old egg carton works well for that. Cut four or six cups out and put different paint colours in them.
If you are concerned about young kids and eating paint, you can create your own edible paints. If they eat it, there will be no harm done. Here is a recipe for edible paint – it doesn’t taste particularly nice, but then that would probably put them off eating the whole pot of paint rather than use it to paint with!
2 cups of corn flour/corn starch
1 cup of cold water
4.5 cups of boiling water
Liquid food colouring
Method:
Mix the corn flour with the cold water and stir together. Pour in the boiling water and stir. It turns into a paste with a custard-like consistency. Divide the paste up into separate pots, then add a different colour to each pot and mix well.
Finger painting – Use big sheets of poster board for kids to make their masterpieces. Show them how to start and then let them have a go at it. Suggestion: They can use their handprints to create a colourful peacock tail. Allow to dry flat and then hang their work in their bedroom.
Cookie/Biscuit Cutter Play Ideas
You can buy cutters very cheaply from shops or online, and they come in a wide array of shapes and sizes, including numbers and letters that can be a great introduction to early learning.
Try to pick cutters that are made of plastic rather than metal cutters that could have sharp edges. Sometimes fingers do get in the way when some enthusiastic cutter stamping is going on, and we don’t want tears from sore fingers to spoil the fun.
Here are some ideas for using cookie cutters:
Obviously the first idea would be to encourage your kids to help make some biscuits or cookies, and stamp out shapes using the cutters, then let your kids decorate the shaped cookies with raisins, chocolate drops, chopped nuts, sugar sprinkles etc.
Play dough
Play dough is wonderful to use with cookie cutters. It does not require a lot of ingredients, mixing bowls, measuring cups, and spoons. It does not have to be carefully cut on a floured surface. It does not have to be baked and it does not have to be iced.
Give your cookie cutters new life by letting your toddler use them with Play Dough. Talk about the shapes and letters. Ask your toddler to spell their name out in play dough letters.
There are two ways of making play dough, cooked or uncooked. If you want to make up a batch of play dough yourself so it’s ready for your kids to play with, then follow the cooked play dough recipe. If you prefer to let your kids have a go at making their own play dough, then follow the uncooked recipe.