Today I’m really honoured to have Kate from Picklebums one of the first blogs that I followed joining us sharing 7 days of imaginative play ideas. Kate blogs about family life, with activities, crafts, recipes and parenting advice from Australia it’s great to see the seasons change in contrast to our seasons.
Seven Days of Imaginative Play
We love imaginative play at our house. It is such a great way for kids to develop and practice so many skills, and it’s so much fun.
1. Getting Started With Imaginative Play –
If you are new to the world of imaginative play it can be a little hard to figure out how to get started, so I’ve shared my five best tips for getting started with imaginative play and making it work for you and your children.
2. Imaginative Play is good for Kids, and Their Parents! –
Imaginative play is great for kids, they learn so many things, but it’s also good for parents too! Here are just some of the reasons why imaginative play is cool!
3. Create a Simple Play Scene – Frog Pond –
This simple imaginative play scene could be used with so many different accessories and characters. On this occasion it was a frog pond!
4. Sand tray play
This is one imaginative play scene that all my kids ask me to set up again and again… just simple sand and cars!
5. Puppet play –
We love puppets in our house! They can inspire so much creative and imaginative play. Over the years we’ve made a few sets of free printable puppets from frogs and ducks to leaves and monsters!
6. Bugs in a Box –
What if you have a great idea for some small world, imaginative, play but don’t have anything to put it in? You could always use a cardboard box… here’s how we did it.
7. Jungle Play Dough
Imaginative play doesn’t have to be difficult. My twins were 7 when they collected everything needed to make a jungle play dough set for their brother’s fourth birthday
Thanks so much for Kate for sharing the 7 days of Imaginative play for us. As a parent it’s one of the parts of play that I found hardest when J and T were toddlers now that I can understand their imagination a little better as their language has improved it as become easier.
[custom_author=Kate Picklebums]
Eddie - The Usual Mayhem
All great ideas! I think the jungle play dough is probably the one that I’d want to play with the most!
Jode
Fantastic ideas…I love watching my girls enter the imaginary play stage, it is so fun! Adore that bug box…will have to try that one out! Thanks for all this inspiration!
Nae @ adventuresathomewithmum
We love imaginary play as well, using a tub or box makes it so much easier to pack up.
I love the bugs box, my son would enjoy that so much.
You’ve shared some great tips here.
Pauline @ Lessons Learnt Journal
We thrive on imaginative play! Love the frog pond idea. Must set one up in our garden this week. Thank you for the inspiration (again). xo P
Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky
So many great ideas and easy to set up too. I love the idea of using a trofast drawer for small world play.
Penny
Pretend play is something that I really need to do more of with all my girls. I just struggle with sticking with her imagination for more than five minutes. A lot of these activities can be set up for her to do on her own which is wonderful but I do realise I need to join in more often. Great list Kate!
Nathalie Brown
Love these play ideas, more so because I love open ended play and that is an awesome way to play
Christie-Childhood 101
I want to play in the bug box! Looks like so much fun 🙂
Kate Lloyd
Imaginative play is so simple and important. I love that you an basically provide your children with the tools and they will do the rest! Love it. Great post Kate.
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