Busy Bags

These busy bags were made for church they aren't church specific but these are great for travel or places you need to stay in one place and don't have much scope to pack entertainment.

Felt lollipops (I meant these to have wooden lollipop sticks but turned out I didn't have any)

 Pipe cleaners poked into a tin can lid with holes poked in. (I was going to do match stick posting but little person really likes birthday cakes so thought would like it this way)

 Drawing materials and stickers

 Threading beads, these are chunky enough to be stacked and have characters that can be played with too.

Linking bears and rings, two of each design to match or simply make a chain.

Colour Match Peg

 Mermaid and Rocket pegs matching correct colour tails/ booster

Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer (2)

I have actually made this to sell and be mailable in an envelope. It is a version of a previous one I made that was more 3D, But actually I think it's turned out pretty well

Photo puzzle

So it's been forever.... since I posted doesn't time fly? I've had rather a lot going on sorry, so here we go.

 Simple shape puzzle bought from supermarket (or charity/ thrift store) select photos of child and their family and stick under the shapes. I laminated mine to make it durable and also can be pulled up eventually with a sharp knife.

You could also stick photos underneath that relate to words a child with language difficulties is working on.

Polishing Brass

 Read any blog or article on Montessori and you soon come across "polishing" and whether you are a Montessori devote or not this is actually a deeply satisfying and engaging tasks for many a three year old! Not to mention developing theses essential fine motor skills, whilst developing a sense of responsibility.

Montessori Helper offers some instructions on how this activity should be presented

Checking results :)

Snow fine motor

In England we are still waiting for snow (some more are more anticipatory than others) so here's a couple of snow related activities

 Sorting and hooking snowflakes, child places the clipboard on the edge of a table to hook the snow flakes onto.

Using sugar tongs (poundland) pick up these seeds and place into jar, tongs kept in jar to encourage unscrewing lid.

Christmas Fine Motor (2011)

So we had a similar activity last year, but this one requires a little more skill. I got new tiny sugar tongs from poundland, and had these other items hanging around the house. The aim is to tong the tiny pom poms onto the snowman saucer and the stars into the star cutter. I will let you know how they get on?
I have blogged about this activity previously, but today in an effort to conserve space on shelf I placed the cup tree into the bowl and the stars on top. HEY PRESTO, self enclosed activity think it will be remaining like this (may even stick it inside the bowl)

Cutting Snowmen and Christmas Trees

After observing some difficulty with Christmas templates I made this simple cutting activity. I folded the paper, drew half the shape on the crease side. I provided scissors, stickers and ribbon. For children to cut out and create independents.

A beautiful christmas tree

A cool sonwman

Christmas Activities

Wrapping practice and gift tag making. Gift tags simply cut out from last years Christmas cards.

One of the other activities availible is paper chain making, these strips come from that set, I thought they would be useful for some cutting practice though. Cutting each image out and sticking on something perhaps. Actually this is a bit below abilities but I am almost certain it will be a winner, just because of interest and sometimes thats ok in my opinion!!

Star Button Match

Selection of pairs of felt cut out stars, with buttons sewn to one pair and a slit big enough (but not too big) to accommodate a button. Children find matching stars and button them together. I also made a matching bag but a pretty box would be just as nice. This will supplements; christmas, twinkle twinkle and space themes/ interests, whilst the children develop fine motor skills, matching and explore connecting scheamas.

Wee Wedgits Brilliant buy

Look! What I purchased today from the second hand baby/ child store!!! Wee Wedgits 30 piece set for £10 - Bargain, the cheapest I have found the set new is £33! And they have washed up perfect. I'm sure there will be more posts on these!

Peg Posting

I have used this activity with both babies (dolly pegs), toddlers and with children on the autistic spectrum. It's a fairly popular activity and ties in a popular schemas that manifest in posting, starting off with the dolly pegs and eventually moving on to pinch pegs. You can obviously make the hole cut into the tin much smaller for individual needs, in fact I have a range of lids cut out so this can be used for various children with out the need of taking up storage space of more tins.

It is a particularly good activity in a TEACCH workstation format, as it so clearly shows the the activity is finished and is quite motivating with the loud bang as the peg drops into the tin. When I have used it in the workstation format I have usually velcroed the tin and box together, to make it one unit. I have also progressed to a lipped circular food storage container necessitating the need for the child to actually opening the peg to remove the peg (with the box it can can just be pulled off.

Felt Tree Button Board

I was inspired to make this but seeing a similar button board at Olives and Pickles Blog but had no particular reason to create it.

But then I saw "How to Catch a Falling Star" in the book shelf, and decided that if i created it could be used alongside the book. I made the button board so that it could be hung on the wall or folded up to transport.

I sewed it so that the grass would provide a pocket to store the leaves.

The leaves can then be buttoned onto the tree.

Matching leaves to the correct coloured buttons.

I plan to make the characters from the book to go with the story "How to Catch a Falling Star"

Golf Tees hammering in Pumpkin

Now it's full on Autumn (Fall for you American readers!) And pumpkins are in the shops (stores for you American readers!) for their short stint of purchasing before Halloween and then on sale after! I personally don't celebrate Halloween but there are certainly joys to be had around Autumn none the less, and hammering golf tees into pumpkins is one of them!

For younger children with less strength hammer several tees in first and then remove it will make it easier! Note the little pumpkin is being carved with golf tees and playdough tools!

(Don't ask why there is a blown up glove in top picture, these were taken last year and I haven't a clue?)

Playdough people 2

And so the play continues, cutting out people with gingerbread men cutters and adding features, with buttons or using the limbs and facial features from the people set. I intend on using these at church on Sunday with 3-4 year olds, I think I will also add Mr Potato head features for a larger group and those who may want to make larger people. We are going to be thinking about God made me special and making people from playdough seems like an entirely appropriate activity. I have planned a play activity for each of the senses and also for feet, I'll keep you posted.

And then we extend further to...

Hammering golf tees, embossing patterns...

A fabulous pattern, a work of art.

Funky Foam Fishing

From boats to fishing....

Funky foam makes most wonderful fish (if a little dead, floating on water), when accompanied by a tea strainer, mini fishing net or in this case a spoon? It provides a great fishing activity. I originally did this a responsive activity in pre-school sunday group where I wrote words on one side, with affirming words about what God thought of the, subsequently a memory verse. You could equally do the affirming words with any group of children, even allowing the children to each pass thier fish to a friend. This group of fish had various emotions drawn on to allow discussion about emotions, there are any number of possibilities (speech sounds, numbers, phonics, colours...) and plain simple free play too.

Valentines Activities

5 Pretty flowers song I created to the tune of five current buns. I have created a little song box to accompany the rhyme (I actually did it the other way around but...that's just highlighting the outcome before the activity frame of mind I'm disposed to I guess) I added, a little bag, purse money song card and created peg flowers. I wrote the cost on the flowers to support in adding money (for those at that level, not necessary though)

Copy and print the rhyme below to create your own rhyme box.

Extending from the popular button snake, I've created a button heart. Incorporating size into the activity and a bit of problem solving required to thread the hearts in the correct size order.

Sorting felt hearts (and a bow) by colour/ shade.

Creating repeating patterns from the sorted hearts.

Bottle filling

On closer inspection of old photos it would seem we have done a fair few bottle filling activities, all of which have been well received particularly for those with enclosure schemas.

Putting pasta bows into wide necked bottles (they could be shock out after and reused)

Rice scooped carefully into the bottle and then poured out again, to do it all over again!!!

Placing gems and pom-poms into a bottle