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Baby playing with sensory balls on tray

Sensory baby play activity using a muffin tin

July 13, 2015 by Kate 6 Comments

I know this isn’t a knew idea by any stretch, but it’s so fabulous and babies just absolutely love it. So here is a fun sensory baby play activity using a muffin tin. It is so easy to set up and will have your baby playing and exploring for a long time. Of course this […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, activities for babies, Fine Motor, Play, Sensory Play Tagged With: babies, baby, explore, fine motor, laying down, learning, siblings, sitting up, tummy time

Baby play sensory bag

June 26, 2015 by Kate 6 Comments

Struggling to know how to entertain your baby? Well here is simple play idea that is easy to make at home and your little one will have lots of fun with it. It’s a baby play sensory bag. Babies begin their learning journey the moment the arrive and so this sensory bag is a great […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, activities for babies Tagged With: cause and effect, concentration, eye tracking, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, listening skills, muscle strength

#somuchmore

June 24, 2015 by Kate 6 Comments

This is a sponsored by Johnson’s ® Johnson’s ® is a company name that is familiar to most people. It’s a brand with products that have certainly stood the test of time and become trusted by mums, dads, caregivers, nurses, midwives, just to name a few. In actual fact, Johnson’s® has been setting the global standards in baby […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, Parenting, Sponsored Post

Baby play cover image

Baby play sensory activity using tin foil

June 3, 2015 by Kate 5 Comments

From the moment they are born babies begin a learning journey. This is a simple and fun baby play sensory activity using tin foil, which will help them develop awareness and build strength in large muscle groups. Obviously this activity requires strict supervision.  Little Boo is growing every day and I’m finding that she is […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, activities for babies, Play, Sensory Play Tagged With: baby play, cause and effect, gross motor, listening, listening skills, muscle strength, tummy time

Kicking balloon play for baby

Balloon kicking activity for babies

May 11, 2015 by Kate 27 Comments

Here is a fun balloon kicking activity for babies. Great for developing their eye tracking ability, understanding cause and effect (ie. when I kick the balloon moves), concentration and gross motor skills. As we know, learning begins long before a child can crawl or walk. Let your own baby have a go at this one. […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, activities for babies, featured Tagged With: baby

Playing with Easter bunny whiskers

Easter bunny whiskers

March 14, 2015 by Kate 1 Comment

If you’re looking for a quick and easy to make Easter craft then look no further than these adorable Easter bunny whiskers. Some children don’t like to wear full face masks and so this makes a great alternative. It’s also ridiculously cute!  Don’t you just love when things are simple? It’s almost like a huge […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Celebrate, Easter, Pretend Play, Special Events Tagged With: craft, easter, imaginative play

dressing baby doll pretend play

Caring for newborn with pretend play

November 13, 2014 by Kate 8 Comments

Children love to engage in all sorts of pretend play and imitating the role of a parent is certainly one of the most enjoyed. Washing, cleaning, preparing food are all experiences they are familiar with happening to them and so it’s often fun to reverse this role and have them take on some caring responsibilities. As many […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, Play, Pretend Play, Sponsored Post Tagged With: parenting, sponsored post

nappy pants baby love

Surviving the nappy change wriggles

October 24, 2014 by Kate 23 Comments

It’s almost as soon as your child discovers the joy of their legs that nappy changing time can become a huge and upsetting struggle. Changing a nappy  can be so difficult and some children just seem to simply not like their nappy changed. As a parent who has experienced this, I have a few tips to surviving the nappy […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, Parenting, Sponsored Post Tagged With: giveaway, parenting, sponsored post, tips

DIY Calming and quiet time glitter bottle

Quiet time glitter bottle

September 2, 2014 by Kate 3 Comments

Unlike calming glitter bottles, a quiet time glitter bottle is designed for children who are just needing moments of rest and relaxation, rather than needing to reverse a feeling of anger or frustration. They are so simple to make and lovely for children to watch.   The toddler years can be the time that grey hair […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, Indoor play Tagged With: preschooler, quiet activity, sensory, toddlers

decorating party hats

Decorating party hats

August 30, 2014 by Kate Leave a Comment

Children love to get creative using odd of bits and pieces found from around the home.  Here is a simple activity in decorating party hats, which children as young as toddler age will have fun doing. Perfect and easy to set up for birthday parties or playgroup sessions.  Possum (aged 2.5 years) loves to decorate […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, Uncategorized Tagged With: activity, fine motor, make, play group, preschooler, toddler

DIY simple paper planes for kids on a windy day

DIY simple paper plane for kids

April 30, 2014 by Kate 1 Comment

We have been experiencing a few days of wild and windy weather where we live and they can sometimes keep us indoors. Determined to make the most of the wind, I decided to make a unique style of paper plane that your child could easily help make and have hours of fun playing with. What a […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Craft Tagged With: DIY, outdoor activity, paper, preschooler, school aged, toddler

Arranging zippers on sensory board for children

DIY zipper board for kids

April 29, 2014 by Kate 79 Comments

I love making my own toys. My DIY Tugging Box and Sensory Board for Babies would have to be two of my most popular posts on Laughing Kids Learn. Don’t forget to check them out at the end of this post. Possum (aged 2.5 years) has very much entered the stage of independence and wanting to do […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, Fine Motor, Sensory Play Tagged With: DIY, fine motor, homemade, learning, sensory play

Bath Paints using 2 ingredients

Bath Paints using 2 ingredients

March 7, 2014 by Kate 35 Comments

Children love painting, especially on the smooth surfaces found in a bathroom. With this in mind I present to you a fabulous recipe for bath paints using only 2 ingredients. It’s quite amazing to me that I’ve not yet shared an activity that is for the bath! Well the time has come for me to […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Art, Paint, Recipes Tagged With: creating, paint, recipe

Guess the objects covered in tin foil

Guess the Objects covered in Tin Foil

February 24, 2014 by Kate 10 Comments

 Children love simple guessing games and so here is a quick and easy one for you to play with your toddler. All they are required to do is guess the object covered in tin foil. Object Permanence It’s quite incredible what children learn from objects that are out of their direct view. You may have heard me […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years Tagged With: maths, shape, toddler

Invitation to play, create and learn

Invitation to Play and Create

February 7, 2014 by Kate 33 Comments

Here is an invitation for children to play and create. You can use common household items, various pieces purchased at a discount store and include some wonderful homemade play dough. Setting up an invitation to play and create for kids is a fabulous way to engage them in creative play and experimentation.   Suggested age : 6 […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Fine Motor, Making, Playdough

Christmas playdough and cookie cutters

December 12, 2013 by Kate Leave a Comment

  Christmas time is such a wonderful time of year and it’s nice to be able to break free a few seasonal cookie cutters that have been hiding at the back of my over packed cooking utensil draw.    Each year I try and bake some cookies for friends and family but this year I […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Christmas, Playdough, Sensory Play

Exploring Tin Foil

October 23, 2013 by Kate 15 Comments

  Process vs product So what does that mean? It basically boils down to placing a greater value on the experience a child achieves rather than the actual finished product.    We can often get caught in the trap of asking children to complete an activity in order to reach a final product. Instead, we […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Art & Craft, Fine Motor, Sensory Play

Tugging Box

DIY tugging box for fine motor development

September 23, 2013 by Kate 113 Comments

I’m thrilled to share with you my DIY tugging box for fine motor development.    Give a toddler a box of tissues or baby wipes and you can be sure that within seconds they end up all over the floors. I know you know what I’m talking about – hahaha. It is part of a […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, featured, Fine Motor, Sensory Play

DIY Sensory Activity with easy home set up

September 11, 2013 by Kate 12 Comments

  Here is a super simple activity that takes seconds to set up at home, is fun, engaging and brilliant for sensory awareness.          Quite often sensory experiences are designed for children to use with their hands. I think it’s important not to forget that children can learn so much about sensory […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, Sensory Play

DIY Nature Sensory Board

September 5, 2013 by Kate 10 Comments

He is how to make your own sensory board using items found from nature.  It’s an exciting time of year here in Australia as the seasons are really starting to change from winter to spring. It is times like these that our family seem to take more notice of our garden and what to be […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, activities for babies, Natural Materials, Sensory Play

Painting with Kitchen Scrubbers

August 14, 2013 by Kate 10 Comments

    I was visiting my local Daiso store where everything you see is $2.80. You can imagine how strangely thrilled I was to see a pack including three kitchen cleaners, which included a sponge, soap-free scourer and bristle brush for next to nothing in price.   Sure, some people would use these in the […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Art, Art & Craft, Paint, Play, Sensory Play Tagged With: art, paint, painting, toddler

Fun Activity for Kids using Wool

August 9, 2013 by Kate 32 Comments

  Here is a fun activity for kids using wool! It will work with kids of any age. In the past I’ve used contact paper and leaves, as well as contact and tissue paper but here is something a little different but just as much fun if not more!   It was in my local craft store that […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, Art, Art & Craft, Fine Motor, Sensory Play Tagged With: activity, baby, contact paper, toddler

Mess Free Painting with Kids

July 21, 2013 by Kate 60 Comments

    I absolutely love painting with Possum but, lets face it, the thought of cleaning it all up can be a little off putting at times. So here is a great activity that is mess free painting with kids, which is easy for you to set up and your children will absolutely love!     Materials […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, Art, Art & Craft, Paint, Sensory Play Tagged With: mess free, painting, toddlers

Shredded Paper for Sensory Play

June 25, 2013 by Kate 9 Comments

  I love it when common materials become these engaging play activities for children. This was the case when I received a delivery that was full of shredded paper!   Normally I would have tossed it into the trash, however, without a thought Possum was instantly attracted to all these amazing white strands and quickly […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, Play, Sensory Play

Lemon Scented Play Dough

June 1, 2013 by Kate 8 Comments

As a child I always loved things that had a beautiful scent. Give me smelly stickers any day!!! There are lots of great scented play dough on the net but I decided to present mine to look like a real lemon as well as smell amazing.    This recipe is super simple because it involves […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, Play, Playdough, Recipes, Sensory Play

Baby Collage

April 22, 2013 by Kate 21 Comments

The weather is start to change where I live and I am finding myself preparing Possum more activities to do indoors.    Of course this activity isn’t restricted to indoors (or babies)  but it helps keep children busy on such days.      Let’s get our children doing some collage!    There are many learning […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Play, Sensory Play

DIY Strawberry Scented Play dough

April 10, 2013 by Kate 7 Comments

Once you’ve tried this gorgeous DIY strawberry scented play dough, you’ll make it again and again!      As a child I always loved things that smelt great. Strawberry was a favourite, I remember. Now, there are lots of great scented play dough recipes on the Internet but I decided to share with you my fabulous recipe. […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Making, Play, Playdough, Recipes, Sensory Play Tagged With: fine motor, play dough, recipe

DIY Baby Play Ideas

March 23, 2013 by Kate 19 Comments

Here is my wonderful collection of simple DIY baby play ideas.  Sometimes we can find ourselves feeling like there is very little that babies can do, especially since they are still mastering basic skills. In actual fact there is lot we can do with babies. There little brains are absorbing their surroundings and experiences 24/7.  Here are […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, activities for babies Tagged With: baby, DIY

The Disappearing Act

March 5, 2013 by Kate 49 Comments

Here is a fun way of playing with your baby and it is much like peek-a-boo, which they all know and love. I like to call it the disappearing act as they see an object appear and disappear in a container. It taps into developing their understanding of object permanence, so the object hasn’t actually […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, Making, Play Tagged With: babies, baby

Soapy Sludge

February 28, 2013 by Kate 30 Comments

    Many children over the age of about 2 or 3 years old would love this activity because playing with soapy sludge gives them a great sensory experience. I also love that it requires very few ingredients and it’s easy to whip together.        RECIPE 2 cups LUX Pure Soap Flakes 1-2 cup hot […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, Making, Play, Recipes, Sensory Play

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Welcome
Hello and welcome!
My name is Kate and I am a mum to two little girls, Possum and Boo. We have lots of fun together learning with play at home and are pleased to share some of what we do with you.
Read my about page to find out more.

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