Here is a fun sticker matching activity for kids. It’s great to do with children who are beginning to recognise similarities and differences and making connections between objects and pictures. It’s wonderfully easy to set up too! Possum (almost 3 years) has quite an obsession with stickers! Are your children the same? It’s an obsession […]
Search Results for: fine motor skills
Peach scented play dough
Play dough is great fun for kids, especially when you know how to make peach scented play dough. It’s so easy to make and the delicious scent will have your children playing with for a whole lot longer than you ever expected them to. The learning benefits of children playing with play dough is really quite endless. Anna […]
Cupcake paper flowers
Cupcake paper flowers is a simple craft for kids and is great way to teach them about Spring and the many changes we can experience in a season. The Spring season would have to be one of my favourite times of the year. I just love watching the buds of growth start to appear in the garden and […]
Decorating party hats
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 […]
DIY threaded straw necklace
Possum (2.5 years) is very much into making things at the moment, especially things that can be worn. The weather has been very cold lately and so we have found ourselves indoors and getting creative what whatever we have on hand. For a bit of fun I thought we could make a threaded straw necklace. […]
Dragonfly craft for kids
There is something so wonderful about dragonflies, something magical and interesting. Possum (2.5 years) was interested to learn more about them when we came across a poster, which illustrated a dragonfly, amongst other things. So to tap into her curiosity I decided to make a simple dragonfly craft for kids, which also turned in to […]
DIY no sew princess castle
Possum absolutely loves all forms of pretend play and one of her absolute favourite roles is being a princess. This will always see her grabbing a fluffy dress, tiara and her pair of pink sparkly shoes that seem to refuse to stay on. I always try hard as her parent to encourage and engage in her love of […]
Invitation to play with pasta and playdough
It has been over the last week or so that I brought you two instructional posts on how to colour pasta (the quick and easy way) and another where I shared my go-to playdough recipe. For a bit of fun I decided to combine both of these and create a wonderful invitation to play with […]
Play Dough recipe
Don’t you love when things are just simple? I have made some really fabulous play dough recipes on this blog, such as my silky and stretchy 2 ingredient play dough and one that is deliciously strawberry scented. With those aside, I thought I’d share with you the recipe I find myself using when I just want […]
DIY simple paper plane for kids
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 […]
DIY zipper board for kids
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 […]
Easter Egg Suncatcher
Easter is just around the corner and Possum and I have been having fun making this Easter egg suncatcher! It was so much fun for her to make and right now it’s hanging proudly on our window at home receiving lots of comments from visitors. Recommended Age: 3+ years To make an Easter egg suncatcher […]
Pasta threading activity for toddlers
Here is a simple fine motor activity that I think your toddler will really enjoy. It’s very easy to set up and it involves them threading pasta onto straws, with the support of some freshly made play dough. Importance of fine motor skills in toddlers Fine motor skills involves the development of the smaller muscles […]
How to dye corn kernels for play
Sensory learn is such an important part of play for children. Providing them with opportunities to explore sand, water and rice are great ways to help them develop their senses. How about corn kernels! Here are instructions on how to dye corn kernels for play. Using corn kernels for play Corn kernels are great for […]
Sorting between big and small
Toddlers love being given simple little roles of responsibility and it gives them a great sense of achievement when they complete a given task. That is why I thought I’d tap into that and have Possum (2.2 years) engage in a simple activity that would have her sorting between big and small objects. Great activity to […]
How to make a string bowl with kids
Here are the instructions on how to make a string bowl with kids. It’s a great craft activity that is great for developing fine motor skills, especially in older children. I find it really rewarding to transform simple items into something useful. My husband has almost stopped rolling his eyes at the moments his found […]
Invitation to Play and Create
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 […]
How to make paper weaving placemats
I have such great memories of weaving paper placemats when I was young at school. Making them again for this blog post reminded me how fabulous they are as an indoor activity and how few materials it requires. It is also great for developing fine motor skills and creativity. Age – 3+ (This activity is open to […]
Cherry Blossom Paper Lanterns
It’s hard to believe that another year has past and we are well and truly in the throws of 2014. I’m predicting an exciting year with new improvements to Laughing Kids Learn and even more wonderful activities you can do with your children at home. Cherry Blossom Paper Lanterns One activity […]
Create a Christmas Scene with Rice
Christmas is such a visual time of year. It brings joy to my heart to see lights appear on indoor Christmas trees at night and community decorations make their yearly show on telephone poles and shop front windows. Here is a great activity that you can do with children. Using coloured rice (tutorial can be […]
Santa Snot
Lets be honest, kids love things just that bit gross and disgusting, so for a bit of fun get them to have fun with some Santa snot. It’s a mess free sensory activity that will have them in fits of laughter. Let’s be honest, kids love to play and experiment with things we might […]
Decorating shoes
You may remember that a little while ago we made some glow in the dark shoes. They were super popular with those who follow the blog, and so I thought I’d share a type of shoe decorating that the little ones would love just as much! I love gift giving and here is a […]
Milk Carton Christmas Ornaments
There is a real air of excitement around this coming Christmas Day. Possum will have turned 2 years old and its already becoming very clear to us that she is quickly working out what all the fuss is about. She loved helping her daddy bring our Christmas tree to life (yes, it’s fake) […]
Share It Saturday – 10 simple ways to entertain the kids this weekend #2
You may remember a recent ‘Share It Saturday‘ collection I did called, ‘20 ways to entertain the children this weekend‘. Well it was incredibly popular and so I thought I’d do another one that showcases the many talents of bloggers from all over the world. I decided on the following activities because I felt they […]
Share It Saturday – Simple Activities for Little Fingers
It was very difficult deciding which links to include in this weeks ‘Share It Saturday’ post. Thank you to each and every one of you who contributed. It highlights what incredible talent you all have. Hopefully you will be featured very soon. _____________________ With little people in mind, I decided to focus on activities that […]
Children Learning with Streamers
Streamers are wonderfully cheap strips of crepe paper that can be used to help your child learn just about anything. Yes, seriously! If you’re like me you usually have a few rolls left over from a party long ago but now you can get them out and put them to use. Let me show you […]
Gumnut Painting
The book series of ‘Snugglepot and Cuddlepie’ by May Gibbs would have to be one of my childhood faves. Those books absolutely melt my heart and I look forward to when I too can read them to Possum. One day as we were out for a walk as a family I found these […]
Sorting Colours
Here is a simple activity for your preschooler! It will teach them to recognise, name and differentiate between colours as well as improve their fine motor skills through use of the tweezers. All you need to do this activity is – coloured patty pans matching coloured pompoms tweezers To start, I firstly inverted one of the patty pans and […]
Valentines Day Frame
Valentines Day is fast approaching and so I felt it was timely to share an idea with you all. This beautiful Valentines Day frame would make a beautiful gift from a child to a loved one. The great news is that it is incredibly easy to do. To make this frame you will need – […]
Magic Trick for Babies
Here is a simple activity that babies will love! All you need is an empty tissue box (or similar) and some long pieces of material which you can feed in. I suggest feeding the material in bits at a time, rather than as a scrunched up ball, as it will pull out better for baby […]