This is a guest post by Chris . If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. 7 Unexpected Ways to Play Upon becoming a father, I learned quickly that the best way to support a young infant’s play is not to purchase them a cluster of toys, but to observe what they are interested in… View Post
Drawing is just drawing. Mark making is just mark making. Sometimes it is just us that doesn’t have the inspiration to gently lead or suggest them into a new direction. Do you have days like that? MaryLea of Pink and Green Mama shared on Raising Playful Tots that it is just fine for our children to be doing the same drawings over… View Post
April showers; chilly and warm. We’ve had all weathers this week. Lots of puddle splashing and frequent changes of clothes. It’s the perfect weather for getting outdoors. We’ve accumulated so many tracks. But you can never find the piece you need. Three boys working on tracks side by side is priceless. Friday Finds is the place to unwind, grab yourself a… View Post
Kids draw but what to do if it’s the same thing over again. Should I be worried? What type of drawing materials are good to start with a toddler. MaryLea of Pink and Green Mamma gives an art teachers perspective for parents to use. She shares activities, ideas and sound advice about drawing in the under 5 stage. MaryLea is quick… View Post
Each year we’ve tried to grow something. Not because we needed to but because it’s pretty amazing to show the children the tiny seeds and how with a few key things a plant starts to grow. It’s real work nurturing this delicate seed, preparing the containers or the ground. Depending on where we live we need a good schedule for watering, feeding… View Post
What were you doing 12 years ago? This is one of the new questions I’m asking many of the guests on Raising Playful Tots. Why 12 years ago? 2000 was a significant year. It was when the Y2K bug threatened to turn off all our computers. It was the year I got married. It’s a year that most people can… View Post
The LO is a little wild with the markers, meaning everything is a nice blank canvas including the table, walls and floor. Today we had fun with sharpies and he was so excited. We all, including big brothers, sat together and just experimented with the pen. The LO is beginning to get the feel of watercolour painting. I love how… View Post
Nothing’s worse than a temper tantrum or discipline issues around a play activity. We all end up frustrated, cross and really unlikely to want to do the activity. Play activities can all too easily be derailed by high emotions. Today I’m talking to Amy Speidel of Conscious discipline about approaches to use to move us through this season of Early… View Post
Today you can make a difference by joining a grassroots organisation called ONE. You’ve probably heard of them on the TV and radio. Here’s a little introductory post about why I believe this is something we should be part of with our children. Part of Raising a Playful Tot is about sharing and showing our passions; leading by example and… View Post
Today I’ve written a personal post about an organisation that doesn’t ask for our money just our voice. Pop on over to The voice of #ONEMums to find out more and come back here tomorrow to hear about the Tuesday Twitter Party. Meet the ONE Mums Jennifer from BritMums :: @jhowze Michelle from Mummy from the heart :: @michelletwinmum Alex from Doing It All For Aleyna :: @allforaleyna Melitsa from Raising Playful… View Post
As a busy mum, it’s easy to get caught up in our own world and not see beyond our little corner. My eldest son was born with a club foot. Within days my husband and I were up to speed on the Ponsetti approach to treating clubfoot. We knew our little boy needed us. You are immediately immersed into a… View Post
The Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education project has been following 3,000 children between the ages of three and 14 since 1996 to try to discover what factors lead to success. While the report talks about preschool learning environments it also highlights HLE, the home learning environment. It’s important to note one of the findings from the study is how much of… View Post
