Play ideas
The ideas in this section are generally aimed at children from around age five and upwards. There will be just a couple of ideas at a time to try, but these will be changed regularly so keep coming back for more!
The humble cardboard box
Ever seen a child open up a new toy only to cast it aside and play with the box instead? This is because the cardboard box helps them to do what play is really all about – use their imagination. It takes much more thought to decide what to do with the box than to decide what to do with a toy (toys often have a single intended use) – think of all the potential for concentration, problem solving and creativity. So don’t throw away those packaging boxes, give them to your children instead! (You could also probably bag a stack more from a local shop.)
It might take a bit of time (maybe an hour, maybe three days) for children to find a use for them, but they will in the end. Could it be a den? A boat? Cut up into a robot costume? Painted and turned into a dolls house? Leaving boxes near some simple art materials (sellotape, a glue stick, pens, some bits and bobs like used wrapping paper or sweetie wrapper) or other favourite playthings could help children to come up with ideas.
Play dough recipe
Lots of home-made play dough recipes are available online, but here is a link to one on the Nursery World website – www.nurseryworld.co.uk
The advantage of making dough over buying it is all the fun in the kitchen beforehand and the enjoyable messiness of the ingredients!
