Playtime sums
Playtime sums 1
Ball pit + stuffed toys = Rescue the sinking animals!
6
Bury stuffed toys in a ball pit and encourage your toddler to ‘rescue’ their sinking animals. Rummaging around the ball pit is always loads of fun, and this imaginary scenario will nurture their social skills.
2
Hula hoop + LEGO DUPLO bricks = Making faces
Play tunnel + balls = Ball ramp Elevate one side of the play tunnel with pillows, and get your toddler to throw balls down the ‘ramp’. This helps their handeye coordination, among other physical skills.
4
Pavement chalk + dolls = Chalk accessories A good game for outdoors (or on paper indoors if the weather’s bad). Lie the dolls on their backs and encourage your toddler to draw ‘accessories’, like a hat, bag or umbrella, over the doll’s head or next to the doll’s hand.
5
LEGO DUPLO Number Train + pen and paper = Living-room train stations Write the numbers one to 10 nice and big on sheets of paper and lay them around the living room. These are the ‘stations’. Put the corresponding numbered bricks from the train on each ‘station’ and get your child to drive their train to each station, ‘loading’ the bricks onto the train as they go.
Toy tea set + stuffed animals = Teddy bears’ picnic An oldie, but a goodie. Playing make-believe helps your child develop important social and emotional skills.
7
Ride-on + toy food + plastic basket = Playroom supermarket sweep Place toy food around the room(s), or in the garden if the weather’s nice, and get your child to ride around and collect up
some art with the LEGO DUPLO bricks! Encourage your toddler to create ‘faces’, with bricks for noses, eyes and mouth, etc. With slightly older kids, you can try and recreate different facial expressions, to help them explore and understand emotions.
3
LEGO, the LEGO logo and DUPLO are trademarks of the LEGO Group ©2017 The LEGO Group.
Your job is to provide the race-style commentary, for added excitement.
8
Wooden train tracks + balls = ‘Marble’ run Build train tracks in two parallel lines to create an oversized marble run – where the ‘marble’ in this case is the balls. You can try making different patterns using the tracks, or elevate one end of the ‘run’ on cushions to turn it into a ramp. Or see if you can raise both ends to make a bridge the ball can run across. A test of both your and your child’s building skills!
9
Skipping rope + toy cars = Winding roads Use the skipping rope to make wiggly lines and other patterns, and encourage your toddler to drive their cars along the winding roads. The more twists and turns, the more your older
10
Play tunnel + stacking cups = Crawl and collect Place stacking cups (in size order!) along the play tunnel, and encourage her to crawl through and collect up the cups as she goes along. The multitask of crawling and holding cups should hopefully produce a lot of giggles! The goal for her is to collect enough to build a tall tower when she emerges from the tunnel.
Ball pit + stuffed toys = Rescue the sinking animals!
6
Bury stuffed toys in a ball pit and encourage your toddler to ‘rescue’ their sinking animals. Rummaging around the ball pit is always loads of fun, and this imaginary scenario will nurture their social skills.
2
Hula hoop + LEGO DUPLO bricks = Making faces
Play tunnel + balls = Ball ramp Elevate one side of the play tunnel with pillows, and get your toddler to throw balls down the ‘ramp’. This helps their handeye coordination, among other physical skills.
4
Pavement chalk + dolls = Chalk accessories A good game for outdoors (or on paper indoors if the weather’s bad). Lie the dolls on their backs and encourage your toddler to draw ‘accessories’, like a hat, bag or umbrella, over the doll’s head or next to the doll’s hand.
5
LEGO DUPLO Number Train + pen and paper = Living-room train stations Write the numbers one to 10 nice and big on sheets of paper and lay them around the living room. These are the ‘stations’. Put the corresponding numbered bricks from the train on each ‘station’ and get your child to drive their train to each station, ‘loading’ the bricks onto the train as they go.
Toy tea set + stuffed animals = Teddy bears’ picnic An oldie, but a goodie. Playing make-believe helps your child develop important social and emotional skills.
7
Ride-on + toy food + plastic basket = Playroom supermarket sweep Place toy food around the room(s), or in the garden if the weather’s nice, and get your child to ride around and collect up
some art with the LEGO DUPLO bricks! Encourage your toddler to create ‘faces’, with bricks for noses, eyes and mouth, etc. With slightly older kids, you can try and recreate different facial expressions, to help them explore and understand emotions.
3
LEGO, the LEGO logo and DUPLO are trademarks of the LEGO Group ©2017 The LEGO Group.
Your job is to provide the race-style commentary, for added excitement.
8
Wooden train tracks + balls = ‘Marble’ run Build train tracks in two parallel lines to create an oversized marble run – where the ‘marble’ in this case is the balls. You can try making different patterns using the tracks, or elevate one end of the ‘run’ on cushions to turn it into a ramp. Or see if you can raise both ends to make a bridge the ball can run across. A test of both your and your child’s building skills!
9
Skipping rope + toy cars = Winding roads Use the skipping rope to make wiggly lines and other patterns, and encourage your toddler to drive their cars along the winding roads. The more twists and turns, the more your older
10
Play tunnel + stacking cups = Crawl and collect Place stacking cups (in size order!) along the play tunnel, and encourage her to crawl through and collect up the cups as she goes along. The multitask of crawling and holding cups should hopefully produce a lot of giggles! The goal for her is to collect enough to build a tall tower when she emerges from the tunnel.
