The Physical Child

Kids Art: Threading Mobiles

April 19, 2011
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In Art Not Craft I talk about taking art activities outdoors as one way of stressing less about the mess. However less messy activities work just as well outdoors and today we set ourselves up on the picnic blanket in our backyard to do some threading. Threading is wonderful for fine motor development and our [...]

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25 Ways to Have Fun Outdoors

April 16, 2011

Following on from last year’s popular post – 25 Ways to Have Fun, I present to you 25 Ways to Have Fun Outdoors. Why not try something from the list this weekend or over the Easter holiday break! Head to the coast for a rockpool treasure hunt and a spot of beachcombing. Climb a tree. [...]

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Get Outdoors: 6 Things To Do With a Hula Hoop

April 5, 2011
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1. Bean bag throw: Lay your hoop on the ground, step back and throw a bean bag into the hoop. With each successful throw, take an extra step back to make it trickier! (If you are interested in making your own bean bags, check out this post). 2. Roll it: Find a large flat space [...]

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Playdough, Plasticine & Clay for Kids: Making Little Hands Stronger

February 10, 2011
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Playing with playdough is fun and most young children love it. But have you ever stopped to thing about how playing around with dough actually helps children to develop control and strength of the muscles in their fingers and hands? Those same little muscles which they need to be good and strong to hold a [...]

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We Play: Let’s Play Together

February 1, 2011
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It has been so hot here lately that our outdoor physical play options have been more than a little limited.  Often during the day we incorporate physical play into our indoor play with lots of dancing, yoga moves and even bike riding around the house (!) – mind you Immy is only just learning to [...]

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Cutting Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

January 22, 2011
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Do you let your toddler or preschooler use scissors? Do they only do ‘cutting’ with help or do you let them practise independently? When she turned two*, I bought Immy a pair of children’s scissors (they are Crayola First Scissors). At first we only used them sporadically, as I had put them away and only [...]

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Fine Motor Skills at Christmastime

December 14, 2010
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Christmas is a great time to encourage your children to practise simple fine motor skill activities, like cutting, gluing, stapling and taping. Here are a few ideas to get little fingertips working… ♥ Cutting straight(ish) lines is great practise for little ones just starting out with learning to use scissors. Try cutting strips of wrapping [...]

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Swimming With Babies and Toddlers

September 26, 2010

Immy is a total water baby (completely taking after her Dad, not me as I am very nervous around water) and as I was reading this post by the wonderful Cat of Adventures with Kids, I found myself nodding along with her helpful, practical tips… Swimming is one of the most enjoyable activities that I [...]

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