Learn with Play at Home: Top 10 Favourite Kids Activities from 2012

Here are my top 10 favourite activities that I've shared with you on Learn with Play at home this year.

It was really hard to choose only 10 so I've tried to include a bit of a selection of learning areas and skills required for each activity.

Click on each picture below to take you to the corresponding post where you will find more pictures and information to get the most out of each activity.

1) Water Bottle Fountain

This fun and engaging Science activity is suitable for kids of all ages. It is really easy to set up, using simple materials found around the house and it is relatively mess free. Click the picture to see all the pictures and info you'll need to conduct this experiment yourself.

2) Early Literacy Ideas. 5 Fun ways to encourage Writing, Drawing and Creating

In this post I share 5 ways that I encourage my children to Write, Draw and Create. Simple ideas to help motivate them as well as ideas for making things accessible for use by young children.

3) 15 Fun ways to use Contact Paper

Who would have known that you could do so many fun activities for children with such a simple and inexpensive material? Here I share 15 fantastic ways that you could use contact paper (sticky back plastic) with the kids and also includes the link to another post I wrote with 15 more activities! (Generally, contact paper activities are relatively mess free which can sometimes be a bonus too and is great for use with kids of all ages) :)

4) Painting with Seasoning and Spices

This was certainly the most lovely smelling painting we've ever done. This type of sensory creativity should be a hit with the kids and you only need to use materials you already have in the house. Quick and easy to set up, this is an activity that the kids will want to try more than once.

5) Make a Robot Helmet

This activity uses mainly recycled materials and just bits and pieces you can find around the house. Crafts are great for children as doing them teaches many different skills as well as practicing their creativity and engaging the mind. Crafts with a purpose are my favourite though as you get the benefits of crafting as well as a way of using them for further learning or purpose. Once this craft is over.... the imaginative play begins!

6) Early Maths with the 3 Bears

This is a fun way to learn and practice counting and grouping in a way that makes sense to children. With ways to simplify and extend this activity for a variety of ages, this hands on, role playing game is sure to be enjoyed.

7) Baby Play Activities

I had to include some ways for our littlest friends to learn with play as well, so here are a selection of a few different, purposeful ways to play with the younger kids.

8) Make a Cardboard Tube Marble Run

You can repeat this activity over and over again. It's fun, involves gross movement, problem solving and more. You don't need any fancy supplies at all, just some recycled goods. Great fun for all ages (yes, I just wanted to jump in and take over so I had to make my own!) :)

9) Learn your Name with Playdough and Pompoms

We loved this fun and tactile way to help practice letter and name recognition and formation. With just a few basic materials, your child can practice their fine motor skills and early literacy over and over.

10) Invitation to Paint with Recycled Materials

We have just loved our Invitations to Play and Learn this year. It is our favourite way to learn with play and this activity was just fabulous for getting sensory and creative while examining patterns and textures. Using any materials you can find around the house, this invitation is one unlikely to be ignored by the kids.

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We hope you enjoy our Top 10 Favourite Kids Activities and if there's anything in particular you're looking for, try using the search bar in the sidebar and trying some key words.

In the right sidebar you will also see a section that says "Activities List"

There you can find every activity we've done by clicking on the months to reveal the titles.

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