Magic painting. Using a white pencil on white paper draw a picture and get your child to paint over it with watercolour paints to reveal the picture.
Go on a bug hunt. Whether it is in your garden or in the park. Take a magnifying glass and go exploring. To extend the activity you can take pictures of all the bugs you find, print them out and help your child create a bug book!
Themed sensory tray. This activity is best suited to children aged 3-5 but can be popular with younger ones, or even older children! You can use a washing up bowl, shallow plastic storage boxes or a tray. Or if you are willing to spend the money you can buy specially designed sensory bins. Our personal favourite tray is the PlayTRAY. Fill the tray with sand, rice, flour, ice or anything you have around the house. Fill the tray with water and throw in some cut up sponges to help your baby explore new textures. Note- ensure your child is supervised at all times whilst using water.
Mess free painting. Using different colour paints, splat some paint dots across some plain paper. place the paper within a clear plastic wallet and tape it to the floor or table. Let your little one move the paint around the paper. This helps them to explore textures whilst creating a piece of art!
Make some musical instruments. Collect up some old plastic bottles. With your child go outside and collect some small rocks, sand or dirt inside the bottles. You now have your own maracas!
Stuff some pom poms, socks, sponges or fabric strips inside a whisk. Give the whisk to your baby with a small plastic bowl. Let them pick out the objects from the whisk and place them into the bowl. This will help to enhance their motor skills and keep them entertained.
Find some old cardboard tubes - such as from a kitchen roll - and tape them to the wall or a closed door. Give your child a bowl of pom poms and let them entertain themselves by dropping them down the tubes.
Build a race track. Using some masking tape, tape out a race track on the floor and give your baby some toy cars. Your little one will play for hours.
Create a shape sorting game. Using some masking tape, tape out different shapes on the floor, such as a square, circle and triangle. Cut out the corresponding shapes out of paper. Ask your child to sort the paper shapes into the correct taped out shape. This will encourage them to learn basic shapes.
Animal tape rescue. Collect up some small plastic animal figures. Tape them onto the floor and have your baby free the animals from the tape! This will tune those fine motor skills.
Treasure hunt. Take an old egg box outside. Challenge your child to fill each compartment with a different item from nature.
Entertaining children can become very expensive. To help protect your pocket we have compiled a list of free activities to do with your tiny ones!
