My Favourite Activities from 2012

With Christmas and the New Year creeping up fast, I would like to take this opportunity to share my sincere thanks to you, for your wonderful support of Learning4kids.  I am forever grateful for all your lovely emails and comments, they ALWAYS make me smile.

I would also like to wish you a very special Christmas and a safe, healthy and happy 2013.

As I will be taking a short break over Christmas and the New Year holidays, I thought I would share some of my favourite activity posts from over the year.  This was not an easy task as there are over 240 activities for choose from!!

I look forward to returning in the New Year as I have some new and exciting plans for 2013 which I can’t wait to share with you. There is also a lovely little giveaway to start your year off with lots of play, fun and learning!

I look forward to playing with you again in 2013!!   Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

RAINBOW SALT TRAY

Our Rainbow Salt Tray gets A LOT of use in our house for a number of activities and this is why I have chosen it as one of my favourite activities from 2012.

The greatest thing about a Rainbow Salt Tray is that it is cheap to set up and once it is set up it can be used over and over again.  I love the fact that you can shake to tray and start again with out having to use tons of paper for drawing.  It is also a great motivator to get kids to practice their writing skills, draw pictures, write sight words, shapes, patterns, numbers, simple maths sums and so much more!

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LIST OF BOTTLE TOP ACTIVITIES

I absolutely LOVE bottle tops and I think it is because they are colourful, recycled and make a great concrete hands-on tokens for learning activities.  We have played and used them for educational games, imaginative play, sensory activities, play dough, crafts and so much more.

There are some more bottle top activities to come in 2013!!

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PUFFY PAINT

There is something magical and exciting about Puffy Paint!!  It is super easy to make with all the ingredients you need right in your pantry and after your child has finished painting, place it in the microwave for the magic to happen…….It is SO much FUN!!  I look forward to sharing some more great Puffy Paint activities with you in 2013!!

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ALPHABET MATCH

I absolutely love this Alphabet Match activity because it is a bit like a puzzle and it is a homemade learning tool.  The kids love to get it out to play with!  Alphabet Match is a fun hands-on activity for kids to help recognise and learn their alphabet letters. It is also a great opportunity to introduce upper case and lower case letters and match them in a fun puzzle like activity.

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PLAYING WITH GLOOP

Making Gloop is definitely one of my favourite activities in 2012 because of the reaction and learning that came with this activity for my kids.  It is such a great sensory play opportunity for kids to explore and discover this unique textured mixture as it changes from a solid to a liquid and back to a solid again.  It is super fun, messy and really easy to clean up.

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POMPOM HOCKEY

Pompom Hockey has made it to my 10 favourites of 2012 because of the fun and laugh factor that came with this activity.  My girls had so much fun playing this game as they scooped and chased the pompoms around the floor with the homemade scoop.  It is so simple and cheap to set up!

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SORTING COLOURS WITH CARDBOARD TUBES

There is just something about posting objects down a cardboard tube chute that engages and motivates kids; this is why Sorting Colours with Cardboard Tubes is ones of my favourites from 2012.  It is a hands-on activity that provides the opportunity for kids to play independently while learning their colours because it is self-correcting.  It looks so inviting and is so much fun!!

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SOAPY SLIME

Soapy Slime has made it to my list for 2012 because of the mess factor that comes with this activity.  Messy/Sensory play is so important for kids as it provides many opportunities for learning, development and growth.  Soapy Slime is a great mixture to encourage and promote this messy play with kids.

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PAINT POPS

Paint Pops are a favourite for 2012 because they add a new element of creativity and fun to painting.  My kids are always asking to make these paint pops and I love that the melting ice paint provides a new tool for painting and endless opportunity for creativity.

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EASY COOKIE DOUGH RECIPE

This recipe would have to be the easiest recipe I have ever had to use and is also VERY yummy!  This Easy Cookie Dough Recipe provides for so much learning as it can be adapted and used within so many learning themes such as numbers, alphabet letters, Christmas, Easter and so much more.  We have used this recipe over and over during the year and this is why I have added it to my list of favourites for 2012.  I am sure it will make another appearance in 2013.

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These are some of my favourite activities from 2012.  I would love to hear which ones are yours!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New.  I look forward to playing with you again in the new year!