CRAFTY PLAY IDEAS

Construct cute animals

Extrapolate an egg carton and a piece of cardboard from the ground. To create the creature's face, cut a sharp part from the carton, and attach it to the cardboard with adhesive. Paint body and ears on the cardboard, as well as facial features (unicorn! piglet!) on the carton.

Sketch a life-size self-portrait

Your youngster should lie down on a few feet of butcher paper that has been spread out on the floor. After that, trace around their body. Set up a mirror close by so they can finish the picture.

Get sculpting

Use plaster fabric to construct 3-D items with no-mess papier-mâché. First, prepare a bowl: Strips that have been wet should be wrapped around a balloon's bottom half. Pop the balloon after waiting for the strips to solidify for 30 minutes. Using paint or markers, add flare. Wrap strips around cardboard or Styrofoam to create dolls or masks for an advanced project.

Watercolor to the extreme

On a piece of thick white paper, have your child sketch a picture with a black permanent marker. (We advise supervising this part!) Ask them to use washable markers to draw an abstract design in as many different colours as possible on a piece of aluminium foil. Place the paper over the foil face down and mist it with water. Gently rub the two together to transfer the colours. The revelation is then the focus: Peel the paper back ceremoniously to reveal the colourful creations your child has made. Be sure to allow it to dry.

Build a dream playground

Allow your child to go through the recycling, then give them a roll of tape, some ice-pop sticks, corks, and twine to build the ultimate park for their tiny toys, complete with loop-the-loop slides, swings, and monkey bars.

Uncover a secret message

Thus, this is the purpose of white crayons. Use one to help your child write words or create patterns, then have them paint over it with watercolours. In a technique known as resist art, see how the wax pushes the water away.

No paintbrush = no problem

Swap out the paintbrush for sponges, scrubbers, a comb, leaves, flowers, bath pouffes, toy cars, LEGO bricks, blocks, cookie cutters, marbles (let youngsters roll them about with paper in a box), and, of course, fingers to add texture to paintings.

PRETEND PLAY IDEAS

Suggest these make-believe scenarios to get your kid's dream world going.

• Set up an airport.

• Hold a ceremony (like a wedding or a coronation).

• Play restaurant.

• Open a vet clinic or a hospital.

• Take a trip into space.

• Re-create a scene

from a movie.

SENSORY PLAY IDEAS

Go bananas with shaving cream.

Have your children enter a dry bathtub while wearing their swimsuits. Add some toys, a big amount of shaving foam, and a bowl of warm water. (Kids under the age of 5 obviously need supervision.) Then, open the faucet and rinse everything off.

Sort stuff

Instruct your 4- or 5-year-old to sort the objects into a muffin tin by size, shape, or colour after giving them buttons or pom-poms. Children enjoy organizing and making piles, and handling tiny objects encourages them to enter a state of flow.

Assemble a sensory bin

Fill a shallow storage container with a few pounds of dried black beans, then toss in some toys (plastic bugs, construction vehicles, action figures) for a tactile experience. Add cups, serving utensils, and funnels for scooping. When your child is done, snap on the lid and store the container for another day.