Plastic jugs, cups and sieves
Give your little one a bucket of water and plenty of cups and jugs for them to pour with. A sieve, if you have one, is an interesting way for your child to see how water moves. Pouring can help with hand eye coordination.
Sponges
Again, fill up a basin of water and give your youngster various sized sponges to play with. They can see how each sponge expands when filled with water and returns to the original size every time your youngster squeezes the water out of them with their hands.
Cushions
Place cushions all over the floor and get your little one to jump from each one pretending they are lily pads or that the floor is lava. Do this to help develop your youngster’s imagination.
Table and throws
Make a fort using your kitchen table and any old sheets that you have floating around your home. Fill the inside with plenty of cushions and let your youngster spend the day in there. Again, this kind of activity will help your youngster develop their sense of imagination.
Pots and pans
If you don’t mind the noise, give your youngster lots of pots and pans for them to bang against with a wooden spoon. They will learn all about how different pots create different sounds.
Plastic bottles
Stimulate your child’s senses by filling up an empty plastic bottle with beads, rice or buttons making sure the lid is securely on before handing it over. They will love the sound that each one creates.
Tupperware
Teach your child about different shapes by giving them various sized Tupperware containers and getting them to put the lids on. They will soon realise that only one lid will fit each.
Empty shoe boxes
If you have a number of empty shoe boxes floating around the home, give them to your youngster to use as building blocks. If they fall over, they won’t hurt your youngster.
Colander
Teach your child to thread with the help of a colander and some pipe cleaners. Simply let them push the pipe cleaners through the colander’s holes, weaving in and out.
Dirty clothes
Help your child learn about colour and get them to give you hand in the process. Simply hand them over a pile of dirty clothes and help them put matching colours beside each other.
