Funny faces, busy bags and beads...Playing has never been so fun!

I am crazy about doing fun (and educational) stuff with the little one! Sometimes the stuff we do together is more exciting for me than her, but shes so supportive of the whole endeavor that she will sit with me and be excited by the colors, my joy and all the moving around we end up doing. One such endeavor this week was the funny face magnets I did for an older Anika (that is, she doesnt think the game is fun yet, maybe later?)

 Draw funny face parts

 Glue them to a magnetic sheet

Cut them out and make silly faces! 

I had fun getting this done and brought it to Anika who was so excited that she could stick random pieces of white and black on the fridge. Yay for both of us! Eventually we will perhaps take these magnets out in a few months and appraise them as eyes, nose and mouth and pair them as we like and go crazy! 

We did something else too that was just as fun for her as the funny faces were for me.  We made busy bags!

This bag is full of toys, mobile phone cover, CDs, Gift wrapping paper, empty cream tubes and more toys!

                                     

See?!

And this bag, that zips and has fun photos of family, a box wrapped in gift paper like a toffee, and more! Anika is always excited to spot these bags in different rooms inviting her to come and explore. These busy bags are perfect to stimulate toddler's curiosity, enhance their attention and concentration and also develop motor skills-taking off and putting back in and speak! And I was so surprised that Anika wanted to learn to zip the bag! We sat with the bag for a couple of minutes just figuring out how to hold the zip with two fingers (pincer grip) and how to yank at it so it can open. 

Besides all the learning what I love about putting together things for us to do is that it gives me a holding space for us. A space where we can enjoy each others company, play together and affirm our live for each other. 

Now, the next thing we did this week was Beads in the Bottle! I was so excited to discover that she was ready for this game. Since we have been using busy bags to put things in and out of bags, I figured maybe I could give her beads to put in a bottle. I ran to my study and got this tray of beads and that bottle from the kitchen. I put one bead into the bottle, and she totally got what she was supposed to do. She was so excited, focused and goal oriented in picking up every bead and putting it in the bottle, it was a moment of complete and utter pride for the me.Of course. 

Ah the joys of parenthood! This weak was a mixed bag of sickness and play. Of stress and joy...what week is not? How was your week?

Don't forget to check out the fun blogs I've discovered this month that are encouraging me to do all this fun stuff with my baby!

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