With the hustle and bustle of daily life you can easily allow your kids to play with whatever they want – and it may not necessarily be age appropriate. Choosing Fun Learning Activities For Your Kids doesn’t mean they have to be restricted to only playing when you have time though.

After reading an article in box4kids on blogspot  I was inspired to consider a list of great education toys and games that do not necessarily mean you have to participate ALL the time.

Building with blocks is a great open ended activity that can last for ages. You may only need to give some ideas to get them started such as building roads, houses, cities, farms etc. If your child is young or in the habit of mouthing everything use duplo or large wooden blocks so they don’t fit in their mouth. Smaller blocks such as Lego is great for developing an early pinch grip and strengthening the fingers for writing later.

A bucket of water and a medium size paintbrush. The side of the garage, brick wall or fence – anywhere a child can ‘paint’ and watch it dry. This is something I remember my father doing and it is a great way to practise letters, numbers or shapes. If your child has low upper body strength or poor posture this will help them build their gross motor muscles. If your child has siblings they can make a competition out of it – how many numbers or letters can you paint before they disappear – or take it in turns to write the numbers etc – see who’s fades first.

Anything to do with balls – big balls, tennis balls etc. Rolling, bouncing, catching and kicking them. If their is no friend, do it against a wall.

Playdoh, sandplay, waterplay or craft such as pipe cleaners – anything to get the little fingers busy with fine motor is always loved by children. The key is to start with the materials that are appropriate to your child – some like to eat playdoh or drink the water – so perhaps start with sand. If your child is really sensitive they may shy away from some of these sort of activities and need encouragement to dig into it to find motivating items like coins etc… Change the materials to be pasta or rice as well if you really want to.

Using fun learning activities that are open ended will not only mean you will get your household chores done but also build creativity and independent learning within your child too.