Playdough is the go-to material in the 100 Toys house when we want calm, purposeful fun and it helped to pass those long afternoons when going out was prohibited.This is a long guide with lots of different recipes. But if you want to embrace the 100 Toys approach fully, then read no further. Just gather together …
Following the success of Get Set Five, many people asked if I’d create something for younger children. They loved the idea of a series of regular play-based activities. It’s hard to constantly come up with new things to do. So I created A Year With My Child, for toddlers and young preschoolers. It’s not a …
Our children’s first few months are such a precious time. We want to hold on to the newness – they’ll never be this young again. The sleepless nights seem eternal and yet three months race by in the blink of an eye. But time passes and as they grow, our babies become stronger and more …
Is there a better toy than the simple block? Whether you need a castle or a cave, a house or a road, reach for the blocks. Can you think of anything that delights both babies and preschoolers as much? From a baby’s earliest attempts to grasp and manipulate objects through to a school-child’s sprawling constructions, …
Open-ended play is brilliant. It encourages experimentation and perseverance and keeps your children busy for hours, buying you the time to have five minutes’ rest and a nice cup of tea. In this guide we’ll look at how you can get more of it in your life. Table of contents What is open-ended play? Why …
Sand and water go together like coffee and chocolate. Nice on their own but great together. They are open-ended materials which means that the play possibilities are endless. There are no fixed outcomes here. It’s all about exploration and discovery and there is always something new to learn. Water play It might look like they …
For children of a certain age, wooden train sets are mesmerising. The rhythmic sound of the wheels clicking over the joins in the track, the whoosh of acceleration as the train rolls down slopes. Even the smell of the wood is calming. There’s nothing surprising about the train’s route. There can be no sudden detours, …
What’s so special about playing with doll’s houses? And what’s the secret to their enduring appeal? In this guide we’ll examine the psychology behind children’s play and how it determines which doll’s houses are best. Discover the psychology of doll’s house play and learn more about why it matters in this guide. Table of contents …
Have you heard of small world play? In this type of play, children can build, create and imagine, all in a small, safe and manageable ‘world’ of their own making. It’s imaginative play, only it’s more contained, often in a space that your child can return to again and again. Contents: What is small world …
Messy play may sound like a terrible idea when you’re already battling the regular mess that comes with toddlers. But done the right way, it doesn’t have to mean too much damage, and you’ll really reap the rewards. There’s a great deal of overlap between messy play and sensory play, number 53 in The 100. …