Setting up an open-ended, process-based activity like this is a great way to encourage curiosity, creativity and exploration through undirected sensory play.

What you need:

• Paper
• Paint and other mark making materials (Top Tip: use non-toxic, washable mark making materials)
• Collection ...

The idea for Loose Parts Play originated from Simon Nicholson's (1971) Theory of Loose Parts.

Why use Loose Parts?

Using Loose Parts in play encourages

• creativity and imagination
• exploration ...

Setting up an invitation to play using natural, manufactured and recycled loose parts (open-ended materials) encourages your child to be curious, explore and discover through undirected play.

Put out things you know will spark your child's interests, e.g shells, beads, buttons, sticks, leaves, bun cases, scoops, clothes pegs ...

We needed a gluten-free play dough recipe for sensory open-ended, process-based play experiences and tried this one. Given to us by a colleague, the recipe was easy to follow and quick to make, although it did require cooking.

To add an extra sensory element to the play experience, we added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the mixture as we cooked ...

This invitation to play was set up to encourage children to explore the world outside their window and how it changed over time.

"What can you see?"

"I wonder what might change?"

"Why do you think...?

"I wonder what I would see if I went outside and looked in through the window?

Include ...

It's great to get outside without wooly hats and gloves and hearing the birds singing again inspired an easy egg themed sensory play activity.

I left some egg-shaped pieces of card, some with numbers written on them, outside with a collection of sticks, stones and leaves and a few crayons. It wasn't long before more sticks and pieces of bark ...

No paintbrush? You can still paint. Have fun exploring ways to paint without one.

Today we had lots of fun using sprigs of Rosemary from our over-grown plant, pine cones, stones, string and our fingers to paint on a big piece of recycled cardboard. This creative, sensory activity stimulated lots of discussion, experimenting and problem-solving:

• "What's ...

This weekend, my brother sent me a video of his kids playing on the beach in Tasmania, it's summer there right now. Ok, I have to admit I was a little envious...I live in Canada and it's winter here, cold and snowy! But the video got me thinking and inspired a sensory play activity outside that encouraged exploration of the natural environment and ...

As a child, we always used recycled greetings cards to make our own jigsaw puzzles. My mum would give us a pile of recycled cards and a pair of scissors each and off we'd go. One year, being more than slightly competitive in nature, I decided that I would make a much better puzzle than my brothers and sister. I cut my card into so many tiny pieces ...

Last week we made salt dough decorations using flour, salt and water and biscuit cutters.

You can find our Air dry salt dough recipe here.

Top Tips when making Air dry Salt dough:

• The thinner you roll out ...

Have fun making paper chain decorations and develop your scissor skills.

What you need:

• Wax crayons, felt tips, paint, oil pastels etc.

• Plain paper (you can also use construction paper ...

Get busy and creative, turning recycled materials into life- sized images of you. Can you name and label the basic parts of the human body? What about organs like the heart and stomach?

What you need:

• Large piece of recycled cardboard, e.g. a flattened packaging box, or sheet of paper (Top ...

Play dough is an easy to make, inexpensive, modelling material. It can be made out of just a few ingredients and is a great resource for focused play activities.

Check out Play Dough letter fun for our play dough recipe or print a free copy here

Last ...

Play dough is an easy to make, inexpensive, modelling material. Using just a few ingredients your kids can make their own modelling dough and sculpt it into their own role-play toys, models and decorations.

Play dough is also a brilliant resource for using in more focused play activities that introduce, practice and develop maths concepts ...

Make a pair of binoculars out of just a cardboard tube and some glue. What can you see through them? Maybe you will use your binoculars to play I spy, or go exploring, or in imaginative play. Have fun!

What you need:

• 2 cardboard tubes (about 10 cm long)

or a cardboard tube e.g. ...

When my kids were growing up, we lived in a little village in North Yorkshire. I had no car and the twice daily bus service to the nearby town made it challenging to go places. But living in a country village had a lot of benefits, not least the library bus. Every other Wednesday would find us scrabbling for our shoes, coats and books to return so ...

Be creative and develop your maths skills as you print with paint to make repeating pattern art. Display your art work on a wall, or fridge, or use it to make your own wrapping paper and greetings cards.

Go on a repeating pattern hunt around your house and garden.

• Can you find any examples of repeating patterns, ...

Grab a bowl of water, a few empty washed out plastic food containers and some spoons and get playing.

Water play is a fun, sensory activity that encourages exploration, investigation and creativity. Water play activities can be set up indoors, or outdoors, and help your child to develop language, motor, cognitive and social skills.

What ...

I Spy Outside activities are a great way of encouraging kids to explore their environment, get fresh air and develop their observation and language skills.

The simplest "I Spy" activities do not need any equipment, can be played anywhere and adapted ...

Getting your kids to design, and make, their own versions of a magnetic fishing game keeps them busy and promotes the development of fine motor, creative and language skills and scientific understanding.

What you need:

• Recycled cardboard or card-stock (for game pieces)
• Box lid or a box with the top cut ...

Making stick puppets is an easy, inexpensive craft that keeps your kids busy, encourages imaginative play and promotes the development of fine motor, creative and language skills.

What you need:

• Recycled cardboard (from food packaging or boxes) or card-stock
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Materials ...