Toys in the house

Look at your household items with new eyes, and use them to stimulate your little one, writes Daniella de Witt

IT’S WONDERFUL TO SPOIL your child with the shiniest, noisiest toy on the market, but the reality is that very few toys really keep babies and toddlers busy for long. They are explorers and curious little monkeys and love to get their hands on something new.

Try to look at the world through your child’s eyes and find value in all kinds of household objects. You’ll be surprised to realise what you can use to make toys, and these toys can truly be of great sensory value for your child.

Sensory play is an important part of your child’s learning process, says Wietske Boon, a play therapist from Centurion. “Children learn best when all their senses are involved in the process. Sensory play is also the way in which children make contact with and collect information about their environment. In this way, a child also gets to know himself – his likes and dislikes in textures, smells and sounds – which is also important for emotional development.”

Draw simple faces on paper plates. Cut spirals from these that you can hang above your baby.

Allow your baby to play with sponges, brushes and plastic containers in water.

Fill containers and tins of various kinds with macaroni and ask baby to shake these.

Get your baby to look at himself in the mirror and start teaching him about the different parts of his body.

Thread little bells or beads on a ribbon and tie it to your baby’s arms or legs. Not too tightly though.

Fill balloons with sugar or jelly. He’ll love it.

Fill an old sock with cellophane. Your baby will enjoy playing with that.

Give him a tin with a flat lid and a variety of objects. He can have fun packing and unpacking it and trying to close the lid.

Push your baby around in a big box or baby bath, or get him to crawl in underneath.

Shaving cream is a wonderful toy. Spray a little bit into your baby’s hands or on the tray of his high chair, so he can explore it with his hands.

Pour some dry pasta or rice into an old baby bath and add funnels and measuring and toy cups. Your little one will enjoy sitting in the tub with all the toys.

Crumple pages from old magazines into little balls and get your baby to throw these around.

Give your child things like raisins to divide between paper plates.

Throw a picnic with your child in your own “tent” of sheets under the table.

Bake cupcakes or cookies for the two of you.

Go on a treasure hunt and give your child clues to follow.

Turn on the sprinkler and play together outside, water restrictions permitting, of course.

Give your child paper and finger paint. Give your child a big tub of water with a bunch of small bowls and cups. He can have a good time pouring water and messing around. Just keep an eye!

Do your own experiment with your child. Line a bowl with tinfoil, sprinkle with baking soda and then pour in some vinegar, so that the baking soda fizzes. Your toddler will be fascinated.

Hang a clothesline at his height in your child’s room and have him hang up some pieces of clothing with clothes pegs.

Put a bunch of toys in the bath, and ask your toddler to wash them.

Ask your child to lie down on a large sheet of paper, and trace the outline of his body with a pen. Ask him to colour it in and decorate it – and then name the different parts of his body.

Make music together, and teach your child rhymes and songs. Find some inspo on nalibali.org (nal’ibali means “here’s the story” in isiXhosa), a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign to spark children’s potential through storytelling and reading. Here you’ll find rhymes in a number of our official languages.

Encourage your child to use his imagination. Get him to think of different uses for a box: it could be a car, a guitar or a house.

Collect little boxes in various sizes, and get your child to stick them together.

Build an obstacle course for your little one with a variety of household objects like pillowcases and duvets.

Make your own playdough. Mix ½ cup of water with 1 tablespoon sunflower oil. Stir in 2 cups of cake flour and ½ teaspoon of salt. Knead until a dough forms. Add water if needed. Add food colouring and knead well. Store in a plastic bag to keep it soft.

Make your own paint. Mix 1 cup flour with 1 cup salt. Add 1 cup water and mix until smooth. Divide the mixture in plastic bags, and add food colouring in different colours in each bag. Add more water to thin. Pour into bottles with lids.

Mix dishwashing liquid with water, and pour it into empty bubble containers. Children love blowing bubbles.

Build a volcano with your little one. Build it from clay or paper mâché with a hole in the middle. Now add 2 teaspoon baking soda, and slowly pour in vinegar.

Show your child how to make necklaces from pasta. Thread different kinds of raw pasta on a string.

Make a tiny hat of coloured paper.