Popular Activities for Young Girls

Play-Doh

Play-Doh of ColorsIt might seem like a cliche toy but play dough gives hours of fun for imaginative little minds – once they learn that it doesn’t taste so great!

I have a large plastic mat for the floor and a bag filled with play-doh in various different colours, old small cookie cutters, solid plastic utensils, small jars (to use as rollers and storage) and some chocolate box inners (to substitute for muffin tins). You can play with your kids or let them create on their own. Boys and girls of all ages will be entertained together with play-doh and as long as you keep them on the plastic mat it isn’t too messy.

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I’ve tried making my own play dough but to be honest keeping it in the fridge was a hassle and it never lasted as well as the bought variety. Here’s a recipe though in case you are game…

 

 

Filed Under: Activities, Art, Games, Gifts, Toddlers

Holiday Doodle Cards

If you want something small to take on holiday with you to entertain girls who like drawing then Holiday Doodle Cards could be the answer. The pack is about 2 times the size of a standard pack of cards. It comes with a black felt pen and 50 wipeable cards.  Standard felts don’t work very well on them so either keep track of the pen or buy a whiteboard maker as a replacement. Each card has a coloured picture in a travel theme with missing things you can draw on them in black – e.g. facial features on a pilot, clothes on girl, fish in the sea, completing a maze. Some involve creating your own ideas and others encourage copying a similar image. The cards vary in difficult so would appeal to ages 3-8 year I would think.

Not all the cards appealed to Zoe when she was given these but with 50 cards to choose from that really didn’t matter – she spent hours working on them and they are still in good enough to use again next time. There are also enough cards to be able to share with friends or siblings – but make sure you have extra pens on hand. The pictures aren’t specifically for girls so these cards would appeal equally well to boys who love to draw too.

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Filed Under: Activities, Art, Pre-schooler Learning

Toilet Roll Octopus

If you want to make something fun out of old paperless toilet rolls try making a toilet roll octopus. This video will show you how:

We use tissue paper for the head and normal PVA glue instead of hot glue. Glitter, feathers and buttons are fun to stick on once the paint is dry too.

Filed Under: Activities, Art

Beetle – Game for little Fingers

I’m not sure we ever played the Beetle Game as a proper game – the kids just loved making up the beetles in different colours then taking them apart and making them again. It was great for their little fingers holding onto the tiny pieces and pushing them into the slots. There’s a spinning wheel if you do want to play the game properly. There are enough parts for you to play with up to 1-4  players (adults included – yes you might even enjoy it).

NB. the pieces are really small so when kids are still likely to pop things into their mouths you’ll need to keep a close eye on things and make sure you pick them all up at the end of the game.

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Filed Under: Activities, Games

Klutz Pop Bead Critters

Pop Bead Critters (Klutz Chicken Socks S.)I bought this for Zoe when she was 2 & 1/2 and just starting to be able to put things together with her little fingers. At first it was a bit frustrating for her but since figuring out how to pop the beads together into necklaces, bracelets and dogs and bugs she’s has hours and hours of fun. We now own 2 sets so that the girls can play together and make even longer creations. 4 years on and it’s still one of the most popular toys in the cupboard.

Klutz Pop Bead Critters are great for developing finger dexterity, design and categorising skills. It’s also a toy that can be played with on your own, with an adult or other children. Because the beads are reused each time you don’t end up with hundreds of necklaces and bracelets lying around the house that are never played with again. Taking them apart each time is a bit arduous but worth the effort to have a toy that is so well used.

We’ve never spent much time with the book but it has different scenes in it so that kids can create characters out to beads to put in there. These days I have the 2 sets of beads in a draw-string bag and take them on holidays as a small, easy to carry toy with hours of fun potential.

One piece of advice: remember to remove the colourful jewelery you get “given” by the kids before heading out into public or you get a few strange looks about your fashion sense.

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Filed Under: Activities, Gifts, Toys

Fairy Dress-up Reuasable Sticker Book

The Fairy Style Fashion Sticker Book: Bk. 4: Activity Book (Rainbow Magic)Fairy Style Fashion Sticker Book is possibly the best value for money gift I have ever given my girls. It’s so popular we now have 2 identical fairy sticker books so that the girls can both dress fairies at the same time. The stickers are completely reusable (the non-sticky variety) and with 100’s of different clothing and accessory stickers to choose from, plus 4 different fairies to dress there are hours and hours and hours of entertainment in one book.

This is great for helping with finger dexterity and concentration in younger girl whilst being equally entertaining for girls 4 years and over. You can play along with your kids or leave them to create their own fashions.

When we go on holidays I’ve been known to bring these books along as the only toy – they are light and compact, can be played with alone or with others and offer entertainment for hours. The perfect travel toy!!

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Filed Under: Activities, Books, Games, Gifts, Pre-schooler Learning, Sticker Books