supports the idea that toys are just one of the many things children need when playing. You will find that they will use more art supplies and general household stuff in their play. Non-toys – or real objects – are often fantastic playthings and, as long as they’re clean, are not sharp or pinch hazards, or left out all the time, they can make for really interesting and useful tools and toys in play.
Here are a few things to look out for, and make room for, after all those bleepy, flashy plastic things have been adios-ed. It’s all about experiences rather than specific equipment, though, so do adapt this list; make use of what you have – make it work for you, and your family, in your home.
Toys that promote open-ended play – things that don’t do all the thinking for them; like Lego and other construction toys, imaginative-play toys and books.
Practical-life equipment – such as an extra washing-up bowl, cloth and sponge, a dust-cloth, clothes pegs.
A child-sized soft-bristled broom and dustpan and brush.
A sand-timer.
Some child-friendly kitchen equipment: jug, grater (we invested in a kid-friendly grater, as seen on the CBeebies cooking show I Can Cook), juicer, pestle and mortar, wooden spoons, measuring spoons, bowls and children’s scissors. (Really small children will need supervision with some of these sharper items.)
Some child-sized basic gardening equipment: a small watering can, trowel or spade or fork, and an outside broom.
Lots of clean, interesting, plastic, polystyrene and cardboard packaging that is otherwise destined for the recycling box.
Clean and empty plastic food containers, tote bags and baskets.
An acrylic (safety) mirror tile or two.
A set of beanbags.
Balloons.
Play-silks and other large pieces of fabric, including a blanket or two.
Natural objects – such as shells, driftwood, pebbles and leaves, sticks, dried grasses and seeds.
Some child-friendly tools of investigation – tape-measure, plastic magnifying glasses, torches, plastic tweezers.
Basic art and craft supplies, the smaller and messier of which should be stored out of reach of little ones, and used only under supervision: good-quality poster paints, watercolours, PVA glue, sticky tapes – double sided, masking (painters’), colourful tape – children’s scissors, paintbrushes, paper – on a roll, A4, coloured and watercolour paper – thin card, paper plates, paper bags, stickers, pipe-cleaners, beads, buttons, feathers, sequins, googly eyes, glitter, Blu-tack, crayons, washable felt-tip pens, chalks and craft foam sheets.
A scrap-paper collection: save sweet and chocolate wrappers, used wrapping paper, old greetings cards, ribbons, greaseproof paper, foil and magazines with lots of colourful child-appropriate images for cutting out.
A selection of brushes – of various sizes, soft and hard, for all kinds of play.
Loose parts: cotton reels, pine cones, tubes, big buttons, mini pom-poms, corks, small blocks, pieces of fabric.
A collection of child-friendly musical instruments.
A good-quality set of face-paints.
A ball of string.
Make way for play
The 7 Ways to Play method supports the idea that your child’s play shouldn’t be restricted to just their bedroom, an area in the living room or a playroom. However, this doesn’t mean that there’ll be mountains of toys in every room, nor does it mean you have to convert your home into some kind of soft-play gym. Rather, it’s about making way for play in your home by adapting the spaces you already have to accommodate play; play that’s appropriate to that particular space. This adaptation of your home doesn’t have to be permanent and it needn’t be expensive. As IKEA interior designer Raphael Bartke says, ‘Children aren’t small forever . . . and your home will soon transform again.’ And, of course, you don’t need to reorganise your whole home at once – take it one way to play at a time and adapt as you play.
Ideas to get play started
Here’s how you might make way for play in your home. Try just one or two ideas initially; you’ll be amazed at the changes in how your little one interacts with the spaces in your home.
Buy sink steps or step-stools for each sink in your home.
Source a low bench or kids’ table for your kitchen (or fix a fold-down table at your child’s height if you’re short of space).
Put placemats, plastic plates, bowls, cups and cutlery somewhere low and within easy reach of your little one.
Fix hooks for coats at child height, and place some accessible storage for shoes near your front door.
Sort out your storage: a lot of art and craft supplies, toys and playthings can be stored out of sight and reach
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