6
Beads, please, says Fiona
Elliott, founder of Beads and
Butterflies.
Both boys and girls love beading,
and even young kids can do it under
supervision, says Fiona. “Smaller
fingers need bigger beads with bigger
holes. After all, the idea is that you
want the kids to keep themselves
entertained, not have to do it all
yourself,” she says. Small kids can
bead onto laces or spaghetti pushed
into play dough, while older kids
can make wearable jewellery. Add
skills by incorporating pattern, and
promote maths by estimating lengths
of string and number of beads needed.
Kids can sort and string to their
heart’s delight. Older kids might even
enjoy making their own beads from
household materials. Check sites like
spoonful.com for instructions, says
Fiona.
7
Play it up, says Antonia
Fairmaid, who runs Speak Up
Performing Arts.
Get out the dress-up box, but take
away the princess outfits to make the
most of imaginative role play. “Silly
hats, wigs, and pieces of fabric” kick-
start creativity, says Antonia, while
a variety of shapes, patterns and
textures add sensory fun. Use a sheet
of fabric as a blanket, shawl or towel
and mime actions. Don’t forget props
to enrich the experience: a toilet roll
can be made into a hat, a phone or a
pet with the right prompt. And don’t
be scared to use make-up. Letting the
kids go wild
themselves
with the face
paints puts them in control and opens
up a creative free-for-all. Theatrical
kids might like to perform a final
skit or show, but for those who don’t,
just entering the world of role play
builds imagination, so don’t force an
outcome.
8
Start storytelling, says Janet
Mann, children’s librarian and
founder of Talespinners storytelling.
Find a couple of old magazines, cut
out images, put them in a hat and
mix well. Randomly pull images from
the hat and make a story as you go
along, encouraging silliness! Vague
images like clouds, fog or water can
be whatever you want them to be
as required for the story. If kids are
keen, they can write up the story and
illustrate it with the pictures.
9
Get book-smart, says Carolyn
Nightingale, English teacher
and children’s book author.
Make your own picture books.
Encourage your kids to try retelling a
classic like
Cinderella
from one of the
ugly sister’s points of view, or create a
whole new story from scratch. Then,
create a Lego or play dough character
and take pictures of it positioned
around the house to illustrate the
story. Print the photos and you’ve got
your own picture book. Instead of
Lego, you could go even more avante
garde: reproduce a book illustration
using cut-up vegetables, bread and
cheese. It’s a guaranteed giggle, and
also takes care of lunch.
10
Make a quilt, says Karmel
Schreyer, author of
Empress
Blaze Moon
.
If stormy weather has you hankering
for a cosy cuddle up, start stitching a
memory quilt, suggests kids’ author
Karmel, who tried this activity with
her children. Older kids will have an
easier time cutting, decorating and
embroidering squares of fabric on a
theme, but kids as young as three or
four can get in on the sewing act, too.
Take coloured felt squares and punch
holes in them, and sew them together
with wool yarn. Each square can then
be decorated with images drawn in
marker or felt cut-outs stuck on with
glue, and can be added to on each
new rainy day.
April 2014
61
