maandag 27 april 2015

Crafts for babies and toddlers: Activity box

After my son was born there was one very special gift I received. (May Allah reward and bless the sister who gave it to us.) It was completely handmade and Mr. Blueberry and I have enjoyed this gift on many occasions. So much so, that when a friend of mine gave birth to her first child, I wanted to pay it forward and made a similar gift for her and her son. I think it`s the perfect gift for a new mother and her little bundle of joy... 


It`s a little box filled with cards. 50 to be precise. Each card has an activity written on it: something you can do with your baby to help develop his skills, help bond or just so you can have fun together. Because let`s be honest: after feeding, burping, diaper changing, ... your baby: what do you do with a baby? Well, there`s loads of fun to be had and this little box serves as a great inspiration! 

Would you like to make your own box or have a friend who is going to be a first time mom and you want to give her something original? Here`s how you make it! 

The paper box: 
* 2 square pieces of paper in a color you prefer
* A pen
* Stickers, glitter, ... anything you`ld like to use to decorate your box with 

The box looks sophisticated, but it is actually made in 5 minutes. Here`s a very good tutorial on how to fold this box. (Time to practice your origami skills!) 

Finish the box by writing on top *50 things to do with... (Enter baby`s name here.)* or anything similar. Decorate the box if you like! 

The cards: 
* 50 activities written on little cards. 


I compiled 50 ideas: some I made up myself, some I took from the gift I`ve gotten myself and some I took from this website. I made a Word document with all of these activities, printed them and cut them into little cards.

To give you some ideas, these are some of the activities I included: 

Create a baby obstacle course. Once your wee one is on the move, line up some kitchen chairs with a blanket over top and encourage your baby to crawl through (you could go first, or roll a ball or toy through). Put some pillows on the ground for your wee one to crawl over. Use a chair or an ottoman as an obstacle your wee one has to go around.



The story of his/her name. What does your baby`s name mean? Where does it come from? Who chose the name? Is there a Prophet or one of the sahaba who has the same name: tell your wee one about him/her!

Get touchy-feely. Keep a box of different-textured fabrics: silk, terrycloth, wool and linen. Gently rub the cloths on your baby`s cheek, feet and tummy, describing the way each feels.



If you don`t have the time to compile 50 new ideas, you can contact me and I can send you the Word-document with all of the activities. 

Have fun! :-)




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