Kiddipedia

Kiddipedia

Have you ever looked at something from Kmart, Bunnings or somewhere else and thought, this would be perfect for the playroom? Let’s take some of the guess work out and create some hacks for your playroom using simple, every day items found at your local shops.

All the items shared are perfect to extend and build on learning through play and active exploration for your kids in the early years. Research has shown time and time again that play-based learning allows for our kids to learn and grasp concepts in a holistic manner, rather than when they are focused on one skill and are learning it through a drill-type practice.

Let’s create a play table, that’s the perfect height for younger kids to stand next to, and for the older ones to kneel around. Using the Kmart Noir Coffee Table and adding some fake grass, blocks, kinetic sand, story stones and so much more you can set up and create tiny worlds or use as a base for exploring a particular area of interest.

Want to extend on your kids early mathematical skills and concepts around shapes? This is such as easy hack for a Kmart Acacia Lazy Susan Server Simply remove the bottom, grab some nails/pins and hammer them into the board to create a square geoboard! Be sure to measure it out first, so that way you know where to place the pins! Once your board is finished, add the rubber bands and download Stay Classy Classrooms Geoboard Mats Bundle for your kids to create shapes and replicate the geoboard mats.

Story Stones are the perfect tactile resource that can be used as stones to tell stories, sort and categorise, and decode and blend words together to name a few ideas. I bet you are wanting to create your own, so for this one head to Bunnings and grab their Tuscan Path 1kg 45-50mm White Aztec Pebbles and then grab some images and stick them down with Mod Podge and finish off with a sealer, like this one from Bunnings too!Find a complete tutorial on how to make your own story stones.

Looking for a fun way to build and extend on fine motor skills, not only hand/eye coordination but strength and grip? Head to IKEA and grab the HEAT pot stands and then add some golf tees and marbles (or pompoms). Using tweezers, the kids need to place the marble/pompom on top of the gold tees. Make it even more tricky by encouraging them to create a repeating pattern using them!

And finally, we love creating a sensory tub that can be used inside (and means less mess!) For this one you will need to grab the Coffee Table  from Kmart, and an underbed storage container and then get a little handy and cut a hole in the table for the tub. We love to add beads, water beads, coloured rice, and so much more to our sensory tub! It’s at the perfect height for your kids too and because it’s contained in a deep tub, it means less mess too.

Which of these hacks will you be trying out first for your playroom? Be sure to add your comments below to let us know!

 

Sommer is the creative brains behind Stay Classy Classrooms! She is a mum to 3 gorgeous little people and is a primary school teacher. She loves to make fun, hands-on resources to save you time! Sommer loves to encourage learning through play and creating inclusive classrooms!

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