As a parent you always want to make sure that your child gets the best start in life. Children learn best through play and when they are enjoying themselves and it is no different for babies. Play is such an important part of your little one’s development, it helps develop their emotional, intellectual, social and language skills and playing. Toys that promote learning and that your little ones can have fun with is so important.
So rather than buying yet another rattle from the shops, I decided to release my inner creative child and make some homemade shakers for my baby to play with. This was such a fun activity and I could have honestly gone on making these for hours! Rattles and shakes are brilliant for stimulating your baby’s senses, visual tracking and auditory stimulation and can be made so simply using items from around the house.
Here is what you need:
- Empty containers e.g vitamin bottles
- Different fillings – we chose penne pasta, dry lentils, dry rice (You can use any dry ingredients for the fillings, just make sure they are different shapes and textures which will result in different sounds)
- Super glue
- Washi tape for decorating
Instructions:
Fill each container with a different dry ingredient
Super glue the lid shut
Decorate with wash tape
Shake, rattle and roll
My little one just loves these shakers and we have had so much fun playing with them. Not only can you shake the bottles to make a noise, but you can also help your baby with her visual tracking. Shake the bottle and move it slowly from side to side across her line of sight to help her practice focusing on objects. This exercise also helps coordinating her eye movements.
I hope you have as much fun as we have had!