Ball pit play for toddlers

I was always looking forward to put my bunny in the ball pit and see him enjoy knowing the loads of benefits and most important the happy moments.

The first time we put our bunny in the ball pit , he just sat and watched. I took that as progress since he didn't cry but watched the other toddlers play and was soaking that in. I knew he needed more time and was amazed the second time with his progress. He crawled, jumped , walked around and even interacted with other toddlers.

So if your toddler doesn't respond the first time, don't give up but motivate them to try again. Encourage small movements and picking up and throwing the balls. Small encouraging words will help as well. 

An activity like this helps develop the toddler in so many ways and let me tell you a few.

Hand-eye coordination - grabbing the balls is really hard work.

Motor skills - crawling, reaching, grabbing, sitting, throwing, jumping, falling ....

Doing these things simultaneously is wonderful for both fine and gross motor skill development 

Balance - grabbing the balls whilst balancing  requires bunny to balance his body.

Early language skills - activities like these  encourage babbling which is great for early language development.

Cognitive development - increased neural pathways are formed when toddlers explore their world through concrete materials and live experiences 

Its advisable to supervise closely.

Rice Sensory play for toddlers

RICE SENSORY PLAY

I decided to start with rice sensory play for my little bunny .

We can use food colouring to colour the rice and make it look more attractive for the child , however I decided to try it out without the colour. 

There are several benefits of playing with rice The sensory play  builds stronger neural pathways, assists motor development and language development, increases attention span, helps to calm anxious children, and is beneficial for children with Sensory Processing Disorder.

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Sensory play can be achieved with non-food items as well but what I really love about using taste-safe items such as uncooked rice, grains or pasta, is that I don't have to worry if my bunny puts a few grains in his mouth . All children do this and I have nothing to worry when he tries a few grains of rice and tries to bite the uncooked pasta. That's the reason why I avoided food colour on the rice. 

Food items are biodegradable and they provide loads of engaged play.

Selecting the rice - With a wide variety of rice in the Indian market, we are literally spoilt with choices. I avoided the expensive basmati rice, the broken rice and the ready packet rice. I selected a relatively fat grain rice which costs ₹40 kg . So I picked up 3 kgs for ₹120 only.

I love the fact that it lasts for a long time. Simply store the rice in an airtight container till the next use. It can last for approximately a year if well taken care of. 

I know that everyone has a different opinion about food as play and I respect that and don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings and sentiments.

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