Easy Make Matching Game

We are just back from a lovely family holiday and I made this little matching game before we went so that we could take it with us.

It's small and easy to pack so perfect for travelling and it won't break or tear.

My little one is almost two and became really quite good at turning the cards over and matching them up.

If you want to have a go at making your own, it's really simple....

Firstly decide how big you want the cards to be and cut squares for the front and back.  My cards are approx 8cmx8cm  - this is the finished size, so don't forget to add a seam allowance before you cut them out.


I used gingham as the backing fabric as I thought if it was white like the front the colour panel would show through - making the game too easy!

Then you'll need to cut whatever you want to match up - it might be colours, shapes or patterns.  
Make sure you cut a two of each.

Applique/stitch the colour/shape fabric onto the white piece.

Join the front and back with right sides together (white to gingham), leaving a little gap to turn it all through. 

Trim the seams, turn through and hand stitch the opening closed.


Give the cards a little press and you're ready to play!

If you don't fancy sewing or don't have time, you could also use coloured card or paper or even felt and glue the colour or shape panel on.  To make the game easier, make less cards or harder, make more cards.

Easter Discovery Fun

Here are some ideas to keep you busy over Easter....

Firstly here's a little tub of mess that's a whole lot of fun!

I had a look around the house to see what I could find - Easter decorations, eggs, chicks, feathers and tipped it into the tub.  

The great thing about the plastic eggs (that are meant for egg hunts) is that you can hide things inside them which makes them great fun for cracking open.  I added lentils to cover the base of the tray so when you add some lentils into the eggs, they become great little shakers!

There are lots of textures in this tub so it kept little one amused for quite a while and it's something he's gone back to quite a few times now.




We've also been doing some printing in spring colours - super simple circles!  I used a little tub for him to print with as it was easy for him to hold but you could also use one half of the plastic Easter egg.









And finally we've been talking about yellow and collecting yellow things in our basket.  
Easy!!

Happy Easter everyone!

Little Bag for Colouring Pencils

My little one is getting to the age where he's beginning to show more of an interest in mark making so when we were given these lovely chunky pencils, perfect for little hands, I thought it would be nice to make a little bag to keep them in so they're handy for when we're out and about.

We're off on holiday soon too - on a plane for the first time for him - so they will be great for keeping him occupied on the flight.

I made the bag just a bit longer than the pencils and appliqued pencils on the front just to make the contents easier to identify.  

Perfect for holding them (and a little sharpener) all together safely.

Now to get some lovely colourful drawings from him!

We'll also be taking his reversible fold up play mat which you can find here.

Easter Makes

I actually made these last year but thought I would share them with you in the run up to Easter this year.

The carrots were so easy to make and my little one loves to play with them in his kitchen as well as feeding them to his collection of stuffed toys and animals.  

They weren't actually my idea, I saw them on Pinterest and tracked the tutorial down to Clare's Craftroom . Thanks for sharing Clare!

Aren't they super sweet?

The eggs were a bit more fiddly to make but still pretty easy and the pattern for those came from Mollie Makes magazine.  They're great fun to play with too or just look pretty in a little Easter dish as a decoration.

Happy sewing and Happy Easter!

2D Shapes Game

Do you remember playing with magnetic or wooden shapes when you were little?

I had a set of wooden shapes in different sizes and colours which could be used to make all sorts of pictures and patterns.

This is my DIY version, which I made for my class recently as we've been learning about shapes.








I started with seven or eight sheets of colourful paper and being very lazy, I cut the shapes out mainly freehand and holding the whole bundle together at the same time!  

The only shape I didn't cut freehand was the circle as I find I can never get a perfect circle, they just get smaller and smaller as I keep cutting, trying to make them perfect.



This pack of paper was from Lidl for £2.  What a bargain!

After cutting the shapes I laminated them.  I have a little laminator at home for doing school bit and pieces (supermarkets sell them for around £10).




Then I made up some ideas cards by creating pictures with the shapes and taking photographs of them.









When the children at school make their own pictures and designs, I'll take photographs of them too and increase the box of ideas cards.


















Shapes are great for all sorts of learning including....

Colour and shape recognition

Sorting for size, colour, shape

Making patterns

Making repeating patterns

Creating pictures and art


You can also discuss properties of shapes such as whether they have curved or straight lines, number of sides, corners etc...

Here are some of the other picture card ideas I made.

Repeating patterns

Create pictures

Create art!

Customised Applique T-shirt

There is a certain (mainly) online shop that I'm sure you'll be aware of, that sells lovely brightly coloured kids clothes and appliqued t-shirts.  

It's an absolute favourite in our house but at £16ish a t-shirt it isn't cheap, so now and again I have a go at making my own colourful creations.


This one I made for the cost of the t-shirt......£1.50!!!  


Not bad, eh?  The quality of the t-shirt remains to be seen after it's had a spin in the washing machine but it feels ok so fingers crossed.

If you want to have a go at making your own, you will also need some scraps of fabric and some Bondaweb. 

First of all trace your picture onto the Bondaweb using a pencil (draw on the paper side)

Roughly cut the shapes - don't be too precise as it can get fiddly.

Iron the Bondaweb onto the fabric - mesh side down and iron the paper.  Make sure it adheres well.

Now cut out the shapes carefully and then remove the paper backing.

Place the shapes onto your t-shirt and then iron on when you are happy with their position.

Now you can sew them in place, either by hand or machine to ensure they stay on.  I used a very small stitch for these stars, you could also use a zig-zag.

That's all there is to it, just give the t-shirt another little press and you're good to go.  

You can use the same technique on cushions and bags too!

Paintless Painting

We love paint in our house but sometimes do a bit of paintless painting too.

It's a great way for little hands to experiment with mark making and all you need is a little tub of water, some coloured sugar paper and a paintbrush if you like or even just their hands.

My little one just wanted to get his hands stuck in and make some marks on the paper, he wasn't too bothered about using a brush.

Older children could use a brush to paint pictures or make patterns.


Coloured sugar paper is good because the water soaks in really quickly, turning the paper darker and leaves good marks. 

We picked up our big pad of sugar paper (in different colours) in the pound shop.  It's thin, but perfect for this activity - just make sure you put something underneath it just incase the dye runs out and damages your surface.

In the summer you can use the same technique on paving slabs, but of course it dries out really quickly in the sun - even more fun!