Bottle and Cap Matching Activity

My son is obsessed with bottles. He has been so since he was around 13 months or so, probably since the time he started moving around and exploring the household items. He would firmly hold onto a bottle in his chubby little hands and using his teeny fingers, try to unscrew the cap of the bottle and then put it on. Initially of course he was unable to open and close the caps but would try and then ask us to help him. 

We had kept aside a few empty bottles for him to play with. But we were constantly worried that water filled bottles are soon going to be attacked by the mini and there is going to be water all over the home! :)

Seeing this interest he has in bottles and to keep our actual bottles safe... I decided to make an activity board for him that involved bottles! With inspiration from Pinterest, I began my project. I gathered few different types and colours of bottles with caps, with the idea of making it a matching activity too. 

This board was worth the effort as my little guy enjoyed it and spent a lot of time on it in its early days. Of course like every other toy, after a few days, he seemed bored by it. So I have actually kept it away hidden for the last few months, as part of my toy rotation plan! :) 

DIY Busy Board for Toddlers

Toddlers need to keep busy. Constantly. They need to explore the world around them and explore they do, every waking minute! :D

I wanted my mini to enjoy exploring some simple everyday objects, in a fun way. I wanted for him to experience simple actions like flipping open a paper flap, removing and sticking back a Velcro sticker, tugging at and putting back a magnet etc in a single toy such that he can sit in one place for a few minutes and get involved in this activity. With this idea in mind, I got around making this busy board!

It definitely did catch the little guy's attention and all my efforts were well worth it when I saw him reach out to every corner of the board to explore every little feature that I had put into it.

DIY Sensory Board for Babies and Toddlers

Toddlers love to touch and feel everything! That is their basic approach to exploring the world around them. Their inquisitive little minds are always looking to lean something new. New textures, new items, new sounds, new visuals. Every small things catch their attention and perk up curiosity. This curiosity if tapped well, can be used to help in their early learning. 

In this DIY, i have tried to introduce him to different textures that are commonly available in a household. I used materials lying around the home to make this and in the process planned it around basic geometric shapes to make it fun and eventually help him identify shapes.