School is back into full swing which means it’s time to find some activities for the tiny tribe members! Here are some of our top picks for places to visit with the tribe during the school day.
Plaster painting
We love plaster painting but the best thing about it is they’re ready for the mess! I’d never attempt an activity like this at home, but when we visited Plaster Funtime in Penrith, there were colourful aprons ready and waiting as well as baby wipes on the table to clean up any spills or painted fingers. The tribe loved choosing their own colours at the custom paint station, picking their plaster and getting creative. It’s a great opportunity to meet with other tribes and let the toddlers get creative while you have a cuppa and a catch up with other parents.
Toy Library
If you haven’t taken your toddler to a toy library yet, you’re in for a real treat! This is a free event that runs during the school term in numerous locations all over Australia. We visited our Toy Library a couple of times and tested out some of the different toys such as the toy kitchen, puzzles and car tracks. There are cupboards full of toys and you can even sign up to borrow a toy and bring it back next time. It’s a great way to mix it up and find out what other toys your tribe are interested in as well as a way to meet other friends with little ones.
Kelly Mini Sports
Not sure what kind of sports your toddler will enjoy? Kelly Mini Sports is all about creating a life long love of sports for little ones and introducing them to a number of different sports throughout the term. Sports they get to have a go at include Basketball, Cricket, Footy, Soccer, Tennis and Rugby League. There are different age groups for the kids focusing on different aspects of the sport such as developing gross motor skills in the younger toddlers to promoting confidence and team work in the older kids.
Playgroup Australia
One of the best things we did when we moved to a new area was to find our local Playgroup. Every week there were craft activities, games, story time and a healthy snack for all of the kids. As the kids played and explored, the mums and dads got to have a good chat and get to know other families in our local area. We sometimes had group outings – for our playgroup it was a trip to a local fruit farm to pick fruit which the tribe enjoyed immensely! We gave a gold coin donation every week to go towards the tea and coffee facilities but it was worth it to have such a wonderful free resource for families.
Story time in the Gardens
A great way to get the kids outdoors is to check your local Botanic Gardens website and see if they host a story time in the gardens. The Australian National Botanic Gardens have Friday Storytime for Toddlers for $5. Pack a picnic rug and some lunch and enjoy the sunshine and the garden.
Snow Play
We loved heading to Ice Zoo in Alexandria for their Snow Play session, a session catered especially for the tiny members of the tribe. They can play in the snow, shovel snow into buckets, play with the equipment including the ice skating penguins and toboggans plus more! Well worth checking out if you’re a Sydney based tribe. See our full article on Snow Play here.
Do you have a fun weekly activity for the little ones during the school term?