The first choice for many would be a plush toy, something baby can cuddle with while sleeping. But what about choosing a rattle? The humble rattle gets overlooked in the sea of noisy, colourful, plushie toys. These seemingly simple toys have been a staple in nurseries for generations and a good rattle does a lot more than just amuse the baby.
Also read: A guide to buying the best toys for babies
Rattles come in many shapes and sizes but every good rattle helps baby hone those crucial early skills. Let's take a deeper look at why rattles may just be the most important toys for your newborn.
Babies love looking at the world around them and soaking it all in. When you try to bond with your baby use the gentle sounds of a rattle to get their attention. Engage their auditory sense and watch them turn towards you. A newborn's colour perception is limited to black, white and grey for a while, and shumee's High Contrast Crochet and Wooden Rattles are perfect for that period.
Since a baby can easily grasp a rattle and shake it to elicit the soothing sounds, rattles become the first toys for baby to understand they can control and manipulate their environment.
When you gently shake a rattle in front of a baby, they will start reaching for it and then slowly begin to successfully grasp it with precision.
Also read: 5 ways to play with your baby
Rattles come in many shapes and colours. So a good rattle will stimulate a child visually with its patterns and colours. Gentle, soothing sound will stimulate their hearing and even calm them. Interesting textures like crochet weaves stimulate and engage baby's sense of touch. Like shumee's Wooden Organic Crochet Shaker that has interesting crochet weave to stimulate baby's senses. Or the Crochet Sensory Cube with Rattle which has six sides of unique textures and a gentle rattle.
Holding onto a pencil or even holding a mug might be second nature for us but a baby needs to learn that skill. Rattles help babies strengthen fine motor skills and practice their grasp reflex as they curl their fingers around rattles and learn to manipulate them.
Rattles are a very handy tool for when you want to keep your baby engaged especially during diaper changes or during travel. Rattles encourage baby to explore independently and piques their curiosity to keep them playing longer. Like shumee's Wooden Penguin Rattle toy that encourages baby to move the rattle from side to side so that they can get the colourful rings to move, keeping them engaged at play for long!
Babies explore with their senses and putting everything in their mouth is their way of getting to know the environment. They tend to do this more often when they are teething so make sure to get rattles that are safe to chew on. Wooden rattles like shumee's Ele Rattle and Wooden Crochet Teether and Rattle Ring are made of 100% child-safe, non-toxic material so so it is absolutely safe for baby to mouth on it while they are teething. The neem wood helps soothe sore gums too.
Also read: Teethers for babies, the best kind to buy
With so many benefits, it is no wonder that rattles are some of the most important toys you can buy for your newborn! Add to that, they are portable and easy to carry along so you can keep baby engaged while travelling or on-the-go!
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There are so many different kinds of games to play together as a family -- physical games, card games, pretend play games, but one of our favourites has to be strategy games.
Also read: 5 family-friendly games to play!
Strategy games require players to think about possible outcomes before they make their move. These planned moves have an effect on the possible outcome of the game. Strategy games require critical thinking, problem-solving, and long-term planning, which can contribute to the development of analytical skills in individuals of all ages.
By playing as a family, these games become a platform for collaborative decision-making, encouraging open communication and teamwork. Each member brings their unique perspective and skills to the table, creating an environment where everyone's input is valued, and collective strategies are formed. This shared experience not only strengthens family bonds but also nurtures a sense of unity and cooperation, laying the foundation for effective communication and problem-solving in various aspects of life.
Furthermore, strategy games serve as a fun and interactive way to spend quality time together, fostering a positive family dynamic. Playing strategy games as a family creates a platform for face-to-face interaction and shared laughter. It transcends generational gaps, allowing parents, children, and even grandparents to connect on a common ground. Through these games, family members can learn more about each other's strengths, weaknesses, and decision-making styles and creates friendly competition and camaraderie. Sounds, fun doesn't it?
Here are 5 strategy games from shumee you must consider for your next family game night!
Shumee's Link-it blocks is the latest game to join the pack of family strategy games. 27 wooden blocks, 1 die, and pattern cards with goals to finish. Challenge your family to a game of Link-it where you stack, connect, and think about how to complete all the pattern cards in front of you.
Playing a game of Link-it helps children hone their observational skills, plan ahead, and think about how best they can strategically compete the pattern cards in front of them.
How to play a game and teach your child about the benefits of healthy eating? With Let's Cook, of course! Let's Cook is a strategy game developed especially for preschoolers who are curious and eager to discover the world around them. This game introduces them to recipes that make their favourites foods. Strategise and be the first to get all the ingredients you need to make your recipes. Plan ahead and think about sequences before you make your move.
Also read: Play with food! How to form good food habits!
This game has an added layer of fun because you can first have a storytelling session where you enthrall your children with the age old fable of the smart, thirsty crow and then dive into playing the game! Play the game as you take on the role of thirsty crows, collect pebbles, and grab that drink of water! Plan a few moves ahead, think about the best way to move forward and play your way to a win!
How do you balance agile Ninjas and make the tallest tower? That's the objective of Ninjaki! Balance the wooden ninjas one on top of the other and use the special poses the ninjas are in to make sure they don't topple. Once they fall, start again and make sure you play a part in building the tallest ninja tower!
Wonderful game for one player or for the entire family to play on family game night!
Also read: Play date with FREE PLAY! Play for Fun!
Make playing family games on Sunday morning a thing! We took your child favourite breakfast item and turned it into a fun family game! Sweet Slurp Pancake up introduces business and handling customers to children as they navigate through this pancake store-themed board game. Customers are eager to eat at your pancake restaurant as orders are pouring in and you are in charge of filling those orders. Plan, strategise, and think of the right way to complete the most number of orders and come out ahead of your family.
Also read: Fun activities to do together as a family!
We are sure these strategy games will add that dash of fun to your family game nights and soon become family favourites. How has strategy games enhanced your family game night fun? Write in and tell us in the comments below.
]]>All you need are a few games, a little competitive spirit and you are all set to unwind and indulge in some quality time as a family! Here are 5 family-friendly ways to ring in 2024.
Also read: Too cold to play outside? Try these indoor games!
Playing board games together as family is a lot of fun but did you know there is so much learning that also happens? Board games are a great way to teach young kids about taking turns, making a plan before reacting, and sometime even teamwork! Board games like shumee's Let's Cook and Food Connect also introduce children to the concept of healthy eating and may even be an interesting way to get them to try new fruit and veggies! Mix it up and keep it interesting! Try a new board game every day! Strategize and bring astronauts home from outer space with Take Me Home or revisit old fables with Thirsty Crow!
Also read: Play date with free play!
If you are travelling as a family this season, then pack along card games! These are travel friendly, can be played while waiting at airports or to wind down in a hotel after a long day. Card game help little children hone dexterity and hand-eye coordination while making sure they plan and strategize as they play. Games like shumee's range of Snap card games and Memory card games are sure to thrill and engage for hours!
Also read: Unique card game for your child to play!
We are always telling our kids to focus on their studies or at the task at hand, right? Why not show them how to focus with a few games! Bring out a puzzle from shumee's range and show them what focus looks like. Whether you choose the Animal Alphabet Puzzle or the Chunky wooden Snail puzzle or even the Colourful Wooden Puzzle Cube, you can see your child focus as they complete the task. Focus, compete, and play together as a family with Ninjaki and Towering Yogis! Balance and stack them up and see how high you can go!
Don your quizmaster hat and sneak in some learning all while playing and having fun! Create quizzes about the country, the world, sports, your own family and then play together in teams! Use toys to help kids learn and then make it competitive by popping a quiz later. Shumee's Indiascape combo is packed with trivia about our country. Through puzzles, memory cards, and an activity book teach children about India and then watch them show off their knowledge as you quiz them!
Full festive tummies and being stuck indoors means it it time to expend all that pent up energy as a family! Push the furniture aside and create an obstacle course with shumee's Colourful Wooden Stepping Discs and add in the Mini Bowling set too! Set tasks, keep time and see who wins the challenge! Add spin tops and create forts and give your child a chance to see that parents can be fun, active, and silly too!
So many ways to celebrate and bond together as a family as you wait to ring in the New Year! Share how you spend the last few days of 2023 in the comments below and tag us as you play with shumee toys!
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Our children read about Santa bringing gifts and put down their own lists of what they want. One of the most important lessons play teaches you is how to share and coexist while playing with another person, also why playdates is a rite of passage for play! Let's take a cue from play this season and try something new!
Also Read: How to gift your kids the perfect gifts for Christmas
I want to teach my children about the real spirit of this season: the joy of giving. I want my kids to become more empathetic and generous. Be kind. Share...if not all of it, then some of it.
To find out how to put my grand plan into action, I wanted to speak to an expert.
Anjana Dhanavanthan, is a mom of two, a podcast producer, and runs her own podcast called The Lazy Parent. I asked her if it is really important to teach kids to give more? Doesn’t it go against the very nature of being kids?
"There is only a certain degree to which kids will understand the concept of sharing and that things need to be given to other people and the entire concept of giving as such but what happens is, it is the small things that accumulate into the larger picture over time. So, while you don’t want your child to be the kind of person who instantly gets up and gives to others, you want to keep instilling the thought in his or her head that at some point in time they themselves will start understanding the importance of it. In a time like ours where everyone is so alienated, where everyone is so busy in their own small circles, unless you give and share you don’t connect with others.
There is a very thin line of connection -- and to strengthen that, it is good to give and connect with others and good to understand that you can bring joy in other people’s lives just by doing something small. You don’t have to go out of your way to do something but a tiny gesture would make a lot of difference.
To put this into action, here are a few easy ways you can teach your child to be kinder and make a difference.
I channeled the “How many more days to Christmas Ma?” question and helped my kids create a simple calendar that is a cross between a countdown chart and an advent calendar. Mark each day with a task that is easy to do and is all about doing something nice for someone else. Tasks can range from giving back to the school staff, choosing a toy from your cupboard to give away to someone or even doing one of your sibling’s chores as a small, nice gesture.
The first thing is they see charity begins at home. Teach kids to share, says Anjana. Say if I buy them an ice cream. My son is slightly butter fingered so if he drops it I nudge his sister and say, do you want to share it with anna do you think you could give him a bite and poor thing he dropped his ice cream and maybe she will say no twice but the third time when she sees him without an ice cream she goes and she says do you want a bite and even if it is a small thing, it makes a difference.
Model the behaviour you want them to learn. Instead of shopping up a storm this festive season, I ensured that we spent a lot of quality time together as a family. Like trips to the park, playing together, cooking Christmas cookies together, setting up the tree, reading along, and so on. All of these directed some of their attention away from materialistic aspects and towards the more personal, warmer feelings and memories.
Also read: Gifting for kids made easy!
Create memories and lasting impressions by starting a meaningful tradition that the whole family can be a part of. A friend has this lovely tradition where she celebrates her child’s birthday at an orphanage near their home. They take a cake, chips, and some sandwiches and spend a day at the orphanage just playing games and dancing to music. She says that over the years, this experience has taught her child a lot more than she could have ever imagined.
Learning about kindness starts from the smallest things, says Anjana. "It starts by just sharing your snack box at school. Those small things slowly start building a sense of togetherness in children and that’s very important.
Children are naturally generous it is all the material things they are surrounded by daily that make them want more than they ever need. This holiday season, give them a nudge in the right direction and take the first step towards raising more empathetic, giving, generous children. After all, Santa could use a break once in a while!
Give the gift of love! Pick toys you know your child will love with shumee's curated gift boxes
What better time to introduce your child to mythology than during Diwali! Tell them the story of Ram and Ravan and watch them play pretend with their Ramayana peg dolls.
While you prepare the house for Diwali, why not set them something they can be responsible for too! Setting a task and allowing them to finish the task on their own gives your child a sense of ownership of the task and drives them to finish the task.
Shumee's DIY Chair set is perfect for this! Have them build the chair and use it to showcase a lamp on Diwali!
Drawing beautiful rangolis outside the house is such an integral part of celebrating Diwali! Why not let your child unleash their creativity and practice these beautiful designs with you! Shumee's 3-in-1 Drawing board lets your child experiment with chalk, markers, or with colour pencils as they attempt to make a design just as beautiful and intricate as yours!
Diwali is a time for family and friends to get together and festivals are all about food! If you are planning to cook up a storm, why not have your little sous chef next to you? With shumee's Lil Chef Cooking set, encourage your child to whip up something special for Diwali. Gives them a chance to watch and emulate and allows them to pretend play too!
What's Diwali without mithai! While you set delicious mithai out for family and friends, introduce your favourite mithai to your child and have them set out a plate too! Design and decorate a plate and display choicest mithai for visiting friends and family. Shumee's Wooden Dessert Set has cakes, cookies, cupcakes and more!
Want more ideas? Try this adorable DIY fizzy diya idea!
Wishing all of you a very happy and prosperous Diwali from Team shumee!
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As parents when we buy our children toys, we look at a few parameters.
What if we told you, the last factor might be the single most important thing to consider when buying toys? When children play, they are not just engaging in entertaining themselves, but they are learning about how the world works, what it contains, the roles that people play around them, and even how to socialise with others.
Playing with toys is something a child willingly does, without coaxing from the parent. While we see them having fun as they play, what we don't see is all the learning that is going on simultaneously. Toys are tools children use to learn and develop cognitive, motor, linguistic, and social skills.
Babies begin to learn about the world through touch -- even before they start walking and exploring. They reach out to colourful toys and learn to grab. They hold on to rattles and teethers and learn to grip and move their fingers. This kind of play develops their fine motor skills and strengthens their fingers for when they start writing or feeding themselves.
Like shumee’s Wooden Crochet Teether and Rattle toy. Brightly coloured and entices baby to move towards it and grab it. Tactile stimulation from the textures, and fun to curl their fingers around and explore!
As your child grows they work on developing their gross motor skills. What better way than toys that encourage them to walk, climb, and explore safely? Begin with shumee’s Baby Activity Walker that encourages your toddler to take their first steps with confidence. Then move on to Wooden Rainbow Pikler Triangle where your intrepid explorer will learn to grab, pull themselves up, climb, and safely slide down the other side giving their arms and legs opportunity to strengthen and develop. Shumee’s bestseller Butterfly Balance Board teaches children to balance while they have fun!
Ever watched our child imitating your every move? When they pick up a mobile phone and pretend to be on a “work call” or when they gather their tiny pots and pans and pretend to be stirring food, they are learning how the world works. It is time for toys that will develop the way they think creatively and problem-solve.
Shumee’s Wooden shape and number house is bright, colourful and teaches children numbers, shapes and familiarises them with the concept of a clock. This toy encourages them to problem solve to find the right block to fit through the drop in hole. Our range of pretend play toys like Build A City wooden toy set or Lil Chef’s Wooden cooking set offers your child a way to imitate what they see around them.
Also read: How toys help your child think better through PLAY!
How do we teach our kids to socialise? We don’t! We let toys do the teaching! Learning to socialise is a crucial life skill for children to develop and play offers a fun learning platform! When you bring two children together for a playdate or a child initiates playtime with their sibling, we can observe the role toys play in teaching them to converse and even to wait and take turns.
Shumee’s board games teach children to wait for their turn, take turns calmy, plan and strategise for their move, and communicate with their playmate. Toys are a great way to teach children about winning and losing too. Use toys like Ramayana peg dolls to have important conversations with children about mythology and Indian heritage.
Toys aren’t just “child’s play”, they are crucial to children at every stage of their development. Toys teach important life skills and build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
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We know that as we grow older, symmetry is a big part of math, architecture, and art. But how do we explain the concept to little kids?
If you are curious, read on to see how you can get your child intrerested in symmetry with a simple at-home Co-Create with shumee game!
This week's Co-Create activity is brought to you by Shweta, a DIY blogger and mom to 2.8-year-old Aanshi. You can see Shweta’s previous Co-Create activities here.
Today, we will be making a Ladybug Shape Puzzle with which you can play 2 different games! Apart from learning symmetry, playing this offers your child several other benefits, such as:
1. Hones shape recognition skills: Identifying the right shapes on the chart and sticking them on the bug will hone your child’s ability to name and differentiate between shapes.
2. Teaches counting: Counting the number of pieces and sticking them will help your child get comfortable with numbers and counting.
Looking for a fun toy to teach your child shapes and counting? Don't miss shumee's beloved Shape and Number House — 1 house, 6 exciting games! |
3. Develops fine motor skills: Picking up and sticking the felt pieces will hone their finger strength, pincer grasp, and hand-eye coordination.
4. Strengthens spatial awareness: As your child replicates the patterns on one side onto the other, they will be able to build their spatial awareness and midline crossing skills. This will help with activities such as writing, buttoning, and eating!
5. Encourages independent thinking: Understanding symmetry gives your child more permission to follow the rules or make up their own on the page, which will translate into more confidence in different situations in life!
The counting activity is suitable for children between 2.5 to 4 years of age and the symmetry activity is ideal for kids between 3 to 5 years.
1. A piece of cardboard
2. Red and black paint
3. Velcro dots
4. Black felt sheet
5. A pair of scissors
6. Pebbles or stickers for eyes
Have a nature lover at home? Here are some fun ways you can bring nature into your child's play! |
1. Cut out the cardboard in the shape of a ladybug as seen in the picture above.
2. Paint the bug in red and black. Draw a line through the center of its body.
3. Stick a few velcro stickers on one side of the bug, then replicate the same pattern on the other.
4. Cut out a few different shapes with the black felt paper. Have 3-4 pieces of each shape.
5. Make a sheet with numbers from 1 to 4. Pick a shape for each number and create a chart as shown in this video.
There are two ways that your little one can enjoy this puzzle. The first is a counting activity and the second is a symmetry game.
For the counting activity, help your child count the number beside each shape and ask them to place those many cutouts of the felt paper on the ladybug. Once they are comfortable with this, you can move onto the next game.
To begin the symmetry game, stick different shapes on one side of the bug in any pattern you wish. Ask your child to replicate the same pattern on the other side. This is sure to get them thinking and building their spatial abilities!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this activity. If you would like to share your experience creating and playing with your own ladybug, tag us at #CoCreatewithshumee.
Shweta is a DIY blogger and mom who shares Montessori-inspired DIY activities for kids. You can follow her @toddlers_play_chronicles on Instagram.
]]>In the 1900s, another childhood development researcher Mildred Parten proposed that just like work, there are different levels and types of play too. She observed that children engage in six types of play depending on their age, skills, and interests.
Today, learning experts have taken her work further and divided play into 11 different types. Read on to find out where your child may be at and how you can help them grow through play!
What is it: This type of play typically happens from the time a child is born until they are about three months old. You may not even clock it as ‘play’ as unoccupied play is mostly about babies looking at everything, taking in the world, and moving their arms and legs with no major purpose.
Play ideas: At this stage, your baby does not need too many toys to play with. A play gym or a couple of cute rattles will go a long way in sparking their curiosity and keeping them happily engaged.
Want to set up a play area for your baby? Do it in just 5 simple steps! |
What is it: Independent play, also known as solitary play, is when your child plays by themselves. Between one to three, children develop awareness of themselves and enjoy exploring it through play. They are also just beginning to talk and communicate, so engaging with others will be a challenge at this stage.
However, children of all ages can play independently every now and then. If your child is a little shy or enjoys quiet play, this might even be what they prefer, and that’s completely alright!
Play ideas: For toddlers who are learning to play with toys, soothing rattles, sensory cubes, and stackers are great choices. For preschoolers, you could try out cuddly buddies and lacing toys.
What is it: When we think of playing, we think of a child doing something active. But one of the most powerful types of play for toddlers is onlooker play. Here, children simply observe their siblings, peers, or parents as they play or go about doing other activities. This helps them learn about social cues, get comfortable before inserting themselves in unfamiliar spaces, and teaches them how to do new things.
How to play: Although onlooker play is more about observation, children may occassionally want to try recreating what they see. You could invest in play sets like a kitchen set or get them to join in and help you with whatever you are doing!
What is it: Watching parallel play at first can feel confusing – it’s two children sitting side by side, each completely immersed in their own little worlds! But fear not, children learn to play beside each other before they can start playing with each other. Parallel play builds confidence and communication skills.
How to play: Pretend play toys, art toys, and DIY sets are parallel play favourites. Some basic stationery also goes a long way in having fun at this stage!
What is it: At around three or four years, you will notice something fascinating happen when kids of the same age get together. They won’t be playing with each other, but will be involved in each other’s play. This is called associative play.
Here, kids may use the same set of blocks to make their own structures or may decide on a common theme and draw their own interpretations of it. This hones several skills such as communication, active listening, and problem-solving.
How to play: Unlike independent play or even pretend play, children who are engaged in associative play typically play in the ‘same world’. Games here could involve blocks, DIY building sets, skipping ropes, and pretend play toys.
One toy, many learning possibilities — Don't miss shumee's wooden play sets with peg dolls! |
What is it: At four or five years, your child will start to make use of those social skills they've been honing and play with others. This is called cooperative play and helps further their communication skills and emotional intelligence.
How to play: The best part of cooperative play is that the real enjoyment isn’t in a game or toy, it's all about the company! Depending on your child’s interests, they may want to work on puzzles with a friend, play board games with siblings, or go on swings and slides in the playground.
What is it: At this stage, your child will enjoy building things. Here, they learn to manipulate different objects and the simple science behind making things work. As you can tell, this type of play also falls under many others like parallel play, independent play, and associative play.
How to play: Blocks, arches, magnetic toys, and doll houses are all excellent at this stage. For constructive play, your child may also love building sand castles or playing DIY at-home games!
What is it: Once your child has learnt cooperative play, competing through play isn’t far behind! This is a crucial stage in your child’s journey as while playing against someone, they learn sportsmanship, taking turns, teamwork, and how to win and lose gracefully.
How to play: From team sports to obstacle courses to board games, there are endless ways to engage in competitive play. Your child will certainly come up with tons of ideas to ‘see who wins’ at simple things – all part of the fun!
Want to set up a fun and easy obstacle course? Read this blog to find out how! |
What is it: Once they are toddlers, most kids begin to run around and explore their world. This type of play hones fine and gross motor skills that your child will need to move confidently, hold a pencil, and eat on their own.
How to play: Activities like climbing a Pikler or riding a bike will be instant hits with children who enjoy physical play. A balance board, skipping rope, or even playing tag might be equally exciting!
What is it: Dramatic play, better known as fantasy or pretend play, begins at about three or four years and is about the make-believe. This is a great way to exercise the imagination, makes way for creative thinking, improves social skills, betters vocabulary, and hones emotional intelligence.
How to play: Every child’s toy box needs a few great pretend play sets! But kids could have just as much fun playing dress up with mom’s dupattas, stealing a few ingredients from the kitchen to make their own dishes, or re-enacting their favourite children’s show episodes!
What is it: Symbolic play is all about self-expression! Be it through rhymes, making music, or creating art, at this stage, your child’s play world will be all about exploring their thoughts and feelings in creative ways. This helps them build a sense of self, understand their emotions better, and feel confident in their ability to express their needs and desires.
How to play: Musical instruments, drawing boards, colouring books, or playdough are great ideas for symbolic play. Kids looking to express themselves will find a way with very little – a piece of paper and a crayon, making music with pots and pans, or squishing atta are all excellent at-home alternatives.
Now that you are familiar with each play stage, it’s time to help your child lean into where they are at! Don’t forget that these stages don’t necessarily occur one after the other. They may happen in any order, or even together. In fact, your child may return to previous stages at a later point too.
All of this is completely alright. Trust your child to know exactly what they need, and join in the fun as they play, learn, and grow!
]]>If that sounds interesting, this week's Co-Create with shumee activity might be right up your alley. This stacker puzzle combines recycling and creativity to build a vibrant, interactive game for young children.
Want to know more? Read on!
This week’s Co-Create activity is once again brought to you by Anuroopa, a DIY blogger and mom to 4-year-old Aanshi. You can see Anuroopa’s previous activity here.
Today, we will be making a DIY Bug Stacker Puzzle. From buzzing bees to beautiful butterflies, this game is sure to get your child curious about the natural world! Other benefits of playing this game include:
1. Encourages creativity: Making this puzzle is a lot of artsy crafty fun! Get your child to pick some of their favourite bugs and let them colour in what you draw.
Would your child enjoy a sliding puzzle too? Check out this blog to find out a super easy way to make your own kids' sliding puzzle at home! |
2. Hones logical thinking: Stacking the rolls in the right order as per the sequence strips will help your child with problem-solving.
3. Sharpens visual discrimination: Identifying the right roll according to the image on the sequence strip will help them learn to identify images and tell them apart.
4. Betters fine motor skills: Picking up and dropping the rolls on the stacker puzzle will hone their finger strength and grip.
5. Builds eco-consciousness: Creating the game using waste materials will encourage upcycling and give you a chance to talk to your child about looking after our planet.
6. Gives a sense of achievement: Completing the puzzle will help your little one feel accomplished and confident.
7. Provides screen-free entertainment: This simple and engaging DIY activity is an easy way to swap out screen-time for something just as exciting!
This DIY Bug puzzle is suitable for children between 2-4 years.
1. 3-4 recycled toilet paper rolls
2. Cardboard pieces
3. Colored pens or markers
4. Scissors or a paper cutter
5. Playdough or clay
6. A smooth wooden rod
1. Take the recycled toilet paper rolls and cut them in half lengthwise. These will be the rings for your stacker.
2. On each half, use colored pens to draw different bugs like butterflies, ladybugs, honey bees, and dragonflies.
If you have an animal lover at home, don't miss shumee's Alphabet Animal Floor Puzzle! This large 24-piece puzzle is easy, fun, and the perfect way to learn yoru A-Zs! |
3. Press the wooden rod into the playdough. This will be the stand for your stacker puzzle, If you do not have a rod, you can also use a sturdy cardboard strip.
4. On each cardboard piece, draw the bugs vertically in a different sequence. For example, one piece could have butterfly-ladybug-honeybee-spider and another could have ladybug-butterfly-spider-honeybee. You could even have different bugs on different strips!
It's now time to play! The aim of the game is simple: Stack the puzzle according to the sequence on the cardboard strip you pick up.
To begin, pick a piece of cardboard and make a note of the sequence. Call out the bug names and have your child pick out and stack the right roll. Once they’ve gotten a hang of the game, they could identify and stack on their own. You could even time them and see how fast they complete all the sequences.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this activity. If you would like to share your experience playing with this stacker puzzle, tag us at #CoCreatewithshumee.
Anuroopa is a DIY blogger and mom who creates easy and fun learning activities for toddlers. You can follow her work on her website.
]]>So what if we told you that you could plan and execute an awesome treasure hunt for your child in 10 minutes, without even leaving your home?
If that sounds interesting, this week's Co-Create activity might just be the perfect weekend game for you and your little one!
This week's Co-Create activity is brought to you by Shweta, a DIY blogger and mom to 2.8-year-old Aanshi. Today, we will be making a treasure hunt in the dark game!
Like any good treasure hunt, this game is not only fun, but will give your little one an instant sense of accomplishment. Playing this also offers several other benefits, such as:
1. Builds vocabulary: Naming the different images you draw is an excellent way to help your child learn new words and get used to everyday objects around them.
2. Hones visual discrimination: Identifying each image correctly and spotting it on the sheet will help with their sense of visual discrimination.
3. Strengthens problem-solving: Playing to complete the treasure hunt quickly will help them strategize and improve their cognitive skills.
Games are a fun way to hone cognitive skills! Find the perfect game for your child from shumee's wide range of board games, card games, puzzles, and more! |
4. Betters fine motor skills: Handling the torch and the pen will hone their finger strength and dexterity.
5. Sharpens focus: The treasure hunt will also easily keep your child engaged and concentrating on the task until they complete it!
This activity is best suited for children between 2.5 to 4 years.
1. Clear plastic bag
2. A black paper and a plain A4 sheet
3. White cardboard
4. Markers and pens
Not a super artsy craftsy parent but have a little one who loves DIY? Listen to our podcast for tips and tricks to get creative! |
1. Insert the black sheet into the clear plastic bag.
2. Draw different shapes that your little one would enjoy on the bag. Here, we’ve drawn clouds, rainbows, mangoes, caps, and flowers.
3. Draw the same images on the A4 sheet.
4. Draw and cut out a torch, as shown in the image above.
The aim of the game is to find all the images on the plastic bag on the A4 sheet as well. You can watch a video of how to play the game here.
Begin by inserting your torch into the plastic bag. Move it around, highlighting the different images. Ask your child to spot the highlighted image on the A4 sheet and to circle it! Once they are used to it, they could operate the torch on their own as well. Sounds easy? Let’s get playing!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this activity. If you would like to share your experience creating and playing this game, tag us at #CoCreatewithshumee.
Shweta is a DIY blogger and mom who shares Montessori-inspired DIY activities for kids. You can follow her @toddlers_play_chronicles on Instagram.
Puzzles not only draw us in with an exciting challenge, but completing them is instantly rewarding. They even help hone spatial awareness, concentration, and a whole host of other skills.
So for this week's Co-Create with shumee, let's make an awesome puzzle, only using materials you already have at home!
This week's Co-Create game is brought to you by Mansi, a DIY blogger and a preschooler mom. Today, we will be making a Sunshine Sliding Puzzle!
This sliding puzzle is packed with 90s nostalgia, is fun to make, and will help your child sharpen a number of their developing skills! The benefits of playing this include:
1. Develops logical thinking: Figuring out how to sort the puzzle will hone your child's reasoning and problem solving skills.
2. Hones visual discrimination: Identifying what each piece of the puzzle is will sharpen their visual discrimination skills.
Did you know that babies only see in monochrome? Read more about how children's visual skills develop and what activities help them along this journey. |
3. Strengthens spatial awareness: Working with small pieces of the puzzle and finding their right spot on the grid will strengthen their spatial awareness.
4. Builds fine motor skills: Puzzles are an excellent way to help hone your child’s fine motor skills such as hand-eye coordination, midline crossing, and finger strength.
5. Sharpens focus and concentration: Playing to complete a puzzle is fun, ensuring that your child stays focused for long stretches of time.
This activity is best suited for children between 4 to 6 years.
1. Cardboard sheets
2. Acrylic markers and paints
3. Precision cutter
4. Glue
3D Puzzles, Floor Puzzles, Montessori Puzzles: Explore shumee's wide range of exciting kids' puzzles today! |
1. Cut two cardboard pieces out in a rectangular shape.
2. Divide one of the cardboard pieces into 12 grids, with 3 columns and 4 rows. Leaving the first row, draw and paint a sun (or any image of your choice!), making sure you get a bit of the picture in each grid. Refer to this video for specifications.
3. Draw a border around the sun and cut out the 9 square grids, along with one from the top left corner, as shown in the image above.
4. Remove the cut out squares and stick the cardboard pieces together, one forming a base and the other being a frame.
5. Once you've stuck the pieces together, place the squares back into the frame. Your puzzle is ready!
The aim of the game is to slide the 9 pieces into the right positions to create the sun.
Start off by sliding the pieces around to jumble them up. Then show your child how they can move each piece to fix and complete the puzzle. Once they’ve seen you do it, hand the puzzle over and let them give it a try! You can even time them and ask them to beat their high scores.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this activity. If you would like to share your experience creating and playing with this puzzle, tag us at #CoCreatewithshumee.
Mansi is a DIY blogger and mom who shares play based activities and easy cardboard DIYs for children. You can follow her @kalaakarimom on Instagram.
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Colours, shapes, alphabets, and numbers bring the world around us to life! And our ability to tell them apart and identify their similarities and differences is called visual discrimination.
If your child is learning this core skill, this week's Co-Create activity will be perfect for you! This fun game focuses on following a simple code to put sprinkles on an ice cream. Sounds fun? Let's get started!
This week's Co-Create activity is brought to you by Aditi, a DIY blogger and mom to 4-year-old Aahan. Today, we will be making a DIY Ice-Cream Coding Game!
This is not just a yummy summer-themed game, but will help your child sharpen a whole host of visual and verbal connections in their minds! The benefits of playing this include:
1. Develops fine motor skills: Using the tongs to pick and drop the pom-poms will strengthen the muscles in your child's fingers and palm, and hone their hand-eye coordination.
From holding your finger to using a pencil, how exactly does your child's fine motor skills develop and how can you help? Read this blog to find out! |
2. Promotes visual discrimination: Telling apart the colours, numbers, and words will hone their visual discrimination skills.
3. Sharpens problem solving skills: Matching the pom-poms and the bottle caps in the quickest way possible will hone your child’s strategic thinking and problem solving abilities.
4. Improves spatial awareness: Identifying the right bottle cap in the ice-cream at each turn will improve their spatial awareness.
5. Develops reading skills: This game is perfect to introduce small words and teach your child how to read too!
6. Strengthens communication skills: Learning numbers, colours, and alphabets will better their vocabulary and help them communicate more descriptively.
This activity is best suited for children between 3 to 6 years.
1. A piece of cardboard
2. A4 sheet.
3. Bottle caps
4. Colourful pom-poms
5. Matching dot stickers
6. A pair of tongs
7. Sketch pens and scissors
8. Dice
1. Sketch and colour an ice-cream cone on the A4 sheet. Cut it out and stick it on the piece of cardboard.
2. Place 6 bottle caps face down in the ice-cream. Write any small 2-3 letter words inside each cap.
3. Stick a thick strip of paper beside the cone. Mark this scale with numbers 1 to 6 vertically. Beside each number, stick a dot sticker and write the same words as the ones in the bottle caps on each of them.
4. Keep 6 pom-poms in a bowl, one in each colour of the dot stickers.
5. Keep your tongs and dice ready!
Not an artsy craftsy type of mom but your child loves DIY? We've got some tips to help! |
The aim of the game is to place the right coloured pom-pom in the bottle cap. You can start by showing your child how to play the first few rounds and then let them take over.
To begin, roll the dice. According to the number you get, check the scale for the corresponding dot sticker. Using the tongs, pick the pom-pom which is the same colour as the dot sticker and drop it into the bottle cap that has the word on the sticker. Repeat until you complete all the pom-poms and have sprinkles of all colours on the ice-cream!
Once your child is comfortable with the game, you can mix up the dot stickers, or even erase and re-write the words on different stickers. Watch as your toddler sharpens their skills and masters this game no time!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this activity. If you would like to share your experience playing with this grid, tag us at #CoCreatewithshumee.
Aditi is a DIY blogger and mom who shares DIY activities and homeschooling ideas for children. You can follow her @aai_ahaanvlogs on Instagram.
]]>To help you out, we are returning once again with shumee's beloved Co-Create series! Each week, we will collaborate with a mom to bring you a simple, fun, and skill-based DIY activity. These are cost-effective and your little one will love joining in to create their own games!
In this week's hands-on experience, your child will have a blast counting and matching watermelon seeds! This is a quick and multi-dimensional learning activity that's perfect for pre-schoolers and toddlers.
Our first activity is brought to you by Anuroopa, a DIY blogger and mom to 4-year-old Aanshi. Today, we will be making a DIY Watermelon Seed Number and Shape Activity Grid.
This game is perfectly themed with yummy summer fruits, and will help your little one exercise their logical thinking and fine motor skills! The benefits of playing this include:
1. Sharpens sensory skills: Playing with the colourful pieces and seeds will sharpen their visual and tactile senses.
Looking for the perfect sensory toy for your child? From crochet rattles to soft plush toys, check out shumee's sensory toy collection! |
2. Enhances critical thinking: Figuring out how to place the right piece in the right spot will boost your child’s problem solving and logical thinking skills.
3. Develops cognitive skills: Working their way on the grid will help build a keen sense of spatial awareness. Figuring out the connections between the shapes will improve their visual discrimination skills.
4. Hones fine motor skills: Picking and moving about the pieces will strengthen their hand-eye coordination and pincer grasp.
5. Improves mathematical skills: Counting the grids and figuring out the right spot to place the pieces will help your child get accustomed to numbers and counting.
This activity is ideal for children of 3 to 6 years.
1. A cardboard base
2. Small cardboard pieces
3. Paints and marker pens
4. Natural seeds (Anuroopa has used custard apple seeds)
5. Superglue or any strong adhesive
1. As shown in the image above, divide the cardboard base into 12 grids with 4 in each row and column.
2. Cut up the small cardboard pieces into circles, semi circles, and triangles, with 4 of each shape. Paint or colour them to look like watermelon slices.
3. Each shape should have one seedless piece, and one with 3, 4, and 5 seeds each. Stick them on using your adhesive.
4. In the first column, leave the first square empty and place one slice of each shape in the other three places. Similarly, leaving the first square, place 3, 4, and 5 seeds in the other three places along the first row.
The aim of the game is to place the correct watermelon slice in each grid. Sounds simple, right? Let’s get started!
Worried about how to keep your toddler occupied during your summer travels? Here's a list of travel-games and light-weight toys to help you along the way! |
Show your child how to identify the piece that will go in each place by checking the shape and number of seeds in the column and row. Place the first few slices to get them started. Watch as they take over and master the activity in no time!
Once they are familiar with the game, you could time them and ask them to beat their high scores! You could even turn it into a challenge between friends or siblings and ask them to compare their high scores. Rest assured, your little one’s confidence will grow as they begin to tackle the game on their own!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this activity. If you would like to share your experience playing with this grid, tag us at #CoCreatewithshumee.
Anuroopa is a DIY blogger and mom who creates easy and fun learning activities for toddlers. You can follow her work on her website.
]]>Sure, colours are an essential part of seeing the world. But how do they help with early learning and skill development? And how are you supposed to use it in play for children of different ages? Read on to find out!
1. Helps sort and organize: For a child who is just beginning to take in the world, colours are the easiest visual markers of the different objects around them. This makes it crucial to help toddlers identify and sort objects.
2. Hones memory: Since colours areAll you much easier to spot and recall than more complex verbal cues, playing with a host of colours will also help sharpen your child’s memory.
3. Regulates moods and emotions: Of course, colours have a huge role to play in emotional development too! Different colours and hues evoke different emotions in children. For example: Splashes of warm yellow and oranges may help them feel cheerful, while an extremely bright shade on the walls could trigger anxiety and restlessness.
Want to know more about colour psychology and how it affects children? Read this blog to find out!
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4. Improves vocabulary: Once your child is able to name colours, they will also get a lot more descriptive. Not only will they have a richer vocabulary, but it will aid their creativity, storytelling, and pretend play too!
5. Helps understand the world in a deeper way: As your child gets familiar with the basic colours, notice them start to form associations. A glaring red would mean ‘danger’ or ‘stop’, green would remind them of nature, and purple could be royal or glamorous. All of this will allow your child to perceive and make sense of the world in more complex ways.
Most children's toys in today's market are colourful and attractive. But did you know that your child's vision takes a while to fully develop? So during their early months, it makes sense to give them more high contrast and muted toys, slowly making your way up to the rainbow. Let's look at some great toys for each stage in your child's development!
Newborn babies can only see in black and white as their vision is sensitive and still sharpening. Over the first few years, it is advised to surround them with black, white, and grey toys, wooden furniture, and soft-coloured walls.
Check out this blog for more ideas on how your child can enjoy playing with colours. |
Shumee’s high contrast flash cards are the perfect way to introduce your baby to shapes! Our crochet black and white rattles and adorable wobbly penguin are other common favourites among little ones!
Once your baby is a few months old, the first colours they start to see are the primary colours – red, blue, and yellow. At this stage, you can slowly bring in more colourful toys and activites into the playroom!
Remember that light tones of blue help children feel calm and relaxed, warm reds bring about a comforting and cozy vibe, and yellows in the right amount are a cheerful colour that helps with concentration!
Babies under 12 months will love our Ele plush toy or the uniquely segmented Clutch Ball. For slightly older children, you could introduce colour sorting with the Montessori Puzzle or encourage active play with the Butterfly Balance Board.
If you have a toddler or a preschooler at home, you know just how beloved the rainbow is! Be it in drawings, clothes, or toys, little ones are excited to spot these colours anywhere!
But rainbow colours aren't just useful to grab a child’s attention. They play a huge role in helping kids identify and categorize the world around them too. Once you’ve introduced the rainbow colours to your child, they are ready to stack, sort, and get creative in a thousand ways!
From the Rainbow Spinners for babies to enjoy during tummy time, to the Pikler Triangle for a child just learning to stand and walk, to the Rainbow Stacker or Arches for little ones mastering their hand-eye coordination, we have the perfect wooden rainbow toy for every shumee child!
When starting off, introduce new colours slowly to your child. Make sure you give them some time before talking about similar colours together (such as red and orange or blue and purple).
As your little one begins to identify different colours accurately, they will enjoy spending more time in open spaces where they can soak in the rich and vibrant shades of nature. Painting and making art are other great ways to help them build a deeper appreciation for all the colours.
Finally, remember that while colours can be a lot of fun, every child learns them at their own pace and in their own ways. So stay patient, encourage their curiosity, and re-emphasize the names of each to them. Rest assured, they’ll be masters of colours in no time!
When your little one gets home from school, you ask them how their day went, but all they want is to play with you. Or perhaps, you try talking to them when they’ve had a tough day, but they’d rather cuddle up and watch some TV.
It’s totally common to feel like there are some crossed wires in communication every now and then. But learning your child’s love language could be a game changer in helping you reach out to them in the most effective and reliable way!
We each have a way that we prefer to give and receive love. In 1992, Gary Chapman defined this as our ‘love language’ and proposed that there are five main love languages which we all communicate in – quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, and gifts.
According to his studies, he discovered that we each have a primary love language, followed by four others that we relate to in varying degrees. Chapman believed that we are able to best feel someone’s love when they communicate it to us in the ‘language’ that we are most fluent in.
A few years later, he wrote a book about how to understand these love languages in children. A child may not be able to communicate their preferences explicitly, but there are ways to spot their love language over time. Read on to find out how you can identify the ways your child likes to give and receive love, and how to communicate in a love language that may be different from yours.
To understand your child’s preferred love language, all you have to do is observe how they express their love to you! If they often say "I love you" and "You’re the best mommy!" their love language may be words of affirmation.
Another important factor is to pay attention to their asks. For instance, a little one who asks for cuddles and hugs may enjoy the language of physical touch. So let’s take a look at how you can spot and nurture each love language.
Spotting the love language: If your child usually asks you to play with them or looks for ways to be around you, their love language may be quality time. “Come see this, mama!” or “Can you read me a story?” are some common phrases for a child seeking quality time.
Nurturing quality time: Quality time isn’t just about being around each other. It’s about being present, listening carefully, and paying attention to your child. Schedule time to play with your kids every day or have a weekly family game night. You could even read stories to them or simply read beside each other like shumee mom Rati does. With this love language, the little things are often the big things!
Looking to host a family game night? This comprehensive game night guide has everything you need to know! |
Spotting the love language: Does your child love it when you compliment them? Or do they enjoy chatting with you every chance they get? If you have a toddler who blushes and beams when you validate them, their love language may be words of affirmation.
Nurturing words of affirmation: Children seeking words of affirmation need to hear you say things that might sometimes be obvious to you. Saying "I love you", "I’m proud of you", and "I miss you" goes a long way.
Pretend play or creating art are great opportunities to foster natural conversations. If your child has worked on a drawing, make sure you tell them what strikes you about it. Getting specific with "I love how you’ve used green here" or "This purple makes me feel happy" could make all the difference.
Spotting the love language: A child who loves small surprises or gets excited every time you make them ‘a special treat’ may be inclined towards gifting as a love language. Unlike the popular notion, gifting is not about materialistic pleasures. To people who speak this language, a gift is a way to show someone how you see them and how well you understand them.
Nurturing gifts: While toys, clothes, and other such gifts are good ideas once in a while, Chapman advices that we be careful and have boundaries around such gifts. Remember your child sees anything thoughtful, personal, and unexpected as a gift. Getting them their favourite chocolate, making them a paper boat or an origami animal, or even baking them some yummy cookies would all be exciting gifts!
Building the perfect gift box just got a whole lot easier with shumee’s Build Your Own Box offering! Pick toys from a curated list and get it delivered in a gorgeous box. |
Spotting the love language: If you have a little one who enjoys cuddles and kisses, their love language may be physical touch. "Let’s snuggle and watch a movie!”, “Can I cuddle with you, mama?”, or a big hug when they are happy are telltale signs of this adorable love language!
Nurturing physical touch: Children who enjoy physical affection look for the safety, security, and warmth that comes from being held by someone who loves them. A bedtime cuddle and read ritual, tons of high-fives, and gentle kisses every now and then will be welcome. Playing with soft plush toys or sensory rattles are other ways that they can feel safe and comforted when you are not around.
Spotting the love language: Acts of service may sound like quite a grown up love language, but it hits the spot for many children too! “Can you help me with this?”, “Can you do this for me?”, or “Thank you for making my favourite lunch!” may be some signs that your child loves through acts of service.
Want to empower your child to help out around home? A Montessori Tower might be just the thing for you! |
Nurturing acts of service: Teaching your child a craft or a skill step by step or helping out with activities they can do on their own are some ways you can express love. But stay mindful to have boundaries around how much you do for them, as encouraging self-reliance from a young age is important.
If your child asks for help, a thoughtful response may be all they need. Example: “I can help you colour, but your friend would like it so much more if you filled in that heart on their card!”
As shumee mom Amruta shares, a child’s primary love language can change over the years according to their age and specific needs. So keep looking closely at how your child communicates their love to you!
And finally, if you have a different love language from your child, don’t stop expressing yourself through what comes naturally to you too. This will give your child a chance to know who you are, and allow them to appreciate different love languages and understand different people from a young age.
But why is it important to share our culture with the next generation? And what's the best way to introduce young children to the wonderful stories of India? Read on to find out!
1. Strengthens their identity - Knowing about the history of their country, state, and people can help your child build their sense of self. It will also help them feel a deep sense of belonging from a young age.
2. Fosters curiosity - Every culture is filled with delicious foods, fun folktales, and inspiring historical stories. Getting to know about these will pique your child’s curiosity about the world around them!
3. Helps appreciate differences - The more your little one learns about the differences across Indian culture, the more they will be able to respect and understand their friends, classmates, and neighbours. This will also help them see what makes every culture so interesting!
4. Hones emotional intelligence - Being able to understand the history and context of others will help your child empathize better and form friendships easily.
5. Preserves our cultural heritage - Teaching our kids about Indian foods, stories, crafts, and traditions is the best way to keep them alive and relevant!
Toys have been a part of Indian culture for centuries! Not only do we have unique ways of making toys, but many of our childhood classic toys (even the ones manufactured abroad!) have origins that can be traced back to India.
Karnataka’s famous Channapatna dolls, Andhra Pradesh’s Kondapalli toys, and Tamil Nadu’s bobblehead Thanjavur dolls are all perfect to play with and showcase the culture of the land they are made in. Be it the clothing of these dolls, the natural materials they are made with, or the toymaking handicraft that is passed across generations, these toys are distinctly Indian!
Want to know more about the master craftspeople who make shumee toys? Read this blog to find out! |
And it’s not just dolls. In India, we have our own versions of the popular spin top, such as the lattu and the bambaram. Wooden carts, horses, and blocks, terracotta animals, and handmade ragdolls are some other age-old toys that celebrate Indian culture through craft, storytelling, and play!
Now that we’ve taken a look at India’s rich history of toymaking, the questions that comes to mind would be – How can you access these toys made in far off corners of the country? And will they feel relevant for today’s children?
Enter shumee toys!
At shumee, we’ve been working with Indian artisans who are masters of traditional toymaking. Most of our toys take traditional designs and rework them with contemporary elements. We also have an wide range of toys which are created to effortlessly introduce your little one to India and our culture. Let’s look at some all-time favourites!
The first toy we made at shumee was our Rainbow Wooden Stacker. This colourful remake of the classic Indian stacker was an instant hit with parents and children!
Another set of Indian toys we’ve given a makeover to are the humble blocks. From Alphabet Blocks to Chalk-o-Blocks to Baby’s First Pattern Blocks, we have a whole range of bright and versatile wooden blocks for children at different ages and stages of their development!
Shumee was started by a mom who wanted her sons to play with safe, simple, and open-ended toys. Read about our journey from one rainbow stacker to hundreds of wooden toys! |
There are few things as fun as twirling a top and watching it spin, spin, spin! From colourful hand-carved tops to gorgeous animal tops, we have an inspired range of spin tops to choose from. These are perfect to bring to a playdate, compete with siblings, or to keep fidgety hands busy!
Of course we all want our children to know about each state in our country, their capitals, and their specific culture. But how can we get young children interested in all of this? Our Indiascape cards, puzzle, and activity book is a super easy solution to this conundrum!
Fix together an illustrated Indian map, test your memory, or enjoy a game of Snap – your child can learn all about each state and its heritage from this specially designed range of themed games and activities.
Our toys and activities also includes a Ramayana and a Little Krishna range of cards, peg dolls, and children’s books! These are excellent ways to share the Indian epics with your child.
The peg dolls are our nod to India’s immense lineage of wooden doll making. They can be used as storytelling props, pretend play figurines, or even festival decor. These handmade and hand-painted dolls also make great keepsake gifts!
Remember the Panchatantra story of the thirsty crow? Not only was it an awesome lesson in resourcefulness, but retelling it is sure to fill you up with nostalgia!
Our Thirsty Crow Board Game is inspired by this lovely folktale. Take on the role of thirsty crows, collect your pebbles, and play your way across the board to reach the matka of water – an easy family game night staple!
Printmaking has always been a thriving Indian craft used for making clothes, home decor, and more. You can now give your child a chance to experience making their own prints with shumee’s hand-carved wooden stamps and organic paints.
From Peppa Pig to forest animals to dinosaurs, you can pick from a wide selection of stamp designs. These are great to make cards, decorate gift wrapping, or to just get creative with!
There’s nothing more Indian than the mindful practice of yoga and if you’re looking to teach your child about it, our Balancing Yogis are a must-have. This game combines balance, concentration, and competition with mindfulness and exercise! Who's ready to play?
Are there any games or activities you've grown up with that you've enjoyed sharing with your child? Comment below and let us know!
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But did you know that these toys are not so new? In fact, you could say that the first stress ball dates back to ancient China, where two metallic balls were rotated in the hand to calm the nerves! Interestingly, most fidget toys also have multiple uses and benefits.
Want to know more about the fascinating world of fidgets? Read on to find out what exactly a fidget toy is, how it helps kids, and how you can find your child their perfect fidget toy!
A fidget or fidget toy is any object that provides the right amount and type of sensory stimulation to calm a person’s nervous system. For some children, these toys can also be a great way to channel excess energy, so that they can focus on a task better.
For instance, for a child who is easily distracted, squishing a piece of playdough while they read could help them release some of their energy and concentrate better. The soft and soothing texture of the same playdough could also help a child who is anxious and looking for a way to relax.
These toys are also excellent regulation tools as moving our hands and legs while doing sedentary tasks can send messages to our brain to wake up and stay alert. Let’s consider some specific skills fidget toys help to hone.
1. Increases concentration - Research shows that most children learn better when their hands are occupied. Relieving some pent up energy while doing tasks such as reading or listening can help your child concentrate better.
2. Improves cognitive skills - Fidget toys such as playdough give kids a way to channel their creativity too. Fidgeting with magnetic blocks and cubes also evokes curiosity and encourages problem solving.
Looking for toys your child can enjoy while sharpening their cognitive skills? Check out this curated selection of homeschooling favourites! |
3. Calms anxiety - In kids and adults alike, fidget toys are a reliable way to calm jitters and anxiety. With the right toy, you can channel nervous energy into a physical task or use a textured surface to relieve any tension stored in the muscles.
4. Sharpens motor skills - While toys such as spin tops help to hone the pincer grasp and finger strength, using a balance board could help your child develop their balance, coordination, and overall gross motor skills.
One of the most common ways to use a fidget toy is by moving an object around in the hands to keep the fingers busy. A spin top or a yo-yo are wonderful toys for kids and adults to fidget with.
Alternatively, you could make a top at home by poking a toothpick into a plastic bottle cap. You could even make a fidget spinner by taking a bolt and two nuts. Glue one nut at the bottom of the bolt, one in the center, and spin away!
Have an energetic little one at home? For some children, moving their body can be the best way to fidget! While this is harder to do in a structured and non-disruptive way, toys like balance boards could really be helpful.
An excellent way to fidget and stimulate the brain is by using magnetic toys. A set of magnetic robots or some magnetic ice cream cones could spark your child's endless creativity too!
Tangram puzzles or folding origami are some other ways to use simple materials to connect, organize, and sharpen the mind.
Sensory fidgeting is probably the most fun way to use fidget toys and objects! From popping the humble bubble wrap to funky pop-it bracelets, there are so many ways to engage the senses.
Using playdough or homemade atta to squish or make shapes is another awesome way to tickle the senses. For babies and toddlers, cute and colourful rattles with gentle sounds can be a good toy to fidget with.
While some children may prefer moving their hands, others may want to move their body! What’s important is to find the right fidget toy for your child, one that is suited to their needs, likes, and the environment they will be using it in.
So while hunting for a fidget toy, make sure to ask yourself – What purpose does the toy have to serve? When and where will my child be using it? Is this toy safe and made to last?
Finally, remember that while these toys are enjoyable and useful, they are not a solution for any specific medical condition. But with the needed professional support and the right toy, they can be a great tool to help your child cope, regulate, and grow!
]]>From dozens of new toys to unexpected shoutouts to finally meeting shumee kids after the pandemic, there was so much abundance to celebrate this year. So we've put together our version of a year-end look back, Shumee Wrapped 2022!
This year, we were fortunate to get a whole range of our toys on the leading online marketplace Myntra! But that's not all. From Bangalore to Chennai to Mumbai to Chandigarh, we’re also proud to have our toys in over 70 Hamleys stores across India!
A few weeks before India’s Independence Day, we received a surprise – a shout-out from none other than our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on his radio show Mann Ki Baat! It was an honour to be celebrated as an Indian toy company that’s using innovation and the help of local artisans to make Indian toys a global hit!
Speaking of a booming toy industry, Indian toy companies have been making the news for a while now. Eco-friendly toys with a local flavor have gotten more popular than ever! As one of India’s first startups in the field, we’ve had the chance to speak about this change to the Times of India, Deccan Herald, Outlook India, and Femina this year.
In 2021, actor, director, and UN Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza joined our shumee family as a strategic investor and our brand ambassador. More recently, we launched an exciting campaign with her – it’s always playtime with shumee! It was a joy to finally meet Dia and share our love for the environment, children, and play!
Speaking of our brand ambassador, one of Dia Mirza’s favourite childhood memories is playing with a solar system playset which her father created for her. Being surrounded by such toys inspired her curiosity and love for our home planet, eventually leading her to become the passionate eco advocate she is today. When she shared this story with us, we decided to recreate the magic for shumee kids with a Wooden Solar System Playset, a Solar System Board Game, and Solar System Snap Cards!
At what age should your child learn about the solar system? How can you make it fun? Find out the perfect way to introduce your child to our universe! |
In a year filled with gifts, the surprises kept coming! This Women Entrepreneurship Day, LiveMint created a list of 100 women changemakers shaping India today. From healthcare to fashion to finance, the list features CEOs and co-founders across industries, and we were proud to have our founder Meeta Sharma Gupta join their ranks!
When you work at a toy company, play and celebration is mandatory! As always, we had a wonderful time celebrating every occasion from Women’s Day to Diwali to Christmas. While we had to say goodbye to some of our beloved teammates, we welcomed many new ones!
Just like our team, our shumee community grew too! We currently have a thriving community of 260 parents on our shumee Whatsapp group. In the past year, it's been amazing to get to know all of you and host fun activities and challenges around various themes including festivals, arts, and more!
It’s been a challenging few years of working remotely to make our toys. In 2022, we didn’t just get back into the office, we could also finally meet our customers again. From a lovely event at Miniroo to our own in-house experience center, we’ve had some fantastic chances to watch shumee kids at play!
You can now avail 10% off when shopping at the shumee experience center. Take a look at all the fun! |
And of course, we designed and launched tons of toys — 20 new ones just this year! This included a Janmashtami special set, an India-centered puzzle and card set, Montessori-inspired toys, and more.
And that's a wrap!
To old friends and new, thank you for supporting us and being part of the shumee journey. We hope to keep creating, growing, and playing with you for years to come!
]]>But how much can a 4 or 5-year-old understand about something so complex? Does teaching them about the solar system from such a young age help? And how can we make these lessons fun? — Read on to answer all these questions about introducing your child to the solar system!
Image source: Pexels
1. Teaches the importance of Earth - When your child learns about all the planets, one of the first things they will understand is how special Earth is. From being the only planet with water to having the perfect temperature to sustain life, there’s no other home like Earth for us! This will motivate your child to love and look after our environment from a young age.
2. Lays the foundation for endless curiosity - Is there a story more ancient than that of our universe? Hearing about the origin of each planet and the earliest forms of life on Earth will pique your child’s natural inquisitiveness. This may go a long way, pushing them to ask intelligent questions about everything they encounter as they grow!
3. Cultivates a love for science - Astronomy is the perfect mix of physics and math! When it comes to slightly older children, learning about our solar system is a great way to get them interested in understanding the power of precise calculations and different scientific phenomena.
4. Perfect bonding activity - From star gazing to solar system-themed games to watching awesome space documentaries, there are so many exciting and interactive ways to learn about our solar system. If you have a space nerd in the family or just want to learn more as you teach your child, cultivating this love together could be the perfect bonding activity!
With complex concepts like time and space, the solar system is not easy for even adults to understand! So of course, a young child is not going to comprehend the depths of the subject. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait until they grow a lot older to talk about it.
While a child may be formally introduced to the solar system when they are 9 or 10 years old, you can start talking to them about the planets, sun, and moon from the time they are preschoolers.
Want to draw the solar system? Watch this video to find out a quick and easy way to do so with just a stencil and some colourful crayons! |
Explain with simple examples. Young children understand what they can see, so pointing at the stars or using solar system playsets is an excellent way to help them visualize. You can start by talking about our planet, the 8 planets who are ‘our group of friends’ and our loving, nurturing sun! As your child grows interested and starts asking questions, share a little more each time.
There’s an instant sense of wonder that occurs when we look into the sky, isn’t there? Use this opportunity to play some simple games. Count how many stars you can see in the night sky, join the dots to make different shapes, or teach your child about the different constellations.
Whether you visit a planetarium, go camping in a pollution-free area, or just look out of your window at night, the sky is a perfect, ever-present canvas to play with!
Another fun way to introduce your child to the solar system is with simple games. At shumee, we have a special range of solar system toys and games that we co-created with Dia Mirza. You can race wooden planets on wheels, play a card game of Solar Snap, or whip out our Take Me Home board game on family game night!
These games are not only oodles of fun, but will also help your little one learn about our planet, its environment, and how they can be its lifelong stewards.
No matter what the subject you’re trying to teach your child, there’s nothing like a good story to get them intrigued! As we all know, children love books and an engaging storytime can get them curious about anything from animals to math to outer space!
Children’s books like Jane DeSuza’s The Party in the Sky and Swetha Prakash’s Padma Goes To Space are filled with adventure, wonder, sing-song verse, and stunning visuals that are sure to keep any little one hooked!
Looking for stories and characters your child can relate to? Check out our collection of Indian story books for Indian children! |
Every planet is unique in its own way and your child will love knowing strange and awesome facts about each planet! From Jupiter’s many moons to Saturn’s rings to how Uranus rolls sideways, there is endless potential for play and learning when getting to know our solar system.
If you’d like to help your child memorize some easy facts, our solar system snap cards come with rhymes for each planet, the sun, and the moon!
Nothing beats creating your own solar system! Use this as a chance to do some upcycling – paint a cardboard box black as the base add painted paper mache balls as the sun and planets around space! You could even check out this lovely DIY space kit if you’re looking for a no-mess DIY session to get started.
This could also be a chance to ask your child to create their own planet. What shape, size, and colour would it be? What would they call it? Get them to make a little model and place it in our solar system!
Does your child have a favourite planet? Or do you have other inventive ways you've been using to teach them about our solar system? Comment below and share your space stories!]]>You probably thought of playing a sport, a board game, or your child pretend playing, right? And of course, all of that is play! But ‘play’ can also be so much more.
From the moment a baby starts to kick and giggle to a toddler trying to find their balance on a Balance Board, children find play everywhere! In this blog, we will look at what exactly play means to a child, the benefits of such free-spirited play, and some fun ways that you can make room for free play in your little one's life!
As adults, we tend to categorize our days into work, chores, meals, sleep, and recreation. We often add play into the schedule we create for our little ones, assuming it to be a particular activity or set of actions.
But for a child, play is not about a game or even a toy. Play is about having an immersive, engaging experience.
From the kitchen to the bathtub to their bed, any place could turn into a playground for a child. If they can show up with exciting ideas and feelings, a friend, and some tools or toys, that’s a holistic play experience. In other words, play is not an activity for a child, but how they participate in any activity.
If we remove a designated playtime and approach play in the way that children do, we can see how it brings about curiosity, valuable questions, and a loving connection to the world.
So what are some ways we can 'trigger' a child to seize a play opportunity in front of them? Read on to find out!
“I’m BORED!!” – if your preschooler has learnt these words, you may be listening to it multiple times a day! It can be tempting to jump in and provide them with some game, activity, or TV time when they say so. But as the storyteller Viram Sridhar reminds us, boredom is a fertile ground for the imagination!
Take a challenge to not interrupt your child’s boredom. They may come up with games of their own, or simply find new creative ways to occupy themselves!
Has your child ever watched a cartoon or TV programme for a short while, only to jump up and try to find the props to recreate what they see? While it’s important to set limits on your child’s screen time, it’s equally valuable to make sure your child isn’t just passively watching content.
Looking for ways to manage your child's screentime? This blog has 5 easy suggestions! |
You could use what they see as prompts, pushing them to get up and interact with it! Get them to dress up as their favourite character and roleplay. Ask them if they can remember the rhymes they just heard. Or simply ask what they felt about the show they just watched and see if they’d like to recreate it at home!
Open-ended toys do not have a specific goal or winning outcome, think a rattle, Montessori Arches, or a Wooden Stacker. Your child can play with these toys in many different ways but they will need to decide and direct the play.
For example, they can enjoy stacking the rings on the stacker, turn them into colourful donuts during pretend play, or even use them as shapes to draw around! Such toys designed for free play will encourage your child to get involved, stay engaged, and find play opportunities all around them
These are toys that have multiple parts to assemble. If the toy can be put together in many different ways (such as wooden blocks or free play sets), that’s even better! Keep a box of such playthings around for your child to experiment with when they feel restless or bored.
It could include blocks, puzzles, free play sets, toilet paper rolls, scarves, and small cardboard boxes. You could even have a second box of just creative materials such as playdough, stamps, stickers, crayons, shells, and ribbons!
Of course no adult thinks of chores as play! But as we spoke about, any immersive experience can be play for a child. So bring in your little helper to tag along for daily chores like cooking and cleaning.
Be it stirring batter, dropping spoons of salt or sugar into dishes, or mopping, they will be thoroughly absorbed in the experience and might even recreate it with their own play kitchen soon!
Yes, stories are a form of play too (didn’t we tell you it’s everywhere?). Listening to a great story is an adventurous trip for the imagination! But stories don’t just have to be from a book. You can make them up on the go, especially when there’s a teaching opportunity in front of you.
Want to learn how to tell a story your child will love? Listen to this podcast where we speak to author and storyteller Janaki Sabesh. |
For example, if your child is afraid of the dark, you can calm their fear by telling stories while making shadow animals with your fingers. Teach them to make the animals too! If they have had a tough day at school, a little roleplay using finger puppets can be both fun and a chance to express themselves.
A game of catch, throwing a ball around, skipping, cycling, slides and swings — the outdoors is filled with opportunities for play! So make sure your child gets some outdoor time each day.
This won’t just help them exert energy and build their gross motor skills, but playing in fresh air with greenery around will allow them to feel more connected to the world they live in!
When it comes to finding play opportunities, it’s not just about looking at the world around your little one. What’s most important is that you stay in tune with what your child is thinking and feeling, so you know exactly what they will need!
It's a good idea to keep play close in your life too, be it through board games, sports, or pictionary nights with friends. Children learn the most from watching and modelling us. So having room for play in your own life and building a community of like-minded families around will go a long way.
And remember, play isn’t just about who wins or loses, or even what you learn from it. Staying playful means keeping your eyes open to wonder, possibility, and the small adventures around you each day!
]]>As humans, we communicate most meaningfully through stories. So yes, telling a story is an incredibly valuable skill for a little one to develop!
Being able to create their own narratives will give your child a sense of agency, help them access their inner portals of deep feeling and creativity, and hone many other vital skills too.
Read on to find out how exactly telling stories benefits your child and what you can do to help them tell awesome tales.
1. Develops creative thinking - When you think stories, you think creativity! Using the imagination, thinking on the feet, and finding unique ways to bring different elements together are all crucial parts of telling a good story. These skills are sure to pay off in other areas of your child’s life too!
2. Hones language skills - Telling stories is fantastic to build language and vocabulary. When your child is challenged to find a word, they may use alternatives, which will help hone their word association ability and improve their overall communication skills.
3. Boosts confidence & self-esteem - Being able to tell a great story is a matter of pride for everyone, from adults to young children! Captivating an audience, making them laugh, and leaving them hanging on every word will give your child a solid boost of self-esteem.
4. Enhances social & emotional skills - The ability to weave an interesting tale won’t just help your child win over their classmates, but it will tune their sense of empathy, which is key in building a vibrant social circle.
What if you could gift your child a feeling this Diwali? Pick exactly what they love and build your own Diwali gift box from our specially curated range of toys. |
5. Improves active listening - It’s a well known fact that the best storytellers are the best listeners! To develop a realistic story that strikes a chord with others, your child will have to pay attention to the world and actively listen to people around them.
6. Promotes organizational thinking - While building a story, they have to come up with a beginning, the rise of a plot, a sequence of action, cause and effect, and a conclusion. Working through these details will improve your little one's ability to arrange and utilize more complex systems of information.
7. Strengthens learning abilities - Storytelling is also a super fun way to exercise multiple core learning skills including concentration, focus, and memory.
While storytelling is an intuitive process, it also has some constant elements – a beginning, plot development, and a satisfactory end. There have to be characters with unique personalities and your child may have to use of funny voices, silly jokes, or strong emotions to make it captivating. So let’s look at some ways you can give your little one this storytelling practice.
Children’s picture books are the perfect place to start! Let your child look at the pictures and make up their own stories. This might be tougher with stories they already know. In that case, ask them to narrate the tale in their own words as you flip the pages. You could even ask them questions – why did the bunny run away? How is this boy flying? – and offer them a chance to think of the story in a deeper way!
There’s something special about a puppet – when you wear one on your hand or finger, it just takes a life of its own! You could use finger puppets to have interactive storytelling sessions at home, with one family member playing one character. Build a story together and see where it takes you.
If you have an expressive little one bursting with inspiration, let them put on their own puppet show where they have hilarious conversation with the puppet on their hand!
Want to build your own sock puppet? Here's a quick and easy DIY video! |
Every storyteller is looking for just the right inspiration, but you don’t have to sit around waiting. Gather a few random objects from around the house and ask your child to come up with a story using the objects in front of them. An empty toilet paper roll, an old cardboard box, a colourful dupatta, or a bowl of water could turn into tunnels, ships, mountain, and oceans!
You could also take them on a ‘story hunt’ to the nearest playground, park, or grocery store. Instruct them to keep their eyes peeled for anything they can add to their story. Once you get home, take turns sharing stories using the people, activities, and objects you saw.
Take turns telling stories to each other during bath time or before bed. This will not only give your child a chance to unwind, but will allow them the space to express themselves.
Encourage your little one to use what’s happened during the day and incorporate it into their tales – the names of their friends, things they learnt, and how they felt. This will build their emotional intelligence and can be a useful self-soothing tactic too.
Storytelling is an awesome part of play too, especially pretend play. Pretend play toys help kids recreate things that they see around them every day. With Diwali around the corner, you could ask your child to recreate the Ramayana story with themed Peg Dolls, or maybe even give it their own spin!
Ramayana as told by shumee kids – we can't get enough of this adorable retelling! |
Don’t just tell a story, let your child act it out! Give them a stage and all your attention and let them launch into a performance. A ‘stage’ will push them to keep things interesting with voice modulations, dramatics, and some humor! Being able to tell a good story well will boost your child's confidence, which will surely spill over into other areas in their lives.
As author and storyteller Janaki Sabesh reminds us, there are stories everywhere. Every person, object, and space has the potential to become a funny, magical, or scary story. All it takes is an open mind and a gentle push – bring out the unique stories in your child, the world will be better for it!
]]>That instinctive knowledge comes from a lifetime of socialization, which begins as children — enter play dates!
Play dates are an important milestone in a child’s journey and for a toddler or preschooler just making friends, it can be a huge deal! But even with adults, first meets can be filled with awkward pauses, misunderstandings, and seldom go perfectly.
So how can we ensure that two little ones colliding worlds have a fun, stress-free time, and safe time? Read on to find out!
1. Find the right playmate - Inviting over the right friend (or potential friend!) is one of the most important parts of a play date. Begin with inviting just one or two kids so it won’t be overwhelming. If there’s someone your child wants to call home from preschool or your circle, let them choose. If you are setting it up, look for children whose temperament and interests match your little one’s.
2. Keep it short - Slot an hour or two for the play date. If all goes well, this will give the kids something to look forward to doing again soon. And if the children are struggling to connect, a quick play session will mean that they don’t feel defeated, and will be more open to trying again.
3. Limit the play area - Limiting the play area and planning some activities and games in advance could be particularly useful for children who feel stressed around making choices or initiating conversation. Boundaries around where and what will help them play to their strengths and shine!
4. Practice some roleplaying - While play dates themselves are a space to practice social skills, it would be good to prepare your child for some common roadblocks they may face. Through roleplay, you can teach them how to ask for a toy, how to keep playing if the other child does not pay them much attention, how to express their thoughts and ideas confidently, and so on. Make sure you also have a chat about respecting and valuing the differences they notice in others.
5. Handle toys with care - If you are inviting a child home, expect some rough play! So keep aside any delicate toys and tell your child about this in advance so they won’t feel confused and throw a fit for a toy you’ve shelved. If you are invited for a play date, remind your child to handle every toy with extra care, and to pick up after themselves once they are done playing.
What kind of play date would you like to host? While you can mix and match ideas, we recommend sticking with one or two ‘big activities’ to avoid chaos. Let’s look at some indoor and outdoor play ideas that toddlers and preschoolers are sure to love!
Pretend play is the perfect way to get two children to take off their armor and start talking! Whether they are a chef at a restaurant, preparing for teddy's birthday party, or taking turns being teacher and student, there’s nothing like a bond built over dreaming together!
Games that require 2 or more kids to play are another excellent choice. If your child is always looking for a buddy to play card games with or to challenge in a puzzle match, a play date is a great chance for this!
Who doesn’t enjoy a good artsy session? Toddlers love making cards or drawings that they can put up on the fridge or give their parents and siblings! Get some stickers, stamps, child-safe paints, and paper and let them get creating! You could even combine art and pretend play with a play dough set. Turn it into a pancake, rotis, or a snake in the forest!
Looking for simple at-home DIY activities that the kids are going to love? Check out our Co-Create series, designed by moms for moms! |
If you’d rather give the children space to make up their own games, consider a free play session. Set up the room with a few open-ended toys they can explore in different ways. Montessori arches, colorful wooden blocks, or open-ended play sets are all good ideas as children can build these in different ways. You could also throw in items from around the house like cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, or paper cups filled with beans or macaroni shells and see how they collaborate to add these into their play!
While you may want to give the kids some alone time to mingle, you could also step in for a fun reading session. Pick a book that your child loves and ask them to help tell the story to their new friend. You could even get the kids to put on a puppet show once they know the story!
Not sure if you are a good Puppet Master? Here are 6 easy & effective ways to use puppets in storytelling and play! |
As with adults, the outdoors is a great place for children to bond too! Set up a treasure hunt with an adventurous story line or a scavenger hunt with tons of little surprises along the way. Give the kids a chance to work together as a team, which will surely create a sense of camaraderie between them. Bonus — they exert energy and hone their gross motor skills too!
Ever wondered what exactly 'gross motor skills' are? Watch this quick explainer video to find out. |
It’s always time for some tea and biscuits! Grab some munchies, juice, and toy cups and saucers and set the stage for a garden tea party. You could even carry along a foldable table and some themed DIY games like a Woodland Animal Sequence game, a Popsicle Puzzle, or a Honey Bee Ten Frame. An outdoor tea party is also perfect for the adults to catch up while keeping an eye on the little ones!
Obstacle courses are not just a fantastic way to dispel any anxious energy, but they encourage open-ended play and some healthy competition too! Just like a treasure hunt, you could add a story line and many different sensory and cognitive elements to an obstacle course. For more ideas, check out our blog on designing an awesome kids' obstacle course.
How about a campfire night at home? Pitching a kids’ tent in your balcony or front yard can create a special bonding room for two children. Cozy it up with pillows and cushions, bring in a torch and a good book, and keep a flask with hot chocolate ready!
If you are hosting two or more kids who are little energy balls, taking them to a playground or a park might do wonders! They can enjoy the swings, slides, and see-saws, or simply run around playing tag. Keep scootys, a ball, or skipping ropes around to make room for some fun parallel play.
Like us, children also take time to find the right people and make good friends. So as you keep inviting little ones over and sending your child on play dates, remember that 'finding a best friend' is not necessarily the goal.
The main purpose of play dates is to strengthen your child's ability to connect with other kids. What’s most important is that your child feels safe and curious during the play date and leaves wanting to try again!
]]>Wouldn't you agree that there are few things as universally enjoyed as card games? Whether you are travelling with children, hosting a Diwali party, or prepping for family game night, a pack of cards is sure to be a staple!
After all, playing cards hones a child's cognitive and motor skills, makes room for device-free quality time, and is fun for toddlers and grandparents alike!
But perhaps, you're bored of the standard set of cards and common games like Solitaire, Old Maid, or Speed. Which is why we at shumee have been designing unique sets of cards that are both accessible for young children and enjoyable for adults.
While coming up with each of these sets, we also brainstorm cool ideas for card games that kids would love. Read on to find out what some of these are!
From animal-themed Snap Cards to High Contrast Flashcards, shumee's collection of cards offers something special for every child. Listed below are some of our cards and games you can play with them. These games are not only enjoyable, but help children engage with cards in many ways. You can even tweak some games and play them with the sets you have at home!
Ever wondered why cards have to be all about Kings and Queens? We at shumee prefer adorable forest animals, cute sea creatures, and quirky monsters! Our themed Snap Cards come in the usual stack of 52 cards with 13 different types, making it perfect for traditional games and some cool new ones.
1. Say Snap! - Deal the entire pack among the players. Keep your cards face down and throw them into an open pile by flipping them over. If you spot 2 consecutive cards of the same type, say snap and collect the pile. The player left with all the cards at the end wins the game.
2. Go Fish - Shuffle all the cards and throw them into a messy pile, face up. Call out one card and let all the players start fishing! Repeat until you finish the whole stack. The player with the most cards at the end, wins the game. This is sure to be a toddler favourite!
What if you could use a card game to tell your child about the epic of the Ramayana? Check out our Ramayana Snap Cards to know more. |
3. Bluff - Deal the entire stack among the players. At their turn, each player must throw in a set of cards of a particular type into a face down pile. Since the pile is face down, you can bluff! But if any player calls your bluff, you have to take the whole pile. If they call a wrong bluff, they must take the pile. The player who finishes all their cards first wins. This classic game can take on a fun new twist while players call out '2 Monkeys' and '3 Tigers'!
While most card games require you to focus and remember, memory cards up the ante! Our memory cards come in space, underwater, Little Krishna and more exciting themes with 9 pairs of characters each.
1. Memory - Shuffle the cards and place each of them face down in 3 rows. The aim of the game is to find pairs that match. Every player gets to flip over 2 cards at their turn. Make things more interesting by adding dice – roll the dice to decide how many turns a player gets on their chance.
2. Write it down - Another way to enjoy a set of memory cards is to create a pattern, take a look at it for 30 seconds, and then flip the cards over and try and write down the pattern. Check and see who got everything right!
3. Tell a story - shumee’s colourful, circular memory discs can also be great prompts to tell a story with! Create a tale as you pick different characters or act out scenarios roleplaying as the characters on the cards.
Wondering how to tell a story with cards? Check out this video where we narrate some of Little Krishna's tales using our memory cards. |
What if you could travel across India with a pack of cards? Our Indiascape pack has 150 cards with 5 for each Indian state, with state capitals, popular regional dishes, official state animals, and more. Some games we love playing with these cards are:
1. State Search - The aim of the game is to collect all 4 cards of a state. Deal 5 cards to each player and place the remaining face down in a draw pile. The first player picks a card from the pile. They can either keep this card and discard one from their stack or place the card face up next to the draw pile. The next player can pick the discarded card or a new card from the draw pile. The first player to collect a state set of 4 cards wins the game!
You could even switch the game to Heritage Hunt and aim to collect 7 cards of a particular category.
If you are looking for more exciting games to spruce up your family game night, this blog has 7 easy ideas that will help! |
2. Trivia - In shumee’s Indiascape pack, there is a trivia card for each state. Quiz each other on a state’s capital or regional dish, or give out clues and try to get the others to guess the state!
For babies and young toddlers who are just beginning to understand the world around them, nothing beats a set of gorgeously illustrated flashcards. From Black and White Flashcards to Educational Flashcards, there’s something perfect for every child in our range.
1. Slap the card - Put down 2 flashcards and say the name of the colour, object, number or shape on one of them. Ask your little one to tap the right flashcard to identify it. You can use more flashcards for older kids and even make it an awesome competitive game – just remember to stress on tapping gently!
2. Flashcard I Spy - Lay the cards across the floor and play a game of I Spy. This can be an excellent way for children to identify and associate colour, shape, and alphabets with different objects.
3. Get matching - Lay out a set of flashcards with different illustrations alongside the objects drawn in them. Ask your child to match the right card and object. Add in more objects to make it a colour sorting game!
If there’s one thing that's sure to be an instant hit with kids, it’s a Peppa Pig game! At shumee, we have a set of Peppa Pig FamJam cards, featuring Peppa, George, and all their friends! Ready to play?
1. Find the fam - Lay down the FamJam cards like a set of memory cards. But instead of matching two same cards, try to match two family members! Psst… true Peppa fans will have an upper hand in this game!
2. PEPPA out! - The aim of the game is to collect 2 cards of a kind. Deal a stack of 4 cards to each player and keep the rest aside. At their turn, each player must pick a card from the pile, which they can keep or discard. Once a player has collected 2 cards of a kind, it’s time to get silly – place a finger on your nose! Every player must follow and do the same silently. The last player to notice, gets a ‘P’. This goes on until each player gets a P.E.P.P.A. The last player left is the winner. This hilarious game can light up any party or game night!
Have more suggestions for card games? We’d love to hear them! Leave your favourite card games and how to play them in the comments below.
When shumee first entered India’s toy market, our philosophy of open-ended free play was far from popular! The market was filled with shiny, battery-operated plastic toys, besides which simple wooden toys were a tough sell.
But we stood for our values, pushed boundaries with innovation, and worked tirelessly for the joy of play. With eight years in the bag, thousands of happy customers, and countless stories to tell, we’re excited to have found a way to become a part of India’s rich and storied playscape. We like to believe that we may even have shifted it a little!
On this birthday month, we’re looking back at the journey so far. Here’s how we got to where we’re at, what we’ve learnt over the years, and some surprising decisions that went into building the toy company you know and love today.
When our founder Meeta Sharma Gupta returned to India from the US in 2014, she ran into an unexpected, odd problem – her toddler and infant sons, Aarush and Ishaan, were not enjoying their playtime the way they used to in America.
Most toys she found in India were made of cheap plastic, had only one way to play, and would bore her children after a few days. Meeta wondered what was different in these toys compared to the ones her sons used to spend months with. How could she bring play back into their lives?
Know what toys Albert Einstein used to play with as a child? You might be surprised to find out! |
She soon discovered what was missing – the room for her children to think and interact with a toy in their own ways. Toys that created space for this type of play had to be simple and open-ended. Think rattles, blocks, or peg dolls.
Although such toys were not bestsellers in India at the time, they weren’t exactly foreign in our country either. Upon doing some research, Meeta learnt that India has a rich tradition of handcrafted wooden toys. Armed with degrees from IIT and Harvard, she instantly spotted the excellent business opportunity before her. But her idea was not just to bridge a gap in the market. She wanted to make sure that Indian children got a chance to enjoy the fantastic traditions of play that were rightfully passed down to them.
After 15 months of research and speaking to local craftsmen, Meeta decided to experiment with creating a toy. She partnered with an artisan, picked a traditional toy structure, and tried to rethink it for today’s children – a wooden stacker, but with bright, rainbow colours.
The Rainbow Wooden Stacker was launched on the children’s products marketplace, Hopscotch. To Meeta’s surprise, it went on to become an instant hit!
The next few years were a flurry of activity. With a small team and a few vendors in place, we launched a website with some classic wooden toys like the Activity Triangle, Wooden Rocking Horse, Activity Walker, and rattles for babies.
Curious about how we design our toys? Watch this conversation with out founder and in-house designers to know more. |
We believed that play should be 90% child and only 10% toy. So while creating, we asked ourselves if a child could enjoy a toy in multiple ways and drive their own play with it. This steered us to make toys that were eco-friendly and open-ended without too many instructions.
While our toys were slowly becoming better known in India, it was not easy to pioneer a whole new way of play. Since many of our toys were the only ones of its kind in the market, parents had a lot of understandable questions and concerns – were wooden toys safe to chew? What sort of paints were we using? Were the toys going to be too heavy?
Meeta saw that having a constant line of communication open with customers was essential to ease their concerns and give them the support they needed. While our team got busy fielding these questions regularly, something wonderful began to happen.
Parents started becoming an active part of shumee’s journey. Based on both play testing with children and feedback from parents, we were able to tailor our offerings to be just right for different age groups. For instance, some of our rattles were made lighter, we modified the age groups on our DIY Activity Boxes, and carefully designed our Organic Ajwain Seed Bib to be the perfect weight for babies.
Over time, this allowed us to further our range of toys to include pretend play sets, active play toys, board games, card games, art and craft toys, and more.
A lot changed during the pandemic. Since children were unable to go to preschool and kindergarten, parents started looking for toys that they could homeschool their little ones with. Similarly, with kids stuck indoors through the day, toys that encourage movement became an urgent need.
Meeta, along with our team of in-house designers, began to brainstorm. Our philosophy has always been – let children play, learning will happen along the way. So while we made development-friendly toys, shumee toys have been ‘play-centered’ and never ‘learning-centered’. We wondered how we could stay true to our ideology of free play while catering to this rising need in the community during a tough time.
Our answer was a Montessori-inspired range of toys. While shumee toys aren’t strictly Montessori, we discovered a lot of synergy in the reality-based, exploration style philosophy that was used in many classrooms across the world.
When we saw children make some inspired art during the pandemic, we invited them to design a few of our toys! Here's how it went. |
So with toys like the Rainbow Spinner, Peg Puzzles, Pikler Triangle, and Wooden Stepping Stones, we began designing a range to help hone specific skills and give children a chance to move about and explore the world at their own pace.
Eight years in, Meeta often notes how much things have changed. With all kinds of sustainable childcare products now readily available, we are thrilled to see more parents making holistic choices these days.
Over the past year alone, we’ve had two huge moments that we will never forget!
The first was when actor and UN Ambassador Dia Mirza excitedly agreed to become our strategic investor and brand ambassador. Her faith in what we’ve built felt like a testament to the work we’ve put in over the years.
shumee toys aren't just for kids! Some toys our team has been getting for ourselves and our friends are Ninjaki, Spin Tops, Butterfly Balance Board, & Collector's Chess Set. |
The second was a few weeks ago, when we were given a surprise shoutout by our prime minister, Narendra Modi on his show, Mann Ki Baat. With almost a decade’s worth of research, creativity, and immense heart work, our team celebrated having made a mark in what we set out to do – bringing the joy of Indian toys to Indian children!
We still have ways to go and countless ideas brewing every moment. At shumee, we are just getting started. As we figure out how to bring our brightest and most ambitious ideas to fruition, here’s hoping you join in for this sustainable and joyful journey of play!
]]>How many families around you have lived in one city their entire lives, having roots where they are since generations? Chances are, not too many!
Today, we rarely even complete our education in the same town or city. We move for work, for better opportunities, or because the world is a global village and exploring it is how we grow.
This means that we are constantly surrounded by diversity and our children are exposed to all kinds of differences from a young age. In a country as vast and diverse as India, being able to empathize with and appreciate differences is key to adapting and thriving.
So on the cusp of our 75th Independence Day, let's look at how can we equip our little ones to understand and appreciate the world around them better!
What does "freedom" mean to a child? How does it factor into their play? Read this blog to find out. |
Fortunately, children are not born with a predisposed inclination to any culture, language, food, or tradition. They will be accepting of whatever they are taught to be accepting about. But it's important to bring these conversations up in a timely manner to ensure that your little one is not overwhelmed or confused.
So in this blog, we've put together some everyday situations that you can use as conversation starters on diversity. Read on to find out!
Different languages, food habits, and clothes — no matter where we live, we see these in our lives every day. Your neighbor in the next apartment may have another mother tongue and may celebrate different festivals than you do. This could even be the case right at home, where you and your partner come from different religious or cultural backgrounds.
Don't shy away from pointing these out to your children. Instead, use them as opportunities to have conversations with them about the differences they see on a daily basis. Note the commonalities in these difference — how Tamil and Kannada have many similar words, or how you decorate the house and give gifts on Eid, Christmas, and Diwali!
Diversity is what lets you have a dosa one day and a pizza the next. Or what lets you wear kurta-pajama with the same confidence as you would a pair of trousers and a shirt. Introduce variety in your child's palate and wardrobe so they have a hands-on way to enjoy diversity.
If you usually speak one language at home, you could make a conscious decision to teach your child a second language. Explain to them how this will help them talk to more people, watch films in a new language, or read books in it, all of which will make their lives richer and more interesting!
Children learn about the world through play. Which is why it's important to have toys that make room for the possibilities they may encounter in their lives.
From gender neutral Peg Dolls of different skin tones and body types to Globetrotter Twisties with regionally specific attires which your child can mix and match, there are many toys that open up room for interesting conversation around such differences!
Games and toys specific to Indian culture are also excellent to get your child interested in our country. Our Indiascape games have state-themed snap cards, a floor puzzle illustrating India's map, memory games, and more!
It might be difficult to imagine a house on bamboo stilts if you have lived only in apartments, but a trip to the northeast of India will take away the need to imagine and provide a new perspective on housing! When we travel, we learn about the geography of a place as well as about the people and culture there.
Use your family vacations and weekend trips as a way to talk about the diversity you observe. Return with new recipes, vocabulary, and traditions!
Travelling with a toddler sometime soon? These 11 games could be life savers! |
Reading is a great way to discover all kinds of things, including diversity. Try including books of different languages and from different countries in your child's library. Do read-alouds, look up places online, and discuss the names and foods you come across in the books.
On the flip side, make sure you also have contemporary Indian children's books on your child's shelf. These not only make excellent reads, but are important for your little one to see themselves and their friends reflected in the stories they grow up with.
Festivals are the perfect settings to celebrate diversity as they are filled with games, gifts, and delicious dishes! Be it Diwali, Holi, Eid, or Christmas, we have a chance to enjoy the beauty of different religious traditions across India. Whether you attend a different festival at your neighbour's home or invite them over for your celebrations, the opportunity will be a valuable lesson in diversity for your child.
Story books and toys are great ways to learn about India's cultural heritage. Check out our Ramayana combo or Little Krishna combo for some fun + learning! |
As we get more integrated into the global village, it’s simply smart parenting to ensure that our kids are well adjusted global citizens. So tell us, how do you talk to your children about diversity? We'd love to hear from you in the comments below!
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Our brains are the most complex organs in our bodies. Every waking minute, they receive sensory information, interpret the world, help us feel emotions, spark creativity, and instruct our hands and legs to move. Being in charge of such a wide range of functions also means that there are many different kinds of activities that will challenge and strengthen our brains.
In this blog, we look at what exactly cognitive skills are and how you can hone your growing child's developing brain through play.
Cognitive skills are a group of abilities that we use to think, learn, and perform complex tasks. Each skill helps process information and together, they help with daily functions including brushing our teeth, deciding what to eat, playing, studying, and making friends.
For a child to do everyday activities, it’s important that all their cognitive skills are developed and able to work together. While there are many ways to hone these skills, let’s first look at what exactly the different cognitive skills are.
There are two types of memory development that are important – long-term and short-term memory.
Long-term memory helps your child recall information they learnt a while ago, such as names of people or answers in a test. Short-term memory will help them retain information while they use it, such as following instructions in a game.
Sensory processing is a crucial skill to make sense of the world around us.
While auditory processing will help your child understand, categorize, and use sounds, visual processing helps them visualize what they hear. These skills will allow children to read, understand what they learn, and follow directions easily.
Sensory games are simple to make with materials around your house. Check out our co-create series for 20+ DIY sensory games and activities! |
Logic and reasoning may be the most essential skill in advanced cognitive development. This includes rational thinking, problem solving, and idea generation.
Logic and reasoning won’t just help your child solve puzzles and math problems. These skills will also help them make complex and well thought decisions in all areas of their life. This further helps hone social skills and foster meaningful relations as they grow.
Attention is an invaluable skill as it helps children avoid mistakes and complete tasks, which will boost their sense of self esteem. There are 3 types of attention, sustained, selective, and divided.
Sustained attention will allow your child to stick with and complete tasks. Selective attention will make it easy for them to ignore distractions and focus on one thing. Divided attention is their ability to recall information and use it effortlessly while doing a particular task.
‘Doing things fast’ might not sound like a big deal, but speed is an indicator of how well your child’s other cognitive functions are honed and able to work together. Completing tasks at school or home in a timely manner means that your child’s brain is well-equipped to process, reason, and act according to their age.
While we usually think of cognitive skills in relation to activities such as studying and reading, that's just the tip of the iceberg! As we discussed, these skills help us in every area of our lives and children can hone them in many ways, including through play! So let's look at some games and toys that will help your little one develop their various cognitive abilities.
When we speak of focus and memory, playing with a set of memory cards may come to mind. It’s true, these are great to help your child pay attention and remember. But since memory is usually used to perform tasks, it’s important to include activities that allow your child to simultaneously practice their motor skills too!
Sorting boards or DIY sorting baskets are good examples of using the hands with the brain. Playing outdoors is also incredibly helpful. Sports or obstacle courses make it fun for children to pay attention to rules and focus on a task, and will aid neuron growth for more complex tasks.
Puzzles are an excellent way to help children of any age hone their logic, reasoning, and spatial awareness. From 4-piece toddler puzzles to 250-piece puzzles for older children to 1000-piece puzzles for adults, this can be a lifelong practice that keeps the brain sharp!
For older children, board games are also great options. From classics like chess to more contemporary board games, these help with strategizing, decision making, and are perfect for family game nights! Freeplay with simple, open-ended toys are also a good way to help your child make their own decisions.
Want to host a family game night and battle out your cognitive skills? Read this blog to find out how you can plan an awesome game night! |
More subtle cognitive skills include building your child’s balance and spatial awareness. Outdoor games like tag, swinging, and throwing and catching a ball are wonderful ways to help your child gain awareness of their bodies in relation to the space around them.
When talking toys, Balance boards and Waldorf Boards are exciting for your child to wiggle, sway, and perfect their balance. A Ninjaki set could be just as much fun to practice balancing objects! Lacing and threading toys and puzzles are simple but engaging and effective ways to build spatial awareness.
Sensory learning is all about play! Babies may enjoy high contrast flash cards to hone their visual senses and soothing rattles to sharpen their hearing.
For toddlers, the options are endless – sensory bags, sand pits, gardening, and playing with food grains are just a few examples. If you are searching for toys that tickle the senses, start by looking for textures that are interesting, such as crochet and warm wood. Bright coloured toys and musical instruments are other exciting ways to aid your child’s sensory learning.
Thinking well isn’t just about memorizing and strategizing. It also includes all the whimsical and magical parts of life – creativity and imagination are cognitive skills too!
Pretend playing is the best way to light your child’s imagination. Watch as they take everything they’ve observed and turn it into a unique and spectacular show! Drawing and colouring is another awesome way for a little one to express themselves creatively. Make sure you are taking them to see new places and reading lovely children’s stories to them to further fertilize their imagination.
Does your son love dolls or your daughter love cars? That's awesome! Listen to this podcast to find out how you can get gender biases out of the playroom. |
Communication is key to engage with the world. This starts with making sense of what's around us through words and sentences, sharing it effectively with others, and perceiving what they tell us in return. This chain involves language and vocabulary, listening skills, and social skills.
From children’s books to flashcards to games like I-Spy, building your child’s vocabulary can be a lot of fun! To help them apply it in their daily lives, encourage plenty of pretend play. From playing House to Restaurant to Astronaut, let them explore every scenario they can imagine. Multi-player games like board games and card games are also superb to hone their social skills.
We know it can be stressful to observe and evaluate your child’s cognitive development. But every little one is unique and grows in different but equally incredible ways! Which is why we recommend that while you challenge your child to hone multiple skills, observe where they shine.
Appreciate their stellar imagination, make note of how good their memory is, admire how fast they can run. Remind your child of their gifts and let it inspire them to explore their complete potential!
]]>In this blog, we will explore what fine motor skills are, what milestones to look out for, and how you can help hone these skills in your growing child.
Want to know more about gross motor skills too? Read this blog to find out. |
Fine motor skills are your child’s ability to use their smaller muscles such as those in their palms and fingers. While these skills are mainly about gripping and manipulating objects, there's more to it than just moving their fingers around. To understand this better, let’s look at the key categories in fine motor skill development.
1. Hand functions: The most basic fine motor skills are the hand functions, beginning with developing finger strength and hand-eye coordination. The next stage would be honing the pincer grasp, or the ability to hold an object between the thumb and first finger.
Another fine motor milestone is midline crossing, where your child can use the hands and legs on one side of their body to work on the opposite side. This particular skill is necessary to understand which their dominant hand is and learn to use it accordingly.
2. Curling palms inward: Children are born with the basic ability to curl their palms inward. As they grow and the arches in their palms strengthen, they will have more control over this movement, helping them with tasks such as holding a pencil and unbuttoning clothes.
3. Tactile perception: This sensory skill also plays a vital role in fine motor development! Understanding the weight and texture of what they are holding is important for a child to manipulate an object.
A playdough kit with sensory tools is a super fun way to engage your child's developing tactile perception! |
4. Posture control: While this may seem more of a gross motor skill, your child needs a good posture with sturdy shoulders to hold and use objects. If their shoulders are not strong enough, they will have to apply more force to use a pencil. This also increases tension in the shoulders, which can be painful.
5. Using both hands together: A child’s ability to use two hands together, where one is leading the other, is called bilateral coordination. This helps in activities such as cutting paper where one hand holds the sheet and the other uses the scissors, or in using a fork and knife.
6. Wrist Stability: Being able to comfortably move their wrists will allow your child to use their fingers deliberately and move their elbows and shoulders with ease. Most children will feel confident in their wrist movements by the time they are ready for school.
Like all developmental skills, your child’s fine motor skills will naturally strengthen through everyday activities. From eating to playing to changing clothes, their skills will advance over the years as they practice grasping, gripping, holding, and pressing.
Children are born with a basic, primitive grip with which they can gently clutch your finger. Over the course of their first year, they will learn the pincer grasp, holding and dropping rattles, plush toys, and their bottles.
During this time, your child will begin playing. From stacking toys to blocks to scribbling, they will love exploring the world with their little fingers. By now, they will also be able to use a kiddy spoon to eat!
This is a big time for your child’s developing fine motor skills. From drawing circles and lines to improving their use of cutlery and switching to cups, they will have a lot of awesome firsts! They will also be able to put on clothes like t-shirts, turn doorknobs, and string large beads together.
Looking for ways to help your child explore the world? A Montessoi Toddler Tower creates the perfect space for a curious toddler to safely engage with their surroundings! |
Your little one’s fine motor skills will be fairly well developed by this stage. They will be able to use kids’ scissors, draw various shapes, connect dots, and help you with simple kitchen tasks like mixing, stirring, and wiping. They will even be able to get undressed and put on new clothes easily.
A preschooler can colour between the lines, wash and dry their hands, and put a straw in their juice box. But their fine motor skills will continue to develop for a few more years. Soon, you will get to see them do complex tasks such as using a pencil to write, buttoning their clothes, and tying their shoelaces!
Play is an excellent way to help your child strengthen their fine motor skills. Simple, open-ended toys and DIY activities can do wonders for a child learning to hold and manipulate objects. We've listed some of our favourite classic fine motor toys and activities below!
Lacing a string through a hole requires your child to have a good pincer grasp and overall hand strength. From using chunky beads with thick strings to smaller beads with delicate threads, age-appropriate lacing toys are fantastic to build fine motor skills. Lacing toys usually have funky shapes and colours, making them instant hits with any little one!
A children’s drawing board or colouring books are wonderful to get your child to hold and use a pencil, sketch pen, or crayon — all skills that will directly transfer when they join school. Preschoolers will also love using stamps, scissors, and glue, which in turn will hone their bilateral coordination and middling crossing skills.
Hone your child's scissor skills with this simple and fun DIY activity. All you need is the stationary you have at home! |
Toddlers and preschoolers enjoy stacking objects atop each other. Holding and moving the pieces and placing them in the right spot will hone their finger strength, grip, and hand-eye coordination. You can start by giving them paper cups and then move on to toys such as ring stackers, wooden arches, or children’s blocks.
Investing in a few age-appropriate puzzles is a great idea as these are engaging and hone multiple skills for a growing child. When it comes to fine motor skills, picking up a puzzle piece and placing it in the right spot requires a solid grip and precise hand-eye movement. From themed-puzzles and 3D puzzles to Chinese Tangram Puzzles, the options are endless!
Craft, creativity, and pretend play – there’s so much to love in a DIY toy set! These sets typically come with pieces that need to be fixed together to build something such as a wooden play house or a chair and table. Paper DIY 3D sets are also an exciting choice as they give your child a chance to build their own scenarios and create stories within them. Attaching these pieces together will hone fine motor skills and keep your little one playing for hours!
As a parent, it’s incredible to see your child conquer one milestone after the other. But let’s not forget that each task takes a tremendous amount of effort for a little one and every child grows in their own unique way.
So stay patient with your child, cheer them on, and keep bringing them opportunities where they can exert their skills and grow!
]]>When thinking of play, most of us think of pretend play, board games, sports, and the like. So it’s natural to conclude that a baby who can barely move or speak won’t be able to play.
But while babies don’t play in the typical manner, they have their own way of experiencing and interacting with the world. Not only is baby play a wonderful way to bond with a child, but it is also important for their development.
So let’s explore what exactly play means to a child who is less than a year old and how you can make use of the ample play opportunities present around them!
For children, play is a fun way to engage their existing skills and level up. For a baby, this refers to any action or game which can help hone their basic motor and sensory skills.
Baby play could be anything from shaking a rattle in front of your child to tickling them. Since their senses are just beginning to develop, every experience is novel and the world is filled with delight for a newborn!
While there are many great toys you can use, playful experiences like cooing into your child’s ears or humming a tune as you rock them are just as valuable and exciting for a baby.
Since baby play is all about honing basic skills, let’s look at simple games that sharpen each of your baby’s senses.
1. Black and white cards: A newborn can only see in black and white. So playing with a set of High Contrast Flash Cards is perfect to help your little one gradually recognise form, pattern, and colour over their first few months. Tie it above their crib, hold it as a distance and let them enjoy the designs, or use it to keep them engaged during tummy time.
Don't forget: Your child's ability to see is steadily developing in their first few years. Find out how to introduce your child to colours according to their age. |
2. Go fishing: Attach flash cards, rattles, or plush toys to a ribbon and bounce it before your child. A baby gym is a super easy way to turn this into a play area! Your baby will love the bouncy movement and it will also hone their visual coordination.
3. Peek a boo: A classic that never disappoints – hide your face behind your palms and do the peek-a-boo/I-see-you routine. To a child who is still learning object permanence, this game can be quite a thrill!
4. Mirroring: Children take about 15-24 months to recognise their reflections. So holding a mirror up to your baby or putting them before a horizontal mirror as they crawl will feel like playing with a new person for them!
1. Sounds around the house: Carry your child around the house and pause for them to listen to the gentle sounds of everyday life. The chirp of a bird, chopping of vegetables, a doorbell, or even tapping your fingers against a table are all new and interesting for your little one.
2. Sound toys: From rattles to spinners, toys that make pleasing sounds are every baby’s favourite! Shake a rattle before them and let their eyes follow the sound or hold it close for them to reach out and grab. As they grow, you could place it as a distance to motivate them to crawl or walk!
3. Clap clap: A clap is one of the happiest sounds and just like us, babies love it too! Clap your hands or hold your child’s hands and show them how to clap. The musicality, movement, and grabbing sound are sure to get your baby smiling!
1. Tactile toys: Texture can be very interesting for a baby. They will love some and absolutely detest others! Touching, holding, and kneading a texture they like will soothe your child and hone their sensory skills. Crochet toys, sensory cubes, and clutch balls are all excellent tactile toys.
Did you know that a baby's skullcap takes 12-18 months to form? A mustard seed pillow is the perfect sensory tool to hold your child's delicate head during this time. |
2. Music and dance: Play some soft music, carry your baby, and slowly sway with them from side to side. This won't just calm your child, but will help build an appreciation for music from a young age.
3. Tickle time: Who doesn’t melt in a tickle session? Tickling your baby and cooing softly into their ears is the perfect way for a baby to feel all the love and warmth they need!
1. Pedal pedal: Hold your baby’s legs and pedal them like a bicycle! This movement will give your little one a kick and strengthen their leg muscles.
2. Mobile: Baby mobiles are fantastic toys as they hone visual and motor skills. You could tie it above their crib, encouraging them to kick and reach for the toy. The different shades on a pastel gobbi mobile will instantly grab their attention and serve as a gorgeous piece of decor too!
3. Baby gym: A baby gym is an investment, but one that’s certainly worth it! It opens up an entire space for your child to safely exert their independence through play. They can crawl on the mat, swat the dangling toys, and even use it as a tent when they grow older.
Ever heard of a 'baby play area'? Find out how to set up your baby's play area in 5 simple steps! |
1. Read to them: It’s never too early to introduce your child to the world of books. A good board book with simple, chunky drawings or even a sensory book are sure to be hits with babies. Keep them in your lap, show them the pictures, do fun voice-overs, and let them turn the pages!
2. Share your day: Children learn to speak by listening to us. Talking to your baby for even 15 minutes every hour can help familiarise them with the sounds of words. Telling them about your day is a simple way to bond, build a strong parent-child relationship, and teach them to communicate. While they may take time to respond, remember your child is soaking it all in.
3. Sound volley: While a baby less than a year old may not be able to say words, they will certainly make sounds. Mimic these sounds back to them. This serve and return will help your child understand the back and forth nature of a conversation.
Remember that every baby’s capacity for play will be different. When your little one is tired or overwhelmed, give them some time to rest and recharge. Some signs they may want a break are if they look away, start crying or fussing, seem sleepy, or even start to hiccup. At such times, hold them and let them rest against you.
When they are ready to play again, they will be clear eyed, look directly at you, and jiggle their arms and legs. It may take a while to learn your baby’s cues and rhythms but in time, you will know just when it’s time to stop and to start playing again!
]]>"Is this really eco-friendly?" — chances are that you often ask yourself this question while purchasing anything today, including playthings for your child. But how can you tell if a toy is eco-friendly?
As toymakers who specialise in sustainable play, we understand that it can be confusing to get the complete picture. After all, it is not just about what a toy is made with, but how and where it is made, how your child can play with it, and how long they can use it for.
To simplify this, let's look at the six most crucial aspects of an excellent sustainable toy. The more points a toy covers, the higher its ranking (don't forget to note the bonus points!).
When we think of eco-friendly toys, we think wooden toys. But a common question that arises is – how does cutting wood help the environment?
The answer is simple: Wooden toys are usually made from wood such as neem, beech, and oak. Not only do these grow quickly and in abundance, but a toy made of wood will also last a lot longer than a plastic toy. This means that you will have to buy replacements less often. Your child can play with a good wooden toy for years and pass it along to siblings or friends when they outgrow it!
Remember: Toys made of natural materials are also safe to put in the mouth! Check out our our range of wooden baby rattles & teethers to find the perfect one for your child. |
Compared to plastic toys, those made from natural materials are also less likely to pollute the environment during their life cycle. They consume less energy to create, do not release toxins into the environment, and can be disposed of sustainably.
An open-ended toy is simply one that your child can play with in different ways. Such toys usually have few instructions and no specified ‘winning outcome’.
Open-ended toys score big on sustainability as they actively engage children and keep presenting new ways to play, making them lasting additions to a toybox. For instance, a wooden stacker could be used to stack, play toss a ring, or to help your child learn counting and colours. They may even want to use it as a mountain or a pyramid in pretend play!
Bonus points: Can the toy’s packaging be used in play too? This eliminates waste, increasing its sustainable ranking!
Montessori or Waldorf? If you are confused between these two popular schools of open-ended toys, this blog explains it all! |
We’ve already established that toys which last for a while are eco-friendly ones. While open-ended toys made of natural materials are a great start, the next step is to ask yourself – can my child use this toy in different ways as they grow older?
Good toys meet your child where they are at in their development and push them to the next level. So a toy that ‘grows with your child’ is one which lends itself to play in various ways as your child’s sensory, cognitive, and motor skills develop.
For instance, a set of High Contrast Flashcards can hone a baby’s visual skills, help a toddler identify shapes, and inspire a preschooler to build a story or draw the images! Similarly, a Montessori Spinner could fascinate a baby with its motion, encourage a toddler to use their hands to spin, and help a preschooler with colour recognition.
Where you play matters just as much as the toy itself! Running, jumping, and playing outdoors is fantastic to help children connect with the rhythms and moods of nature.
Playing at your local park with toys like a skipping rope or a balance board gives your child a chance to get some fresh air, take in the world around them, and relate to the larger ecosystem they are a part of.
Toys that get your child curious about nature are just as important! Pretend playing with a forest set, lacing together farm animals, or sorting a jungle maze inspires children to notice the environment, respect other forms of life, and build a reverence for nature.
Bonus points: Is the toy’s design itself inspired by nature? For instance, our Wooden Stepping Discs incorporate the natural pattern of the wood into the toy to help children closely experience nature. Similarly, our Jungle Drum is created to produce rich sounds that are organically found in the natural world.
Looking for activities to get your child interested in the plants and animals around them? Our conversation with Wildlife Educator Kaustubh Srikanth has some great ideas! |
Finally, remember that local toys are an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint. So while shopping for a toy, don’t forget to ask where the toy is designed, where its materials are sourced from, and where it is made!
Bonus points: Is the toy made by a local artisan? This not only helps keep traditional crafts alive, but each handmade toy will be a unique keepsake to treasure across generations!
While buying eco-friendly toys is a part of sustainable play, remember that there’s a lot more you can do.
Choose secondhand whenever possible, make your child’s toys using soft natural materials, or upcycle old objects into playthings. Imaginative play with what’s around or simple physical play like sports and running games are also great options.
Help your little one understand how they can add sustainable practices into their everyday lives and you'll see them make more eco-friendly choices as they grow!
]]>Joining school for the first time, or returning after a summer break, has always been stressful for kids. It's completely understandable that the past two years of social isolation could heighten those feelings for a little one.
Developing emotional awareness and social skills could go a long way in combating these feelings. And child psychologists say that even out of school, these skills can be honed just as well with parents, grandparents, siblings, and pets!
So let's look at some ways that you can help your child understand their emotions, empathize with others, deal with challenges, and build relationships. Read on to find out how play can build these skills and to learn simple techniques that can ease your child's stress around school.
Children often get stressed when they don’t know what to expect, what they are feeling, or how to act in new situations. Which is why building good emotional and social skills can play a big part in combating their stress and anxiety.
Through pretend play, your child can develop emotional awareness, self-regulation, and a sense of identity. The right games could also help them build social skills such as listening, effectively communicating, collaborating, sharing, politely refusing, taking turns, and using appropriate manners. Some games to help your child express themselves and sharpen their interactive skills are:
Keep it similar to what they can expect in a real preschool or school. Have classes, a few games, and lunch hour. If possible, include siblings or other family members to play classmates and teachers. You can introduce some problems they may face, such as if a classmate does not let them pay attention, and allow them to practice what they could do.
This could be with a friend, siblings, dolls or teddy bears! Act out scenarios where they have to share and take turns. Have a character in the game refuse to give them a piece of cake or unfairly blame them for creating a mess. Guide your child through how they can handle such situations.
Guess the emotion or emotions charades is a fun game you can play to familiarise your little one with reading non-verbal expressions. Act out an emotion and let your child guess what you are feeling!
Teach big emotions through this little activity – make easy DIY paper puppets! |
If your child is particularly anxious about being around other children, you could start by hosting a virtual playdate with a little one their age. This may not include much collaborative play, but it will give them a chance to parallel play, talk occasionally, and get comfortable interacting with others.
Board games are a great way to help your child build their social skills. Paying attention to the rules, patiently awaiting their turn, and winning or losing gracefully will all be useful for interacting with their peers!
Toys that have to be built require teamwork, cooperation, and good communication. Be it simple at-home DIY activities or DIY sets, your child will learn some valuable skills while building with a friend or sibling.
Have your child guess someone else’s perspective! Pause a show, a pretend game, or even an actual conversation and ask them if they can guess what the other person is thinking or feeling. If they get it wrong, ask questions like “Is that how you feel when this happens to you?” to lead them towards the right answer.
1. Acknowledge how your child feels - Help them name their emotions and accept what they share. Avoid saying blanket statements such as “Nothing bad will happen if you go to school” as they may have some negative experiences which they need to be able to face. Instead, remind them of times when they successfully dealt with challenges in the past. This can be a huge confidence boost!
2. Let them know it’s ‘normal’ to be anxious - The overwhelming feeling of anxiety can make children feel scared and alone. Talk to them about this particular emotion. Let them know that it’s normal and that there are times you feel it too! Knowing that you truly understand could create a safe space for them to open up and take in your suggestions.
Can you tell if your child is anxious? How can you help? Read this blog to understand more about anxiety in children. |
3. Introduce simple new activities - You don’t have to take your child to crowded playgrounds or even send them on playdates if they aren’t ready. You can start small by asking them to smile and wave at folks they meet. They could answer the door or you could even send them to get something from the neighbours.
4. Note their progress and praise them - Like most of us, children respond remarkably well to feeling seen and appreciated. Let them know when you see they’ve conquered a challenge like speaking to someone new or making a friend on the playground. A quick, “Good job!” or “You did that so well!” could mean a lot to your little one.
5. Everyday activities to reduce stress - Exercise is a great way to reduce stress that’s building up in the body. Some simple stretches or kids’ yoga could be a good daily practice to hone your child’s awareness of different internal sensations. Making art or spending some time with sensory play could also help them feel calm and relaxed.
Looking for sensory activities? These activities need minimal preparation and can be done with materials you have at home! |
Getting used to social interactions may take a while for some children, and that’s totally alright. Remember that they key is to give them opportunities to keep practicing. If they stumble, don’t immediately rush in to save them – let them find their own solutions.
Finally, don’t forget that alone time is just as important as socializing! Allow your child time to unwind with a creative hobby, a book, or solo play. Trust that in time, they will feel recharged and ready to go out into the world again!
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