The Epic List of “Play at Home” Moms!

I have a confession. I made an alternate Instagram account solely to follow my favorite “Play at Home” moms/caregivers. It’s such a beautiful abyss to fall into, I wanted to sign in and solely see the content they created. These moms have it going on when it comes to enriching activities for the children in their charge. While most are a bit developmentally advanced for activities for Vicky (see a current week here), they serve as wonderful inspiration for the weeks ahead. In no particular order, here are some of my favorites:

little_play_ideas a.k.a Jennifer

Aside from amazing aesthetics, this girl has the market cornered on premade kits for your sensory bins. Her knack for color coordination and eye for detail make her one of the most aesthetically pleasing accounts to follow.

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๐ŸŒท๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฃ Easter Play Kits are now available from Little Play Kits (link in my bio). Thinking about a choc-free gift for someone? Or just some Easter themed play in the lead up? ๐ŸŒทThe ‘Bilby’ Play Kit comes with @wilddough.co chocolate play dough and sensory rice with lots of extra parts for small world play with your bilby, fun with play dough or some good old sensory play trays. ๐ŸฃThe ‘Rainbow Chicks’ Mini Play Kit features sensory rice and Easter eggs and chicks for colour matching, scooping, transferring and making egg maracas! ๐ŸŒผA small number of springtime pastel sensory rice and felt ball sets are also still available. ๐ŸฐHappy Easter! . . #Easter #littleplaykits #wilddoughco #learningthroughplay #learnathome #invitationtoplay #playathome #funlearningathome #playmatters #playislearning #playbasedlearning #preschool #preschoolathome #toddleractivities #kidsactivities #toddlerplay #preschoolplay #preschoolathome #handsonlearning #handsonactivities #earlylearning #earlychildhood #kindergartenactivities #makinglearningfun #play #playideas #perthplaycommunity #littleplayideas

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jesspartyof4 a.k.a Jess

I’m a sucker for an account hailing from the Pacific Northwest. My two years in Seattle have given me quite the affinity for those who choose to brave that corner of the world full-time. Jess was the account that originally gave me the idea for buying an Ikea Flisat table. Her sensory bins are a thing of beauty, but it’s her penchant for budget solutions that also make her an incredible find. This girl can create anything out of a cardboard box!

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Decided to hop on the ๐ŸŒˆRAINBOW RICE๐ŸŒˆ train! The new craze I’ve been seeing all over Instagram and my kids are loving it. They play with white rice all the time. That’s nothing new, but when they saw the colored rice… ๐Ÿคฏ little minds blown! The Instagram account that finally pushed me to make it was @theworkspaceforchildren. LOVE her account. Seriously just want to go to her home and play. She has a whole blog post on RAINBOW RICE (why, how, etc.) so go check it out if you’re interested. It was beyond easy to make. I’ve talked in previous posts about how sensory play is beneficial for children and mine specifically really enjoy it so today I decided to take the rainbow rice and create a little #invitationtoplay / #invitationtocreate for Miss H (2.5). This was the setup! I left the other bin empty besides a couple wood bowls for her to do as she pleased. With this type of activity I don’t give any guidance or direction. I set it up and simply walk away. I prefer that she just lead the way and do whatever her little mind decides. Child-led learning is in my opinion the best!โ™ฅ๏ธ

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early_childhood_fun101 a.k.a. Katie

Hailing from across the pond, this girl’s playroom is the stuff dreams are made of. Before you lose your mind over the natural lighting, make sure to notice how creative this girl is! She manages to combine both a multicolored rainbow and a tree branch (!!!) and it looks epic!

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I hung a branch ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ. My hubby thought I was crazy… please tell me Iโ€™m not the only one whoโ€™s hubby thinks they are a tad nuts for stuff like this ๐Ÿคช. I thought it would be great for hanging art, but until then, these little rainbows from @theblacklory are perfect. (And yes, I changed the room around again). . . . . . . . . . . . . #earlychildhoodeducation #earlyyears #earlylearning #earlyyearsideas #earlyyearsteacher #ece #preschool #preschoolathome #preschoolactivity #preschoolteacher #learningisfun #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #playbased #teachersofinstagram #letthembekids #playingislearning #earlychildhood #playmatters #playfullearning #playathome #invitationtoplay #childhoodunplugged #learningspace

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littlelifelonglearners a.k.a. Casey

If ever there was an account that would make me buy a laminating machine, this account is it! Casey puts a whole new spin on dramatic play by designing custom printables for a variety of settings. While Vicky isn’t old enough to really do a deep dive into most of these, I am confident this will be my favorite account in a few months!

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Oh my goodness you guys, the bakery is open for business! ๐ŸŒŸ Head to the link in my bio to grab your bakery printables too! ๐ŸŒŸ We set up the most BEAUTIFUL little Bakery Dramatic Play space over the weekend. And I bet you can guess what Iโ€™m going to say next. Yep. Itโ€™s my new favourite ๐Ÿ˜œ ๐ŸŒŸ But seriously, from the natural colours and tones, to the @chooksheddesigns felt foods, to the beautiful DIY market stand that @mrlittlelifelonglearners set up ๐Ÿ˜ Ahhhh I am just crazy about this space and Lilly has absolutely adored bringing me donuts 24/7. Okay, Iโ€™ve loved her bringing me donuts 24/7 too ๐Ÿ™Š ๐ŸŒŸ Swipe through to see the cutest photos of our play and then head to the link in my bio to grab a set!

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steph.soj a.k.a. Steph

What I love about Steph is that she isn’t afraid to go outside! She’s got an affinity for both Montessori and Waldorf styles of learning, with a penchant for getting her kids outdoors in the thick of things! Below is the cutest post you’ll ever see of her lovely children “doing laundry”.

What do you think? Are there any of your favorites that I missed? Comment below! Don’t forget to follow yours truly on Instagram!

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