The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play by Laura Brand

The  Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play by Laura Brand: my current bedside reading, this book was a birthday present for Eden via me, as I felt a one year old isn't that into "stuff" but is super into learning and exploring - I hoped the ideas in this book would create far more fun over a long time than any one toy or item. I see a lot of supermums on Instagram sharing excellent structured play activities and games, but as a first time mum I honestly rely on Eden to teach me what she's capable of and what she'd like to do - I've never had to entertain a little one before so I'm a total novice. I hoped this pretty book would spark a few creative ideas we can try out, in a relatively easy and inexpensive way.



 So far, it's not disappointed! I like that so many of the activities are creative, hands on and often outdoors - but there's also a "rainy day" section which reminds me of a book my mum had when I was a child (something like "1001 activities to do with children for free", I strangely hope one day Eden will flick through this book and pick an activity the way we used to rummage through that book searching for inspiration during the school holidays!)

The activities aren't aimed at specific ages. As with most creative things they strike me as the kind of simple, mindful activities that will satisfy me as much as keeping little hands busy and happy. I can see that most of the ideas will work at varying stages (with different levels of help/intervention) so I'm really excited to get stuck in. Something I think is a great idea (despite being simple, I didn't think of it) is setting up a bubble bath for toys - I think that's on today's to-do list! But I'd love to know, what are your favourite activities to do with a one year old?