5 Easter Play Ideas with CONNETIX

By Kathleen Prinsen

Get egg-cited for Easter with these 5 Easter play ideas!

1. Create Easter Themed Puzzles

CONNETIX puzzles are a great way to encourage independent play and require minimal preparation. Hello hot coffee!

@little.gumnuts

To make a puzzle like this you’ll need to:

Make a flat-lay image with CONNETIX on something you can draw on (e.g. paper, cardboard, concrete or a whiteboard)
Draw around each tile
Place the tile shapes required to complete the puzzle next to the drawn outline
Allow your child to explore the puzzle and piece it together

You can set this up on your own as an invitation to play or allow your child to design and draw the puzzle with you.

Puzzles like this work best in an area with minimal distractions to allow your child to focus. With the right amount of perseverance and determination, your child should find the puzzle enjoyable with a sense of accomplishment once finished. Experiment and adjust the difficulty based on your child’s developmental level.

Still a bit too tricky for your little one? Try these tips:

Re-design the puzzle with fewer pieces – CONNETIX adapts seamlessly to each child’s developmental stage
Complete half the puzzle and get your child to finish the other half – a great activity to learn about symmetry
Work as a team – ideal for practicing social skills and teamwork

@dudekidz

Another way to create a CONNETIX puzzle is to draw a picture directly onto the tiles. Chalk markers write well on CONNETIX and wipe off easily with a damp cloth (it’s always best to test your markers on a tile first to be safe ). The egg puzzle shown above is great for younger children and is beneficial for colour and pattern recognition. Of course, if you have older children, you could draw a picture across more squares to increase the difficulty.

The puzzle above can also be turned into a chocolate-free egg hunt. Hide the tiles around the house or yard, then have your child find the pairs as quickly as they can. This is a great activity if your child has some energy they need to burn.

2. Combine with Loose Parts

Combining loose parts with CONNETIX can be an egg-cellent way to enhance colour recognition, numeracy skills, fine motor skills and pattern recognition. In the activity below, tweezer/tongs are used to pick up loose parts and match with the same-coloured tile.

Other ideas using this combination:

Numeracy: Count the number of loose parts of each colour on the egg
Symmetry: Use loose parts to decorate the left side of the egg. Get your child to complete the right side of the egg symmetrically.
Patterns: Use loose parts to start a pattern. Allow your child to complete the pattern.
Creativity: Allow your child to design and decorate the Easter egg however they choose.

@howweplaytoday

3. Build a Bunny

Spark some creativity and imagination by building a bunny. Your child will also need to harness their engineering and problem-solving skills to stabilise the bunny. Copy a design, modify the shape/colour of a design, or build a bunny from scratch. There are no rules! You can find inspiration from: images in this blog, the CONNETIX inspiration book, @CONNETIX_tiles socials, or images of bunnies found on the internet.

4. Create a Ball Run

Ball runs are a lot of fun and egg-stremely rewarding. They require problem solving, experimentation, patience, perseverance and often teamwork.

@unknitandtiedtogether

Stuck on ball run ideas? Turn your Easter flat-lay designs into ball runs! The design above uses some classic Easter designs and pieces them together into a ball run. The clear tiles (like these from the CONNETIX 34 Piece Clear Starter Pack ) are very useful for stabilising your ball run without interfering with the overall design.

Did you know that small chocolate Easter eggs fit inside the ball run tubes? If you design it so that the egg is mostly falling down (i.e. not travelling horizontally or around too many tight turns), it should travel down your ball run easily!

@unknitandtiedtogether

5. Combine with Nature Finds

Connecting with nature is well known to have beneficial effects for the mind and body. Get moving outside and enjoy the fresh air, while collecting some treasures from nature. Bring your finds home to create a beautiful Easter themed creation that connects you with nature. What are you waiting for? Hop to it!

@a.playful.day

Wishing you a very happy Easter! Don’t forget to share your play with us!

Kathleen Prinsen

Katie is a pharmacist who found a passion for play when she became a mum of 2 boys. She enjoys inspiring creativity and learning through play. Katie especially loves experimenting and creating with CONNETIX. You can find more of her play ideas on her Instagram account @dudekidz.

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