DIY Numtum fun – Day 98 Toddler Play Challenge

Adam loves the Numtums on CBBC. I wanted to create an activity that Adam could play with whenever he wished and that was open ended so it could be adapted as he gets older.

Although making the activity was a little time consuming it was worth it. I felt like I was a teacher again – spending my evening cutting out pictures and laminating. I printed two sets of the Numtums and cut out each character. I got a large photo frame and attached green paper to the backing board. I glued one set of the Numtums on top.

I placed the plastic back into the frame and used double sided sellotape to attach the Numtum label.

I laminated the other set of Numtums and cut around each one. I then attached two small pieces of adhesive Velcro to each Numtum in order for them to attach to the plastic in the frame.

We use a lot of Command Strips around our house to ‘stick’ our photo frames to the wall. They are an amazing invention and are reusable so frames can be moved without leaving marks on the wall. They also make the frame stay flush to the wall. This is great if you want your child to be able to play with the frame without it moving. I attached the Command Stripes to the frame and then attached it to the wall.

We opted to place the frame behind our living room door. It means Adam can play with it whenever he wants but it doesn’t have to be visible all of the time.

To show Adam the activity I removed all the laminated Numtums. He immediately pointed to each Numtum – waiting for us to say its number.

I then gave him a laminated Numtum. He looked as if he couldn’t believe there were two identical Numtums!

I showed him how to look for its twin on the frame and then demonstrated how he could ‘stick’ the Numtum on top.

Although he needed some help he enjoyed the activity.

I placed the rest of the Numtums into a basket and he now has free rein of the activity. The Numtums are certainly a hit in this house!

 

Equipment:

* Two sets of printed pictures of The Numtums

* Scissors

* Laminator and laminating sheets

* Large photo frame

* Green paper

* PVA glue

* Double sided sellotape

* Velcro with adhesive backing

* Command strips

 

Adam was 21 months old.