REMEMBER when toys were simpler, the items were fewer and children's imaginations were greater?
Grandparents who mind their grandchildren certainly would.
And so did busy mother of two and maritime engineer Alice Zsembery who noticed that while her son was surrounded by toys, he was not engaged with any for more than a few minutes.
While never holding any ambition to become an author, Alice quickly became frustrated with the lack of books that encouraged play at home without too much focus on crafts (oh, the mess), huge setup times or a large investment in materials.
So, after two years of researching and testing a range of fun, educational and easy play activities that could be done with household items, Alice published her first book Real Kids, Real Play.
It's packed with engaging activities that use household items, from scarfs, socks, milk containers and plastic buckets to toilet rolls and Post-it notes.
"And the thing is, the less you micro-manage, the more you teach them to use their imaginations," Alice writes on her blog at www.realkidsrealplay.com.au
"This type of play is how your child will learn to not only love a little time alone but they will know how to fill it with creative and independent play no matter how limited their resources are. This is an amazing skill for anyone to have in life!"
There are also easy recipes for favourites including play dough, glue, paint, bathbombs and bubble mix.
Real Kids, Real Play by Alice Zsembery, RRP $29.95, at Big W and all good bookstores or www.realkidsrealplay.com.au
The Senior has a copy of the book to give away. For your chance to enter simply fill in the online form below.
