Button Soup

This game has been such a hit with my kids, I thought I would devote a separate post to it. It's really simple, but it is great practice for identifying shapes and colors and allows for some fun pretend play!

Here's what you need to play:

-different shaped buttons (we have these - I like that they're nice and big so my 12 month old can play with them as well)
-plastic bowl
-large wooden or plastic spoon
-an imagination!

First, sort the buttons by color (you don't have to do this, but it makes it easier for the child to find what they're looking for). Then, tell your child you are going to make "Button Soup," and begin telling them the "recipe." For example, tell them, "Our recipe calls for one black triangle." They add that "ingredient" to their bowl, and then you tell them the next one. If you want to add counting into it, you could tell them to add 2 or 3 (or whatever number you want) of a certain shape to their bowl.

After they have all the "ingredients" in their bowl, it's time to mix! My little guy LOVES this part.

Lastly, it's time to "taste" the soup. This is great pretend play. I really ham it up and exaggerate how yummy it is, and my kids get a big kick out of that. K usually tells me to blow on it because it is hot. :) Last time we played, K told me that his soup tasted "yucky" so I made a face after tasting it and stuck out my tongue like it was really gross, and my boys thought this was hilarious. I think the pretend play aspect of it is why even my almost 6 year-old likes to play!