Games for Toddlers (without breaking the bank!)

I thought I would share with you some fun activities me and Jack do together! Each activity came be made with things you may have laying around the home; but would be cheap to buy from the supermarket (compared to shop prices!)
All of these activities will help to entertain and stimulate your child. I personally find them useful for when if it's raining outside and you need a distraction (or for when the large amount of toys just aren't interesting any more!) 

Wrapping paper!

Our favourite game has to be the Gift-Wrap Memory Game. Jack enjoys playing with the shapes and learning how to find the other pair. I found it a great way to recycle any left over wrapping paper! I also hide the shapes around the house and encourage him to find them; he love this!
All you need for the Gift-Wrap Memory Game is:

• Wrapping paper in a variety of patterns and colours
• Cardboard
• Glue
• Scissors
• Sticky backed plastic (optional)
• Clothes pegs

First you need to cut the wrapping paper into a variety of shapes (you can cover each one in sticky backed plastic if you want it to last a little longer), then stick these shapes onto the cardboard with the glue. You can make as many pairs as you like (I suggest between five and ten for a toddler; maybe more for older children). Toddlers will enjoy handling and looking at the cards. You can gradually encourage them to lay the cards face up and try to clip the matching pairs together with a clothes peg. Older toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy playing a game of memory, where all the cards are laid out face down and each player takes a turn trying to find a matching pair.

Pasta shapes!

Jack also enjoys playing Pasta Sort. As well as sorting the dried pasta he enjoys eating it! This is such a simple game and is cheaper than some of the sorting games in the shops! I like to give Jack a variety of pasta shapes and left him feel the different textures. I then pick up a piece and ask Jack if he can find the same piece Mummy has. We have hours of fun playing this game. For older toddlers or preschoolers you could colour the pasta and ask them to match the colours to a coloured container. For details on how to colour pasta see teaching tiny tots.

Our last game which we enjoy playing is Number Cards. Jack really enjoys finding the numbers and learning the numbers. I created the number cards on some of my spare study cards. I simply drew the numbers on the front and added the number of dots on the back of each one to help him visualise the correct number of dots and learn to count. You could cover these in sticky backed plastic if you wanted them to last a little longer (but in my opinion it's not worth the stress!)

Number Cards!

Jack playing with the number Cards (excuse my voice; I hate the sound of it on camera!)

I hope these games help encourage you to use your creative side! They should also keep your little ones amused for 5 minutes! I would love to see any pictures of your games you make. Please also share any ideas you may have for other games me and Jack could enjoy.

Tips to help save money in your home

As a single parent I know money is very limited. I am always looking for ways to save money. I thought I would share with you some tips I follow:

The dreaded standby!

Tip 1; The obvious one - Turn appliances off standby
I know everyone tells you that turning an appliance off standby will save you money, but when you think you are wasting £30 a year from just leaving one appliance on standby; that's quite a lot when you could have three or four left on. Remember:

• you can't switch most electronic goods off just with the remote control
• to turn off an appliance completely, use the power switch on the appliance itself or turn it off at the plug
• if a charger or power pack is warm or has a light on, it's probably using power

Energy efficient light bulb and a
normal light bulb

Tip 2: Use energy efficient light bulbs

I have energy efficient light bulbs in all the main lights I use. I can assure you they don't flicker but they do start off dim and gradually get lighter as they warm up; but that's a small price to pay as they will help reduce the cost of your electricity bill! Now that they are many designs they won't stick out above your lampshades! There is a calculator which shows you how much you could save if you started to use energy efficient light bulbs. If every UK home installed three energy efficient light bulbs, it would save enough energy to power all of the UK's street lights! Also, try to remember to switch the lights off every time you leave a room.

Tip 3; In the kitchen

When your thinking of making a babies bottle or a cup of tea; try to only boil a kettle with as much water as you need. This will help save electric as your only boiling water you need to use. Remember when cooking to cover pots and pans as they will boil a lot quicker. Try to match the size of the cooking ring to the size of the saucepan to avoid heating the air. You could try to cook several different foods on one ring with a steamer (this would be perfect for vegetables). Remember to check that the fridge door isn't left open as it takes energy to cool it down again (I know my little one loves playing with the fridge door if I don't remember to lock it!)

Turn it down by one degree!

Tip 4; Turn your central heating down

Now I know your thinking; I don't want to turn my heating down as I will be cold. But you only need to turn it down by one degree; this could cut your heating bills by up to 10%. I bet you won't even notice the difference! You could also turn down your immersion heater temperature down by one degree too - you'll save energy and you're unlikely to notice the difference.

Tip 5: Buy energy efficient appliances

I know as a parent you do lots of washing and in the winter you rely on a tumble dryer; but by buying an energy efficient one could help save you money. Energy efficient appliances are easy to find and aren't necessarily more expensive. When choosing a new appliance look out for the ones which display the labels below:

Energy Saving Trust Recommended label

• Energy Saving Trust Recommended label
  Appliances which show the Energy Saving Trust Recommended label are among the top 20% most efficient available

European Union Energy label

• European Union energy label
  EU energy labels on fridges, freezers and washing machines show how energy efficient an appliance is on a scale of A to G. A is the most efficient and G is the least efficient.