7 skill-building activities to introduce your child to

We've all heard the popular saying – All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. As a parent, you might have wondered how much time your child must spend on structured activities, and how much on free play. And what type of structured activities should you engage her with. The good news is that these structured activities can be just as fun for your child as free play. Here, we tell you how activity books help with skill-building, and how to make your very own DIY activity book.

How Do Activity Books Help My Child?

Activity books are an educational form of play. The interesting representation of different tasks in the books pose a challenge to the child, with underlying means of testing a child's skill and knowledge. Today, playschools and educational institutions teach more through activities than the rote learning methodology.

1. Teaching concepts:Through a combination of ticking, circling, coloring and crossing activities, the child's basic concepts are developed
2. Simplicity and fun:A single activity at a time looks easy to accomplish. It eliminates the repetitive factor that children generally associate with academics
3. Introduces new interests: Through activity books, your child can discover new interests. For e.g. you may find that your child is a budding artist through her art activity books

Your Very Own DIY Activity Book For Your Child

A plethora of activity books are available at exhibitions, book shops and online. However, a DIY activity book is an attractive proposition for mothers who wish to keep their child creatively and intellectually occupied. It also rouses the child's interest, making her feel specialwhile working on a book created especially for her. It might appear to be a tricky task but it is hassle-free and very rewarding. We give you a weeklong workable set of 7 activities-

Take a few sheets of A4 size paper, staple them or file them into a book. And here we start:

Day 1 -- Real Rabbit

Day 2 -- Story Sequencing

Stories like 'Thirsty Crow', 'Monkey and the Cap Seller', 'Hare and Tortoise' are classic hits with children. Almost every child is introduced to these stories in the formative years of their life.

Day 3 -- Vegetable Painting

Day 4 -- Pattern Writing

Day 5 -- Paper Art

Day 6 -- Greeting Card

This is a very popular and interesting activity for the children. Decide an occasion and the member or friend to whom the child wishes to give the card. It may be a birthday or anniversary, or to celebrate friendship.

Day 7 -- Colorful Rainbow

This is a coloring activity during which your child can learn the colors of the rainbow (VIBGYOR). Children usuallylove colorful pictures, and the more colors, the better. You can have your child paste cotton below the rainbow to show clouds. You may also use water paint colors here.

Apart from these activities there are other options like collage, painting, drawing, and best out of waste too. The basic idea is to give your child an activity that keeps her interested and engaged. While younger children will require guidance, older ones can be told the concept and then left on their own to finish the activity. This is a great opportunity for you to bond with your child, and your efforts in creating the book will be worth it!

Have any ideas for DIY activities for children? Share them with us in the comments section!

1. 1. Draw a rabbit on the paper, or take a printout and stick it on your sheet
   2. Make a thick outline with a black sketch pen
   3. Take white soft cotton and a tube of Fevicol or adhesive
   4. Show your child how to apply a little adhesive on the picture, starting from one corner, followed by loosening up a little cotton at a time, and sticking it on the patch (where the Fevicol was applied)
   5. Slowly she can cover the entire rabbit and it will look like real to her
   1. Find images of these stories in a comic book format on the net
   2. Take printouts and cut them into individual boxes/pieces like a puzzle
   3. On your sheet make required number of boxes and number them 1-4 or 1-5 as per the print
   4. Ask your child to stick them in order, to develop their sequencing and logical skills. The first event in the story should come against the box numbered 1, and the second event against 2, and so on
   1. Draw a picture, most convenient being a flower vase
   2. Take pieces of ladyfinger and beans, slices of potato and onion
   3. Dip them in different colors and stamp them on the drawing of the vase
   4. The other image options are a big hat, a frock or geometric shapes like a rectangle, square and others
   1. Draw the image of a clown
   2. Draw different patterns in the clown's hat, shirt, and sleeves and ask the child to first repeat the pattern in pencil and then use different colored sketch pens on the same
   3. This makes routine pattern writing interesting as children feel they are actually coloring a clown. Also they draw the same pattern twice, once with pencil and then with color
   1. Select a simple design like a butterfly, fish tank, or an ice cream
   2. Tear different colored marble papers or any attractive colored paper into small pieces and ask your child to roll them into small balls
   3. Help him stick these balls very close to each other and cover the entire image with the paper
   1. Use buttons, small waste paper pieces, laces, ribbons, stickers, colored tapes and any other creative material available at home
   2. Children get to practice coloring, writing, sketch pen writing and also pasting depending on the card design that you select