Balloon Play

Lately we have been a bit obsessed with balloons around here.  Hey, I like them because they are super cheap, they keep both my kids busy and entertained, and I can join in the fun too!  The big plus is that they are great for hand eye coordination, gross motor skills, and problem solving.

Most of the time, I just blow up a balloon and J hits it up in the air (over and over again) with little tennis rackets we got at the dollar store.  Let me tell you it’s serious fun!

But, I’ve also done a couple of other fun balloon play activities too. 

Pop the balloon – J really loves it when balloons pop…like really loves it.  So, I challenged him to pop the balloons with is body.  He tried kicking, smashing, squeezing, and sitting on the balloons.  It was tough work, and eventually I broke down and gave him a bamboo skewer to pop them with.  It was a fun gross motor play and also really great for critical thinking skills.

Shaving cream balloons – This activity came around one day when we were playing with shaving cream.  I saw the balloons and decided that it would be fun to cover the balloons  with shaving cream and pop them.  Let me tell you, it was pretty fantastic to see the shaving cream fly all over the place!

Confetti balloons – Another fun way of playing with popping balloons.  It’s really simple to do and oh so much fun!  Use a funnel to add confetti to balloons before blowing them up.  I gave J a bamboo skewer and had him pop them.

I know that popped balloons are a choking hazard, and that bamboo skewers can be dangerous. Remember to supervise your child and do whatever is comfortable with you.

Come by next week to see Baby E plays with balloons too! 

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