If you are following along on Instagram (@mamawrites), you’ll know we are participating in #bookishplay this month: encouraging kids to have stronger connections to books through sharing book-inspired play! We’ve been enjoying some fun activities all month, and this week is my favourite! It’s all about enjoying everyday life and moments together. 

This month our family took a mini-vacation to reconnect and spend some quality time together before our busy season. And something really wonderful happened: we noticed a big difference in our kid’s attitudes. (The girls had been a handful in recent weeks, to say the least). Our time connecting– and maybe more so disconnecting from distractions— was just what we needed.

The book All My Treasures by Jo Witek is about a little girl who’s Grandmother gives her a porcelain box, and the little girl wants to keep something special inside. But what will she choose? The little girl discovers that most of her treasures don’t exactly fit in a box: it’s the everyday moments that make her happy! From jumping in puddles, to lazy days with her family, to memories of playing games with friends, it is the simple things in life that matter most.

We used this book as our inspiration to find joy in everyday moments and spend time together.

You Need

• A jar or container
• Popsicle sticks (either different colours or use different coloured pens to write on them)
• A marker

To Play

Read the book All My Treasures and talk about the different things that you enjoy doing. They can be simple (hugs was V’s first contribution!) to extra special treats (going to the movies or a special place together). We had different coloured popsicle sticks on hand, so we used these and had a different colour for each “type” of thing/activity.

• Green: outdoor (play soccer, blow bubbles, go for a walk, do a scavenger hunt)
• Blue: anytime (give hugs, read stories, do puzzles)
• Purple: indoor (have a pajama day, build a fort, bake cookies)
• Yellow: special treats (go to the movies, visit a special place, go for ice cream)

We plan to use this jar as a reminder of all the simple ways we love to spend time together. I hope you enjoy this fun reminder to PLAY as much as we do! For more ideas, see our sound and feelings activities, and see our Little Library selections for our favourite books! xo