How We Play

Practically Playing Printable Packs are great for extending open ended play- here's just a few ways to use them:

1. Print out a liner. Cover it with a filler- try rice or sand. Then let your Little Learner move the filler around with a dry paintbrush, stick, or other tool. This is great for developing prewriting skills!
2. Laminate a water Liner. Add it to the bottom of a bin. Fill with an inch or two of water. Then let them play in this immersive environment! Maybe add sea creatures, water beads, or pouring tools!
3. Use a themed Insert (like Castles or Trains) and then combine them with some loose-parts, figurines, or peg dolls to help them act out a story.
4. Add a Cover to the manufacturer's lid, and encourage your Little Learner to interact with the insert using animal figurines. For example, they can drop fish in to the ocean!
5. Use the Abstract Art Printable Pack with Feeling Peg Dolls or other emotive figurines to act out and talk about feelings. 
6. Pair the Abstract Rainbow pack with Unicorn or Fairy figurines for fantastical and magical pretend play.
7. Use Abstract Rainbow, Color Study, or Abstract Art to learn about colors
8. Use a Birds Eye View Pack and pretend to be birds, or learn about trees. Or observe and talk about patterns in our world
9. Try pairing Texture Packs with Sparkly Iridescent shredded paper, this crinklecut paper or these shiny black rocks for incredible texture studies.
10. Explore deep STEM concepts like implied motion and vanishing lines with the Cars Pack. Set a Car or Road template out with a bin of cars and see what happens as they explore the complex ideas presented as play.
11. Laminate a Construction Zone Liner, then toss it in the bottom of a bin (I use a little removable spray adhesive). Make a little taste safe mud with cocoa powder, cereal crumbs and a little water. Or simply use some clean dirt and water! Once laminated, the inserts wipe clean, and with the visual texture of the mud, the sensory experience is expanded, while using less filler!
12. Use the Fire and Ice Fire Cover Template on a plastic manufacturers lid, then setting it out next to a bin full of small twigs. Let your Little Learners learn how to safely add wood to a fire by dropping the twigs in to the hole! This is a great way to practice fire safety and responsibility through safe play!
13. Try an Activity or Game Pack for open ended board game style play- use the instructions and game pieces, or encourage your Little Learner develop their own game!
14. Use the Habitat Pack with animal figurines to sort and organize which animal lives in which habitat.

There are so many ways to play with Practically Playing's Printable Packs.  Thank you for trying us out and I can't wait to see how you play!