Step2 Tuesdays: Have A Creative Play Day!

While winter may be in full-swing in some places, here in Virginia we have yet to see any significant cold this year. Instead of snow, we have been seeing some pretty balmy temperatures overall, and lots and lots of rain. I don't know about you, but I don't like taking my tots out to play in the rain if I can avoid it, so naturally, we've been spending a lot of time playing indoors.

Sure, kids love to run, climb and play. Step2 has some awesome products to help kids stay active by doing those very things! (Have you checked out their Clubhouse Climber?!) But in addition to all of their amazing outdoor toys, Step2 also offers a wide variety of indoor toys that can help nurture creative play as well. Even toddlers like mine can "draw" a picture, use finger-paints, or even build a magical tower out of blocks. Even the tiniest of kids have larger than life imaginations, and winter time is a great time to help them tap into their own creativity.

Creative play is wonderful for so many reasons. By encouraging kids to hone into their own talents, you help them build self-esteem, which is so important. You also can help them with early school readiness skills like color, letter, and number recognition, how to draw and identify shapes, and even how to tell a story through artwork! Not to mention, these skills also help to improve hand-eye coordination! Hey, you might even get some great decorations that can be hung with pride on your walls or refrigerator door!

On a cold day, I love setting out our Step2 Art Easel Desk and our Build&Store Block& Activity Table and letting my kids create their own masterpieces. Sophie loves making "sculptures" out of homemade play-dough. She and Xander also love using finger-paints to make their own colorful posters. They also love using wooden blocks and toddler blocks to create structures and towers! Yes, they may be young, but even toddlers can discover a whole new level of imagination with creative play. Who knows? I may have a budding Picasso on my hands!

So while the weather outside is frightful, grab some coloring books, paper, markers, and crayons and have a Creative Play Day with your kids! What a wonderful way to bond with your child, enhance self-esteem, and nurture a love of the arts. And be sure to check out all of the wonderful creative play toys over at Step2!

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How do you help your kids find their creative side? Do you have craft days? I'd love to hear your ideas! As a matter of fact, every Tuesday, I will be featuring some great creative play ideas during Step2 Tuesdays! If you have a craft you'd like to submit, or if you have photos of Step2 products you'd like me to feature, please don't hesitate to contact me. Hooray for creative play!

***Disclosure: I am writing this post because I am a 2012 Step2 Test Drive Mom. No compensation was provided for this post, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***