Spending a few days in the hospital ward was really a tiring experience for my little girl, Iman and of course, the mom too. Coming back home was a relief. Despite her unwell condition, she seems a bit cheerful being able to be with her siblings. I am wondering what kind of activities I should initiate to cheer her up, and her siblings too, and yes, I remembered the Manipulative Basket which is still unpacked in the closet.

I gathered my daughters and starts to unpack the package. They were brimming with joy. They were so excited seeing the colourful laces and basket.

“Are all these ours, Mama?”, asked Iffah, the eldest.

“Yes, of course. Just remember to tidy up after you play, ok?” I replied.

Iman was so excited as well. She started to grab the laces and tried to untie them using her fingers, as the laces were tangled to each other. I could see that her fine motor skills were being explored. For a 3 years old kid, this kind of exploration is crucial to enhance her development.

Iffah, 4 years old, is quite advance already. She started to sort all the baskets according to their colours and sizes. To my surprise, she also able to coordinate the baskets ascendingly. She also took some of the laces from Iman and put them in the basket according to their respective colours.

“Good job Iffah”, I praised.

“Thank you Mama, for these toys”, said Iffah.

“Thanks to Allah swt as well”, I added.

This Manipulative Basket is definitely a gem. It helps children with their gross and fine motor skills, and really attractive to kids with its bright colours. To my surprise, the laces and baskets might seem boring to adult like us, but do really grab the kids focus. And they certainly enjoy every bit of it.

Other than creating bonding time for parents and children, doing this kind of activity together are able to enhance the children communication skills, as we are also able to instil Islamic values to our children during our conversation.

I am really looking forward doing this kind of activities with my daughters again. There are so many possibilities yet to be explored with this Lacing Basket, such as tying the laces to the basket, and role play as well. I will reserve that for next play session.