Meet Shapeeze Activity Kits: Screen-Free Crafty Fun Aiding School Readiness

Remember a time before screens, when kids could entertain themselves for hours with just a few crafty items?

And when mums could make dinner, fold washing, maybe even relax with a hot cuppa while the kids played quietly nearby without anyone complaining about ‘being bored’?

Well, mums, we have uncovered a product that takes kids back to these basics, back to the good ol’ fashion activities such as gluing, colouring and handwriting. No screens needed. It’s called Shapeeze, an Australian activity kit that assists your child with school readiness and your little ones are going to LOVE!

Research now shows that children are starting primary school lacking the necessary skills to problem-solve independently. This might affect a child’s confidence and love of school.  But thankfully, there are activities to help your child prepare for school.

Developed by an Australian mum in consultation with qualified early years educators and occupational therapists, Shapeeze is a fun and educational skill-building activity kit. Perfect for kids aged three to seven, the kits come with everything they need for hours and hours of independent fun.

Mum reviews: Shapeeze activity kit 

Recently my five-year-old daughter and I tried Shapeeze and I was blown away by how much she loved these. She’s always been a bit of a crafty kid so these kits were ideal for her. But, instead of having to clean up her messy, glittery, feathery creations, I could simply sit back and let her do her thing without bringing out any additional crafty items.

The Shapeeze activity kit includes many pages of different activities that foster a number of important coordination skills. Punching out shapes. Gluing pictures together. Tracing letters. Choosing the right colours. You know, all those little things that will help build confidence in your little preschooler or kindy kid.

The activities are self-explanatory and the booklets come with everything you need to do each craft, ideal for independent play and learning. And because the activities are scissor-free, they can successfully work on projects with minimal supervision. I could easily get dinner ready (and fold THREE loads of washing) while my daughter did her crafts. #winning

Why we love it: 

The Shapeeze activity kits were some of my daughter’s favourite activities to come out of the craft corner. She wanted to turn each page, to see what was next, to build on what she just did. She wanted to write, to paste, to create. And she wanted to show me what she had done. Plus, the creations she made are actually worth keeping!

Here are a few things I especially loved about Shapeeze activity kits:

• Builds concentration and encourages independent problem-solving. These child-friendly activities are engaging and entertaining but also not too tricky to complete. My daughter could confidently do each task without getting frustrated or needing a lot of help.
• Develops fine motor skills. A core focus of the Shapeeze kits is fine motor skill development, from the press-out shapes to the use of the glue stick as a precursor to holding a pencil.
• Introduces children to numeracy and literacy. There are heaps of fun tracing activities to try which are great for kids learning the alphabet.
• Fosters a sense of achievement and is great for school readiness. Watching my daughter do the crafts with such enthusiasm, focus and confidence was a real eye-opening experience. It was so refreshing to be able to sit back and see my baby work independently and design something she is proud of.
•  Great for on the go. Shapeeze comes in two sizes – the standard A3 as well as a handy A4 size which is especially great when travelling or on the go. Your kids can easily pack everything up and take their Shapeeze activity to the park, to Nana’s house, on an airplane or anywhere else their day takes them.

School readiness and Shapeeze activity kits

There are plenty of activities, games, television programs and books that can help introduce your pre-schooler to the idea of big school. But if you’re looking for something that’s educational as well as entertaining to assist in getting your child ready for school then Shapeeze is a perfect fit.

The activities teach kids all sorts of school readiness skills but without the use of standard (and sometimes boring) methods. They are similar to the sorts of activities your newly-hatched school kid will tackle in class, so they help build familiarity.

School readiness checklist

My daughter is set to start school very soon and, although she’s emotionally ready to leave the nest (sniff sniff), I do worry she’s not quite there with her concentration levels. After all, there are quite a few tricks kids need to know before starting ‘big’ school including:

• • Communication  – Can your child speak in full sentence and communicate what he or she needs? Can others understand your little one? Can he or she follow instructions and understand others?
  • Coordination – Can your child unwrap lunch, hold a pencil, draw basic shapes?
  • Concentration – Can your child remain focused on a task? Can he or she transition from one activity to another?
  • Independence – Can he or she get dressed, put on socks and shoes and go to the toilet unassisted? Can he or she play or do an activity independently for a certain period of time?
  • Social skills – Can your little one not only play independently but with others too? Can he or she follow the rules of a game, share and work together with classmates?
  • Numeracy and literary – Can your little one hold a pencil, recognise the letters and numbers, trace with confidence and write his or her own name without help?

Shapeeze kits are great practice for coordination, concentration, and independence. Plus they help kids with fine motor skills, writing, oral communication, numeracy and reading, all within each activity. 

Give the gift of independent play 

There are two booklets – a 24-page book perfect for children three to six and a 26-page book, suitable for children four to seven. They are great for at home, on the go or as gifts for kids’ birthdays or Christmas presents.

The standard size kits are $29.95 and the travel kits are $24.95 but if you buy before 30 September 2019, you will receive 15% off. Simply use the code MCW19 at the checkout.

We tried it, loved it and would recommend it to all parents looking for an independent activity for their kiddies. So shop now or keep scrolling for your chance to win two activity sets for your little learners.

This is a sponsored article for Shapeeze. All opinions are those of the writer.