Moms are like magicians, sans top hat and cape, though there may be a stray bunny running through the house somewhere… Who knows? With just a snap of the fingers (and of course, hours of practice and worn patience), a mom can turn a boring errand or a tedious task into a fun, engaging activity for children! Voila!
While our Tile Mat is not intended for children nor is it a kid’s toy, it can certainly entertain children while you pursue your most grandiose front porch ideas (or small front porch ideas, budget-friendly porch ideas… whatever tickles your fancy).
Whether you plop the kids on the front lawn to puzzle together your Tile Mat design while you manicure the garden, or you use the Tile Mat as an outside-the-box learning tool for the kiddos, there are plenty of ways you can *snap* turn your Tile Mat into a kid-friendly activity.
ABC’s and 123’s
The unique design of our Tile Mat puts customization entirely into your hands from color to design. Translation: you have a blank slate, from which to create anything your sweet, big heart desires!
Why not use your Tile Mat to help your munchkin learn their ABC’s and 123’s? You can use the Tile Mat as a chalkboard or a white board by simply creating letters or numbers from hexagonal tile pieces and allowing your littles to guess the letter or number.
If your toddler has mastered letters individually, have them assist you in placing the tile pieces to create your quirky front door mat and sound out the word(s) in the design and proudly state the correct number.
Did Someone Say: “Puzzle”?
One of the many perks of having children is that once they gain slight autonomy, you can assign them tasks that help you. How does it feel to be CEO?
Put the kids to work by treating the Tile Mat as a unique puzzle of sorts. Map out your desired design on our design tool, print the design, and grab the appropriate number of pieces. Ask the kids to organize the Tile Mat pieces on the mat according to the design as they would a puzzle.
This should keep the little ones busy for at least 30 minutes, during which time you can sit and drink your ultra-cold coffee or scroll through Pinterest for further front porch ideas. After the design is complete, you now have a beautiful front porch mat that your children will find particularly cool since they helped to create it.
Colors, Colors Everywhere!
Maybe your aspirational Tile Mat design is too challenging for your children to execute successfully, or maybe your pumpkin isn’t quite ready for ABC learning. In this case, you can use our Tile Mat to help your tater tot* with color association.
Gather your colorful, Countryside Tile Set and mix them up in one big pile. Encourage your sweet pea to organize the color into like-colored piles.
*The Tile Mat pieces are quite small. If your child is below the age of 3, close parental supervision is strongly advised.
Remember: You’re a “Cool” Mom
Earn major cool points with the kids by letting them use “Mommy’s Stuff” to create mess-free art. Keep these activities in your back pocket for a rainy day, a “project” day, or one of those days you simply run out of things to do and want to tackle your front porch ideas while the kids play amongst themselves.
Share your designs (and the kid’s designs!) with us on Instagram @letterfolk
