When I first discovered I was pregnant the first thing that came to mind was how amazing the Peter Pan theme would look in my baby’s bedroom. Peter Pan has been my favourite story for as long as I can possibly remember (The J.M. Barrie book version, just to clarify!).

So, naturally I tried my very hardest to ensure my love of this classic story extended to my daughter (her bedroom says it all…), but as she “Rawr…rawr…roars” to me with a fierce showing of her ‘terrible claws’ I am reminded that her favourite story is Where The Wild Things Are.

I’m not going to lie, I really thought that she would also just love Peter Pan basically from day one because, osmosis. But of course, I understand that she is far too young for a story about a young girl who runs away from home to live a life of adventure and yeah, there’s also a boy who can fly and doesn’t want to grow up. (See what I did there? Shout out to my fellow feminists!)

Okay, I digress. What I’m trying to say is always read stories that pique your child’s interests and are developmentally appropriate. Endure the nights of reading the same stories over and over again, because one day they will do something AMAZING!

They’ll point out their favourite character by name, or the colour of an animal or imitate the sound it makes, and they start communicating their experiences in their own clever, little way and you’ll be convinced that the little human you created is the smartest person on the planet (and it’s true!) You children possess the capacity to become whatever their little heart’s desire…and it’s your job to encourage these amazing discoveries by creating enjoyable and meaningful play experiences.

So…Yes, my little one likes Max, King of all the Wild Things, or rather his “hat”—which is actually his crown if you somehow didn’t make the connection. It’s okay, you’re a parent, and more than likely sleep deprived. And because you’re sleep deprived, here’s the world’s easiest craft…so easy, even the most thing of all could do it!

Step 1. Cut triangles out of coloured paper (or a magazine, or anything really…just find different colours). If your little one is old enough have them do this part too. Fine motor skill practice, heck yeah!

Step 2: Get a piece of A4 paper, fold it in half and cut a zig-zag where fold opens and cut down the middle of the fold to create the crown shape.

Step 3: Let your child squeeze glue on both pieces of the “crown” and use their fingers to spread it around (Messy play is the best way, after all.). Have them stick “jewels” onto the crown using your assorted triangles.

If your child isn’t into the messy glue, you could always decorate with stickers…but then what will you do with that extra time gained from not meticulously cutting out those triangles?

Step 4: Tape the two pieces together and attempt to measure it around your little Queen’s or King’s head to ensure it sits well. Then tape the other side to complete the crown.

Unsurprisingly, my Little Queen refused to put her newly decorated crown atop her head. But all was not lost. I showed her how to place it very carefully on our beloved dog, and she spent the next 15-20 minutes chasing him around trying to put it back on him.

So, in the end, this forty minute boredom-buster—created from something she loves—provided an opportunity for both fine and gross motor development…not mention, a little bit of baby-pet “bonding”.