Fun Freetime: Tips for Outdoor and Imagination from Kate & Mim-Mim

It’s important to foster imaginative play with your preschoolers – and, with the weather warming up, now is the perfect time to head outdoors to have some creative fun together! I have the chance to share tips from Scott and Julie Stewart, the husband and wife team who created Kate & Mim-Mim, airing on Disney Junior the Channel.

I also had the chance to review some Kate & Mim-Mim books from Penguin that are now available!

·         “Make-Believe with Kate & Mim-Mim”

This 16-page coloring and activity book is filled with fun puzzles and games – plus adorable stickers and friendship cards – that are sure to have little ones’ imaginations running wild!

·         “Happy Birthday Kate & Mim-Mim”

Kate and Mim-Mim celebrate their joint birthdays by planning super-secret surprise parties in the magical land of Mimiloo in this captivating new 24-page picture book!

Both books were fun to have. Happy Birthday is a happy, optimistic story full of celebration. The activity book has great activities suitable for preschoolers and kindergarteners, and fans of the show will love both books!

5 Mim-tastic Tips from Kate & Mim-Mim for Getting Your Preschooler’s Imagination ‘Blooming'

1. Create a fairytale – from nature! – Crafting is a fun and creative way to incorporate nature into your everyday life. Work with your child to make their own “spring fairytale” featuring items found in nature, such as crowns made of flowers or swords made of sticks. For a cute keepsake, help your child write down and illustrate their story. It’ll be a bedtime hit for months to come!
   
2. Make a spring-themed sensory bin! – Sensory bins are fun, enriching and colorful – perfect for spring! Fill a container with uncooked rice or beans and then add some small- scale spring-themed surprises for your children to “discover.” Then, watch as they use their senses to explore the bin and engage in creative play to find the “hidden” objects. Challenge them to identify the items by feel alone. Once they’ve found them all, help your children make up a different imaginative tale for each item or a story that incorporates them all!
   
3. Start a new seasonal tradition! – “Bunny’s Spring Fling” is a seasonal twist on “Elf on the Shelf.” Craft or purchase a small plush rabbit – your very own Mim-Mim! – and place it in a new, whimsical location each night. Your child will love finding their “funny bunny” friend in all sorts of silly, unexpected places! Engage your child further by asking them to imagine what the bunny did all night, or what it’ll do the next day.
   
4. Head outside with a “friend”! – As the weather warms up, head outdoors to a local park with your child’s favorite stuffed animal friend or “lovey” in tow. Pack extra supplies, like an additional snack or juice box, for a day to “include” the lovey. Take your child and their lovey on a mini tour to explore the area and imagine the various places, things and people you encounter from their plush pal’s point-of-view. It will help give you a new window into your child’s special relationship with their friend while providing a great bonding opportunity for the two (or three!) of you.
   
5. Go camping – indoors! (no tent required!) – Rain is often in the forecast for spring, but it can be a great opportunity for your preschooler to use their imagination to dream up some indoor fun! Help them build their own indoor campsite from items around the home (such as pillows, blankets and chairs) and join them for a sing-a-long or other engaging activity in the “great outdoors.” Top off your “camping trip” with a snack around the “campfire” and more imagination-powered stories.