Family Presents – February 2021: Cookie Dough & Loveheart Bingo

During lockdown, I’ve been struggling to come up with activities, especially at the weekend, that the whole family can enjoy that doesn’t involve a screen. Family Presents is the ultimate monthly family subscription box that’s jam-packed with hands-on activities, games, crafts and hours of fun. Each month, you will receive a carefully wrapped package (packaging is recyclable with minimal plastic & waste) that includes four surprise boxes each with its own theme, materials and instructions. All the hard work is done for you and you’re free to cancel at any time. It’s incredibly convenient and fuss-free.

Penny wasted no time diving into our box of treats. There is something so special about the way this box is presented. Children (and adults) will love opening each colour-coded present and all the candy-striped goodies bags inside. Inside is also an envelope that contains detailed step-by-step instructions to help you along the way. Each activity encourages children to learn new skills whilst still providing the space, time and materials to allow their creativity and/or problem-solving skills to flourish. There are four boxes: play, do, make and bake.

Box 1: Play – Loveheart Bingo

What’s in the box? Bingo cards, number cards and lots of Love Hearts sweeties!

This box contained a Valentine’s Day inspired game for the whole family. This was a fantastic game for Penny’s age range as the rules were simple but the concept challenged her number comprehension skills plus, there were sweeties; what’s not to love? The only additional materials required were a pair of scissors and, in case you’re unfamiliar with bingo, all the rules were included.

Box 2: Make – Our Family Board

What’s in the box? Bag of wooden hearts, a board, foam brush, red paint, silver paint and 2 pencils & string.

Our yellow ‘make’ box contained instructions and materials to create a wonderful family keepsake. We painted our board and personalised our silver hearts with our names.

Box 3: Do – Feed the Birds

What’s in the box? Bird Feed, Agar-Agar powder (natural vegetable gelatine), baking paper, card strips & string.

Our green box challenged us to make our own bird feeders. We made heart-shaped moulds in a variety of shapes and then combined the Agar Agar powder paste and seeds to create the ‘filling’. The activity was very hands-on and I really appreciate how this will encourage Penny to observe and interact with nature.

Box 4: Bake – Cookie Dough Chocs

What’s in the box? Brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, 2x bags of chocolate chips & baking paper.

Penny adores baking so this was, of course, her favourite box, plus it was pink so it was always going to be a winner. That’s just how the mind of a 4-year-old works I’m afraid! She loved combining all the pre-measured ingredients together and using her hands to mould the cookie dough into love heart shapes. We then melted the rest of the chocolate to create the coating and had a wonderful time licking the bowl and spoon after. This activity was messy, delicious and so much fun to do together. She took so much pride in her creation and we popped them in little individual bags to give to her Nanna and Gran who she’s missing immensely.

This small, but mighty, family-owned business clearly put a lot of thought and love into each beautifully wrapped present in our box this month. Each activity helped my family to create happy memories at an uncertain and confusing time in the security of our own home. Our box sparked hours of discussion, role play, problem-solving and, perhaps the most important, fun!