Real Kids, Real Play
150+ activities to do around the home using household itemsReal Kids, Real Play is about bringing real childhood back.
Inside you'll find activities, experiments, DIY recipes and song lists that stimulate your child's physical, cognitive and social development.
$29.95 (paperback)

Now available on Ebook...
Easier on a device? Real Kids, Real Play is now available via Ebook.
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As reviewed by Maggie Dent...
"Every now and again I have a book come across my desk, which has been written by a person full of passion and wisdom, that needs to be found! REAL KIDS, REAL PLAY is one such book. Alice Zsembery shares my passion for play and play in the home and surrounds that does not require buying endless toys! This book is packed full of engaging actvities that can happen using household items - from scarfs, socks, milk containers, plastic buckets, toilet rolls, post-it notes... just to name a few!! This is a fabulous book for parents, grandparents and also ECEC educators looking for fresh ideas!!"
About the Author
Alice is a Melbourne mum-of-two, maritime engineer, taxi driver, renovator, cleaner, maid, art teacher and household event’s organiser. When she is not inhaling coffee, you will usually find her running after a semi-clothed child, scraping food scraps from the floor and generally trying to keep two mini-me’s alive.
With the birth of her second child, a yard that was unusable and an energetic and ‘outdoorsy’ toddler to take care of, Alice struggled with finding activities that not only kept him busy around the home, but encouraged him to play independently, provided educational development and maintained his attention span for longer than the time it takes to change a newborns nappy.
So, sick of the Mumma’s guilt that goes with not being able to sit in a park all day and even more sick of a cluttered house, full of large, cheap, noisy toys that were never played with, Alice sought about researching and testing a range of fun, educational and easy play activities that could be done with household items. It is her hope that it can help make every parent, guardian, grandparent’s and carer’s role just that little bit easier.


Testimonials
Our book is made to make the life of each parent and carer a little easier... Here is what our customers are saying and why we feel all gooey on the inside...
For further testimonials refer to our testimonials page.
Your book is awesome! I have been loving the ideas and particularly love how instantly do-able they are; I don't need to go to the shops because I can use what I already have. Thank you! - Annabel (Mum of 4, Aus)
I think the book is awesome and my friend was just so delighted to get such a unique book. So many clever and simple/quick ideas. I thought I was creative when my kids were little, but you've taken it to a whole new level! - Nina (Mum of 2 big kids, Aus)
We are loving the Real Kids, Real Play book, especially the Chapter of Toddler Experiments. A 4yo with plenty of energy is sometimes hard to entertain on a tight budget! Love that you can use stuff from home and I don't need to go out of my way to buy anything. - Kaitlan (Mum of 1, Aus)
We love the book - it has so many nice, but simple ideas in it. Would highly recommend and global delivery was quick! - Wessel (Dad of 3, Netherlands)
A friend gave me your book and I just want to tell you how amazing I think it is! We live in London so there are many rainy days at the moment. We have recommended the book to so many people. - Lavinia (Mum of 1, UK)
This book is awesome. Love the easy and stylish format and all the helpful photos. A perfect coffee table book - Jane (Mum of 3, Aus)
Sneak peek inside the book...
Do-It-Yourself Vault
Recipes for paint, playdough, glue and other play fun all in one spot.
Kid-Friendly Song List
Sick of listening to kids' songs every day? We have included our go-to list of kid-friendly adult songs to bop along to.
Activities
Fun preschool activities for 0-5 year olds using household items including quiet play, messy play, fine and gross motor skills, imaginative, sensory, problem solving and STEM activities.
Preschool Science
Some pretty cool preschool science activities to learn how the world works. Of course, these too only utilise household items.
Download Free Sample
Not sold yet? Download the preview sample complete with cover artwork, table of contents, and several sample pages.
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