I absolutely cherish homemade gifts! From sweet hand drawn birthday cards from kids, to elaborate and beautiful quilts from Grandma. I have a soft spot for sweet sentiments made by hand.
Matt’s Grandma is just one of those very gifted people who creates beautiful quilts. We received one upon our marriage, and several for each of our boys. Part of me didn’t want them to be ruined and thought of storing them away like delicate heirlooms…but the other part of me really enjoys seeing them being used- so I keep them out. They become walls to impenetrable fortresses when we are building tents, or cuddle blankets when we are sick (see another quilt Grandma made gracing this blog post). But the most recent type of quilt that Grandma sent us was something extra-special: an I Spy quilt!
I Spy quilts are composed of an eclectic assortment of fabrics that can be explored by the children. Today we had a friend’s daughter over and we shared some of the fun with her as well.
It was such a sweet moment when I spread out the quilt and handed them a magnifying glass (totally not necessary, but it makes the hunt all the more fun!) All the kids wanted a turn searching for the “hidden” animals!
I would call out “I spy, with my little eye, a pink cat!” and off one of them would go- on the hunt for a perfect pink feline. Our visiting friend is 3 years old and she was the one who was able to locate each animal I called out. Cannon (2 years old) needed more hints and guidance. And Hunter (just turned 1) really just enjoyed looking through the magnifying glass as I commented on each animal he came across. This would even work for infants who are working on enjoying “tummy time.” It’s such a great activity for many ages!
Here are just a few of the skills that I Spy quilts develop:
* Listening skills/following directions (“Look for a bear wearing a bow tie…”)
* Language development (“What animal do you see in the magnifying glass?”)
* Early math skills (counting bears, cats, etc.)
Do you have an I Spy quilt in your house? I think it should be a gift for all mommies with kids! There’s probably no time to start making one now, but I found some cute ones on Etsy (like this Woodland Themed version). Of course it won’t have the hand-stitched love that grandma put into ours, but it’s still a beautiful alternative 🙂
