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Giant Neighborhood Play Mats

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With more and more rains in the forecast that will then turn into snow, our family activities will shift from outdoors to indoors. No more bike rides, soccer games and strolls in the neighborhood. Or, wait! Nice long walks in the neighborhood are not out of the picture completely! Besides, no umbrella and rain boots or winter gear are necessary. Just giant neighborhood play mats!

Giant neighborhood play mats that will help kids get familiar with their local streets while riding their toy cars on these custom-designed road maps - at Non Toy Gifts

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Megan Barnes, the creator of the giant neighborhood play mats, came up with the idea after a conversation with a friend whose kids were faced with the challenge of walking to school while not being quite familiar with their neighborhood. Megan drew up a play mat for the kids, showing their street and school and other details of their neighborhood. The neighborhood play mat was very well received by both kids and mom. Being made of vinyl, the play mats can be easily cleaned and then rolled up for storage and this is something moms will appreciate.

Giant neighborhood play mats that will help kids get familiar with their local streets while riding their toy cars on these custom-designed road maps - at Non Toy Gifts

This is how the giant neighborhood play mats came to life. They are now to be found in many houses from the US to New Zealand, Australia and Europe. Megan first started selling them on Etsy, where you can still get them, but in the meantime she also launched her own site: Needed Wanted.

Giant neighborhood play mats that will help kids get familiar with their local streets while riding their toy cars on these custom-designed road maps - at Non Toy Gifts

If you plan on getting one this fall or winter (maybe for Christmas) I bet, by the time the snow starts to melt, your children will know their neighborhood like the back of their hand. They will feel confident riding their bike to a friend’s house or the nearest park and know the names of the local streets.

Giant neighborhood play mats that will help kids get familiar with their local streets while riding their toy cars on these custom-designed road maps - at Non Toy Gifts

The neighborhood play mats come in 3 sizes but the larger the size, the more of the neighborhood can be covered. On average, the length of the giant size will cover about 1 mile. All street names are printed in a very large and easy to read font. Vinyl stickers are available to mark locations on your map, like the library, store, gas station.

Enjoy your giant neighborhood play mats!

More fun kids’ activities:

  • If your children like to color (Show me a kid who doesn’t!) they will love these giant coloring maps.
  • 5 coloring wallpapers for kids are better than any coloring pages
  • These germ-free and eco-friendly coloring placemats will keep at the table every time
  • Is your kid interested in science? If so, you may want to take a look at top 11 DIY science kits.

 

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Mudpie Fridays

Sunday 4th of October 2015

I have seen these on etsy and think its a brilliant idea :) Much better than the one I am meant to be sewing....!! #Made4Kids

Tina

Wednesday 30th of September 2015

I love this! Kids will definitely enjoy all that space to play. Plus it's a great way for them to get them familiar with their sense of direction and to practice reading maps. Thanks for sharing at #ToddlerFunFriday!

Lisa B.

Tuesday 29th of September 2015

This is an awesome idea!! I think all kids should have something like this in the event they get confused walking home from school. This would even be helpful in classrooms. Thank you so much for sharing and linking up with us at the Welcome Home Wednesdays Link Party! Hope to see you link up again! :)

Emma @ P is for Preschooler

Thursday 24th of September 2015

What a brilliant idea! Only a parent could come up with something like that! ;)

Stef

Thursday 24th of September 2015

I know, it's a fantastic idea!

Michelle

Thursday 24th of September 2015

I love this! I've been using amusement park and museum maps we've collected to try and teach my kindergarten about how to use maps, but it makes so much sense to have one of your own neighborhood!

Stef

Thursday 24th of September 2015

Using amusement park and museum maps is a great idea. My preschooler loves maps and I've created a small map of our neighborhood, just a few streets around our place, and we're going on strolls using that map.

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