As much as we all hate to think of it, cold and flu season will be upon us all too soon. Before those first stuffed-up sniffles hit your little one, arm them with the knowledge of how to blow their nose. It seems obvious to adults, but how do you explain this motion to a little tyke? With a game, of course!

To start, set out a variety of light objects such as pom poms or wadded up pieces of tissue paper. We’ve played games where we tried to move such objects about by blowing through a straw. This time I challenged Travis to huff through his nose.

It took him a few tries, but soon he got the hang of it!

If you want to make things more interesting or challenging, try moving the items to a goal line, using nothing but your nose blows. Older kids might enjoy turning this into a race!

Just be forewarned that your play surface might get a bit… snotty. Have wipes on hand to clean up any mess when you’re done.