I'm here to show you that obstacle course ideas for kids, like these shared below, can be easier to put together than you think. The idea of making an obstacle course has always stops me in my tracks. I mean, my kids love obstacle courses. They're amazing gross motor activities. There's really no going wrong with them. We have a love of Gross Motor Activities! Here's ...
Name Trace with Stickers Easy Activity for Toddlers
Check out a super simple sticker name trace activity! Meet, Paola, our Member of the Month and see how sticker tracing is an awesome go-to activity! Let's meet Paola, our member of the month for The Activity Room. Paola is a Canadian mother of two, an almost three year old and a baby girl. Ever feel like you're just tired of looking for ideas, finding something that you ...
36 Upcycling Ideas for Kids: Recycled Crafts & Activities for Kids to Make!
Reduce, reuse and recycle with these 36 creative ides for upcycled crafts and upcycling activity ideas for kids! I don't think it's possible to be a hands-on mom without saving anything and everything imaginable. Ever since I started doing crafts and activities with Henry, we've been hoarding recyclables. Henry actually has his own "recycling center" now. I love ...
Life Skills for Preschool and Things to Teach a 3 & 4 Year Old
Get the skinny on what basic life skills your preschooler needs to know from early childhood expert Deborah J. Stewart from Teach Preschool. She shares with us what things to teach a 3 year old. When Henry started preschool, I started thinking about life skills for kids to know and wondering if Henry can do what he should be doing at this time. As a parent, I often ...
Sizzlin’ Summer Activities for Preschoolers That Are So Much Fun!
Let's celebrate summer with some fun activities to get wet, play outside and get crafty for preschoolers! We pulled together an awesome list of fun and simple summer activities for kids that you can do right at home. Memorial Day is passed here in the United States, and that usually marks the beginning of summer. Make this Summer Much More Fun! (and easier too) with CAMP ...
Toddler Activities for 1 Year Olds to Do This Week
Alright, here it is. A simple week of activities for 1 year olds. After sharing the four general weekly planners with my incredible newsletter subscribers, I asked if they had any suggestions for new weekly planners. By far, everyone wants to know what to do with their one year old! Of course, there's plenty of activities to do with 1 year olds, especially sensory ...
Mega Baking Soda to Vinegar Ratio Experiment
Set up a mega science experiment to figure out what baking soda and vinegar ratio works best for you and your preschooler! We love a good baking soda and vinegar experiment, don't you!?? I don't know how many times the kids and I have done experiments with baking soda and vinegar. But I've always questioned how much to use of each... I've always just guessed and it ...
6 Different Activities for 6 Lines of Tape
Just six simple lines of tape can lead to a lot of fun while you develop fine motor skills, too! We recently did our tape jumping game again. It is such a blast! The kids get so many giggles out of it. This time, we expanded on it a little though and had some more fun with the same lines of tape? First, I used painter's tape and made six lines of tape about a foot ...
Science Activities for Toddlers to Try
These are some awesome science activities for toddlers for a fun science theme, learning all about science. When I think of science activities, I often just think of science experiments for the kids to do. But science is so much more than that. It’s weather, nature, biology, and so much more. I actually had a hard time when I jotted down areas of science. Science can ...
27 Super Fun Rainy Day Activities for Toddlers
Stuck inside on a rainy day and need to stay busy? Try these fun rainy day activities for toddlers! We're stuck inside for a good bit of winter and some of spring, too. It comes with living in Iowa. After the cold of winter comes mud season: rainy days and grey skies galore. But mud season leads right into spring! I honestly cannot wait! Spring means greener grass and ...
A Week of Nature Activities to Do
Nature activities and Spring go hand in hand. Spring feels like it's here and I'm ready for it! (Unfortunately, it's only February now, and since I'm in Iowa I am sure it is short lived and will be gone just as quick.) I can't wait for the flowers to pop up and the leaves to bud, so I'm prepping us with a week of nature activities when nature is ready where you are. Free ...
Ribbon Flower Bouquet Gift Made by Kids
A ribbon flower bouquet is an awesome gift for anyone who's sick and in the hospital for a while. So are any of these flower crafts that I adore. Sometimes hospitals, especially ICUs, put restrictions on real flowers. It may just be certain kinds of flowers, I'm not entirely sure. But I do know that some are restricted. But flowers always cheer up a dreadful hospital ...
23+ Simple Nature Activities for Kids to Create, Explore & Learn
These nature activities for preschoolers are ways to put the oomph in getting outside with your kids! Explore, find new things in nature, get creative in how you use it and just have fun! Getting kids outside and into nature seems to be harder and harder these days. It seems to be that more and more, we are scared to let our preschoolers be outside, watch this video I shared on ...
Nature Sensory Bag Suncatcher
Explore spring, and build a fun suncatcher, when you make a DIY nature sensory bag with your kids! I love making simple sensory bags for the kids, this nature sensory bag is no exception. They're easy to make, super fast, and gives the kids something to explore in a fun way. I find them super entertaining for toddlers. We've recently done learning sensory bags for the older ...
10 Jumping Activities Sure to Wear Out the Kids
Is jumping allowed in your house? We love to jump and jumping activities are a sure fire way to wear out my kids when they need it (err, when I need it...). These are 10 quick and easy to do activities that get the kids jumping around! Its a fantastic gross motor skill that kids need to learn too! And if jumping isn't allowed in your house... sometime rules need to be ...
48 Quick Sensory Bags to Make for Your Kids
Sensory bags are perfect for toddlers that still put things in their mouth and are even a great way for babies to explore! Sensory bags are squishy, slimy and the perfect medium to explore safely inside bag. But they can also be a tool for kids to learn! Yes! Learning can be done in simple bag (we've done it with colors, math problems and sight words)! And what's even ...
Learn to Spell Your Name & Make a Rainbow
Make a rainbow and learn to spell your name! This colorful literacy and letters activity is perfect for preschoolers! George has been learning to spell his name. And he's getting so much better at it! This is an activity that was fun to make a rainbow in the process, but also a great way to learn to spell your name! Learn to Spell Your Name & Make a Rainbow To make ...
Homemade Nature Suncatcher Wind Chimes for Kids to Make
These are stunning suncatcher wind chimes the kids made that was inspired by our fun tin can wind chimes, mixed with our nature suncatchers. I love a craft that is easy for the kids to do and had a pretty end result! Natural suncatcher wind chimes are both of those things. Start out by getting the kids involved and active. Send them into the backyard ...
Improve Kids Fine Motor Skills with 30 Materials & Activities
Make fine motor activities easier and simpler to do with easy materials and activities to boost fine motor skills! Fine motor activities have been put on a back burner in this house for a bit, about a year. Now we're back on a big fine motor skills activity kick! Which is probably a good thing. Gross motor skills should come before fine motor skills. Those big ...
30+ Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids To Do at Any Age
There are so many different fun scavenger hunt ideas for kids, but these are some of our absolute favorites ways to search and learn together! The possibilities of ideas for a scavenger hunt for kids are endless! And I love that they can be on the fly activities (call out an object to search for) or prepared in detail (hidden clues to discover). You get the idea: ...
10 Gross Motor Activities YOU can do Outside with the Kids
We love to get active here. Gross motor activities are always a favorite, and its that time of year where we can get out and really get active again outdoors. Here's the kicker for this. I'm usually running around doing these activities with my kids, as in, actually doing the activity with them. So I'm going to challenge you to participate in the activity itself ...
Painting Ideas for Kids with 50 Tools, Methods & Recipes
Tap into your child's artistic side with easy painting ideas for kids! Your child will love exploring and creating with paint. There are so many painting ideas for kids! Painting is such a staple for art activities with most kids. Painting is often the first exposure children have to art. Which isn't surprising. There are a million different ways to paint! It's time ...
20 Lucky Shamrock Crafts for Kids to Make this St. Patrick’s Day
Make fun shamrock crafts for kids to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! St. Patrick's day is full of fun and laughter for adults, lots of green beer, right? St. Patrick's day is one of the two times a year my small town has a parade. We take it as a sign of spring and it makes us all happy to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. After such a hard and very cold winter, I ...
40+ Big Fun Art Projects for Kids
Make massive, involved, creative, and fun art projects for kids! We've collected 40+ of our favorite big art ideas to make it super simple to get started. If you've been around for a while, you already know I'm a fan of Big Art. It seems to make art projects - even with toddlers and boys - manageable. For those of you that are new to this term that I've made up: Big Art ...
Shamrock Suncatcher Craft for a Lucky St Patrick’s Day
Make a pretty shamrock suncatcher window craft as an easy toddler craft for St. Patrick's Day. Download a Free Week of Crafts to Make Here's how to make the shamrock suncatcher craft for St. Patrick's Day I laid out a piece of contact paper, sticky side up. Henry added gold glitter. ... And more glitter. (We may have had a glitter mishap that ...
12 Easter Scavenger Hunt Ideas That are Not Your Average Easter Egg Hunt
There's more than just a traditional Easter egg hunt to do on Easter morning! These are some fun Easter scavenger hunt ideas for kids to do to celebrate and have fun with Easter! If you're a somewhat long time reader of Hands On As We Grow, we absolutely love any type of scavenger hunt. And the Easter egg hunt is the traditional scavenger hunt that started it all. It's what ...
How to Keep the Baby Busy While Your Cooking Dinner
This is a quick list of a few very simple ideas to keep baby busy, and even toddlers, while you're cooking dinner in the kitchen. I have found that including kids with you in the kitchen is key! I don't know about you, but sometimes I find it really hard to get dinner on the table. Coming up with the idea for dinner is always the hardest for me. But keeping the kids ...
20 Cat in the Hat Activities to Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday!
Dr. Seuss's birthday is March 2 and schools across America are getting Dr. Seuss crafty! Be sure to include some of these 20 fun Cat in the Hat activities in your weekly activities planner as you're planning them out for the week! My kids love Dr. Seuss, and we plan to enjoy some of these awesome Cat in the Hat activities to make discoveries through crafts, ...
A Week of Activities to Learn A Number
Learning numbers is tricky! I've created a week of activities to help a preschooler learn a number - any number! Counting is one thing and often comes before recognizing numbers (at least in my kids' case!). And those darn teens are super hard for kids to keep straight. Just like we can use activities to learn any letter, you can do the same to learn any number. ...
36 Simple Spring Crafts for All Kids – Flowers, Rainbow, Bunny & More Crafty Fun!
Get in the mood for spring with this collection of super simple spring crafts for kids! I am seriously excited to share this collection of easy spring crafts for kids. Why? Because that means spring is just about here! Goodbye snow! Even though a snow day can be lots of fun! As we're not the craftiest kids around, we like to keep them as simple as possible. Get ...
24 Practical Pretend Play Ideas + Why Pretend Play is So Important
I have always thought my kids weren't into doing any pretend play ideas. I've never been one to make things extravagant, right? I go simple, and easy -- which is why there are so many simple activities that I share. But that goes beyond activities, I don't go all out for birthdays or holidays and kind of just let my kids do their thing. I have never made a dramatic ...
Sparkly Spring Tree Craft for Toddlers to Make
Decorate your house for Spring with a super easy spring tree craft for toddlers. I think I say it in every post lately, but I am so glad that spring is here! It's always so refreshing. Its also my very favorite time of year for my front yard. We have the most gorgeous tree in the spring. Our crab apple tree is just glorious! We've made a cute apple tree craft in ...
12 Phonics Activities for Kids Learning to Read
Teaching your child to read can be tricky when you don't necessarily know what to do first and phonics activities are hard to come by. I often get asked from readers what they should work on first. Phonics Activities & Letter Recognition Together To be honest, I've always worked on letter recognition first with my kids. However, I have been told (repeatedly) from ...
39 Edible Sensory Play Ideas for Little Kids
Little kids put everything into their mouths, and these edible sensory play ideas are perfect for their hands-on activities! Occupying babies can be tough at times because they put everything in their mouths. You just need some safe edible sensory play ideas. 39 Edible Sensory Play Ideas for Little Ones It's hard when you have older kids around that want to play with ...
Top 10 Indoor Activities for Toddlers at Home
These are my top 10 indoor toddler activities for that I've done at home when my kids were young. Download an Active Indoor Week of Activities Since its winter time, I've got to have a handful of these up my sleeve. Indoor activities are great to have on hand for any age this time of year. But toddlers especially seem to get antsy and need some extra hands-on ...
Hundreds of Indoor Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Indoor activities for toddlers and preschoolers are generally easy to do. But sometimes they get super boring. Especially after doing them over and over again when you're stuck indoors for several days (not to mention months!) when its so stinkin' cold out! I wanted to create a go-to list of indoor activities for toddlers and preschoolers - no matter what I'm looking for on ...
Rainbow Sponge Painting is Super Cool Art for Kids!
Painting is fun, no matter which way you spin it. Use an unusual painting tool for kids when you try out rainbow sponge painting! I think kids of all ages will think that this rainbow painting idea is super cool! Girls, boys, toddlers, preschoolers, grade-schoolers, all of them. This is a fun and magical way to paint a rainbow! Download a Week of Rainbow Fun RIGHT ...
Free Printable for an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids
I absolutely love this simple scavenger hunt that The Taylor House shared. I was completely bummed to find out that the same day I shared it her site was down. I really think its worth checking out and wanted to share it again for those of you that missed being able to check it out! The Taylor House has a free printable of fun objects in nature to go search for! Go download ...
42 Easter Crafts for Toddlers! “Egg-cellent” for 2 & 3 Year Olds
Celebrate Easter and Spring with 42 super simple Easter crafts for toddlers! I am so in love with Spring right now. It's such a welcoming time of year after being cooped up inside for way too long. Whenever I think Spring, I also think Easter. And when I think Easter, I think crafts: Easter eggs, crosses and of course Easter bunnies! But I still have a toddler in the house ...
Cookie Cutter Painting for Valentine’s Day
A simple way to get creative for Valentine's Day, especially great for toddlers, is with a heart shaped cookie cutter painting activity! I love finding new ways to paint, especially for the holidays. Using cookie cutters is such a fun and creative way to make art. My kids totally love cookie cutter painting. It can get a bit messy, but no messier than any painting activity ...
40 Winter Activities and Crafts for Toddlers for Snowy Day Fun
If you're looking for some winter activities and crafts for toddlers, then this is the spot! I've gathered some awesome & fun ideas for toddlers to do, all in a winter theme! You may find yourself in a situation where it's too cold to be playing outside for too long, it's snowing, or utterly rainy and cold in the winter... having a snow day and you may be ...
Move & Learn Their Way Through Preschool
Have fun moving and learning all the tools a preschooler will need. From letter sounds to science projects. Preschoolers are learning a lot every day. Especially when they are in school. When they're home, they are too, of course. We have the most fun learning and reinforcing what they learned in school when we do activities that require movement. Hence, the move and ...
A Hammering Activity Toddlers Absolutely Love with a Box!
Put golf tees to good use by hammering tees into a box - it's a classic toddler busy play activity! We love our classic hammering golf tees activity. It uses play dough - and any reason to bust out that toy is a-okay with me! Learn how to make homemade play dough. My husband doesn't like the fact that Louis kept pounding the tees so hard that it hits the ...
How to Make a Lava Lamp Experiment Without Alka Seltzer
Learn how to make a lava lamp experiment without Alka Seltzer! It's a fun science experiment to do with your children. Have you ever wanted to know how to make a lava lamp without Alka Seltzer tablets? I often find myself without those on hand! We've made lava lamp experiments in the past using Alka Seltzer tablets. We actually just did it again with Louis for the ...
What Toddler Crafts & Art Projects Can We Do? 30 Ideas
Toddler crafts and art ideas can be fun to do when you have the right expectations. Try these 30 ideas for lots of toddler fun and craftiness! But its hard for this age to get crafty. I mentioned a while back that toddler activities are the hardest for me to come up with. To make it even more specific, toddler crafts and art projects, activities that are creative ...
20 LOVE Activities & Crafts for Preschoolers to Make with Love
The season of love deserves some LOVE crafts and activities, right? How about some for the kids to melt your heart with? Love has been on my mind a lot the last couple of weeks (more so than usual) since I've been sharing my love with the kids every day with our Valentine scavenger hunt. Sharing something I love about them each and every day. The boys get so excited ...
12 Sight Word Activities with a Lot of Hands on Learning
Henry is a first grader this year and came home with a letter about their expectations for learning sight words. Call me crazy, but I was so excited! That means we get to do all these fun sight word activities to help him learn them! Sight words are all about memorization and recognition. Not about the spelling or sounding them out. Seeing the sight word and knowing ...
30 Oh-So-Cool Science Experiments for Preschoolers to Try
Get preschoolers interested in learning how things work with 30 super easy and way cool science experiments! These easy science experiments for preschoolers are sure to be a hit at your house. Science experiments are always a hit in our house! There are so many to try. Some more difficult than others. Some are way beyond my kids. So I put together this list of science ...
Lovely Valentine Painting Idea for Toddlers to Scratch, Roll, and Resist a Heart
This Valentine art for toddlers idea includes three methods of painting! Pick one, or do all three with your toddler. Since George keeps wanting to paint hearts, I've been trying to come up with different ways to make some Valentine art for toddlers that's not the same ol' finger painting over and over again. I think I've been doing good so far. Most have been classic ...
10 Fun Learning Numbers Games for Kids on the Move
Take all that energy your kids have and turn it into some fun learning numbers games. Combine number recognition with gross motor skills! Download the Move & Learn Week of Activities My kids are all about learning numbers at the moment. My kids are also all about running around the house at the moment. Okay... that's not just at the moment, that's all the ...
Salt Paint for Toddlers: An Icy Winter Scene
Toddlers will love to make an icy painting scene using salt paint! This wintery sensory activity came about after an epic “Craft Fail” of trying to frost my windows with Epsom Salt. I had an entire box of it leftover and wasn't sure what to do with it. I did find one thing to do with it so far. George made some icy salt pain with just glue and salt. He used the glue ...
35 Name Activities For Preschoolers
Get your child excited about writing with 35 fun name activities for preschoolers that are perfect for that 3-5 year old range to work on recognition and smobilepelling! What's cool about almost every single name activity is that it can also be applies to any word which makes them great for spelling word activities as well. Last year in three-year-old preschool, names were a ...
14 Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt Ideas that are Lovely for Kids
There are so many ways to do a scavenger hunt, aren't there? We have so much fun with them! Whether its a spur of the moment scavenger hunt or a themed one like these Valentine scavenger hunt ideas! Valentine's Day is right around the corner and while I was looking for ideas to do our latest Valentine scavenger hunt, I found a whole bunch of other Valentine scavenger hunt ideas ...
32 Objects for Fine Motor Skills Strengthening (+ Activities)
We have been loving activities that promote fine motor skills and we have found lots of objects that are great for strengthening fine motor skills! How do you develop fine motor strength? Here's my list of objects (along with activities, of course) to help your children develop fine motor strength. I do have a general list of ideas to do that are great for fine motor ...
A Sample Weekly Plan of Fine Motor Activities
Build fine motor skills at home with this simple 1 week plan of activities that all work on small hand muscles for toddlers and preschoolers using supplies you already have. Every weekend I try to make a plan of activities for the coming week to start on Monday. I start with the gauging what my child is interested in (using the "My Child This Week" sheet of the free ...
Kids Heart Hunt to Find the Ways I Love You Countdown to Valentine’s Day
I have been wanting to do a Valentine's scavenger heart hunt for a long, long time... probably since last Valentine's Day! I wasn't sure how exactly I wanted to do it, but I had ideas floating around in my head. We've done a simple Valentine's hunt activity in the past with just some numbered hearts to find and match. It was a great number learning activity and the heart ...
25 Sensory Activities for Kids with Sensory Tubs & Further Exploration
Sensory activities for kids are almost always a no-fail activity. It opens the door for free play. It lets the kids explore a material. And it's just fun! Sensory activities tend to end in a mess at our house. But if you're not a mess fan, take preventative measures with our 10 tips for keeping messy play clean. Sometimes, I have a hard time differentiating a sensory ...
Valentine’s Day Crafts for Preschoolers That are Just Plain Cute!
These Valentine's Day crafts for preschoolers are the perfect way to spend a cozy afternoon. Especially Valentine's Day crafts for preschoolers because the kids can get into it a bit more than a toddler would with crafts. There are so many more options when you get to the preschooler age when they're more controlled in their ways (at least a little bit). And they can ...
Loads of Fun Kids Snow Activities for Preschoolers this Winter
Making snow, snowflakes, and snowmen are great winter snow activities for preschoolers to do! I love the idea of snow activities for kids! Snow! Its winter and we still have grass in Iowa! No snow! However, I'm in the mood for snow. So we're going to have a little fun for the kids with some snowy activities! Get crafty! Get creative! Learn a little! Or ...
Does it Sink or Float Experiment for Toddlers
Get splashing with a fun sink or float experiment that's perfect for toddlers! It's an easy water experiment that you can do inside or out. Seriously, the most asked for activity from Henry is a water activity. And this sink or float experiment is right up there and perfect for water-loving toddlers to see what will sink to the bottom or float at the top. After doing his own ...
8 Snow Day Activities for Kids to do Inside! What to Do on a Snow Day!
Wonder what to do on a snow day no longer. Create your own kids fun game plan with these 8 snow day activities for toddlers and preschoolers! Snow days always throw me for a loop. What to do with the kids... make them a day to remember with these 8 indoor activities for kids to do! After having so, so many snow days this year with my preschooler, I'm finding a few types of ...
Shape Christmas Tree Cards
My kids had so much fun making these shape Christmas tree cards! We're going to use them as gift tags instead of cards though. I grabbed my stash of cardstock and let the kids pick the colors they wanted to make their cards. I cut a 12x12 paper (affiliate) in half, to have one for both Louis and George to make. I then folded both of them in half to make it a ...
Fun Things to Do Over Winter Break | A Kids Bucket List
I've been on the hunt for some fun things to do over winter break and made a 'Winter Break Bucket List' free printable for the kids to enjoy a fantastic winter break! And if you have a snow day coming up, I also have some fun ways to spend a snow day. This year has been another amazing year to put in the books. I'm excited to spend the next two weeks with family and friends, ...
Go on a Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt in the House
Here's another Christmas scavenger hunt for ya! Last year the boys did a Christmas scavenger hunt for gift bows. This year, I made a Christmas light scavenger hunt to find and make a string of Christmas lights! Not to be mixed up with many of the Christmas light scavenger hunt ideas out there where you go around the neighborhood or town to find specific light setups in ...
40+ Awesome Number Activities for Preschoolers
Number activities for preschoolers don't have to be boring and just worksheets, make them fun so your preschooler will love math! I love math. I'm a nerd, yes. But I love anything to do with numbers. I really do hope I can pass this along to my kids by making learning activities about numbers and counting fun for them and not a chore. As I'm typing this, Henry's shouting ...
Decorate the Christmas Tree with Sight Words
Learning sight words with a fun holiday twist! We've done a similar Christmas tree activity last year that I shared on PBS Parents. I can't believe the difference in what my preschooler is learning this year compared to last! Last year it was ABCs! This year.... sight words! We haven't practiced sight words at home at all, because his preschool teacher hasn't pushed ...
24 Snowman Crafts Easy for Toddlers & Preschoolers to Make
It doesn't matter whether you've got snow on the ground or need to imagine a chilly scene, these snowman crafts for kids are easy and fun! You'll love these wonderful winter activity ideas. Download the Snow Themed Week of Activities Snowmen are so fun and cute! Plus, I collect them. That’s my thing. I don’t put out much for Christmas decorations, I guess I decorate ...
Gross Motor Activities for Preschoolers: The Top 35!
Gross motor activities for preschoolers are a MUST in my book. Preschoolers aren't quite as hard as toddlers to plan activities for, but there still are some limitations to what you can do. And getting their little bodies moving helps a ton! Download the FREE Active Indoor Week of Activities Preschooler have more gross motor control than toddlers Granted, ...
Paper Plate Skating Simple Gross Motor Activity
Starting the year off with simple and fun winter activities! Go paper plate skating. I got this super idea from my contributor Lorien when she wrote about 5 game changers for a crazy day. Grab two paper plates and throw them on the floor. And let the kids at it! They'll probably know what to do. One foot per plate and skate wherever they want to go. It goes great on ...
Top Physical Activities for Toddlers! Mom, Embrace the Energy!
Burn off extra steam with a giant collection of physical activities toddlers with LOTS of energy really love! Physical activities are amazing for those toddlers that have lots of energy. And let's face it. What toddler doesn't? I know mine all did at that age, and I'm chasing Louis all over the place at the moment! It gets insane at times! Who has said any of the ...
20 Homemade Christmas Cards for Kids to Make
If you're on the lookout for simple, yet creative and fun Christmas card ideas for kids that are not just festive but also homemade, you're in the right place! Your kids will absolutely love crafting and sending these easy-to-make Christmas cards, from jolly Santas to glittering snowflakes. These DIY cards are the perfect way to add a personal touch to your holidays and gifts ...
Easily Make Tinted Jars with This Simple Painting Glass Jars Idea
Learn how to tint mason jars in this easy DIY painting glass jars tutorial! These pretty jars are the perfect DIY crafts to gift or keep! Ever seen those pretty, colorful rustic-looking mason jars and immediately wanted one? Me, too! I wanted some for a long while, even before this craft, to show off wildflowers or serve as cute organizers. Hey, my paper clips needed a space ...
I Spy Sensory Bag for Sight Words & Letters
Make this I Spy sensory bag for all types of learning, including sight words and letters like we did! Sight words have been the talk here in this house this past week or so. So, now we've been practicing a bunch and reminding him a bunch to turn them into his teacher. Practicing sight words has been pretty easy here. Henry's usually pretty excited about doing it and ...
Frozen Bird Feeder Craft for Kids That’s a Cool Ice Wreath
Feed the birds with a pretty ice wreath bird feeder craft that kids can make in winter! Your birds will love this little frozen feeder full of treats! Download FREE Week of Wonderful Winter Fun I've seen some beautiful ice wreaths and thought we should make our own. Except that our ground is completely covered in snow and it's been just too dang cold to go out and ...
10 Ways to Go on a Christmas Scavenger Hunt
As you probably know, I absolutely love scavenger hunts for kids. Why not make a Christmas scavenger hunt for them to go on?! We've did one last week and the boys got such a kick out of it, I've decided to go on a hunt to find more Christmas scavenger hunts for them to try! I'm certain they'll love to do any of these on this list! Do these in teams with adults for the ...
Simple & Easy Christmas Activity Countdown
Have a joy-filled holiday season with this fun Christmas activity countdown! It's filled with simple activities to do together to bring the meaning of Christmas back to your family. Holiday activities, crafts, and simple family activities to do together. Also: Create a joyful Christmas with Simple Activity Plans! What do the Holidays mean to you? To ...
Make a Toddler Busy Board That’s Supernova
Sometimes toddlers need to just move! And sometimes toddlers need to just be busy. Make this crazy awesome toddler busy board, shared by a fellow Huddler, Leann. It's going to entertain your toddler for days to come. Our little Supernova can be quite the challenge when it comes to picking toys for her. At 19 months, she rarely wants to play with traditional toys, so I ...
HELP! My Child Doesn’t Want to Do Any Activities! 4 Steps to Follow
My child doesn't want to do any activities! My child can't sit still to do crafts. My child just destroys the activities we do. My child just doesn't seem to want to do any of the activities I set up for him. Ever said one of those? If that's the case... How in the world do you do activities with your child? First of all, there is nothing is wrong with your ...
Cute & Crafty Fingerprint Christmas Cards for Kids to Make
Send these festive DIY fingerprint Christmas cards for a dose of fun holiday cuteness with an easy tutorial from Bernadette at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas! I adore the holidays - lots of family, friends, food, good times, getting together and, of course, fun activities galore! The Lil Divas and I have been busy little elves: crafting, creating and learning. Cute & Crafty ...
Time to CELEBRATE! Activity Plans for the Holidays
I am soooooo excited to finally share this with you for the holiday season! I know many of you have been very eager to get your hands on activity plans for the holiday season. "Christmas is coming up quick and in regards to your weekly activities offer, is there any chance you could organize a fun learning Christmas?" This one took longer for me to create than usual. ...
10 Hands-On Math & Science Activities Perfect for Preschoolers
Get your preschoolers learning, and have a total blast, with 10 super simple hands-on science and math activities! These are perfect ways to inspire preschoolers and toddlers with science fun. Remember that homemade bubble solution I shared? Super simple, easy to do, and using supplies you already have at home. My kind of activity. What are some science and math ...
20+ Non-Toy Gifts for Kids (Gift Guide for 3-7 Year Olds)
Non-toy gifts for kids, you say? Is it possible for boys? I don't know about you, but I've about had it with toys. Every year before Christmas we seem to start going through toys and I am always dumbfounded by all the toys they have. Not only that, but all the GREAT toys they have, but yet never get played with. Or are just forgotten about... because there's never enough ...
40+ Gross Motor Skills Activities to Really Get Kids Moving!
Get outside and really get the kids moving with fun gross motor skills activities and ideas that are perfect for days when the when a dance party just isn't cutting it! My boys move constantly and are full of a lot of energy. But, for some reason, our hands-on fun has taken a turn to mostly fine motor activities lately. I’ve been feeling the need to be outdoors and ...
Make this Extra-Easy Melting Snowman Kids Craft
Your kids will love this funny melting snowman with a funny take on a traditional winter craft activity from our Member of the Month, Jen. Did you know that you don't have to be a Mom to be in The Activity Room®? Hands-on activity plans are great for parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and nannies, too. Our Member of the Month, Jen, discovered the joys of super simple, ...
Find the Letter & Swat It! Active Way for Learning Letters!
Get active while you work on ABC skills with your preschooler. Try this fun spin to find the letter, then swat it with a fly swatter! I've been working a lot on letters with George lately. He's getting them down pretty good. I'm just reinforcing what he already knows and building his confidence that he does know what the letters are! This activity was inspired by an iPad ...
Simple & Big Connect the Dots Using Letters
I couldn't shake the idea of doing a big connect the dots for a move and learn activity. George did a simple connect the dots that's great for preschoolers, or beginners, that don't quite know their numbers yet. Its great for fine motor skills and working on writing. But I wanted one that could get him moving and learning. We did the giant connect the dots to connect ...
Hands-On Kids Activities for Thanksgiving Day
Spend tons of quality time as a family with easy-peasy kid's activities for Thanksgiving Day! Happy Thanksgiving! I used to dread the holidays because I never knew how my kids would behave during big get-togethers. Would they eat? What would they do? We're now finding a little bit of a groove when we head to family functions. I simply try to come prepared ...
Painting with Trucks and Things That Go is Simple Process Art for Toddlers!
Painting with trucks is a sure-fire way to get toddlers to be creative, especially for my boys! First of all, it's just fun! Plus, he gets to use what he's already interested in and make a mess in the process! If you're in the creative mood with your toddler, check out these 30 crafts and art projects that just specifically for toddlers! Download the FREE Week of Toddler ...
Make These Easy Snowflakes for a Snowy Garland
I found a new way for young kids to make some easy snowflakes! We made a whole bunch and hung them in garlands on the window. Cutting snowflakes is a favorite pastime of mine, and beginning to be for my kids too. Its something we look forward to every winter season. And often make them before Christmas, especially if we don't happen to have snow. It helps get us in the holiday ...
FREE Winter Coloring Pages for Kids & Adults to Color at Home (Printables)
Grab some simple, printable winter and Christmas coloring pages to do together over winter vacation! Sometimes you just want to sit and color. I get it because I feel the same way. too. Over the Winter Break, I have had a hankering to color with the kids. Plus, it's on the list of Fun Things to Do Over Winter Break. Printable Winter Coloring Pages for Kids & ...
Make a Treasure Hunt to Make Sight Words
We haven't done a scavenger hunt since we did our Christmas flashlight scavenger hunt, so I thought it would be fun to make a treasure hunt using a floor plan as the map. And Henry has had way too many days off for Christmas break (school keeps getting cancelled for cold weather! -20F degrees does that...), so a refresher of sight words was needed. I made this a treasure ...
Preschoolers Quiet Time Activities Perfect for 4 Year old’s
Grab a few moments to yourself with our hands-on Mom guide to quiet time activities for preschoolers that are perfect for 4 Year old's! We're making the most of quiet time, now that there's no nap time, with these quiet activities! I just don't want to let go of that time to myself yet, and I'm sure I'm not the only parent feeling this way. I am a very lucky mom and Henry ...
10 Halloween Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids to Get Spooky
On a search for Halloween scavenger hunt ideas for kids, I found 10 spooky-fun hunts with pumpkins, spiders, monsters, ghosts and decorations. As you probably already know, I absolutely love doing scavenger hunts for kids. Why not do a Halloween scavenger hunt as well? I shared a spider web scavenger hunt we did for Halloween. But I realized when I was searching for ...
Sticky Spider Web Activity That Is Fun and Simple
Spider webs are common to Halloween, but this sticky spider web activity can be played all year long. It's a fun challenge to get kids moving! This sticky spider web activity is perfect for indoor play. And can be done in any doorway, hallway or other somewhat narrow place that you have. I have pocket doors that are about six feet wide and it worked ...
5 Cutting Activities for Fine Motor Skills Building
Here are 5 different cutting activities to help build fine motor skills and practice using a scissors. Perfect and fun cutting activities for preschoolers. Starting cutting activities is scary with young kids, I get that. As a parent, you think of safety and that scissors are a dangerous thing for kids to be around. I vividly remember the first week I took my oldest to ...
Spider Web Scavenger Hunt for Halloween
With Halloween only days away, my kids are asking me every day how much longer until Halloween. We've been doing lots of fun activities around Halloween themes. I really should have done a Halloween countdown! Next year... Of course, we had to sneak in a Halloween scavenger hunt! I had a hard time searching for ideas for a Halloween scavenger hunt to go on. All I found were ...
15 Spooky Monster Crafts for Kids to Make for Halloween
Halloween monster crafts for kids to make are super fun, and not too spooky to scare them! Try these 15 not-so scary monster craft ideas! These fun monster crafts are perfect for kids to make because monsters can look like anything, be made from anything, and do anything... Monsters come in so many shapes and forms. Especially around Halloween. Ghosts, goblins, spiders.... ...
22 Autumn Activities for Toddlers to Enjoy this Fall
These Fall activities for toddlers are sure to create lasting memories with your kids this Autumn. From trees to leaves and apples to pumpkins, Fall may just be the best time of year! When you realize that it's the last Fall you have with a toddler, you have to make the most of it! Gear up for an Autumn full of fun activities for toddlers! Here's a bucket list of ...
Spaghetti Slime Sensory Activity for Silly Toddler Fun
A spaghetti slime sensory activity is perfect for Halloween because it's oh-so-slimy! Toddlers explore the texture and have some silly fun. Sensory activities are always fun for toddlers to do. They get to explore, and there's never a right or wrong way to do it. We turned The Imagination Tree's bug slime spaghetti (eww!) into a sensory activity especially for ...