Turn your recycling into cool art projects and crafts for kids to make! Try these fun tin can crafts and activities for kids! Upcycling is free and versatile. Upcycling can be done with things you have on hand. Tin can crafts and activities are a great way to upcycle! Tin cans...I have a lot on hand, at all times! 27 Tin Can Crafts & Activities For ...
Paper Bag Mask Old-School Craft for Creative Kids
Okay, I probably don’t need to write the instructions for this classic summer craft; a simple homemade paper bag mask. It really is pretty obvious. But I’ll go ahead and tell you how the kids each made a paper bag mask anyway. Well, first, you need a paper bag! Next time you're at the grocery store, ask for a brown paper bag instead of those plastic ones. Save ...
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, ...
10 Active Fun Ways to Learn the Alphabet (Move & Learn)
It doesn't have to be boring, repetitive, and all about worksheets to learn the alphabet. Older toddlers and preschoolers are soaking up all this information about letters and want to learn them! But they rarely want to sit and learn anything. Why not get them up and moving and learning the letters of the alphabet without even realizing that they are? Active ways ...
Real Flower Crafts & Activities for Kids to Explore Spring
Make real flower crafts and enjoy fun activities using actual blossoms with these 22 great ideas! I love this time of year. The fresh green buds on the trees and the hopeful feeling of a new flower bud about to bloom. The fresh possibilities of the upcoming months. It's a fresh start! Flowers bring so much happiness with their beauty and scent. This year I'm hoping to ...
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 ...
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 ...
10 Easy Recycled Art Projects & Fun Ideas for Kids
Here are 10 recycled art projects for kids to create! A great way to encourage them to reuse what they already have and give them a taste of being green. Try out even more upcycled green activities! I am so excited to bring you free simple ideas and don’t take up any extra time to be green. Even more specifically, I want to provide ways to encourage our kids to be green by ...
Big and Small Toddler Tracing Activity
We did a fantastic big and small activity for toddlers, comparing objects from around the house. Engage in this tracing activity as you compare objects from around the house. How do you teach the concept of big and small with tracing? Try using blocks in a new way and sort them by size, color, and shape here. For This Big and Small Tracing Activity You Will ...
24 Common Core Activities for Kindergarten Success!
Use these Common Core activities for Kindergarten success! These learning activities for kindergarten help kids work on all the areas needed to meet common core standards. All parents want their children to succeed at school. Right now, part of that is understanding Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Over the last few years, Common Core has gotten kind of a bad rap. But we're ...
Easy Easter Egg Craft to Make Use of Your Ribbon Stash
A simple ribbon Easter egg craft that surely brightened up the room and added a Spring touch to decorate for Easter! George and I spent a morning making Easter eggs to put in the window! Take a look at these! Aren't they pretty? And they're so simple to make. I started by cutting out several egg shapes from scrapbook paper (or heavy card stock, an affiliate link for you to ...
10 Stunning Flower Crafts to Make Mom
Every mom loves to get flowers on Mother's Day, right? Homemade flower crafts made by the kids is even better in my book! This is something we started doing a couple years ago for the Grandmas. At first, it was just homemade cards, but now we're getting a little craftier as the kids get older. We're stuck on flowers in this house. Flowers just seem fitting for Mother's ...
Simple & Pretty Homemade Wind Chimes Kids Can Make!
Upcycle your tin cans into fun, homemade wind chimes that the kids can make! I love finding ways to use recyclable items in our crafts. One of my go-to recycling bin picks: tin cans! We were in the mood to create a cool craft with tin cans. Something pretty and decorative. Henry and I rummaged through our recycling bins to find some tin cans in various shapes and sizes, ...
Activities for 2 (or More) Kids Under 4
This is often the most asked question I get from readers, especially newsletter subscribers when I ask them what they're looking for help with. Often as parents of young children, we have more than one child under the age of 4... And juggling them can be super tough when you want to do an activity. How do I do it? First of all, before setting up any activities, I ask myself ...
Spring Art for Kids to be Creative
Make colorful, fun and bright spring art projects for kids of all ages! Art projects that kids can actually make! I am so in the mood for Spring and completely over winter. Even if all the winter crafts are adorably cute. I need some green and brightness around me! Below you'll find a variety of Spring art projects: I especially love the Spring trees, so I saved ...
Toy Color Scavenger Hunt to Make a Rainbow!
Go on a color scavenger hunt around the house for what's already all over. The toys! Find them in every color of the rainbow! We're going on a color toy hunt! A hunt for toys in the colors of the rainbow. I started with drawing a rainbow on a large sheet of butcher (art) paper. (That's it! Not much for prep!) I sent Henry on a scavenger hunt for small toys of each ...
30 Ways to Play with Balloons for Kids
There are so many easy ways to play with balloons! Check out these kid pleasing favorites! Balloons are a blast! We get them out all year round, trying different creative activities and projects. Balloons are such a huge hit in our house. I'm always on the lookout for fun ways to play with balloons. To save me (and, well, you) time later, I pulled together over 30 over my ...
Rainbow Suncatcher Made with Just the Primary Colors
I mentioned in my last newsletter that I was out of contact paper (a shame, since its one of my must have craft supplies). Well, this was the rainbow suncatcher that I've been waiting to make! And it was definitely worth the wait! I love seeing this in the window (scroll down to see how it turned out)! Of course, you could make a rainbow suncatcher with all seven rainbow ...
Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin + Letter Learning
A rainbow rice sensory bin is great for toddlers, and we added in letter learning for preschoolers! Plus, learn how to make colored rice for hours of fun! Farah is sharing a fantastic sensory bin for learning letters today! She's a fellow Huddler, will you join us too? I have been using rainbow rice to create innumerable learning opportunities. How to Make Colored ...
15+ Simple Early Spring Outdoor Activities for Kids To Do Now
Its time to get outside with some of these fun and simple early spring outdoor activities for kids that are simple enough to do right now! I love this time of year - early spring. Well, not exactly quite yet. There's still snow this year! But when that snow starts to melt and the leaves start budding on the trees - that's my favorite part. 15+ Simple Early Spring Outdoor ...
Easter Egg Rolling Painting is Big Art for Kids
Get your toddler active & boost their creativity with this Easter egg rolling painting using plastic eggs (no worries, not the real ones!). Add in rolling ball painting for any time of year! It's sometimes hard to do a toddler art activity when all they do is just sit and create. Henry is particularly this way. That's why big art is my favorite kind of art. Big art, to me, ...
LOVE Banner for Kids to Make
Its official. I'm officially in Valentine's Day mode... and that may be good or bad since its still only mid-January! Eek! But, I LOVE this LOVE banner the boys made! I think I could keep it hanging in the doorway all year long! Its beyond simple too. I cut out the letters from white card stock. The boys decorated them however they wished! They chose to use crayons and ...
34 Soaring Airplane Crafts & Activities for Kids
Airplane crafts are super fun for kids to make, but they have the added bonus of playing with them afterwards too! We recently went on an airplane craft spree by making these simple cardboard airplanes. They've been fun to watch the kids zoom around the house afterwards. Since it's more than just about making the airplane crafts, I've included some fun activities to do with ...
Simple Threading Activities for Toddlers to Improve Their Fine Motor Skills
Threading activities are fantastic fine motor activities for toddlers and preschoolers to do! After sharing our cereal threading activity the other day, I wanted to find more ways for kids to thread. I started hunting and hunting for the best threading activities for kids. And upon searching, I came across many lacing activities, weaving activities and sewing ...
Fruit Loops Rainbow Craft with Color Matching
This Fruit Loops rainbow craft is cute and fun for preschoolers to practice color matching. Simply color match the Fruit Loops to the Rainbow. I was itching for a spring activity, something that would work on color matching, too. Then I thought about creating a Fruit Loops rainbow craft - using Fruity Cheerios cereal! Download a Week of Rainbow Fun RIGHT HERE! But Henry ...
Easy Activity: Bottle Bowling
Bowling is fun for all ages! Even the littlest kids can get a kick out of it just by watching you knock down the pins! Indoor activities like bowling can be done on a whim so easily! Just take a look around your house for something to stand up as the pins. Do you have paper towels? or just the tubes? or even toilet paper? and how about plastic bottles like we used? We ...
Keeping Kids Busy with Easy Activities
These materials and activity ideas definitely come in handy for keeping kids busy when I just gotta get something done! I used many of these easy activities as a way to keep the older kids busy when I was pregnant with Louis. I had been thinking about how in the world am I going to preoccupy the kids when the baby needs to be fed, or changed, or just needs all ...
30+ Valentine Card Ideas for School that are Super-Cute for Kids
These heart-themed crafts double as super-cute kids Valentine card ideas for school that their friends will just love! I've been on the lookout for some simple, and of course, cute kids Valentine's Day cards for school. I'd love for the kids to be able to make the valentines for their classmates, teachers, grandma and friends this February. As I've been browsing for ideas, I ...
30 Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers! Pinch! Thread! Trace!
These fine motor activities for toddlers to do are simple and fun! As I've been working on the new eBooks (they're coming out April 19, 2015), I've included a section of printables that showcase a slew of simple activities that cover the different types of activities we do (fine motor, gross motor, etc). The fine motor Go-To List is jam packed with ideas and I realized ...
Interactive Reading Comprehension Activity to Love Learning
Play along with a favorite book with an interactive reading comprehension activity that invites playful learning! Monthly subscription boxes are great, but sometimes you need a little more than a box of toys or supplies for activities. You might want a little bit of support or guidance. For Stephanie, our Member of the Month, she was looking for that something ...
Paper Valentine’s Crafts for Kids
These fun paper Valentine's crafts are perfect for young and older kids! Sometimes, kids are just drawn to certain crafts (especially paper crafts!). Just ask them. Kids are refreshingly honest with everyone. They haven't learned the difference between being honest and being polite yet; so they'll tell you if they dislike your haircut or think that outfit looks odd. ...
Heart Garland for Preschoolers to Create for Valentine’s Day
Create adorable Heart Garlands with your kids! This simple Valentine's garland craft focuses on cutting skills, perfect for preschoolers (3-5 years old). Use up old paper scraps for extra eco-friendly fun! A heart garland wasn't in the plan when we started cutting out hearts. George just wanted to do an activity, and cutting out hearts sounded like a good idea since Valentine's ...
11 Connect the Dots Activities to Ditch the Traditional Worksheets!
I've been on a major connect the dots activities kick with the kids lately. From beginner connect the dots for preschoolers to more abstract and hands on connect the dots that got the kids moving. When I searched for more connect the dots activities to do with the kids, I was bummed that all I was finding were number worksheets for them to count and connect. There seems to be ...
25+ of Our Best Valentine’s Activities & Crafts for Kids
Valentine's Day has got to be the funnest holiday for the kids to do crafts and activities! They always just love it and we always go overboard with all the hearts! George cannot get enough hearts! Every day he wants to do something with hearts! So we have been... for the last month, at least! Its not always just about the hearts though. We can't forget about all the ...
Adorable Heart Snail Craft to Spread the Love
Spread love this spring with an adorable and super simple pom pom and paper plate heart snail craft for toddlers and preschoolers to make. Kat is a full time working mom in Australia with two sweet little kids! She has a five year old daughter and a new baby boy. With a full time job and commute times Kat had always found it difficult to find time to be together as a ...
Pasta Sensory Bin Activity for Free Play Exploration
Looking for a super easy activity that keeps the kiddos entertained and learning at the same time? Uncooked, dry noodles make for a pasta sensory bin play time for toddlers and preschoolers. Watch them learn and explore with their sense of touch and even sound. For this sensory activity just set out a tub of dry pasta noodles along with several items to play with and your kids ...
How to Make Homemade Playdough Super Soft
It's a super quick and easy activity when you know how to make homemade playdough for the kids with a super simple homemade playdough recipe! As I've mentioned a few times already, Henry is on a huge playdough kick lately. One day last week, Henry and I were with his Grandma's. He wanted to play with playdough. Of course, Grandma's playdough had gotten kind ...
Learning Math Facts Without the Worksheets
One thing that my oldest is working on a lot this year is learning math facts. He's in second grade and this has been a big focus for his class all year long. And from talking to his teachers, its a struggle for many of the kids to do it fast. Apparently, the goal is to know the answer to each of the math facts in under three seconds. Three seconds! While my kids don't get ...
Christmas Flashlight Scavenger Hunt for Kids
Get in the Christmas spirit with a fun, low prep- flashlight scavenger hunt! I needed a boredom buster. It's been really cold outside lately, so we've done a lot of indoor play. My kids needed to get active and giggle, but I also needed an activity that would set up quickly and take almost zero special supplies. Low-Prep Christmas Flashlight Scavenger Hunt for ...
Christmas Wrapping Paper Tree & Presents Matching
Have you ever tried turning leftover wrapping paper scraps into a holiday learning game? That's what we did with this Christmas Tree & Presents Matching activity! We cut out trees, made simple presents, and watched my preschooler match and glue. Easy, budget-friendly, and a preschooler's delight! Ready for some holiday fun and learning? I gotta share that I first found ...
15 Christmastime Activities for Kids
The kids and I have had a blast with Christmas activities this year! I thought I'd place them all in one spot, along with some of my faves from last year! With one week to Christmas, there's plenty of time to do a few activities yet. However, I know with the holiday shopping madness, you're probably not going to want to head to the store just to get some school glue, or ...
48 Santa Crafts for Kids & Toddlers that are Festive & Cute
Ho Ho Ho! Santa Claus is coming to town. Christmas crafts will be decking the halls this December! Let's add some fun Santa crafts to the mix this year! Elves and reindeer, Christmas trees and garland... but the main event... Of course, Santa is a highlight here in our house! This year, I think my kids will be in for a rude awakening. My oldest thinks anything and ...
10 Fun Ideas for Playing in the Snow Outside
Winter is coming and these fun things to do in the snow will come in handy for playing outside! Which snowy activities will you try first? Whether we like it or not, snow will eventually fall. At least for us up north... we're in Iowa, so its bound to happen. It always seems hard to get outside in the cold with young kids. This year it's really challenging with our ...
Toddler Corn Cob Painting is Simple, Fun Fall Art
Get creative and messy with this simple corn cob painting art activity. It's a fantastic way to combine art projects and sensory skills, providing a delightful experience for kids. Nicole Kirk, a stay-at-home mom with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, understands the challenges parents face in finding engaging activities for their kids. She shares her journey and how she ...
25 Easy Christmas Tree Crafts & Activities
What's crafting around the holidays without some Christmas tree crafts for kids to make? I think every year we've made a Christmas tree in sort of fashion! We just put up the Christmas tree and decorated it. A little later than our normal tradition, but its finally up. It just hasn't really felt like Christmas yet for some reason. So it was hard to do this year. But now that ...
20+ Letter Learning Activities to Start Toddlers with the ABCs
Dig into early literacy skills for your toddler or preschoolers with 20+ cool hands-on activities to start learning letters together! We're on a quest to start reading, so we're continuing with reviewing and learning letters right now through games and play. They have to know their ABCs before full-on reading, right? But alphabet worksheets can get, well, a little stale and ...
Turn Cards Into Bookmarks: An Easy Gift Kids Can Make
After Christmas is over, what do you do with your cards? Some are just too beautiful or meaningful to recycle. Instead of tossing your Christmas cards, use them in a fun DIY bookmark craft that also doubles as a fine motor activity! (Hint: you can even use this technique to let the kids make their own gifts to grandparents and friends!) Over the past few years, my ...
12 Non-Turkey Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids to Make & Do
Don't forget about Thanksgiving! But forget the turkey! These are 12 crafts that are non-turkey but still fun Thanksgiving crafts for kids to make and activities to do! Once Halloween is over, my mind automatically goes straight to Christmas. Wait... what happened to Thanksgiving? With Thanksgiving coming up, I think it's time we do some of these Thanksgiving crafts and ...
Super Simple Number Match Slap with Playing Cards
Grab some playing cards for a lively game of number match slap! You'll love this super hands-on way to work on number matching skills! I just realized the potential of playing cards and learning numbers. Duh! Super Simple Number Match Slap with Playing Cards We played a number match game with them, they're great for number recognition! Even more so than recognizing ...
30+ Easy Snowflake Crafts for Kids to Make this Winter
Lean into winter crafts with this giant collection of snowflake crafts for kids to make with you! I love a winter craft - especially anything involving snowflake crafts for kids. But, well, our snowflakes are usually just paper snowflakes. We've done a couple with other materials, but I'm so excited to find new ways for the boys to make snowflakes. Need more winter ...
Magic Letter Learning!
I'm going to work through the areas of learning that needs to be learned before actually reading. First on the list is learning letters, or even simpler: letter recognition. I've already collected tons of ideas (50 of them) to learn the alphabet. And we've tried quite a few ourselves. Some that focus on letter learning are: Here's the latest letter learning activity I did ...
The Classic Christmas Countdown Chain with Festive Kids Activities
Get ready for the winter holidays with a classic and festive paper Christmas countdown chain full of activities to do with kids! It’s time to start our countdown to Christmas with a ton of memorable holiday fun! This year, make a simple paper chain that holds a fun and festive activity for each day until Christmas. It’s sure to fill the days until Christmas with joy and ...
Our 5 Simple Family Christmas Traditions + Yours
I know. I know. You don't need anything more to do this Christmas! Especially not another family Christmas tradition to put into place. Just wait... These are simple ones, ones I bet you're already doing. What do you do every year? What are your family Christmas traditions? December is now upon us, Thanksgiving is behind us, and now it is holiday season in full ...
Simple Crawling Obstacle Course for Baby
If you have a crawling baby that is constantly on the move than this super simple obstacle course is for you! Build that fine motor and have fun together. Louis is mobile now and almost walking, so he's crawling like a maniac! Since stairs are not an obstacle anymore...so its time to have some fun! Check out more of our activities for babies! Creating an ...
Leaf Rubbing Art with a Nature Match Up Twist
Add a twist of excitement creating art with leaf rubbings while adding in learning with a captivating leaf matching game in the mix! This innovative approach not only adds an element of fun but also fosters cognitive development in an engaging and memorable way. First of all, I cannot believe we've never done crayon leaf rubbings in the past! These were so cool to watch ...
25 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids to Make
Fa la la! 'Tis the season for some easy Christmas crafts for kids! Ready to get creative this holiday season? What do you think of when you think Christmas? Santa? The Christmas tree? Rudolph? Candy canes? These are all things that come to my mind... and I'm positive that's what my kids are thinking about (beyond presents!) when they think of Christmas. What's the best ...
Balance Beam for Toddlers Super Easy DIY at Home
This is a simple DIY balance beam for toddlers to practice balancing, which is a major gross motor skill for every toddler, and preschooler, to learn. Use this beam at no real risk of you toddler falling and getting hurt! I read an article at Balanced and Barefoot about the importance of getting the kids moving (and why they fidget). Letting them move, and most ...
Homemade Christmas Ornaments for Kids to Make
DIY some of these gorgeous kids homemade Christmas ornaments! Keep some for your own tree or gift them to loved ones. What will you do with your holiday crafts? Believe me, you and the kids will love to make these homemade Christmas ornaments as keepsakes or to give as thoughtful gifts! Christmas crafting is one of my favorite things to do with my boys. So we start a ...
10 Animal Activities for Playtime!
I thought I'd share some fun activities that are animal based that can be used as activity extensions for the animal books you're reading! I love these activities that go with some of our favourite animal books for preschoolers. Animal Activities to Go Along with Animal Books Next time you read an animal story book to your preschoolers, try adding one of these ...
40+ Fun & Easy Fall Pumpkin Activities for Kids
Do more with your autumn pumpkins! Try 40+ different pumpkin activities for kids to learn, play, and decorate! 'Tis the season for pumpkins! But what do you do with them - aside from making a jack-o-lantern or setting them out on your front porch? 40+ Pumpkin Activities for Kids to Learn, Play & Decorate! I've searched the blog world and came up with 40+ ...
40 Easy Apple Activities for Kids to Experiment, Create & Learn
It's apple picking time which also means its time to share some simple and fantastic apple activities for kids! Yes, there's also some pretty darn cute apple crafts you can do with the kids. But this list is compiled of just activities that use actual apples in them! Stock up this season and have fun with it! We have a nice apple tree in our backyard, as well as at ...
50 Simple & Fun Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers
It's almost time for back to school for preschool and kindergarten kids and these alphabet activities will come in handy! How do you teach the alphabet to preschoolers?! As a preschooler, I don't really think a lot is expected for them to know. Some basics are good though, like colors, shapes, numbers and letters. To refresh my preschooler's memory of letter ...
Simple Thanksgiving Conversation Starters for Kids
These Thanksgiving conversation starters are for young kids who are just grasping the concept of being thankful. Expressing gratitude and being thankful is something we definitely need to work on in this house. My kids know when to use "please" and "thank you," don't get me wrong. Do they go out of their way to show their gratitude for others? Not so much... They're still ...
Name Writing Practice with 12 Hands-On Activities
Give your preschooler a little boost in school with easy and fun activities to practice name writing! They'll be ready to go for the first day of school! One of the first things your preschooler will learn is how to spell and recognize their own name. Your little learner will be discovering how to spell it. And that means writing it down. Instead of using a name ...
Board Games for Kids (Beyond Candyland) That You Love
What are your favorite, most beloved, always out, ones you come back to, games you play as a family? And I mean board games, or card games... not activities like we love so much here. We're on a little kick of board games lately in our house and always love to break out of the mold for a bit. Of course, Candyland is a favorite here. But I'm over it. So... so over ...
Number Line Activity with Place Values
We decided to try a number line activity. Have you ever done one? They are great for learning about numbers (in almost any way you can think of) plus getting the kids moving. I first did a number line with George, which is geared better for preschoolers and recognizing numbers (I shared how we did it on PBS Parents). This version is for Kindergarten on up, kids working on ...
Puffy Ghost Craft Made With Shaving Cream Puffy Paint + Bonus Spider Web
Henry and I found something to do with the shaving cream puffy paint papers that George made! We extended it into a puffy ghosts and spider webs craft to display for Halloween! This puffy paint ghost craft is one of the 15 ghost crafts for kids to make for Halloween. Puffy Paint Ghost Craft Of course, after Henry heard that George got to play in shaving cream, he wanted ...
Simply Gorgeous Fall Painting Project for Kids
Get in the mood for autumn with a simple and fun fall painting project for kids to try! The boys and I had a creative morning. I grabbed some paints in fall colors, some canvas paper, and Paint Dab Markers we received from CraftProjectIdeas.com. DIY Easy Fall Painting Project for Kids I had a really fun, fall art scene planned for the kids to make with an art technique ...
20 Simple Back to School Art Projects for Kids
Back to school art projects don't have to be done in the classroom! They can be done at home to get the kids excited about school too! What do you think of when it comes to "back to school"? I absolutely love art. I was an art major, studying graphic design. However, I'm not an artist. I know, that seems contradictory. But I don't live and breathe art, and I don't ...
Fun Rubber Band Passing Fine Motor Game
A fine motor activity that focuses on hand strength using rubber bands. I called this activity a game to my boys. They were super excited to play the game and wanted to know what it was called. Here's the thing: I didn't have a name. Fun Rubber Band Passing Fine Motor Game Henry used that later in the game when he wasn't doing part of it "right." He said it didn't ...
New Birthday Tradition: Make it a ‘Yes’ Day
I've been in a fog a lot lately. Not sure why, but I can't seem to snap out of it. I even almost forgot to plan George's 3rd birthday party, even if it is a low-key birthday party. Don't get me wrong, I didn't miss George's birthday, but almost... I knew it was coming up, but I kept putting off... and before I knew it, it was a week before the party and I had no invites, ...
Letter Scavenger Hunt for Preschoolers to Find & Match (Plus Numbers & Counting!)
This letter and number learning scavenger hunt for preschoolers is one of our 32 scavenger hunt ideas for kids, and one of my absolute favorites. Scavenger hunts are always great for days when we need to get moving. I often start them while I'm making supper, asking the kids to go find something. They could be hunting for something that's a certain color, starts with a ...
5 Beginning Reader Books for Kids JUST Learning to Read
Henry is just in the beginning stages of actually reading, so I'm just starting to be on the lookout for some really easy beginning reader books that he can start with. The books I chose are very simple, easy beginning reader books that will help build Henry's confidence in reading. Starting simple, with what he knows and adding just a little at a time to build his reading ...
10 Mazes for Preschoolers to Help Learn to Achieve Their Dreams
Mazes for preschoolers, and really for all kids, are great for problem solving. There's no doubt about it, life is going to throw you a curve ball at some time or another. No matter what you've planned, life can always take you in unexpected directions. To achieve your dream, your finish line, sometimes you have to fail before you succeed. There are roadblocks, dead ...
6 Things to Do With Goldfish Crackers: Activities to Cure “I’m Bored”
Cure those boredom blues with these six fun things to do with Goldfish crackers - a total pantry staple! "I'm bored." "Mom...this is boring." These have become common phrases lately in our home. I'm welcoming them because being bored is definitely something kids need to learn to be. Being bored can lead to some pretty awesome things, so don't get me wrong, being bored can ...
Play with Mud: Messy Muddy Target Practice for Preschoolers
Setting up a simple target practice for preschoolers leads to great gross motor practice with throwing! Why not add some fun playing with mud to the mix? This is a messy, but oh-so-fun one. "If you want more mud, then go get more dirt." Yep. I actually said those words. And it was so worth it. A mess can always be cleaned up later. Especially when you have Clorox ...
Simple Art Prompt: Drawing on the Table
What I am absolutely loving about the #EveryKidEveryDay challenge of spending one-on-one time with each kid, every day, is that its reminding of the simple pleasures of being a hands on mom. Not everything needs to be planned out, prepped and all fancy-schmancy. I know this. I try to tell all of you to do the same. Simple is better. It’s the funnest for the ...
Washing Toys Water Activity for Toddlers
One of the most basic water activities you can do is to wash the toys. Its a perfect indoor water activity for toddlers to do. Just make sure to prep just a bit so there's not a complete mess to clean up. I laid down a shower curtain that I keep on hand just for activities like this. (I think its a couple bucks at the dollar store.) I had George gather up a few of his ...
10 Creative Art Activities for Preschoolers
Art activities get much more intricate and focused when toddlers become preschoolers. Check out these 10 fun creative art activities for preschoolers! Its amazing what a year means in these young ages! Since Henry has been a preschooler, he has become a little more focused (believe it or not...). Which means the art projects, as well as other creative activities, we do can ...
35+ Things to Make with Play Dough: Pretend, Create, Learn
Stuck for something to do that's creative, imaginative, and interactive? Try these easy ideas of things to make or do with play dough to pretend, create and learn! Play dough. We've made tracks with trucks and smooshed balls. But then we got stuck. Until I found all these creative and cool things to make and ways to play with our dough! 35+ Ideas to Pretend, Create & ...
Blowing up a Balloon with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Blowing up a balloon with baking soda and vinegar probably rates in the top 3 experiments I've ever done with the kids. They got a kick out of this over and over, and over! The only thing that stopped them is that I ran out of baking soda (and we popped a few balloons). By the way, we've tested out the best way to get the best reactions from baking soda and vinegar ...
10 Messy Play Ideas to Keep it More Contained & Clean
Some ideas for keeping it clean while having lots of messy play fun from Growing a Jeweled Rose. Messy play is often a turn off to doing activities with your kids. These 10 ideas to keep it clean and more contained will encourage more messy play activities! What can I use for messy play? You can use so many things for messy play. From cereal to shaving cream to cooked ...
Sight Word Jump & Grab
How about a sight word jump and grab activity to get the kids moving and learning? We're just stuck on sight words around here lately. Trying to get Henry moving forward on his lists. We did another sight word activity to practice his most current list. I quickly wrote his list of words each on a coffee filter (any piece of paper, or paper plate, would work for ...
Simple Cardboard Airplane Craft for Kids
As I was collecting some ideas to make an airplane craft, Louis crawled into the chair next to me at my desk. He saw this airplane craft used as a party decoration and wanted to make it immediately. This seems to be how all our activities have gone lately. Louis wants to look at the computer, find an activity to do and we go have some fun! How does it work in your house? I ...
Hop! Skip! Jump! with Paper Plates
Hop! Skip! Jump! is a super simple activity for toddlers, and even preschoolers or kindergartners, will love that I found with Knoala App. All you need is some room (taking it outside worked well for us because it was a gorgeous day, but this would be a great boredom buster for an indoor day) and some paper plates. I had two colors of paper plates left over from birthday parties. ...
7 Summer Art Projects to Do Outside
Summer is a time of play and being outside creating these summer art projects... and that always seems to lead to dirty hands and faces. Whether it's doing sandbox activities or big art projects like these, don't let mess get in the way of making memories this summer (you know, you only have so many summers with your kids before they leave). Here are 7 summer art ...
On-The-Fly Outdoor Preschool Nature Scavenger Hunt Using Descriptive Words
Get outdoors and play with an easy preschool nature scavenger hunt for kids! We love this simple gross motor play activity! The boys and I had a much needed evening in our yard doing an outdoor nature scavenger hunt! The weather was perfect and we were all itching to get outside and play. It was time to take a break from "work" and focus on the kids and just have ...
What to Make with Craft Sticks: Kid Art to Hang on the Wall
This is my preschooler's idea of what to make with craft sticks. Completely child-led and made and I couldn't be more proud. After playing with colored crafts sticks with Louis, George took on a craft stick project all by himself. He asked if we could glue the craft sticks together. Sure! Why not? I set up the table with some newspaper while George got the glue ...
Easy DIY Linocuts Make Fine Art for Kids
Add a little more creative cool to your standard kid's crafts with linocuts! You'll love this simple fine art for kids activity from our Member of the Month, Stacy! Art is such a major part of kid's activities. But what about fine art? Our Member of the Month, Stacy, loves to mix her passion for art into the activities for her three children. She's a former art museum ...
2 Robot Crafts Your Kids Will Beg to Make!
These robot crafts are so cute and fun! Buy the kits or DIY them yourself at home with your preschoolers for loads of creative fun. Knowing what to get my nieces and nephews for Christmas gets harder and harder every year. If only there were a magical gift for the kid that has too many toys... I am so excited to share with you, the perfect Christmas gift and ...
32 Pokémon Crafts for Kids with a Pokémon Passion
These Pokémon crafts for kids that have a passion obsession with Pokémon are a great way to break them away from the screen. I am not one that complains of screen time. Instead, I try to embrace it if it's of interest to my kids. Keeping screen time under control the way you like can take some prior thought. You can download a screen time worksheet here to help you figure our ...
Easy Preschool Science Experiment to Learn What Dissolves in Water
This is a fun experiment for preschoolers to predict and observe what dissolves in water. You'll both have fun making predictions! I've mentioned before that Henry's really been into experiments lately. He's created his own experiments as well as begs for others to do quite often. Like I mentioned in the how to become a hands-on parent post, I go to Pinterest for a ...
Sample Weekly Activity Plans
Having a quick go-to list of simple activities to try this week makes it much easier to actually do them then it is to browse through Pinterest and pin so many crazy crafts and activities that its hard to find a starting place. Having the accountability sure makes it easier to do the activity! That's what these weekly activity plans help with. After your requests ...
Year-End Interview Questions for Kids + Free Printable
I made a free printable for myself (and to share with you!) to help aid in keeping memories of the kids that has some fun interview questions for kids to answer about all their favorite stuff. While, we're all about the memory making, I'm horrible at capturing the memories I have with my kids onto paper. I've found a couple ideas that work for me, such as the birthday ...
47 Block Activities for Preschoolers! It’s Blocks of Fun!
Make the most of your preschooler or toddler's interest in blocks - wooden, Lego, and ABC - with 47 easy block activities for preschoolers! We tend to have blocks out a lot around here. Whether its Legos, or wooden blocks, or our ABC blocks (these are all affiliate links, thank you for your support!), we include them in a lot of the activities that we do. And what ...
36 Things To Do with Crayons for Kids & Parents
Crayons aren't just for coloring and art projects anymore! Discover 36 creative and unique things to do with crayons that kids (and parents) will love. I hear this all the time: My kids don't like to color. What else can I do with my crayons? In the past, I've suggested twistables crayons (affiliate link). My kids love them! Well, turns out, a lot. 36 Things To ...
30 Easy Must-Make Summer Crafts for Kids
What kind of crafts do you think of as must-make summer crafts for kids to create? How about some summer crafts for preschoolers? Here's 30 classic craft favorites! Summer is the one of the times I get really excited about crafting. It brings back all the memories of what we made at summer camps or vacation bible school. There's a nostalgia there that makes it fun ...
Build a Balance Scale for Preschoolers to Explore Weights
Today's activity is so simple to setup, but can spark a ton of learning about science! This easy hanger balance activity comes from Michelle, a member of our Activity Room activity planning service. The Activity Room is my way of providing you with something easy to do with your toddler or preschooler, week after week. I plan out the months and weeks so that you get a ...
30 Energetic Activities for Kids with High Energy
Energetic activities for kids are important in gross motor skills development of any child, and a necessity for kids with high energy. Check out more energetic activities that help to build these skills here! We are continually adding more to our collection. From what I've read and heard from experts, kids should work on developing their gross motor skills before working on ...