An alphabet of A-Z Christmas crafts for preschoolers, work through the entire alphabet this holiday season to create lots of fun & learning with each letter. When we really look at the season, there are opportunities for learning EVERYWHERE. I love all things Christmas but still like to keep it all simple. With three energetic boys at home, things have to be fairly to the ...
Spiral Christmas Tree Craft to Warm up the Home
Spruce up the home with this spiral Christmas tree craft the kids can make to make your home all cozy and warm for the holiday season! We don't entertain a whole lot, really not at all. But as you can tell, we do like to craft for the holidays and we make sure to spread the holiday cheer throughout the home with music, Christmas smells, and fun crafts to brighten up all the ...
Make Your Own Simple Floor Puzzle with Blocks!
This may not be your typical puzzle that you think of for young kids. But this block floor puzzle can be done anywhere when you have some blocks handy! We've come back to this block activity over and over throughout the years. Below, I'm sharing when Louis did the activity, as well as when we first did it with Henry a few years back. As I was scrolling through photos of ...
10 Things to Do on a Walk for More Memorable Moments With Your Kids
Here are 10 wonderful ideas to help you know what to do on a walk with your kids to make the moments more fun and memorable! Liven up your walks with some fun and learning! A post written and shared by Aimee at Raising the Cameron Clan. It is no secret that there is an obesity epidemic in the United States. As parents it is important that we do our part to encourage our ...
Scrappy Snowman Match Up: Sort by Size Activity
Work on sorting by size while making an adorable Christmas craft with this simple scrappy snowman match up activity that your toddlers are sure to love. ‘Tis the season for wrapping gifts and putting them under the tree, leaving you with heaps of little bits of unused wrapping paper. The pieces may not be big enough to wrap even the tiniest present, but they are the perfect ...
My Birthday Celebration! 5 Days of Giveaways
Over the years, we have shared lots and lots of Christmas crafts and activities here at Hands On As We Grow, and even quite a few Hanukkah ideas this time of year. But December is also my birthday month! I turned the big 4-0 this past weekend! Since that's a big number, I want to celebrate with you! I want to share something a little different this year with you, to show ...
Easy Melted Snowman Craft for Kids to Make with Shapes
A low prep and super easy melted snowman craft for toddlers and preschoolers to make using their own creativity and learn about shapes too. Alisha is an Early Head Start teacher who really loves the idea of teaching her own son. Before The Activity Room she didn't even know where to start. Busy mom, no time, no real ideas and no direction. Can you relate? Not sure ...
Christmas Sparkle Cloud Dough
Cloud dough is awesome! I can't believe its taken me this long to make it with the boys! If you have not made cloud dough yet, it's a lot like the texture of brown sugar. Crumbly and loose, but can be compacted together too! And its simple to make too! To make cloud dough, all you need is cornstarch and vegetable oil. Check The Imagination Tree's post for Cloud Snow Dough for ...
Fine Motor Puzzle Piece Unwrap Activity for Toddlers
Make your next puzzle time with toddlers super exciting with this simple fine motor puzzle piece unwrap activity! It’s one of Gina’s favorite activity twists. Gina is a lovely stay at home mom with in class experience teaching early learners! She is all about themes and hands-on learning with young kids. In class as well as at home. However, Gina ran into some challenges ...
Simple Wipe-Clean Ice Painting for Kids!
Mix up an artistic science experiment from our Activity Room MOTM, Eleni! Her three boys love ice painting! Search, find and get overwhelmed with ideas. Our Member of the Month, Eleni, was swamped with tons of cool ideas she wanted to try with her three boys. "It was always 'love this, gotta do this,'" Eleni explains "And it never happened." Before The Activity Room®, Eleni ...
Simple Stacking Cups Activity for Toddlers
This stacking cups activity for toddlers came out of nowhere and in a time of frustration and need to keep my toddler busy! I just drew a blank. I didn't know what to have my toddler, George do. He was getting into the laundry while I was folding it. I was about to go nuts. I needed something for him to do. I drew a blank, though. What can a toddler do? Duh. I just ...
Adorable Printable Thank You Cards for Kids to Write
Today, I'm sharing a few free printable PDF thank you cards for kids to fill out after the holidays. Yesterday, I shared some fun coloring pages for the kids (and you!) to do over winter break (both Christmas and Winter theme). I was seriously not planning on posting anymore in 2015! Our Things to do Over Winter Break was supposed to be my last post. However, I am ...
Why Does your Child Repeat Questions Over and Over and How to Stop it!
Why? Why? Why?... Why? Experience that in your house? Why does your child repeat questions, over and over... and over again? Ha. Okay. I won't be the one with the repetitive questions. Its probably your kids. There's the 'why' stage that we're currently in. (Which I think I'm pretty good at answering... for now.) But, I'm sure the nagging ...
Walking Water Science Experiment – And Expert Tips
Today, I want to share this walking water experiment — which I’ve wanted to with my kids for ages. We just love simple science experiments in our house! I’ve tried it a little bit here and there without much success. This time we made sure to find out what wasn’t working and why. Of course, we added in a little learning into the fun by mixing colors in the ...
Gobble Up These 12 Turkey Crafts for Kids
Get ready for Thanksgiving with super fun turkey crafts for kids! Which cute gobbler will you make first? I'm not sure where this entire fall went, but it's already November! And that means Christmas is way too close already! Since we haven't been doing a lot of crafting lately I thought I'd share some turkeys I found on It's Playtime last week. Gobble Up These 12 Turkey ...
Quick and Simple How to Make DIY Foam Stamps with Kids
Jessica shares with us a simple how to guide to for DIY foam stamps kids can make at home that’s so easy you won’t believe it! Make anything your kids can imagine with this simple craft idea! Jessica is a fantastic stay at home mom of 8 children. She has a college degree in teaching and loves that she can homeschool her kids. "I love to teach. It's something that is very ...
Easy Halloween Shaving Cream Sensory Activity
Get goopy and messy with a fun Halloween shaving cream sensory activity for preschoolers and toddlers! I love a good sensory activity! Halloween is a great time of year to get a little messy, too. This fun Halloween shaving cream sensory activity is the perfect combo of messy fun and holiday spirit! Easy Halloween Shaving Cream Sensory Activity Sensory activities are such a fun ...
Boo! 15 Friendly Ghost Crafts for Kids to Make
Get sort of spooky for Halloween with 15 friendly ghost crafts for kids this fall! Boo! Halloween season is here and we're decorating the house with some not so spooky, totally friendly, ghost crafts kids can make! This year, ghosts are the theme. My kids love dressing up as ghosts. And, honestly, I love that they love it. Such a simple costume, right? White sheet, cut ...
Pumpkin Face Shapes Match Up Activity for Halloween Fun
With Halloween right around the corner, my kids are thinking a lot about pumpkins and are excited to carve their pumpkin faces (jack o’ lanterns)! Since its not quite time to carve yet, we made our very own pumpkin faces matching game with shapes. Another fun idea for making spooky pumpkins before it’s carving time is this simple and adorable mummy pumpkin family ...
15 Halloween Activities for Kids that are Simple and Easy
Halloween offers so much opportunity to do themed activities for kids! Here are 15 simple Halloween activities that preschoolers will love! Halloween may not be one of the 'major' holidays like Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving... you know, where you get the entire family together for a feast. However, Halloween sure does bring out some awesome activities to do with the ...
Easy Edible Slimy Eyes Sensory Bag for Halloween
Make a mess-free and edible slimy eyes sensory bag with your toddler for Halloween! Monsters and slime just seem to go together. With Halloween coming up, I thought a sensory bag with slimy monster eyes was simply perfect! It has been a while since we've made a sensory bag. The last one we did was a nature sensory bag. But an all-time favorite was our slimy eyes sensory ...
Pumpkin Sorting By Size — With Real Pumpkins and No Worksheet!
Go ahead and have some sorting fun with all your beautiful fall pumpkins! Your kids will love figuring out the tallest and the shortest! It is October and the middle of pumpkin season. A few weeks ago, we scored a whole bunch of pumpkins in various sizes at a farmer’s market. While pumpkins make gorgeous decorations, they’re also great tools for learning! We did a ...
How to Make a Backyard Obstacle Course for Kids
I have been dying to make an obstacle course for kids in the backyard for years. I just never really had any spectacular ideas of what to make it with. Even though we've made a simple crawler obstacle course, and even a learning obstacle course inside. Taking it outdoors daunted me. I knew it needed to be simple for the kids to understand. Because making a map of what ...
Simple Leaf Garland to Decorate for Fall
Did you collect some leaves over the weekend? They're really starting to fall now at our home. The boys did. We don't have a lot of leaves in our yard, but enough to have a raking session, and collect a few colorful leaves for a project! I've been thinking about a way to decorate our big front window with some leaf garland for fall for quite some time. I wanted it to be ...
How to Help Kindergarten Kids with Spelling Words Practice through Crazy Fun Games
Let’s make spelling words practice fun for kindergarten kids with some crazy fun games and a few common ideas too! A friend recently told me that she doesn't know ways to practice spelling words at home with her kids. I didn't have any tips for her right off hand except to make it fun. So it got me thinking about different ways we've practiced spelling words, or done ...
Full Week of Activities for Week of September 13th
We are preparing to start another one of our amazing activity challenges that starts next week, September 20th. (You can join here.) For these challenges, we treat you like we do our members in The Activity Room®. We send you an activity every day for the week, Monday through Friday and motivate you to do the activities with your kids! This challenge is focused on only hands-on ...
Make a Bubble Wrap Runway for Kids of All Ages
Get popping with a super fun bubble wrap runway! This indoor gross motor activity is simple to set up and easy to do over and over. Simple play at its best! We've been getting back to the basics and redoing old activities we've done several times. Want to see the simplest activities we've ever done? One of our family favorites is a super simple bubble wrap runway. Everyone ...
Fall Sensory Bottles are Quick and Easy for Kids to Make
Our ROOM Member of the Month, Kayla, shares a simple fall sensory bottles activity with us! Your kids will love making these for any season, holiday or theme you might have in mind. Kayla is a special education teacher and mom of a 4 year old and 22 month old. She joined The Activity Room because she wanted to have meaningful, quality time with her kids. At first Kayla ...
7 Ideas to Sneak an Activity into Your Kids Daily Routines
I always get this question that I don't know how to answer:Can you provide a schedule of your day that shows when you fit kids activities into your daily routine? Simple question. A not-so-easy answer. Especially since I share an activity planner that helps you fit those activities in your day, but yet I can't tell you how to schedule them into your ...
Simple Find the Beginning Letter Sound Activity
Learning to read is a long way off yet for my 3-year-old preschooler. But introducing beginning letter sounds through activities is a fun first step into literacy! My three year old is officially a preschooler this year and he’s beginning to learn letter sounds. This is new for him since phonics isn’t something I think about much at home. It doesn’t seem as concrete of a ...
45 Fall Tree Crafts that are Gorgeous for Kids to Make
These fall tree crafts for kids to make are just as beautiful art pieces as the colorful trees outside! Get artsy with these fall trees. You know what I love about fall tree crafts? Simply... the colors. Do you live in a place where the seasons change? The leaves on the trees are starting to get some color here in Iowa, and it's about to be the most beautiful place. ...
Boo! 15 Friendly Ghost Crafts for Kids to Make
Get sort of spooky for Halloween with 15 friendly ghost crafts for kids this fall! Boo! Halloween season is here and we're decorating the house with some not so spooky, totally friendly, ghost crafts kids can make! This year, ghosts are the theme. My kids love dressing up as ghosts. And, honestly, I love that they love it. Such a simple costume, right? White sheet, cut ...
12 Not-So-Frightful Spider Web Crafts for Fall
Spider web crafts and activities are so much fun for Halloween! It makes a spider not so frightful after all! I just spotted an adorably spooky spider Halloween costume for kids on our sponsor's site, Pottery Barn Kids. How cute would Louis be in that?! How cool would it be to accessorize this costume with a whole Halloween theme of spider webs? 12 Not-So-Frightful ...
Easy Blowing with Straws & Pom Poms Activity for Toddlers
Grab straws, pom poms and painters tape and get ready to burn some energy indoors with this easy blowing pom pom race activity for toddlers. When we’re stuck indoors because of the cold and snow, my boys become anxious to get moving and burn off some energy. Any kind of racing activity is perfect! I set up a quick racetrack using tape on our floor. I had the boys race ...
Activity Plan for Week of August 9th in The Activity Room
This week's activity plan inside The Activity Room we have a variety of activities. In fact, every week in The Activity Room touches on the main objectives: art project or a craft, gross motor (movement) activity, fine motor (pre-writing) activity, sensory, and a hands-on learning activity (in a more traditional academic way). Of course, this week in August is no different than ...
24 Back to School Crafts for Preschoolers with Cutting
Celebrate this time of year with back to school crafts for your preschooler. These all have cutting elements in it to practice scissor skills. My kids are officially back to school again after a majorly fun summer (and exhausting for this mom...)!! How was your summer!?? Are you relieved your kids are back in school? Or is this your first time sending your oldest off ...
Easy Flower Craft Color Matching Activity for Preschoolers
Work on color recognition while you create a beautiful spring flower color matching craft with your preschoolers at home or in the classroom using this simple activity. Last week the first spring flowers in our yard popped through the ground and bloomed. And my preschooler then went on to pick them for me. Those flowers inspired this activity which mixes color matching ...
Pipe Cleaner Fishing Game for Toddlers Activity Fun
Try this super simple fishing game that is a quick prep fine motor activity for toddlers and preschoolers from Laura in her Member Spotlight below. Activities Weren't Even a Thought Laura is a stay at home mom of two. She has both 3 and 1 year old girls. Before The Activity Room®, Laura spent time playing and reading with her preschooler. It never even occurred to her ...
Pretty Coffee Filter Flower Craft Kids Can Make
Let spring blossoms bloom with a pretty coffee filter flowers craft for kids to make from our Member of the Month, Melissa! Busy mom Melissa was searching all over the internet for activities when a thoughtful co-worker sent her a link. It was to Hands On As We Grow - and she's never looked back since! Becoming a member of The Activity Room® helped Melissa escape the endless ...
Make Your Own Simple Telescope Craft for Kids
The kids and I made this super simple telescope craft out of a recycled International Delight creamer bottles and colorful tape. I've said it many times, but raiding the recycling bin has so much potential and so much fun that's free! I have an Upcycling Recyclables board on Pinterest that I keep handy to find new stuff to do with my recycling! We saw these creamer bottles and ...
Silly Sock Bubble Snakes Activity for Kids
Have some silly sensory fun with this sock bubble snakes activity that is simple for toddlers and preschoolers to explore outside together. Combining sensory, gross motor and fresh air is always a win. Looking Back to Before The Activity Room for Kristi There was Kristi living in the Milwaukee area. A wife and mom of two young boys, 1 1/2 and 4 years of age. Nanny to 6 more ...
Matching Letters on the Sidewalk Easy Recognition Activity
Try this fun outdoor recognition activity of matching letters on the sidewalk to keep your kids active and learning this summer! We are fully into summer here and trying to keep the kids busy. This is a quick activity to set up outside on a nice day (in between all the rains that we’ve had). How to Set Up the Letter Recognition Matching Activity It's like a giant ...
Easy Bean Bag Number Toss Game on the Stairs
When you combine learning and play, your hands-on activity is naturally fun! Try this kids bean bag number toss game to help your preschooler learn counting skills. I am all for little ones learning on the move. Running, jumping, walking, and climbing. All those things my little ones do all day long are perfect chances for me to add in a little learning. Like number ...
Experience Nature with A Simple Outdoor Sensory Walk
Help your child experience nature with all 5 senses with simple outdoor sensory walk ideas that will inspire both of you next time you venture outside together. Rachel is a military wife who loves being an awesome stay at home mom with her daughter. And this is her Member Spotlight! Rachel admittedly struggles with being organized. And that used to result in sporadic or ...
Balloon Tennis Activity that is Simple Fun for Toddlers
Take balloon gross motor play to a new level with a fun and exciting paper plate balloon tennis activity for toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy! And get to know Lindsay, in her Member Spotlight below. More Bonding, Less Screen Time Lindsay, our Member Spotlight, joined The Activity Room after having her second baby girl. Like so many second time moms, Lindsay tells us ...
3 Questions for Doing an Activity with Both a Toddler and Preschooler
I have three questions I ask myself when I'm about to embark on an activity that involves both my preschooler and my toddler. My readers often ask - What are some activities that I can do with both my toddler and my preschooler? I think the answer is limitless. It usually just takes a little tweaking of an activity to make it work. Its learning how to tweak ...
Sand Sensory Play and Make Exciting 100 Number Art
Take sand sensory play to a new level and create a number 100 art project or any other picture you want with your toddler or preschoolers! Henry had his first homework assignment for preschool. To create the number 100 out of something. (Not 100 of something, but to make the numbers themselves.) We discussed it together to decide what to make. Henry told me his ...
How to Build Confidence in Kids Through Activities
Finding ways to build your kids confidence can be tough. I have put together some of my best tips how to build confidence in kids while we do activities together. It's little things that go a long ways that you can do in your regular day. Confidence is a fickle thing. Its hard for me, as an adult, to be confident. I had braces growing up. No head gear, but the whole works. ...
Grocery Store Picture Perfect Scavenger Hunt Made Easy for Kids
Next time you are hunting in a grocery store for snacks with your kids give our super easy DIY picture scavenger hunt a try! Hunting around the grocery store for some good snacks for the kids again! This time it was different. We had a simple grocery store scavenger hunt that we made. That you can make too, with whatever foods or snacks it is that you'd like to find. ...
Beaded Pipe Cleaner Stars Quick and Easy Fine Motor Activity
Check out Jessica's beaded pipe cleaner stars activity at the end of this post. It's quick and simple fine motor fun for your kids to try at home! Getting to Know Your Child Through Simple Activities "The biggest reason I want to do activities with my son is just to have him learn through playing, because that's the big way I know that children learn." "I'm learning a lot ...
Candy Count Sink or Float Science Experiment — Sweet and Easy
Super simple candy counting sink or float science experiment to learn counting and have some laughs! How many will it take to sink the boat? Ashley is a stay at home mom. She considers herself a "plain jane first time mom." A mom who didn't really have any idea what her kids really needed aside from the basics. She tried going back to work and having her son in daycare after ...
Big & Small and More Sorting Activities with Blocks
Finding new ways to use those blocks by sorting them. Simple big and small sorting activities are a great change. Or take it further and sort by shape or color. Stack them or put them into baskets. Strengthen learning while having fun. Henry and I were having some great quality, quiet time together while George was taking an early nap. We were playing with his ...
The Importance of Washing Hands Experiment
Joana shares a simple and fun washing hands science experiment using supplies you already have at home. No-prep and no mess it's sure to impress! "Creating a connection with our children is very important. And if we have a moment, even 15 minutes a day, to be truly with them it will certainly strengthen this bond. And of course, play is always the best way for everything. ...
Simple Alphabet Maze Activity to Learn the ABCs
We have another maze activity! Strengthen Alphabet recognition with this fun ABC maze activity. And bonus, you can sing together while you do it! Seriously, I'm loving mazes... Henry's pretty good at them too, so they're fun for both of us! The counting maze was our first indoor maze, but before that we did the big maze outside first. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve ...
Spiral Ghost Craft for Halloween with Cutting Practice
Spiral crafts are great cutting practice for preschoolers, and this spiral ghost craft is so fun for the kids to make this Halloween season! I have a couple ghost crafts for Halloween coming up, I guess I've been in a ghost-y mood. This one is a simple Halloween ghost craft that a preschooler can make using scissors. Its a great cutting activity for them to practice ...
Activities in the Kitchen for preschoolers
We've gathered a large collection of activities for preschoolers to enjoy in the kitchen using supplies from your cupboards and pantry! Enjoy There's lots of activity ideas that come right from your kitchen. Kitchen activities are my favorite. Because they're always something I'm going to have on hand and don't have to go out and buy just for this one activity. And if ...
Cloud Experiment in a Jar Simple for Kids
Your kids will love doing this no-prep color changing cloud experiment in a jar! And you only need 3 simple supplies from around the house. Shelly, our Member of the Month, is a busy Mom and Grandmother who is a full time caregiver to her two year old grandson. She also has other neighborhood children who come to her home for care regularily. Before joining The Activity Room ...
Make a Cereal Fall Tree Craft and “Kid-Powered Mornings”
Make this fun and simple fall tree cereal craft with your kids and take on the challenge of creating a Kid-Powered morning routine at home! Cereal is a staple for us in this household. The kids and I eat it every morning, especially on school morning. Every morning minus the weekends when I go all out and make pancakes and French toast. Cereal is also my husband's ...
5 Hungry Ants Chant & Action Song for Preschoolers
Get your preschoolers moving with the 5 Hungry Ants Chant that our Member of the Month Megan is sharing! She loves doing this with her kids in her day home. Megan is a work at home mom with a successful day home for 12 years now. In addition to her own 3 kids (ages 6, 10 & 13), she currently has 3 full time little ones in the day home, between the ages of 2 and 3. The ...
Button Sorting Activity for Simple Color Recognition
A simple button sorting activity for toddlers to sort by color. This is simplified to make it as easy as it gets for toddlers just learning their colors. George has been slowly learning his colors. Ever so slowly. Some days it seems like he gets it and knows them all, but other days it's not even close. So I'm never sure if he's just lucky on those days that he gets ...
Paper Clip Chain Activity is Quick Fun for Fine Motor Skills
A quick paper clip chain activity for the kids to make that's excellent for fine motor skills! So simple. Hook the paper clips together to make a chain. I learned something from the supplies activities poll I started a week before I did this activity. That paper clips are in most of your homes. And yep, I have them too. Paper Clip Chain ...
Shape Activity Using Bean Bags That’s so Simple to Do
Have fun with this super simple shapes activity using bean bags + tape from our Member of the Month, Pam. Maybe even join her making your jazzy own DIY bean bags! Oh, the intimidation of doing activities! Our member of the month, Pam, could easily find 1,000,001 different things to do with her son... But, where do you start? "Okay, that looks like fun, but where do I ...
Sort Living and Nonliving Things Activity Collage
Find a bunch of pictures of living and nonliving things to make a collage of each and learn a little about sorting and classifying them in this activity. One day, Henry came home with a note from school. They were asking for a picture of one living thing and another of a nonliving object. First, we found one picture of each. Next, we set out to make a collage of each and ...
Clothespin Activity for Toddlers: Fine Motor Exploration
Clothespins! They are perfect for those little toddler fingers! This is a super simple clothespin activity for toddlers to explore and strengthen their fine motor skills. I was thinking about pinching the spring-type clothespins and how great that would be for hand strengthening. But, I found that I had a bunch of these old-fashioned peg clothespins too (we had both types ...
Dandelion Activity Fine Motor Threading
Pick as many of those dandelions from your yard as you can and use them for a fine motor threading activity! A super fun dandelion activity challenge that also gets them out of your yard. On Mother's Day, we headed outside to pick dandelions at my mom's house and collected them in a basket. Not doing anything in particular with them. Later that week, we went outside and ...
Wrapped Yarn Vase Craft for Mother’s Day
This wrapped yarn vase craft is super simple for preschoolers and even toddlers to work on to make for Mom or Grandma for Mother's Day. We decided that we needed a vase to go with our watercolor coffee filter flowers we had made for Mother's Day. I did a little googling for a "vase craft" and found some beautiful yarn wrapped vases, there's a cool rainbow vase from Kids ...
Super Simple Watercolor Easter Eggs Toddler Art
Have messy fun with your toddler when you try this crayon and tape resist watercolor Easter egg art! It's spring, which means it's time for all the cute Easter crafts! To get in the spirit, we made Easter eggs with both crayon and tape resist watercolor art techniques. Henry got so into this art project. I was really impressed with him. There are quite a few art processes ...
Pom Pom Sorting + Posting Activity for Toddlers
We love this toddler pom pom sorting and posting activity that are both great for fine motor skills! Grabbing, pinching and poking at these little items are great for fine motor development! Henry never got into the little things, he was always too busy and on the move. George gets into it a little bit more and loves to put objects in things. Believe me, I find ...
Simple & Quick Winter Garden Fork Painting
Create a beautiful, colorful garden painting - even in the dead of winter - with fun, easy fork painting for kids from Member of the Month, Amber! Busy nurse Amber simply wasn't doing hands-on activities. Instead, she and her five-year-old daughter turned to a quick fix solution. "Most of the time, you know, with my daughter, we'd do the iPad and watch TV shows," Amber ...
Adorable Button Icicles Winter Craft for Kids
DIY your own cute icicles - made out of buttons! We love this creative winter craft for kids! We've finally had a good snow here in Iowa and I feel like I can finally get into winter crafts for kids and snow-themed activities. Even though it's been winter for a while, it just hasn't felt wintery, if you know what I mean. Since it's finally really snowy, we decided to bring ...
Super Easy Play Dough Straw Buildings for Kids
Build bonds with your kids and discover early engineering skills making fun play dough straw buildings together, with an activity from Member of the Month Ashley! Ashley wanted to build solid relationships with her two young sons (plus one on the way!), but was struggling with finding and prepping activities. "Before I joined The Activity Room®, we barely did activities at ...
Simple Fun DIY Pom Pom Tunnels Maze
Work on number recognition with a fun problem solving activity! Our Member of the Month, Shawna, shares her pom pom tunnels maze! Gymnastics teacher and mom Shawna is super flexible. But finding time to actually plan and prep hands-on activities with her two girls was not happening as often as she wanted. "I found myself on Pinterest of course, trying to find activities to ...
No Prep Block Pick-Up Fine Motor Toddler Activity
Grab some blocks for this zero prep fine motor activity for toddlers! Toddlers just love blocks! Add in an everyday item such as your kitchen tongs for a fun and exciting no prep fine motor toddler activity. No Prep Block Pick-Up Fine Motor Toddler Activity Block activities have been a top choice for the boys lately. But cleaning up the blocks really isn't their favorite. ...
No-Prep Game for Preschool Fine Motor Skills
Build preschool fine motor skills with a DIY claw grabbing machine that you can make at home with pom poms! I love a good preschool fine motor activity! But what do you do when your activity doesn't quite go off as planned? Well, as I learned with our claw grabbing machine, it's all about how you spin it! I needed a last-minute, quick activity for George to do that wouldn't ...
Make a Spider Web to Learn Letter S
Try a fun activity for kids learning the alphabet, stringing a spider web by following the letter S. We've had so much fun with the Follow the Lines of String to Find the Apple activity that we did it over and over again. So I came up with this sticky spider web activity for George to make his own, plus learn a little too! This one is all about the letter S. Make a ...
Easy Indoor Cup Stacking Challenge for Active Play
Quickly and easily set up a simple cup stacking activity. Activity Room® Member of the Month Melinda loves simple ways to keep her kids active and engaged! Before joining The Activity Room®, Melinda and her two kids did a lot of outside play. But living in Canada, cold weather prevents a lot of outside play for a good bit of the year. "When you live in northern Ontario, we ...
Quick Painting the Driveway with Water Activity
Get active and outside with a super quick water activity: painting the driveway! Sometimes, it's the little things that matter and build memories. Those quick little activities and crafts that you've just pulled together in a minute. My mom is amazing at making those moments and memories with my kids! And this quick, simple water activity has definitely left a lasting ...
9 Gorgeous Fall Crafts for Kids
Autumn means crafts in our house! We love these 9 fall crafts for kids that double as autumn decor! There's starting to be a slight (very slight) chill in the air. Which puts me in an autumn kind of mood. Apple cider, colorful leaves and all things cinnamon are calling my name! Can you tell I'm on a fall kick lately? I fell in love with these gorgeous fall crafts I ...
Classic Outdoor Activity Rolling Down the Hill
Sometimes it's the little things, like rolling down the hill, make the best memories of playing outside together! It's so nice outside and we are LOVING this weather! We're outside playing in it every day. Which makes for tons of ways to play - new and classic. Rolling Down the Hill for Classic Outdoor Activities & Memories And we had a first the other day. Henry ...
Make Simple Rock Towers for On-the-Fly Kid-Friendly Fun
Try a super quick, easy rock tower activity that's perfect for when you're stuck! Our Member of the Month Gabby shares her creative, no-supplies independent activity. Ever feel like you just get stuck in a rut? So did our Member of the Month, Gabby! "Before I joined The Activity Room®, it was a lot of sitting at the table or just around a story," shares Gabby. "It kind of ...
Easily Overcoming 10 Hands-On Hurdles to Become More Involved
Stuck on how to become a hands-on mom? Let's tackle overcoming these 10 hands-on hurdles to start doing creative activities with your kids! I've been in conversation with my sister-in-law lately about how to become a hands-on mom. She's just at the beginning stages of truly being able to do activities with her oldest. It's all about overcoming hurdles and obstacles - excuses ...
Ultimate Week of Back to School Activities for Kids to Try
Get ready for fall with our best back to school activities for kids! Your kids will love these cool school-themed activities! This week is back to school for Henry, and next week George starts preschool. Back to school is definitely in full swing! We are doing all the things for back to school: clothes shopping, shoes shopping and getting all those supplies organized. But ...
Make Back to School Mornings More Positive with Put Ups!
Help cut the friction of busy mornings with a simple back-to-school switch that makes school mornings more positive! We go back to school early here in mid-August. That's pretty early - earlier than most - and we start getting ready sooner, too. Which means right now. Get ready for school with a week of fun activities! Before it creeps up on me any faster, I've decided ...
Get the Kids Moving Inside When It’s Too Hot Outside
The sun is hot, the kids are sweaty. Learn how to get the kids moving inside when it's too hot to play outside in the summer! I don't know about where you're at, but right now, it's starting to really get hot out - just super humid and muggy. That means more time indoors. And that also means we need to get moving indoors since the boys have a lot of energy to burn that ...
Cool Off with a Baby-Friendly Ice Sensory Activity
Cool off with a baby-friendly ice sensory activity! It's easy to make and use! Along with breaking out the pool to cool off every day, we found some other activities to do outside and make the heat more tolerable. From easy ice sensory activities to sweet treats, we beat the heat. Admittedly, it's a little harder to find something that all the boys can enjoy. Which is why this ...
Easy Homemade Fizzy Sidewalk Paint Recipe for Kids
Grab the how-to for our essential fizzy sidewalk paint recipe! It's a must make for summer! This sidewalk paint recipe has come in handy a number of times. It's great for the kids to paint with, but its also easy for me to use when I'm setting up an activity and need something more exciting than just sidewalk chalk. Homemade Fizzy Sidewalk Paint Recipe I made a variation of ...
Extra Fancy Oil Pastel Resist Watercolors on Canvas for Kids
Get extra with your next art project for kids with fancy oil pastel resist watercolors on canvas! There's something so fancy about art on a piece of canvas. I think it really makes the kids think they're making something extra special. Last year the boy made a piece of art on canvas with the frozen paints outside on a very hot day, which hangs in George's room. Since I ...
Yummy Edible Frozen Excavation Sensory Play for Kids
Chill out with a fun, edible frozen excavation for toddlers! It's a fun way to beat the heat together! It's been a hot summer! And we've been hunting for ways to cool off while still enjoying lots of outdoor summer fun. In order to Beat The Heat last week, we froze some berries and dug them out! Using tools to find hidden treasures is thrilling for a preschooler! Yummy ...
Classic 4th of July Spin Art Streamers Craft for Kids
Make spin art streamers for 4th of July! It's a timeless craft that kids love to create! I was in the mood for a 4th of July craft - something classic and timeless. Immediately, I thought about streamers. I loved making and decorating with streamers for holidays and special occasions as a kid! Classic 4th of July Spin Art Streamers Craft for Kids But ...
DIY a Festive Kid-Sized American Flag for Fourth of July!
Celebrate the USA with a fun DIY kid-sized American Flag for the Fourth of July! The American flag is awesome for learning! Just in this one activity we covered: patterning: red/white/red/whitecounting: how many stars and stripes?fine motor skills: taping, cutting, clipping, and more! In one fireworks fueled moment, I even contemplated adding measuring to this ...
Kids Love Creating with Messy-Fun Mud Painting
Get dirty, make art with a messy-fun mud painting activity from Activity Room Member of the Month Amanda! Sometimes the well just runs dry when it comes to hands-on activities. Even the most creative parents need a little help to create fun experiences for their kids. That's where our Member of the Month, Amanda, found herself after the birth of her son. "When my daughter ...
Easy DIY Toy Garage Matching Game for Preschoolers
Get your child engaged with learning using a DIY toy garage to match letters, numbers, and words from our Member of the Month Krystyna! Parenting isn't easy. It's lots of sleepless nights and so much second guessing. "I had a newborn, and going out wasn't as easy anymore," explains Krystyna. "It was easy to put on the TV. It's a crutch that we rely on too much." One late ...
Silly Soapy Sensory Jars Activity for Toddlers
Make a silly, bubbly and colorful DIY sensory toy for your kids! Every child will love playing with soapy sensory jars! I originally made it for George (who's 18 months) and now Louis at 2 1/2. But don't limit it to your toddlers! Babies and even preschoolers will enjoy this as well. We are always on the lookout for activities to do with toddlers, and this is a perfect ...
Rainy Day Rainbow Body Tracing for Preschoolers
Enjoy interactive hands-on creative play with your kids - rain or shine - with a rainbow body tracing activity. Decorate the outlines and label the parts, just like our Member of the Month Brittney! It sure is hard to come up with new, exciting activities day after day. For a mom with a kids across a wide age range, it's extra challenging. Our Member of the Month, Brittney, ...
Simple Finger Painting for Toddlers with Edible Finger Paint You’ll Love
Finger painting for toddlers is a great sensory activity, along with a great beginning art activity for them. Make art time extra kid-friendly with simple DIY edible finger paint! As George is getting older, it's getting more interesting to keep him entertained during activities with Henry. Especially art activities. Because he's usually stuck in his high chair with nothing ...
Easy Easter Egg Splatter Painting Activity for Kids
Try painting with a toothbrush! Make an easy Easter egg splatter painting with your kids! The boys made these pretty Easter eggs by doing splatter painting with a toothbrush. It was a new way for them to paint and they had fun with it! Grab some old toothbrushes to splatter paint with! I always save our old ones for cleaning tools and they seem to pile up. After a thorough ...
Cool Preschool Watch Makes Taking Turns & Transitions Super Simple
Are your kids having trouble with sharing? Use this cool preschool watch to make taking turns super simple! This winter has been so tough! We haven’t been able to be outside much lately. It has been an incredibly cold winter where we live, with constant snow, ice, and wind. That's making going outside for more than just a few minutes near impossible. We normally like to ...
Try an Easy Counting Flower Petals Math Activity for Kids
Math is so much more fun when it's a hands-on activity. Try an easy outside math activity by counting flower petals! I'm always on the look out for ways to mix learning in with fun. So we took our play time outside today! We took a look around our house for flowers that were in bloom. I love a great nature scavenger hunt! I asked Henry if he could count the petals on the ...
Tissue Paper Cross Easter Craft for Kids to Make
An Easter craft that toddlers can do! Make a simple tissue paper cross to put in your window for Easter! It just doesn't seem like it's Easter yet for some reason. I just haven't gotten in that complete "Spring" mode, besides playing outside every day possible! Seriously, I just (as in last weekend) put the snowmen away in my house. I just haven't gotten my mind wrapped ...