Are you helping your child learn to read right now? There is a lot of priming that happens before you even begin helping your child learn to read. Such as learning phonic sounds and the letters of the alphabet, and just learning language in general (see our 6 ways to build a child's vocabulary through play). But once your child begins to sounds out words and reading books, how ...
Ultimate List of Conversation Starters for Every Family
Kids need routine, right? I've shared the importance of routine for kids before. Eating dinner together as a family is part of our routine. And the kids need it. We have always eaten as a family. It's something that's never been an option not to. We make it a priority in our family and we always eat dinner together. So when Vanity Fair® Napkins asked me to help promote their ...
Homemade Leaf Blower Fall Craft for Kids
Does your child love using Dad's tools? My kids get a kick out of the leaf blower, and now they can make their very own! Reader Corie shares how she and her son make a homemade leaf blower. Here on the east coast the leaves are beginning to fall. This may be my 3 year old son’s favorite time of year because it means more time spent watching leaf blowers! Not to mention aerators and ...
Follow the Line & Match the Stickers
We have finally made the step to go camping for a weekend. Something we've been meaning to do as a family for years. And then it happened to rain the first night that we went... and I was alone with the three boys (my husband was coming after he worked that night). When I say we went camping, it wasn't exactly roughing it. We had a nice camper (borrowed from my parents for a ...
Make Your Very Own Homemade Potato Man
If your kids are into Mr. Potato Head, or maybe they don't have one, making this homemade potato man is fantastic! What a great way to get kids talking and increasing their vocabulary! I am in love with this creation from a fellow huddler, Lena! (Join us in the Huddle!) Olivia has never really taken the initiative to engage in anything before without being shown or prompted ...
Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment with Color Fun
Any baking soda and vinegar experiment I've ever done with the kids has always been a success. The fizz just makes it so much fun! This is one of our favorite activities that we do, and my kids' too! Below you'll find Henry's version we did from a few years ago. I recently did it with the younger two boys again and thought I'd update this post (kind of for my own personal ...
Lotsa Color Activities for Preschoolers & Toddlers Too!
Learning colors seems to be one of the first things that toddlers and preschoolers grasp. I don't know the technical, or developmental approach to learning colors, but I do know a lot of fun ways to foster learning colors for toddlers and preschoolers! We have done so many color activities! Color Activities for Preschoolers (& lots of 'em)! From color activities that help ...
Pop! Learning with Bubble Wrap
Bubble wrap has always been a fun material to keep when we get packages! We've made bubble wrap runways and roads and even made bubble wrap prints with it. It wasn't until recently that we made it a learning tool. And it's definitely a hit with the kids! I decided to use the bubble wrap to have a little refresher for school. For my preschooler, that meant we would ...
Managing Screen Time Rules for Kids + Free Guide
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of OurPact. I realized this summer that I have been way too slack in my parenting. I’ve always taken pride in my hands-off approach to rules. I still do. I’m all about doing hands on activities and teaching kids responsibilities, but never have enforced a set of family rules. However, there was a time this summer that I realized ...
Find & Erase the Matching Shapes
Matching shapes can be a great way to introduce new shapes to toddlers and preschoolers. This is a fun activity that toddlers will love to do outside! This summer hasn't been very fair for the kids. Louis has to nap still. And the older boys get to go do things without him and he misses out. This particular time, the older boys went to the pool with Dad while Louis napped. ...
Painting with Wheels Gone Bigger
I've had a mild panic attack lately. My littlest, Louis... well, he's almost out of the toddler stage. He's 2 1/2 already and is learning things left and right. I have so many toddler activities I've wanted to do with him that we just haven't done! It's time to start checking some of these off the list! And Big Art is one of them. I haven't really had Louis explore art in a ...
A Sample Weekly Plan of Crafts for Kids
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 weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly. With each of my kids’ interests, I ...
Simple Toothpick Activity for Fine Motor Skills
Save your spice jars for this simple toothpick activity to work on fine motor skills! I always have large containers like this. But always thought it was something we had, and it wasn't something that you would normally find in your house. I get them from the bakery as large sprinkle containers (affiliate link, so you can see what I mean). And then, the other day, I used up ...
A Sample Weekly Plan of Science Experiments for Kids
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 weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly. With each of my kids’ interests, I ...
A Sample Weekly Plan of Art Projects
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 weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly. With each of my kids’ interests, I ...
8 Messy Play Ideas for Kids & Why You Should Let It Happen
I've got some messy play ideas to get you started on some fun with the kids! They're going to absolutely love you if you allow it to happen! Yes, messy play. Oh... its such a mess! I don't want my kids to make a mess! Noooo!! Sound familiar? I just had a similar freak out not too long ago when I challenged my newsletter subscribers with a messy activity. But wait! Give it a ...
Painted T-Shirts Toddler-Style
Painted t-shirts needs to be a memory every child has doing! Check out these toddler-style t-shirts shared by Nicole of Practical Research Parenting. I want my 2 year old son to be as excited about giving presents as receiving them. So this year I decided we’d make t-shirts together. I’ll share how we did it and what I learned. Toddler-Proof Painted T-Shirts Designs I used ...
A Sample Weekly Plan of Sensory Activities
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 weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly. With each of my kids’ interests, I ...
Earth Art Designs for Kids to Make
We all know it's good for our kids to be outside in nature. And today, I am excited to share one of the most addicting nature activities with you. Earth Art is one of my go-to activities with the children in my nature classes and camps as well as with my own two kids (2 and 5). Get the FREE Nature Week of Activities Download Children are mesmerized as they watch me ...
A Sample Weekly Plan of Gross Motor Activities
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 weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly. With each of my kids’ ...
Dandelion Counting Race
Dandelion season has begun! Our yard is filling up fast with those yellow spots. My kids absolutely love them. They think they're special. Me... well, I'd rather they weren't spotting my front yard... but hey, I don't have a green thumb to make them all go away. So instead, we found a fun race to get the kids to pick them all. And when I say we, I mean my husband. He gets ...
Block Patterning with Legos for Preschoolers
Playing with Lego blocks is a great two-for-one activity for preschoolers! Build early math skills with block patterning and work on fine motor skills, too. George is in Lego building mode lately. He's really getting the hang of the "big boy" Legos and builds constantly! He is still working on following directions to build a set. He's only 4, so he still has a lot to ...
Beginner Object Line Tracing for Toddlers
To me, tracing for toddlers shouldn't be on worksheets. I understand the reasoning for it, and applaud those of you that attempt it. As for my kids, they're not going to sit and do a worksheet. Its just not gonna happen. Henry's excited to do them now (he actually asks for worksheets at bedtime to practice spelling words) at age 6. But, as a toddler, there's no reason for it. My ...
Substitutions for 3 Supplies You Don’t Have
I have recently surveyed my newsletter subscribers about why they don't end up doing an activity with their kids. I asked what the main reason was. By far, the majority answer: I don't have the right supplies. Yes. That's my main reason too. I don't go out and buy something just with the idea of doing one special activity with my kids. I just can't justify that. There's ...
What OTC Medicine Do I Give My Kids?
Is it allergies? Is it a cold? What the heck do I give him? Why does parenting have to be so dang hard sometimes? How often have I taken the kids to the doctor for something so basic to find out its only allergies and what over-the-counter medicine I can give them? And then to remember that information for next time. I don't know why, allergies are mind-boggling to me. The last ...
Visual Addition Pom Pom Drop
We had a little learning fun with a pom pom drop! So simple! If you want to make just a basic pom pom drop for toddlers, just take out the visual addition element of this. It's super fun for toddlers to poke pom poms into it. This time, I didn't have any cardboard tubes on hand because I didn't plan to do this. It kind of just came up while I was researching for another post and ...
Jump & Grab the Matching Shapes
This move and learn activity is a twist on something we've done in the past. Henry did this in two different ways. Matching sight words as well as matching snowflakes. This time, it was for George. And we matched shapes. I cut out a whole bunch of shapes from paper (construction paper, scrapbook paper, they both work). I decided to cut 3 of each to match the set of ...
Paint by Number Canvas Art
We are in the midst of a laundry room redo. And we have one huge blank wall to fill. I have been taking painting classes and I thought I could display some of my own art on that wall (mostly just because I'm running out of places to put them), but then I thought it might be fun to mix the kids art in with mine too! I decided to do an art project with the boys that they could all ...
Thread a Fruit Loop Necklace
Making a Fruit Loop necklace is such a classic fine motor activity for kids to do, you have to do it! I have been digging through old photos lately - I recently bought Adobe Lightroom (affiliate link if you're interested) and have been organizing and purging. I am super excited when I stumble across an activity we did that I forgot all about! George painting with Q-tips was one of ...
Hand and Eye Coordination with a Hammer & Tees
Hand and eye coordination is definitely something all of my kids could use some practice with. None of us are particularly coordinated and unfortunately clumsiness runs in my family (sorry Dad). My kids have been on a play dough kick lately so I thought it might be fun to add some golf tees and a hammer to the mix for some good practice. Find more of our fine motor activities ...
Ribbon Fine Motor Play for Toddlers
This is another super simple activity that can keep the kids busy while you put dinner on the table. And a bonus that it also works their fine motor skills! Rubber bands have been a great way for me to keep kids busy before dinner too. Plus check out all our busy play ideas! What you'll need: A bottle (something with a smallish neck). And a bunch of cut up ribbons ...
Simple Q-Tip Painting for Kids
Have you ever let your kids paint with Q-tips? Letting them paint with objects that are out of the norm is quite fun for kids to do! They kind of think they're breaking the rules. And its a fun way to get kids that aren't normally interested in art projects to have an interest. At least that's my trick for my boys that aren't always into it. This is an oldie activity we did ...
Stuffed Heart Valentines Made with Your Child’s Artwork
These heart valentines for school are a wonderful way to reuse your child's art -- or a reason to make art! Anything goes with these! Their art is the sole focus of these cute valentines! But it doesn't matter how it looks! Which is why this is perfect for younger preschoolers and toddlers. You could try some of these "Big Art" art projects to get started. These valentines are an ...
Can You Follow the Number From Start to Finish?
George is on a roll with counting and learning his numbers. Now that he can count to 20 pretty well on his own, we're working on number recognition a little bit now. We play UNO a lot, which helps a lot with number recognition. However, I notice when we're playing that he gets stuck on the number 8 often. This simple number maze reinforces learning a single number (or letter, ...
It’s a Windy Race to Make the Kids Silly
This fun activity doesn't require much explanation. But it's fun nonetheless. You'll need paper plates and tissue paper. And something to mark as a goal. We used a dining room chair and underneath it was the goal. But anything can be used - a clothes basket, table, anything that gives them something to aim for. The object is to move the tissue paper with wind. And ...
Challenge Kids to Drop the String in the Cup
Once we get snow in Iowa... there comes snow days and late starts. And I need activities to fill the time! This was one that we did on a late start morning that had the boys challenged and wanting to do more and more. And best of all, it was suited for all three boys! This challenged their hand and eye coordination and fine motor skills in a way that wasn't about strengthening, ...
I Spy the Math Problems Sensory Bag
I love making sensory bags for the kids. I especially love making them into learning opportunities, because the kids love them so much, they find it so much fun and a challenge. We don't do them nearly enough, but making them an I spy sensory bag from our list of 48 sensory bag ideas is always a hit. I've shared the I spy sensory bag with rice where the boys worked on learning ...
Donut Hole Kids Valentines Free Printable
The boys took Donut Hole Valentines to school last year and they were a huge hit! Of course, we have the bakery to supply our donut holes, so it was no big deal. I printed out the below labels and then the boys cut them out. Henry wrote names of his classmates on each on the front, and wrote his name on the back. The boys punched holes in them for an added ...
5 Resolutions to Make the Most of Our Time with Kids
As you may already know, the whole being behind Hands On As We Grow was a New Year's resolution I made for 2011. I wanted to be doing activities with my kids and being a more hands-on mom. From there, the blog was born, which is a happy side effect. But the resolution itself had different purposes. I wanted it to: Help me enjoy this time while my kids are home with ...
Thank You & Merry Christmas!
I don't think I've ever stopped to just say thank you. I have the absolute best readers here at hands on : as we grow. Thank you! Not a day goes by that I don't get an incredible email or comment that makes me want to cry because it makes me realize that by sharing the activities here, there are moms, dads, teachers, grandparents and other caregivers out there that are finding ...
Frozen Gift Ideas for Under $30 + Frozen Gifts to Make
What child wouldn't love a Frozen snowflake pendant that sparkles? Or any of these Frozen gift ideas under $30? Plus, I found many you can make yourself that will cost just a few bucks, if that, including homemade ornaments that they'll want to make with you! Frozen. Frozen. Frozen. That's all I hear about! I kinda wish I had a child that was into all the Frozen-themed goodies ...
10 Reasons I Think Everything is Awesome about LEGO
Something that is on my kids' Christmas and birthday wish lists every year are LEGOs. It's been that way for about 3 or 4 years now and I don't expect it to stop any time soon. Whether its LEGO City, Lego Duplo or Lego Junior. There's a time and hands they each belong in. Right now, LEGO Duplo, our sponsor, is perfect for all of my kids. Henry has them mastered ...
5 Physical Activities to Help Keep Kids Healthy
How do you keep your kids healthy? When I looked up possibly ways to keep my kids, and myself, healthy, I found three common answers: Eat well. Take care of your body [brushing, bathing, etc] Exercise. That doesn't mean diets or going on an exercise regimen. But it does mean to watch what goes into their mouth, keep up on their personal hygiene, and making sure they get ...
15 Best Gifts for Young Kids: Readers’ Favorites
Do you have a hard time finding the perfect gifts for young kids in your life? Whether they're your own, or they're cousins, nieces or nephews. Its always tough for me to find gifts that are fun and something different, but yet something that will also get used. I've been having a hard time finding and deciding what to get my own boys this Christmas. I asked the hands on : as we ...
Car Play Mat T-Shirt Gift + BKY Kid Giveaway
I always love the idea of making homemade gifts for parents and grandparents every year. Yes, I love the idea. However, I rarely actually follow through with that idea... This is something I could follow through with though. I am so stoked to share these car play mat t-shirts from our sponsor, BKY Kid! These would make a perfect gift for Mom or Dad, or even Grandma or ...
Technology Complaints Solved Plus The Best Learning Apps for Preschoolers
Tablets. Kids. Do they belong together? I am a huge advocate for being hands on and playing with your kids. But - and maybe it's contradicting - I am also a huge advocate for the use of technology. I love exposing my kids to technology, in all forms. Most often it's on the tablet. I do second-guess myself and wonder if their time spent using technology is just a waste. And then I ...
10 Homemade Christmas Decorations for Kids to Make
Make this holiday season less stressful with homemade Christmas decorations for kids to make, the key is to make as many or as few as you would like. We always start putting up Christmas decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving. Instead of shopping on Black Friday, that's what we do instead. And since having kids, the Christmas decorations have become less and less. For a few ...
Triple the Name Tracing Fun
This is a name tracing activity that has preschoolers tracing their name three times for a fun way to learn their name. We just had parent/teacher conferences for both the older boys. I am very happy to report that both are doing very well in preschool and first grade. I have no complaints! One thing that George is surprising me with is the ability to write his name. ...
The ‘For Boys’ Label and What I Mean By It
I would like to talk about boys and girls for a bit. I would like you to know what I mean when I say something is a 'boy activity'. I have a few 'boy' posts on hands on : as we grow that say they're directed towards boys or that they are boy activities. For reference: Everything for Boys on 25 Pinterest Boards Every. Single. Time. I share them somewhere, on Facebook or on ...
Counting Kernels One to One Correspondence Activity
George is just getting the hang of counting and one to one correspondence. An important skill to learn before kindergarten. I am extremely excited to share with you this new product, that I'm also excited to be partnering with: Pre-K Achievement Rings. They're visual 'skill' cards on a ring. The set includes a parent guidebook and a wall poster as well. They showcase 37 skills ...
Do the Kernels Take up More Volume than the Ear of Corn Itself?
There's a myth that we recently heard about here in Iowa during harvest season. The theory, or myth, is about the volume of an ear of corn. The shucked kernels of an ear of corn take up more volume than when the same kernels were still on the cob. We decided to put this to the test and see if its actually true. What do you think? Do the kernels of corn take up more ...
Mega Bloks Rube Goldberg Machine to Pour Cereal
I was put to a challenge by General Mills, my sponsor, to make a Rube Goldberg Machine. Wait, what's a Rube Goldberg Machine? Yeah, I didn't know either. I had to do my research. Basically, its lots of simple machines put together to do a simple task very elaborately. One machine is manually put into action, which causes the next to start, and the next, and so on, a domino ...
Bucket & Clothesline Activity for Toddlers
This is a quick and fun activity for toddlers to keep busy with. I set this up for Louis to play for a bit before it was time to get Henry from school. I tied twine between two objects in the house. I used a doorknob (and propped the door to stay in place) and the leg of our dining room table. Much like a small clothesline for toddlers. Before tying it on, I slipped a ...
A String Obstacle Course to Find the Number Bonds to 10
I had a lot of fun making this string obstacle course. And the boys had a lot of fun practicing matching numbers as well as number bonds to 10. Number bonds is a new term for me, so I think I should explain how I understand it. Basically, its a math addition fact. What are all the number pairs that equal 10? 1+9, 2+8, 3+7, 6+4, 5+5 and backwards. Those are the number bonds of the ...
Photo Montage Craft for Kids to Learn Beginning Letters
“Buh, buh, buh...bear” “Buh, buh, buh...bug” “Buh, buh, buh...brick” “Buh, buh, buh...balloons” It’s Monday after PreK pickup and I listen to my daughter Brielle in the backseat of the car, after her 3 hours there, reciting some of what she’s learned. It’s ‘B’ week at school. Her backseat solo car chat is just too darn cute, and I love that her desire to read is ...
Photo Scavenger Hunt for Kids to Find Shapes
I've wanted to do a photo scavenger hunt with the kids for a long, long time. I always love any kind of scavenger hunt. And the boys love taking photos. But the boys don't have their own camera, and all I have is my DSLR that I use (affiliate link) and I don't want to hand that over to the boys (I'm nervous of it breaking... and I couldn't go without it until I got it replaced). I ...
25 Fun Things to Do as a Family
This post was written this past summer as a way to have fun with the kids, we did! I hope you did too. I know many of you are from around the other side of the world and are just heading into summer, so I want to still share this. For those of us heading into to the cold months, tuck this away for some fun next summer! Summertime was a time for family! I gathered so ...
Unscramble & Fill in Your Name
George has been practicing his name a lot in preschool so far this year. He knows the letters. He knows what letters are in his name. But we're still working on the order of the letters of his name. I set up this activity as a fun way for him to unscramble the letters of his name and put them in the correct order. I also made it a race track for him to drive down as he did it, as ...
Halloween Reading Fort Pajama Party
We had a Halloween pajama reading party! As part of a sponsored collaboration with Scholastic and Eveready, the boys can I set up a fun night of reading in the dark! Since Halloween is coming up, I wanted to try a reading fort that's Halloween themed. The boys loved this so much, we'll be doing it again on Halloween night! We planned a night to read in the dark after Louis went ...
Pom Pom Target Practice for Preschoolers & Toddlers
Set up this simple target practice for preschoolers using pom poms! It's easy and fun for preschoolers and even toddlers to aim fo! George asked for an activity to do with pom poms. He absolutely loves to blow the pom poms. Its just fun! I set up a little target on the floor using painters tape for him to aim for. Or try a target practice for kids outside - hope you don't mind ...
Hands on : as we grow Explained with a Photo
In a word or two, can you describe what hands on : as we grow is all about? If you aren't a regular of hands on : as we grow, we're all about simple activities to do at a moments notice with your kids. To simply enjoy spending quality time with your kids. Making it easy and having fun. So my word or two to describe hands on : as we grow: Activities. Kids. Simple. Family. ...
A Very Sticky Sensory Art Activity for Toddlers
This sensory art activity came from going back to the basics and doing such a simple sensory activity for toddlers. It kept them busy all day, and they were so happy doing it! Completely worth the little mess it made! After walking Henry to school in the morning, we walked to the bakery and then back home. I had a meeting with another mom to plan her son's first birthday cake, so ...
15 Fall Activities & Crafts for Kids
These are fall activities and crafts that were shared on It's Playtime linky party that I used to run here a couple of years ago. There was always great content found and these are no exception! It's Fall and gorgeous as ever! My favorite time of year is among us and I'm celebrating by sharing with you 10 ideas to do with the kids this fall! Four crafty, or things to make, with ...
Follow the Lines to the Apple
You know those place mats you get at restaurants that have activities for the kids to do while you wait for your food? Many of them have these follow the lines activities that the kids always love to do. (I included a link to an example at the end of this post.) Being 2D, my kids often get confused and treat it more like a maze and turn at any corner they want to get to where they ...
Display Kids Artwork from School in One Spot
Back to school is here! And I'm determined to find some way to display the kids' artwork that gets brought home from school. I always have every intention of scrapbooking. I always have every intention of doing yearly folders of keepsakes for school. I always have every intention... Oops. I'm worried about artwork and the upcoming school year. I need to come up with ...
Simple Baby Activities to Do This Week
A simple, but fun, week of baby activities! 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, so I shared a week of activities for one year olds last week. And then there's baby activities. Everyone wants to ...
Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers To Do with a Plastic Bottle
I always love to figure out what to do with a plastic bottle. There's always so many options when upcycling plastic bottles! I usually tend to thing crafty things can be made from plastic bottles, but they're also great for doing things for activities with the kids. Such as our sand and water scoop, or the catch the ball toy. Louis got a chance to get in on the action this time. ...
Sight Word Practice on the Stairs, Hands on Learning
Before school starts back up, some sight word practice was needed! Back to school is just around the corner. In fact, Henry starts tomorrow already. First grade! Wow! I didn't realize how fast this summer went by. We really didn't do anything to prevent the notorious summer slide. We have been reading at night though. Henry reads a book most every night either to myself or Dad, ...
Apple Printing Lunch Sacks on Parents.com
On field trip days for school, my kids are so excited to pack and take their lunch. They don't get to do it very often otherwise, so its always a treat! I cannot believe that Henry going back to school is already this week. Where did this summer go? I hope we have time to do some back to school portraits again this year! George's is still hanging in his room from last ...
One to One Correspondence Practice with Dice & Blocks
With just some blocks and a pair of dice, Henry practiced one to one correspondence and counting, as well as building towers! And even a little bit of patterning, all on his own! We did a similar activity with our blocks and ABC Mat as well, the dice were a new thing to Henry. I had him start with just one die. Rolling a die is a new skill too! He'd count the dots on that die ...
Ready, Aim, Blow! A Pom Pom Activity for Kids
This activity kind of happened on accident. And sorry, I'm slow to sharing it. We did this back earlier in the spring. After doing the letter connect the dots. George found the tubing from the butcher paper that we used up and instantly made a game out of it. Simply blowing pom poms into the tube. That's it. We used a straw to blow. With just George, it was a competition with ...
5 Things to Do Before Heading on the Road with Kids
Well, it has been a busy couple of weeks. First I got to travel without the kids and husband for a weekend to BlogHer Conference in San Jose. It was a lot of fun, getting to meet up with some of my favorite bloggers such as Allie of No Time for Flash Cards, Rachelle of Tinkerlab, Jill of A Mom with a Lesson Plan, Kristina of Toddler Approved, and Alissa of Creative with Kids among ...
Stop the Yelling & Learn How to Get the Kids to Listen
This webinar is in the past now. I'll let you know when we do another one! In the meantime, Positive Parenting Solutions (by Amy McCready) has free webinars every week and... shares the secrets to getting kids to listen! Hopefully we'll catch you next time for a webinar that I host! -- Jamie Parenting doesn't come easy to me. Its not an intuitive thing for me for some reason. I ...
A Taste Test for Kids: See It, Smell It, Taste It!
A taste test for kids is a fun, and kind of sneaky, way to get kids to try new foods. Plus, it's a wonderful sensory activity that lets them observe, smell and taste! I often think of sensory activities to do with touch, but there's much more than that, and this is wonderful to have kids explore. I recently got a new blender. I'm so excited; I've been wanting one for quite a ...
Indoor Throwing Activity That Won’t Break Breakables
Throwing newspapers! Good for throwing practice, but also for hand-eye coordination, as well as some counting practice in there too! Super simple setup. Some newspapers and a tub or bucket of some sort to throw into. Henry and I made our newspaper balls together. Crunch them up any way you like. The tighter they are, the easier they are to throw. We lined up our ...
Activities for Kids to Do on Car Rides
How do you entertain the kids during when you're traveling on a road trip? Last year, I shared tips for traveling with kids. Not just activities to do with the kids, but also tips in general from some of my favorite bloggers, the 20 Must Follow Moms. This year, we're planning a road trip again. We never go too far, and always can get there in a day, but we still need activities ...
Why Is it Important That I Do These Activities with My Kids Anyway?
We go in a circle around here. It goes something like this: We're doing all kinds of activities, they're fun, kids are in a good mood and we're generally a happy home! Because the kids are being so good, I start to slack. I let them play on their own, which I love to see. The kids become bored of playing on their own and they start getting into trouble. I try an activity here ...
A Fun Shaving Cream Activity for Hands on Learning
This is a shaving cream activity to practice writing and learning (just about anything, shapes, sight words, spelling, math, you name it). Plus its a great sensory activity! I've been a little rusty with new activities to do with the kids lately. Water has gone a long ways for us this summer. And its just them playing in it. So when George wanted something other than a water ...
A Seek & Find Movie Night Activity For Kids
Movie nights are always fun and the kids jump at the chance for them around here because we really don't do them all that often.They're really something special that they look forward to (try these 10 ways to slow down and really make your child's day if you haven't!). But they also get kind of long for my preschooler to sit all the way through. And most movies have a scary part in ...
Pinterest Crafts for Kids for Every Season, Holiday and Just for Fun
Pinterest is a favorite tool of mine for finding ideas. But when I look for Pinterest crafts for kids to do, they all look so perfect and pretty, did the kids really make them? I have quite a hard time finding crafts for kids to do on Pinterest that the kids can actually do. Often they're crafts intended for kids, but there's really no kids involved in making them, so I have a hard ...
What Can Kids Do While Waiting at a Restaurant? Plus, What Your Kids Do
We don't go out to eat a lot. We just don't. It's not because we have kids, though that does play a big part in it. But even before kids, my husband and I just made it a rule for us that we don't go out to eat a lot. We'd much rather eat at home, with home-cooked food. We actually probably eat out more now with kids than we did prior to them. Since we don't eat out a lot though, ...
JCPenney and Me: Finding Style for the Whole Family
As you may know, as a mom of 3 boys... fashion is not usually one of the first things on my mind. But I do like to look decent. For instance, you usually can't find me in a pair of sweats, or even a sweatshirt. And if I leave the house, I do put on makeup, I usually do even if I don't leave, because as a stay (work) at home mom, I need to feel a little pretty sometimes, ...
1, 2, 3 Counting Maze for Preschoolers
In an effort to brush up on Henry's counting skills, I made a quick counting maze on our driveway with sidewalk chalk. We've done a number maze before with tape, indoors. And we've also done a simple maze outside on the driveway too. I thought combining the two might be kind of fun for the boys, and get them out of the dirt for once. (Take a look at these pictures, you don't even ...
Boat Craft for Kids to Make from Juice Boxes
We suck down a lot of juice boxes in the summertime. I finally realized I can make something with these juice boxes! So we made a cute boat craft for kids to play with! They're very simple to make, but take a little help from Mom (and any adult). But I love to upcycle and reuse something before we throw it away. It just makes my craft cupboard much easier to stock! We used ...
Upcycled Sand or Water Scoop [and Funnel] for Summer
International Delight bottles are the best bottles to keep around for crafting, they're awesome to upcycle! We've had so much fun with them in the past [click to see our homemade telescopes and vases]. I'm excited to be working again with International Delight to bring you some more fun crafts this year that you can make with their bottles! Its summer and my boys are doing one of ...
Everything for Boys on 25 Pinterest Boards
I couldn't stop at just activities for boys, so this is a collection of the best places to find everything for boys on Pinterest. I couldn't leave out fun things like boy clothes and birthday party ideas for boys! The majority of these Pinterest boards are focused on different areas of activities that boys just love to take part in! I have three boys. Three very boy-y boys. They ...
Kids Walking Sticks to Create for Summer Hikes
Creating your very own kids walking sticks are a fun and easy art project that leads to more fun on summer hikes or walks around town! I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but we haven't been doing much for activities right now. School just got out, and summer is in full swing. And honestly, we're just enjoying the days! The boys have this enormous sandbox, and a dirt patch ...
Decorate a Cereal Bowl for Dad
Father’s Day quickly snuck up on me this year. And I’ve had a great idea for the boys to make for Dad this year. It seems we’ve been breaking our cereal bowls left and right lately. Plus, my husband hates the dishes we have. So new cereal bowls are in order for him. And to decorate them ourselves would be all the better, right? I found this Pinterest Pin from The Phobia (which ...
Find Loads of Toddler Activities on 25 Pinterest Boards
Instead of writing another post about my favorite toddler activities, I thought it might be better to show you where I get my inspiration for my favorite toddler activities! These Pinterest toddler activities boards! Its kind of like the saying: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Here's one of the tools I use to ...
Make Paint Swatches by Mixing Colors (with Paint Palette Hack)
This is a simple painting activity to make paint swatches by mixing colors for kids to see all the different shades of colors! The boys and I made our own paint swatches to see all the different shades of colors you can make by mixing just two colors. We've done plenty of activities for mixing primary colors to see what secondary colors they make, but we've never looked at the ...
Improve the Photos of Your Kids with These 3 Tips
Do you love looking back at the photos of your children and remember how little they were or wear that one outfit everyday? Me too. You don’t have to have dreams of owning a photography business to want to improve your photos. You can easily improve the photos of your children by following these 3 simple tips. Wait there’s more (Sorry I just always wanted to say that), at ...
In Reality I’m Not The Oprah of Motherhood
I recently got the highest form of compliment I could have ever expected to receive in an email with a reader. She told me: I do love your blog and all the great ideas you share! You're like the Oprah of motherhood in my book. Wow. Just wow. How could I ever be compared to Oprah? And then I realized... she doesn't see what I see here in my home. Or all the doubts in my ...
The “What’s Missing?” Memory Activity for Kids
This is a fun memory activity to boost kids minds. You can use any objects and then just remove one to see if they can guess what's missing. Its a great busy activity when you need it. I owe this wonderful memory activity idea to my amazing Facebook fans. I shared a post on Facebook about how to keep kids busy while you're waiting at a restaurant from Mama Scouts, it has ...
13 Activities for Kids Using Technology Off-Screen
How do you feel about your kids using technology on a daily basis? I have always had a love of technology. And I want my kids exposed to technology as well. In my mind, there is no getting around kids using technology. They need to just for the fact to learn how to use it and be familiar with it. My kids have always had access to my tablet, and we're getting better to letting ...
Number Maze for Kids Learning to Count
I taped out a maze on our floor with masking and painter's tape. To make it a number maze to practice counting, I simply labeled it with numbers, with one path being in numerical order. The rest were just random numbers. I used the tape itself as the road of the maze (instead of between the tape lines). By the way: this was the extent of George's participation in the ...
Cheerios Skip Counting by 10s with 1-2-3 Peas
We had a little fun with Keith Baker's book 1-2-3 Peas and am excited to share a math activity to go with it for Henry to practice skip counting by 10s. I got the opportunity to interview Keith Baker about his participation in the Cheer On Reading program and his book 1-2-3 Peas (affiliate link)! I am so excited to be partnering with the Cheer on Reading program by Cheerios and ...
Fill in the Shape with Blocks
Remember a couple of years ago? You've been with me that long, right? Well, if you haven't, a couple years ago, Henry and I did an activity with blocks. I taped a couple large squares on the floor and Henry filled it up with blocks. We used our Imaginarium block set (an affiliate link to help support hands on : as we grow) that has small blocks (think 1 inch cubes) and some odd ...
String a Line to Matching Pairs for Sight Words
Henry's been flying through his sight word lists lately. I've been so proud of him. Some we haven't even practiced at home, he's just learning them so quickly on his own at school. But I like to bring what he's working on at school into the house so that I can see how he's doing first hand. I made a simple sight word activity for him to connect matching pairs. It's basically a ...
Fort Magic Shape Tunnel Races
The boys have been loving their Fort Magic Kit! It definitely is the ultimate way to build a fort! Endless possibilities equals some super happy kids. Its been such a fun toy to have around the house. I'm so excited to be working with Fort Magic again to share their awesome toy for kids. Plus, we have another giveaway for one of their kits! Enter to win below! Fort Magic has ...