3 year olds
DIY Musical Instruments: Cereal Box Guitar
Musical instruments are all the rage at my house recently. Last week my preschoolers put on a ‘marching band’ where everybody was a drummer (ear-splitting!) and had a blast. I thought it was about time to expand their instrument selection, so when we emptied a box of cereal I knew just what to make. For [...]
Pipe Cleaner & Straw Preschool Jewelry Project
Here’s a fun beading activity for very young children. The pipe cleaners are easier to handle than strings or shoelaces and they fit perfectly inside the straw-beads. What you will need: pipe cleaners, colored straws, scissors, and tape. First make your beads by cutting the colored straws into one inch pieces. If you are working [...]
Origami for Kids: Jumping Paper Frogs
Today we made jumping paper frogs. These are a very simple origami project that kids love, because they really jump! All you need is some paper and crayons or markers. I used small strips of paper, about 3×6 inches, but 3×5 index cards would work well also. Start by having the children color the paper [...]
Bath Time Foam Letters, Numbers, and Shapes
I am always on the lookout for preschool learning activities that can easily be replicated at home for a fraction of the cost. So when I saw a package of foam bath letters and numbers at the store for $8, I knew could easily make these at home for much, much less using colored foam [...]
Simple Nature Scavenger Hunt Printable
It’s spring, and chances are it’s beautiful outside! My two toddlers love to spend time outside together, so I’m always looking for new outdoor activities to keep them active and learning. This week I decided to put together a nature walk/scavenger hunt so they could practice paying attention to their surroundings. My daughter is only [...]
Foam Dough = Shaving Cream + Corn Starch
My preschooler loves playing with play dough, but what do you do when you run out? I’ve tried making my own, but it’s never turned out as smooth as the store-bought dough. Plus, I don’t like the price tag for it. So, as usual, I browse the internet for ideas. When I first saw this [...]
I bet you CAN…Challenging Your Kids to Believe in Themselves
Today my son took 6 trips to bring all his matchbox cars out into the family room to play with them. We built ramps and had races. He crashed and wrecked them. Pure fun. After he was done, he needed to put them all away. The putting away part is never as much fun as [...]
Ignore the mess sometimes and let them be kids…while it lasts
I usually cringe when I think of the mess that my preschooler makes when we do projects and activities together because any activity (seriously any activity), she somehow manages to become a mini tornado of destruction. But I came across this pin on Pinterest. After reading the Hands Free Mama’s post the pin [...]
Printable Mother’s Day Card for Kids
Click any of the images to download this printable Mother’s Day card. Or download your printable Mother’s Day Card for kids here! We would love to see your creations too! Share them with us on our Facebook Page!
Spaghetti Painting
Here’s another unconventional (but fun and silly!) painting method to try out: spaghetti painting! It’s slippery and slimy and messy – a super tactile way to paint! You’ll need cooked spaghetti paint containers (we used muffin liners – you’ll need something shallow enough that the floppy spaghetti can really “get in there” and [...]
Homemade Sidewalk Paint
YAY!!! for warmer weather! Now that spring has sprung and we’ve started shedding our layers of sweaters, jackets, scarves, and gloves, I’ve been on the lookout for fun outside activities for my creative preschooler. While my 3-year-old enjoys painting, all those name brand paints can be a little pricey. So, I scoured the internet [...]
Easy Geometric String Art for Preschoolers
Encourage fine motor skills and pattern making with this easy-too-make geometric string art project! There’s a number of ways to complete this project. We used Cardboard A marker to trace a circle Styrofoam plate Scissors (and for thicker cardboard, a utility knife) A variety of embroidery floss or yarn tape We made two string [...]
Grow Onions in 10 Days: Great Growing Project for Young Kids
Grow your own green onions at home in 10 days! This is a great growing project for young children because they grow so fast the kids can see their plants grow day after day. What you need: – bunch of green onions – jar or cup – water What you do: 1. Cut the top [...]
Secret Agent ID Card – Free Printable!
When you’re a kid, there’s nothing more fun than pretending to be a mysterious spy. Print these secret agent ID badges, and let your little ones create their own secret identities! Let them paste or draw their photo. Get a stamp pad and fingerprint them. Fill out the important secret agent information. Cut out, [...]
Build Your Own Theater Stage
Our kids love to sing a song or create plays with an audience. We’ve all heard “Mom, look at this” a million times. They love to show us that they are good at things. Sometimes we feel the need to take imaginative play to the next level. Maybe your kids spend a lot of time [...]
Washi Tape Flags
Here’s a way to make some super cute and super easy muffin toppers! They look great with our wild-berry muffins and are a good activity to get into while you wait for the muffins to bake (especially if you have antsy little bakers around). You’ll need toothpicks washi tape (in a few different [...]
Toothpick Porcupines
Make these pokey, adorable toothpick porcupines with air dry clay and toothpicks. We made two different kinds, a “regular” porcupine, and a rainbow porcupine! You’ll need air dry clay (we used 2 different brands, both worked great) toothpicks markers For a rainbow porcupine, you’ll start by coloring toothpicks in any [...]
Preschool Egg Carton Color Sorting Activity
I love homemade preschool learning activities that recycle materials that I already have lying around my house and that are super easy to make, like this egg carton color sorting activity. By repurposing an egg carton with a little paint, my daughter now has an activity that can be used over and over [...]
Penny Game for Preschoolers
Here’s a good game for a rainy day. Two or more kids can play it, and it’s easily assembled from stuff you might have around the house! You’ll need a cup of water a napkin, paper towel, or tissue a rubberband a pencil a coin Assemble the game by filling [...]
Chasing Magic Spring Coloring Page
My daughter whispered to me a few days ago that we were definitely going to catch the Easter Bunny this year after some failed attempts at catching a leprechaun last week. This coloring page captures the desire our young ones have to catch the magical creatures we tell them stories about. These are the dreams [...]
Toilet Paper Roll Snake Project
We’re now in the Year of the Snake! Celebrate by making this cute and super easy snake from a toilet paper tube. You’ll need A used toilet paper tube Paint Glue Eyeballs Scissors Start by having your child paint the tube. We used a mix of red, yellow, and orange. You can make [...]
DIY Kazoos: How to make 2 kinds of Kazoo at home!
Kids love making music! Here’s two simple ways to make a kazoo to add to your family band! The first kazoo is a simple construction from a toilet paper tube, which we fancied up with a coat of paint. You’ll need A toilet paper tube Paint Waxed paper A rubber band A pin to poke [...]
Easy Peasy Preschool Color Experiment
Sometimes the best way for a preschooler to learn something is to do a hand-on experiment. This is the exact approach I took after deciding to try introducing secondary colors to my 3-year-old daughter. Sure, she knows her colors, she still was not quite making to connection as to how certain colors mixed together to make [...]
In the office with your kids? Make Photocopier Hand Creatures!
Ever have to run into work for 20 minutes with your kids? I know I’ve had to do it a couple of times to grab a few things or get something printed after hours. Why not make it a unique and fun experience? If you have a photocopier (and your boss doesn’t care if you [...]
DIY Rainbow Cake
My daughter wanted a rainbow cake for her birthday…ok, maybe I planted the seed a little bit because I wanted to try this. It was fun to make and she totally LOVED the results. The process is super easy. Use your favorite white or yellow cake recipe or mix. Separate the batter into as many [...]
Pop Up Letters & Alphabet Coloring Pages – Uppercase and Lowercase Download
Print these pop up letters for your toddler or preschooler to trace and color to get more familiar with their alphabet. Download the full set of alphabet coloring pages here (lowercase) | (uppercase) – The full set includes the alphabet coloring sheet above and all the individual letter coloring sheets below. or Choose from the [...]
Popsicle Stick Chain Reaction
This project is so cool and you can spend as much time putting together as you want. Make the chain large or small. We made one about 15 feet and it only took 15-20 minutes for us to figure it out and build it that long. Basically, you weave them in a way that they [...]
Celebrating Dr. Seuss: Read with your Kits Coloring Page
Read With Your Kits (or rather your Kids) Make it fun and exciting. Enchanting. Fantastical. Did you know that on March 2, parents, teachers, and kids nationwide will be celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday and reading with the Read Across America project? You should too!
