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Measurements Lesson and Play (with free printable!)
After reading some particularly encouraging testimonials and blogs, we’re trying to work a LOT more water drinking into our daily routine. Staying well hydrated is good for both your mind and body! In figuring out the optimum amount to drink I ran into a lot of logistic problems. Should I count ounces all day? Cups? […]
5 Great Reasons to Visit Your Local Playground
Do you enjoy taking your little ones to your nearest playground? Spending time with children in the great outdoors is a fantastic form of exercise. However, it is no secret that chasing after your children can take its toll on your muscles. Consequently, if you often feel tired and exhausted after a long day looking […]
Pantone Leaf Necklace
I seriously might have a problem, I think I’m addicted to paint samples. In any case, we did this fun project immortalizing the colors of Fall, and turned it into a beautiful fun necklace. Check it out! We started on a crisp morning with a walk around our neighborhood, collecting some “samples”. It was fun […]
Spirit Animals
If your world is anything like mine, Halloween costumes are a hot topic around this time of year. I keep a running list of costume ideas going year-round, so we don’t get caught clueless at the end of October, and I’ve got plenty of bits and pieces for a variety of personas saved from years […]
Halloween Party Idea: Disco Pumpkin
Carving pumpkins is tons of fun (and the tools have gotten ridiculously better since I was a kid!) but it sure is messy, and sometimes it doesn’t seem like a great idea to put all those sharp tools into tiny hands! While the grown ups are carving, and sorting the pumpkin seeds for a treat […]
Milk Jug Skull Lanterns
Use a few materials that you might already have on hand to make these spooky milk jug skulls! I saw some of these on someone’s stoop the other night and thought we have got to try that! This simple craft calls for just a few supplies, doesn’t take long, and makes a big impact in […]
Popsicle Stick Tic Tac Toe Board
Tic-tac-toe is an easy first game to teach your preschooler. Practice taking turns and following simple rules. You can use popsicle sticks and rubber bands to make this portable tic-tac-toe board and play with alphabet cereal x’s and o’s. Take four popsicle sticks and use four rubber bands to fasten them together into a tic-tac-toe […]
Halloween Garland
Every trip to the hardware store seems to result in a pocket full of paint sample colors, and we LOVE making crafts from them! I guess because of the season, we ended up with a lot of spooky colors this time – we used them to make this easy holiday garland. Your garland is only […]
Play With Your Food: Pizza Fun Faces
Spice up an easy meal by encouraging your kids to really play with their food! Here’s an easy project on a day when you might not really have time to do anything but make dinner. Use pizza toppings (we used pepperoni, green peppers, and tomato) and some little frozen pizzas. Or you can easily make […]
Ghost-mallows!
Make your fall drinks way ghoulier with these fun and easy Halloween marshmallows! We used: – pre-packaged instant hot chocolate mix (but you could definitely make your own) – marshmallows – black FoodWriter marker After cutting the marshmallows in half (which isn’t totally necessary, but means the marshmallows will float flat, or “face up” […]
Halloween Party Idea: Spooky Ice Hands
Use household gloves to make some ghostly hands to add to Halloween party games and decor! You may use a giant porch spider, funko figures, or even a spook-tacular neon sign customized to suit the Halloween decor (available on online stores like Neon Filter and alike). But adding a couple of creepy hands could be […]
Easy Window Silhouettes
I absolutely love holidays but all those decorations can get a little pricey, especially when you like to go all out like I do. When I saw this pin for Halloween decor on Pinterest, I knew it was the perfect budget-friendly decoration for ALL holidays because you can customize it however you want. It looks […]
DIY Mummy Decorations from Toys
We’re getting pretty into dress-up here lately, and it’s extending into the toy collection. It’s almost like they have a big costume party coming up or something… Today we turned a ordinary dollar store tough guy into a seasonally appropriate mummy! This project is fun because kids get to work with their hands preparing the […]
Paint Pen Pumpkin Decorating
It’s pumpkin season! Carving pumpkins is great, but with young kids it’s hard to make that happen. At our house, we like to use paint pens to decorate our pumpkins in various ways. It is so much faster and less messy. Plus, kids can decorate their own pumpkins no matter how old they are. We […]
Glittery Spider Web Craft
Whether you’re looking for a fun fall activity or something to accompany a spider study, these spider webs will be just the thing. You will need liquid glue, wax paper, and glitter. Trace the shape of your spider web on the wax paper. Make sure your lines are thick and solid; some of the ones […]
DIY Play Telephone (that works!)
Make your own it-really-works diy play telephone with styrofoam cups and string! Here’s how. In the bottom of each cup, poke a small hole (a very sharp pencil works well; this is a good part for an adult to do). Thread one end of a 2-3 foot length of string through the hole in each […]
Ramps, Tubes, and Balls: Enriching Creative Play
Why is it the box the toy came in is more engaging than the toy? Because children get to use their imagination, be creative, and build an experience bigger than any toy can create! Creating an atmosphere of enriching creative play doesn’t have to be hard. Here’s some ideas to get you started: – balls, […]
Preschool Lunch: Predipped Veggies
This is an easy dish for kids to help make, and it is perfect for lunches and picnics. Save space and have less leakage with this veggie dip tip! First you will need a container tall enough to stand your vegetables in. We used baby carrots, but any kind of dippable veggie will work. Put […]
Stand-up Paper Giraffe Project with Printable
Here’s a project to do before or after your next zoo trip. You’ll need: paper, scissors, a hole punch, pipe cleaners, and this printable. You can print the giraffe-printable on colored paper or print it out and use it to trace onto construction paper. If tracing, fold the paper in half widthwise first and make sure […]
Color Blending With Play Dough
Show your preschooler how primary colors are blended to make secondary colors in this fun and simple color blending activity. You will need play dough in three different colors – red (or pink), blue, and yellow. You can buy dough or make your own. We made this easy soft dough recipe and divided it into […]
Easy Soft Play Dough Recipe
This super-easy play dough is not only is it easy to make (only two or three ingredients and you probably already have them!), it’s a snap to clean up and makes for a great sensory experience. You need some hair conditioner (whatever you have should work), cornstarch, and, if you want, food colors. I started […]
Creepy Crawly Pipe Cleaner Creatures
Using this method, you can make any number of crawling creatures from your pile of pipecleaners. Besides pipecleaners, you may want to use some googly eyes and glue. To make legs, antennae, and heads for your creatures, bend pipecleaners into zig-zag shapes and twist as shown. You can make 3, 4, or 5-legged sections […]
Backyard Fun: Digging for Worms and Bugs
It’s always fun to dig in the dirt when it’s not work. Kids love getting dirty and finding little critters to put in their buckets. If you’re closing up your garden for the season make sure to let your kids dig around a bit for this great sensory activity! It’s a brilliant way to get […]
Practice Cutting: Paper Snakes
This activity is great for more advanced preschoolers to practice their cutting skills. You’ll need paper, a pencil, and scissors. Starting in the center of a piece of paper, draw a spiral line. Don’t make the circles too close together. Go all the way to the edge. Starting at the edge, carefully cut on the […]
Daisy Flower Chain Instructions
Have you ever wanted to teach your kids how to make daisy chains? Here are simple instructions. You will need: flowers. Small flowers that grow in the grass are perfect for daisy chains; dandelions work great too! Make sure you leave a few inches of stem when you pick the flowers, as you will need […]
Homemade Time-Out Glitter Bottle Timer
Make these sparkly glitter bottles with your preschooler. They are fun to play with but have also been serving another use: Time-Out Timers! Have your child shake the bottle when upset, and then watch it settle to calm down. When everyone is settled down, normal life can resume. All you need: empty water bottles, glitter, […]
DIY Scratch Art
Create your own scratch art paper and artwork! I was amazed at how well this worked. Here’s what you’ll need: – Watercolor or Multimedia paper – Oil pastels – Acrylic paint (for traditional scratch art you’ll want to use black) – Paint brust – Scratching tool What to do: 1. Create a design on your […]
Rainbow Letters Coloring Pages: Free Printables for Beginning Writers
A great activity to work into your preschool letter lessons is Rainbow Letter Tracing. The idea is for the preschooler to trace the same letter several times with different colors to get the hang of how to write that letter. They create a rainbow of colors on the letter. It’s a great way to get […]