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 ...
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2 Easy Play Cars and Paper Tube Activities for Toddlers
Give playing cars with your toddlers a new and exciting learning twist with 2 easy and fun activities that use recyclable cardboard tubes! Let's face it, toy cars and trucks are the best! They can provide hours of entertainment for kids! Have a look at these 35 car activities for more inspiration and fun. To be honest, anything that has wheels and moves is a lot of fun to play ...
39 Edible Sensory Play Ideas for Little Kids
Little kids put everything into their mouths, and these edible sensory play ideas are perfect for their hands-on activities! Occupying babies can be tough at times because they put everything in their mouths. You just need some safe edible sensory play ideas. 39 Edible Sensory Play Ideas for Little Ones It's hard when you have older kids around that want to play with ...
35 Nifty Name Activities Perfect For Preschoolers
Get your child excited about writing with 35 fun name activities that are perfect for preschoolers to work on recognition and spelling! Last year in three-year-old preschool, names were a big deal. So I can only suppose they will be again this year in four-year-old preschool. Henry learned to recognize his name pretty early on. At first, he thought any word that started ...
Simple Snowflake Symmetry for Kids to Cut Out & See the Similarities
Snowflake symmetry is an amazing math learning opportunity for preschoolers when we're stuck indoors during the cold winter months from Sarah at How Wee Learn! The snow is coming our way. We had some big, fluffy flurries in the air a few mornings ago. I can almost smell the winter air when I walk outside. Oh yes, winter will be here very soon. I am always excited about ...
50 Simple & Fun Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers
It's almost time for back to school for preschool and kindergarten kids and these alphabet activities will come in handy! How do you teach the alphabet to preschoolers?! As a preschooler, I don't really think a lot is expected for them to know. Some basics are good though, like colors, shapes, numbers and letters. To refresh my preschooler's memory of letter ...
Cool Candy Cane Science Experiment for Festive Kids to Predict & Observe
Got lots of candy-canes lying around at Christmas time? Try a simple a fun dissolving candy canes science experiment with your kids using supplies from the kitchen! If your kids are anything like mine, science experiments are always a win! My two little ones are always up for a good experiment, especially when it involves food, or candy! Prepping for Candy Cane Science ...
40+ Awesome Number Activities for Preschoolers
Number activities for preschoolers don't have to be boring and just worksheets, make them fun so your preschooler will love math! I love math. I'm a nerd, yes. But I love anything to do with numbers. I really do hope I can pass this along to my kids by making learning activities about numbers and counting fun for them and not a chore. As I'm typing this, Henry's shouting ...
Gross Motor Activities for Preschoolers: The Top 35!
Gross motor activities for preschoolers are a MUST in my book. Preschoolers aren't quite as hard as toddlers to plan activities for, but there still are some limitations to what you can do. And getting their little bodies moving helps a ton! Download the FREE Active Indoor Week of Activities Preschooler have more gross motor control than toddlers Granted, ...
Frozen Bird Feeder Craft for Kids That’s a Cool Ice Wreath
Feed the birds with a pretty ice wreath bird feeder craft that kids can make in winter! Your birds will love this little frozen feeder full of treats! Download FREE Week of Wonderful Winter Fun I've seen some beautiful ice wreaths and thought we should make our own. Except that our ground is completely covered in snow and it's been just too dang cold to go out and ...
Cute & Crafty Fingerprint Christmas Cards for Kids to Make
Send these festive DIY fingerprint Christmas cards for a dose of fun holiday cuteness with an easy tutorial from Bernadette at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas! I adore the holidays - lots of family, friends, food, good times, getting together and, of course, fun activities galore! The Lil Divas and I have been busy little elves: crafting, creating and learning. Cute & Crafty ...
Hands-On Kids Activities for Thanksgiving Day
Spend tons of quality time as a family with easy-peasy kid's activities for Thanksgiving Day! Happy Thanksgiving! I used to dread the holidays because I never knew how my kids would behave during big get-togethers. Would they eat? What would they do? We're now finding a little bit of a groove when we head to family functions. I simply try to come prepared ...
Preschoolers Quiet Time Activities Perfect for 4 Year old’s
Grab a few moments to yourself with our hands-on Mom guide to quiet time activities for preschoolers that are perfect for 4 Year old's! We're making the most of quiet time, now that there's no nap time, with these quiet activities! I just don't want to let go of that time to myself yet, and I'm sure I'm not the only parent feeling this way. I am a very lucky mom and Henry ...
3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids to Do
Your child will love learning with these 3 easy light experiments for kids for kids to do at home! Science experiments are always a big hit in my house and this light experiment for kids will brighten everyone's day - literally! 3 Super Simple Light Experiments for Kids What three things can light do? This is the guiding question for this simple and fun light experiment ...
40+ Fun & Easy Fall Pumpkin Activities for Kids
Do more with your autumn pumpkins! Try 40+ different pumpkin activities for kids to learn, play, and decorate! 'Tis the season for pumpkins! But what do you do with them - aside from making a jack-o-lantern or setting them out on your front porch? 40+ Pumpkin Activities for Kids to Learn, Play & Decorate! I've searched the blog world and came up with 40+ ...
40 Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids to Really Show Their Thanks
We're all about being hands-on around here! I'm thankful for all of the available options. I have rounded up 40 Thanksgiving crafts for kids of all ages to show thanks. You're welcome! Of course, I want my kids to be thankful and grateful all year round. But that doesn't always happen. The Thanksgiving table is a great reminder for me to be intentional about teaching gratefulness ...
No-Carve Monster Pumpkins for Halloween
Grab some stickers and Halloween craft supplies to make your own no-carve monster pumpkins for Halloween! When we went pumpkin picking at my brother's, the boys couldn't help but pick a bunch of unripe, green pumpkins. Not exactly your traditional jack-o-lanterns, but it's what they wanted. I love decorating for Halloween. To me, that means pumpkins everywhere! Make ...
Simple and Sweet Apple Pie Sensory Bin for Kids
The sweet smell of apple pie can cheer up anyone's day. This simple and sweet apple pie sensory bin provides the yummy smell without the need for baking. Sensory bins are a wonderful activity that promote independent play, pretend play, and hands on fun for all five senses. Here is a DIY Pumpkin Scented Rice Bin to check out as well! Supplies Needed for Apple Pie Sensory ...
Numbers, School Countdown & Busy Play
A week of activities... (from top, left to right) We drew out a grid of numbers to count through! Great visual number practice, as well as counting! We're counting down to preschool (starts on Monday!) with a book countdown! It's Playtime is all about games! Games you can make for your kids at home to play. I kept George occupied and busy with a tried and true resource: ...
Learning (Plus its Fun!) Indoor Obstacle Course for Kids
I worked a little learning into an indoor obstacle course for the kids that may have let them climb and walk on my dining room table... it makes it fun when Mom says its okay to break the rules once in awhile! Why is it week after week, I've been saying "I need to get the kids moving!"? Maybe because we've been stuck inside for what seems like eternity and we are all going just a ...
16 Counting Activities for Preschoolers
George is counting like crazy lately! I don't know when, but it just clicked for him one day. Now, to put it into context, these are some fun counting activities for preschoolers to practice their 1-2-3s! There are some many hands on counting activities to do with the kids! Finding what's in nature, counting leaves, counting petals, counting rocks. Or look in their toy bin ...
Visual Discrimination Activity With Dot Stickers That’s Simple & Fun
Here's a fun and easy visual discrimination dot sticker activity that teaches children to see the similarities and differences in objects. Visual discrimination activities help children learn to look at the details in visual images. These skills guide children in learning colors, shapes, position, size, and orientation. This is very important for ...
50+ Prized Plant Activities with Simple Seed Crafts & Science Activities
I love activities that are fun yet educational. And these 50+ crafts and activities about plants and seeds are just that. Both fun (for kids and adults) and educational! Seeds and plants are a perfect theme for activities all year round (even if you can't get outside)! Enjoy learning about germination, condensation, and more through experiments, activities, and crafts. ...
Make a Wave Bottle for Kids to Explore
My kids not only loved to make these wave bottles, but now fight over which wave bottle is theirs! Good thing we labeled them! About a month ago, Henry attended a day camp that the local 4-H put on. It was a beach theme party and they made several crafts during their day. Henry's favorite craft he brought home was an Ocean in a Bottle. He was very adamant to make a wave ...
Hopping Activity for Preschoolers to Match Colors
Does your child have an over abundance of energy? Give this super simple hop activity to match colors and wear your preschooler out! It had been -40 C here for so long that we are all going stir crazy! I needed something new, fun and energetic for my kids to do. So here I was, looking around my house at different supplies, wondering what to do. I came across our ball ...
12 Garden Activities for Kids to Be Involved In
Looking for some exciting things to do in the garden with kids? Here's a collection of super simple garden activities for kids to get you started. Have fun! We have always wanted a garden. We have an enormous backyard. But we also have deer like crazy, so I always nix the idea. I'm not about to put that much effort into growing a garden only for the deer to eat it. But ...
12 Shape Activities for Toddlers! It’s Hip to be Square!
These 12 hands on shape activities for toddlers (2 year olds) will make it hip to be square! Toddlers will have fun learning shapes in a hands on way. We've been having a little bit of fun lately doing some hands on shape activities! George is on a shapes kick right now, anytime he asks for an activity, he's been asking for 'shapes'. I can't say no to that! I keep the ...
Fun Flower Activity with Counting & Jumping
Spring is here and we are ready for the warm weather and blooming plants. Here's a simple and fun flower activity combining counting and jumping that kids will love. Last summer we visited the sunflower fields and ever since Riley has loved flowers, especially picking them for bouquets. I decided to use an activity to help her learn some flower names and build her counting ...
Mailbox Pretend Play as This Reader’s Go-To Activity
A couple of weeks ago, I sent out an email to newsletter readers that asked them if they'd like to share an activity they've done with their kids as a guest post. This is the email I received back from Ashley. This activity is her go-to activity whenever she needs to get something done. Let me start by saying I love your blog, all your ideas, and your beautiful family. You have ...
How to Get Kids to Clean up on Their Own
How to get kids to clean up? This is a simple secret you can do today to get your kids to clean up on their own. I am always amazed at how quickly our playroom, or the kids bedrooms, can go from clean to chaos! It’s so easy for them to get out all the toys, but putting them back is another matter altogether. Sometimes all those toys overwhelm me and I have 30+ ...
Counting Snowman Scavenger Hunt – Get Moving with Math!
Make math exciting with a snowman scavenger hunt to match numbers and counting with stickers! Fine motor and gross motor in one activity! Win win! Let's face it, snowmen are adorable! Snowmen are truly a favourite of mine! In fact, I have multiple snowman decorations throughout my home. Whether there's snow outside or maybe just a chilly day, why not bring some ...
50+ Perfectly Simple Toddler Activities to Try at Home
Make playtime with toddlers so much simpler with 50+ simply perfect toddler activities! What activities can I do with toddlers? What is the best activity for a toddler? What activities should a 2 year old be doing? What should I be doing with my 2 year old? What do you do with a 2 year old at home? I've heard it all from readers over the years. Activities for ...
24 Simple Sticker Activities for Sticky Play Without the Mess
These simple and fun sticker activities are great for all ages and stages, as stickers are all around fun for everyone (plus they are fantastic for fine motor skills). Stickers provide that fun sticky and sensory experience without any sticky mess. Stickers are great to have for games, learning activities, crafts, fine motor practice and prewriting skills, and so much ...
Mega Baking Soda to Vinegar Ratio Experiment
Set up a mega science experiment to figure out what baking soda and vinegar ratio works best for you and your preschooler! We love a good baking soda and vinegar experiment, don't you!?? I don't know how many times the kids and I have done experiments with baking soda and vinegar. But I've always questioned how much to use of each... I've always just guessed and it ...
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 ...
3 Fun Educational Kids Games with Dominoes
Dominoes can be used for so much more than the popular games they were intended for! Turn them into new games with these ideas below and learn math skills too! Grab Some Dominoes and Get Ready to Play I love finding simple, educational activities I can do using supplies I already have at home. Don’t you? I wanted to find a fun game to play with dominoes (besides ...
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. ...
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 ...
Simple Crawling Obstacle Course for Baby
If you have a crawling baby that is constantly on the move than this super simple obstacle course is for you! Build that fine motor and have fun together. Louis is mobile now and almost walking, so he's crawling like a maniac! Since stairs are not an obstacle anymore...so its time to have some fun! Check out more of our activities for babies! Creating an ...
Interactive Symmetry Activity with Loose Parts
Challenge your kids with a symmetry activity using loose parts from around the house. Practice basic math skills while creating a fun little piece of art! My kids love creating symmetrical drawings. So I knew they would love this challenge that incorporated some pattern play. Creating on a large scale is so much more interactive too! Learning about symmetry is a great way ...
Scented Ice Sensory Play: An Easy Activity for Kids
Try this super easy DIY scented ice sensory play activity for kids! Summer is a wonderful time to take activities outside and it’s even better when kids can cool off with ice and water activities. This ice sensory activity will help keep you cool even on the hottest days! What's better than playing with ice on a hot day? Exploring yummy scented (and flavored) ice! Kids ...
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 ...
Name Trace with Stickers Easy Activity for Toddlers
Check out a super simple sticker name trace activity! Meet, Paola, our Member of the Month and see how sticker tracing is an awesome go-to activity! Let's meet Paola, our member of the month for The Activity Room. Paola is a Canadian mother of two, an almost three year old and a baby girl. Ever feel like you're just tired of looking for ideas, finding something that you ...
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 ...
Cool Water Balloon Shape Matching for Kids
Beat the heat and learn shapes with a fun water balloon shape matching activity for kids from Brigitte! There's no better way to beat the heat than with fun water activities! And water balloons are one of my favorite playtime tools! I thought it would be fun to pack some water balloons on a recent family visit, and I am so glad I did! I had a blast watching my 3-year-old ...
Crazy Fun Balloon Activity Race Kids Love
Put balloons to a ton of different active uses with a creative balloon activity race from Brigitte! If you're like me (and I bet you are), you've got balloons lying around at home. I always seem to stock up for birthdays and parties, but then the balloons end up forgotten and gathering dust. There's always the best of intentions to use the extra balloons in different ways, but ...
Pretend Shopping Trip in the Pantry Counting Real Money!
A low-prep pretend shopping trip from Erin will have your preschoolers and school-age kids eager to practice their skip counting skills! I'm always on the hunt for ways to connect play to real life and learning. Luckily, it's so super easy with pretend shopping. My kids love to go "shopping" in their play food or even in my non-perishable pantry items. The addition of a ...
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, ...
DIY Phenology Wheel for a Simple Preschool Nature Study
Combine nature and art with a super fun and easy artistic nature study from Alisha. Learn how to make a DIY phenology wheel for preschoolers! Do you have a child who loves the outdoors? Or a child who loves creating art? This coloring fun nature exploration activity creates a simple foundation for year-long nature study with just one activity. Explore more outside with these ...
Super Simple Turkey Ring Toss Thanksgiving Activity for Kids
Get the Thanksgiving wiggles out with a fun turkey ring toss activity that kids and adults can enjoy together! Do you ever end up sitting around the dinner table at Thanksgiving and twiddling your thumbs? Or worse yet, your kids are getting antsy while you're talking to all the adults. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. That means Thanksgiving crafts and activities are ...
Sweet and Silly Honey Hunt Book Based Activity for Preschoolers
Make reading extra sweet with a honey hunt booked based activity for preschoolers! Your kids will love this easy and fun pretend play activity from Alisha! Books are such fun and have the power to bring you anywhere in the world. You can become a princess riding through castles or a pirate sailing the high seas. Books can shape the way we see the world. Book-based pretend ...
Fun Story Retelling in Three Simple Ways for Kids
Build literacy skills with three simple story retelling activities from Alisha! Is your child learning to read or do they love story read-aloud stories? Story retelling is one of the best ways to build reading comprehension and bring about excitement and a love of reading. These super simple approaches will help to make story retelling a fun and engaging hands-on ...
Easy DIY Cereal Box Puzzles to Learn to Count
Upcycle (or recycle) your empty cereal boxes into cereal box puzzles to help teach problem-solving and matching skills, and learn to count while you're at it! I've been on the hunt for some really simple activities that I can throw together on a whim. This cereal box puzzle is one of them. It's almost immediate. I actually didn't happen to have a cereal box in the recycling ...
DIY Family Mailboxes for All Ages
Let your little one play mail carrier with DIY family mailboxes from Rachel! My girls love to write notes and draw pictures for others. Having a special place to "mail" their letters makes it easier for everyone. These DIY family mailboxes are an easy way to get the whole family creating together! They also provide endless opportunities for creating, learning, and ...
Simple and Fun Card Sorting Slot Activity
This super simple card sorting activity from Alisha is the perfect quick-prep activity for your toddlers and preschoolers to practice fine motor, sorting, and memory skills. Winter is a great time to make some delicious overnight oats or create a fun edible indoor sandbox. But now you're stuck with all those empty oatmeal containers! Put those empty boxes to good use with a ...
Make Your Own Board Games for Kids
Have you noticed how much kid learn from just playing board games? Alisha shares two simple ways to create your own board games for kids! I have found that board games for kids can teach them so much; taking turns, being a graceful winner or loser, academic skills, problem-solving, and teamwork. But have you noticed how expensive and complicated they can get? So as a hands-on ...
Painted Rock Garden Markers for Kids to Make
Hands On As We Grow contributor, Julie, shares these adorable garden markers for kids - such an easy and fun Spring activity for your preschooler! I love doing art projects with my preschooler, but doesn't it seem sometimes that there's really no use for the project after it's done? These painted rock garden markers for kids are both fun for your preschooler and super useful in ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
A Circle of Objects for Baby to Play & Learn
Keeping track of our kids' developmental progress has never been easier! Poor Louis, he often gets forgotten. I rarely track anything with him. And just finally, he's becoming a part of the activities we do. Its fun to do some special older baby activities just for him too though. I've recently been introduced to our sponsor's incredible new app, called Kinedu, that let's you ...
Sort Colors & Get Moving With a Play Tunnel
This is a silly way to get the kids to learn about and sort colors. I absolutely needed to get the kids moving, or at least I thought I did. I have not been making the best of all their energy lately, and it's starting to wear on me. So we included our play tunnel (affiliate link) in an activity, just for the sole fact to get them moving. Which may or may not have been a ...
Super Simple Color Collage
This is a super simple color collage for learning colors. It's a great introduction for colors because its great for kids that are just beginning to recognize that there are different colors and this is all about matching the colors and not putting labels on it. George, however, already knows most of his colors, so its more of a confidence builder activity for him. Lately, ...
Shape Activity: Sorting Blocks as a Graph
We've sorted blocks as a shape activity in the past. But it was pretty 'informal'. Not that this is really that structured of an activity, this one just has a place to put each shape of the blocks! To create the 'graph' to sort shapes on, I taped a large piece of paper to my floor with painter's tape. I used our butcher/art paper (affiliate link) I drew on the shapes of the ...
Recognizing & Building with Letter Blocks
With this letter block activity, I built on George's current knowledge of letters and stuck them into something he always loves! Blocks! Last week for the Summer Reading Series with A Mom with a Lesson Plan (she's sharing a book report template today!), I shared the beginning stage of introducing letters with a fun and magical painting! This week, we are progressing to the ...
Recycling Activity for Earth Day from Carrots Are Orange
Earth Day Recycling Activity Earth Day is an important holiday that's often overlooked. One of the greatest things about “Gen-I”, a label the media has placed upon our children, is that words like “recycle” are common use, every day. Jack Johnson even sings a children’s song about the 3Rs. Still, though, how do we get our children to truly develop the habits necessary and ...
Learn with a Word Quilt Collage from Education.com
Word Quilt Collage This paper word quilt collage activity is a great way for kids to practice letter recognition, exercise their oral language skills, and fine tune their visual processing abilities. This activity will encourage your young child to draw imaginative pictures and write accurate labeling words. Colors, patterns, and artistic processes will all be explored. View ...
13 Ways to Get Creative with Tape Resist Art
I have a thing for using tape in activities, and tape resist art is a fun way to be creative with it! I love using tape resist art as a cool way for toddlers to do an art project and actually make something out of it. Its easy for them and beautiful in the end. Two quick tips for creating tape resist art successfully: Use painter's tape,(affiliate link) it comes in all sorts of ...
Meet Jamie!
I'm Jamie, the mom. I'm a former marketing manager turned stay at home mom when I had Henry. When he was 2 1/2 years old, I decided I wanted to start doing hands on activities with him (in fact, it was my New Year's Resolution for 2011). By promising myself to do activities with him, and then writing about it on Hands On As We Grow®, I've learned to become a hands on mom ...
ABC Guide to be a Hands on Mom
We’re going to walk through what it means to be a hands on mom, from A to Z. I’ve talked previously on how to become a hands on mom by overcoming some common hurdles, or excuses, that we make for ourselves. But there’s more to it than that. In fact, I've put together an entire alphabet of the ins and outs of being hands on with your kids. Whether its my tips and tricks that I’ve ...
Children’s Books Activities on It’s Playtime!
Since this week is Children's Book Week, I thought I'd share a few book inspired activities that were shared on It's Playtime! We are book lovers in this house, I'm just no good at putting activities together with the book. So, hopefully these will inspire me a little, too. First, I just wanted to mention that No Twiddle Twaddle has a great list of books that are great for ...
30 Days to Hands on Play : Play in a Box
DAY 26 CHALLENGE: PLAY IN A BOX DAY 26 CHALLENGE: Spend (at least) 15 minutes playing with, in or around a cardboard box! Let the imaginations of your children decide what it will be today. Add any elements needed to create it. Inspiration: Tinkerlab had a cardboard box challenge last May, you can check out our Cardboard Box Ramps, as well as 24 cardboard box ...
30 Days to Hands on Play : Playful Fun
DAY 24 CHALLENGE: PLAYFUL FUN! And the weekly It's Playtime! Party! DAY 24 CHALLENGE: Spend (at least) 15 minutes getting down on the floor with the kids and have some fun! Start tickling, chasing, or maybe even some safe rough housing! Happy Thanksgiving play challengers! This is a great challenge for today, because you could get multiple members of the family ...
Allowing Kids to be Independent
Allowing your child to independent. That sounds obvious, and maybe even easy. But it is something I believe every parent may struggle with at some point in those early independent, yet dependent, years. How to keep some control of the chaos, yet allow your child to have a say, takes some balance. Jillian, author of the inspiring learning blog A Mom with a Lesson Plan, ...
30 Days to Hands on Play : Field Trip
DAY 12 CHALLENGE: FIELD TRIP! I don't know how many times I see events going on that I want to do with the boys, but they come and go without us ever attending them. Today we are! We're choosing a field trip that's local and we're going to enjoy it for today! DAY 12 CHALLENGE: It's a field trip today! Take a look at your local newspaper to find some events going on ...
30 Days to Hands on Play : Water Play
This is bound to be a little messy, so prep your area a little bit if you mind. Playing with water is an all-time favorite in this house. Henry and George both could stand on a stool for hours (literally) at the kitchen sink, splashing, scooping, cleaning, or anything else they can come across. This time, I set up a couple separate tubs of water and dropped in a red and ...
30 Days to Hands on Play : Family Time
DAY 6 CHALLENGE: FAMILY TOGETHER TIME Puzzles, Game Night, Coloring. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon or evening! Some together time as a family before the work week hits us again. This challenge may seem kind of obvious, we spend a lot of time together as a family, but rarely doing something together as a family. This is great reminder of how important and special ...
30 Days to Hands on Play : Pretend Islands
DAY 4 CHALLENGE: PRETEND ISLANDS! It's time to get moving now and let imaginations run wild! Take some pillows, lay them out sporadically. Ta da! You've created islands with the floor as water! We jumped from island to island to see if we could make it to them all. Don't fall in the water and get wet! To start this activity, I started throwing pillows out on the ...
30 Days to Hands on Play : Build a Fort!
DAY 2 CHALLENGE: BUILD A FORT! Today is a simple, easy task that every one can do with whatever they have on hand. And every child I know loves building forts! Building it is almost more fun than playing in it, so let the kids take part in that as well! Let them lead you where to place objects, such as blankets, tables, cushions, pillows, etc. Their imaginations will ...
A Challenge : 30 Days to Hands on Play
I've got a challenge for myself. And for you too, if you'd like to join us! Us? Yep! Anna from The Imagination Tree and I have put together a 30 day challenge! A challenge to play more hands on with your kids. 30 DAYS TO HANDS ON PLAY What is 30 Days to Hands on Play? A 30 day challenge to inspire you to play (at least) 15 minutes with your kids (no interuptions). To ...
Art : DIY Tie-Dyed T-Shirts
Welcome back, Jane from Mama Pea Pod! Way back, when It's Playtime was new (this week we've done it 20 times already!), I found this fun filled blog called Mama Pea Pod and asked her right away to guest post on hands on : as we grow. It was around Easter, and Jane got artsy with some plastic eggs! Jane's back again, and this time she's getting artsy with some t-shirts! This is such ...
Crafty Art : Eric Carle Caterpillar
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (affiliate link) by Eric Carle is probably the most well-known, and popular, of his books. At least it is to me. I asked Henry if he'd like to make a caterpillar out of tin cans. He jumped at the chance and wanted me to read the book constantly while he painted. Tin cans have been on my brain lately, wondering what else I can do with them. I ...
Playtime Series : The Imagination Tree
Meet Anna from The Imagination Tree! (This is part one in a series of features on the play based hosts of It's Playtime!) The Imagination Tree is a very creative, play based blog written by Anna Ranson from the UK. She currently stays at home with her two little girls, but professionally she's a primary teacher. Throughout Anna's posts, she has learning experiences in everyday ...
Painting Easter Eggs : Feature by Mama Pea Pod
I just recently found Jane's blog, Mama Pea Pod, through our weekly party It's Playtime. Jane has two small girls so her crafts and playing seem like a breath of fresh air to me. Her Princess Pea just recently had a Rainbow Birthday Party that looks like it was a lot of fun! But, what caught my eye were these Painted Easter Eggs, and what other fun that ended up being ...
Balloon Art
In continuing with our balloon extravaganza : we painted balloons today. We painted them two ways : (1) paint before blowing up the balloons (2) paint blown up balloons I liked painting the balloons beforehand the best. It had a sense of mystery. What will this look like when it gets big? Henry wasn't as interested as I was in painting the balloons before ...
