Decorating a Creative Nursery on a Budget: A Guide
Having a baby is an exciting time, and as a result, many parents go all out to create the perfect, creative space for their new bundle of joy. However, due to restrictions such as maternity leave or working only part-time, parents are often looking for inexpensive ways to transform their spare room into a creative nursery space for their infant. If you're looking for ways to design your nursery on a budget, here is a guide with some top tips for saving money while decorating the new baby's room.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Portable crib doubles as a playpen. Get one here: budget friendly crib by Baby Delight.
Use Furniture Store Coupons
If you want to buy new furniture for your baby’s room, but struggle to save up the necessary funds to give your child the nursery that you've dreamed about, consider finding coupons for furniture stores in your local area.
For instance, a Bed Bath and Beyond coupon can cut the cost of a range of vital items that you'll need for the renovation, including beds, bedding, rocking chairs, and vanities. This will ensure that you can create a special space for your child without over spending.
Create Your Own Decor and Wall Art
One of the best ways to create a bright and inspiring nursery for your child is to install eye-catching wall art and fun nursery decorations in their space. Although you might not be able to afford the extravagant ornaments of home design magazines, you should consider DIY to make your baby nursery decorations that they'll love. The more vivid, the better for baby to see!
If you want to invest in child-friendly furniture without the high cost of buying new, consider purchasing pre-loved items? Not only is shopping second-hand much cheaper than buying from your local store, but it can also help you find one-of-a-kind gems that match exactly what you have in mind! You can buy pre-loved furniture from charity shops, antique and second-hand furniture stores, and even through buy-and-sell groups on social media like Facebook Marketplace.
Many families have a vast array of unused furniture stored in their attic and garage. Hoarded furniture comes in handy when you're looking to create a nursery for your newborn. You may discover that much of this old furniture can be adapted toward a new purpose in your nursery, which saves you money. Redo it in funky colors and add new nobs and hardware to give it a modern look.
When you're considering how to decorate your baby’s bedroom on a budget, you also need to think about saving money in the long term. For instance, buying long-lasting and multi-purpose furniture, such as loft and desk beds, allows your nursery to grow with your child and reduces the need to replace furniture as your child ages. You should also think about choosing furniture in durable materials that can withstand the chaos of childhood play. It may not save you money upfront, but in the long-term you'll be thankful for the wise purchase.
This post was sponsored by Landscape Structures as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Have you noticed a change in your children when they're playing outside? Sure, they may complain that they're tired or that it's too hot or even that they're bored. However, outdoor play benefits kids in many ways. Once children have built the coping and social skills needed to interact in an outside play environment, the benefits of outdoor play far outweigh their complaints! What are the benefits to outdoor play? Keep reading to learn some tips on how to keep your kids happy outdoors.
What are the benefits of outdoor play?
Be Prepared.
When you take your kids to an outdoor play space or local park, be sure to be prepared. Bring a cooler with bottles of water for hydration, cool, healthy snacks like carrots and cucumbers, and go ahead and throw in a treat for when they've depleted all of their energy.
You may also want to bring a change of clothes, a non-toxic bug repellent, a blanket for resting, hats or sunglasses to shade them from the sun, and a first aid kit. Whatever you can do to insure the happiness of your children and counteract any excuses they may have for not wanting to play, only increases your chances for success.
If you're forgetful and always seem to forget the essentials, keep a park preparedness kit in your car. We never leave the house without folding chairs, a vinyl table cloth, and an umbrella packed in the trunk. If you leave a mini cooler in the trunk, it's always waiting there to be filled. You can simply stop at any convenience or grocery store along the way.
Benefits of Playing Outside
Best Places for Outdoor Play
No matter where you choose to incorporate outdoor play, it's beneficial to your child. Simply being outdoors in the sunshine can boost your child's immune system because the sun gives us vitamin D which is essential to health and happiness. Dr. Clare McCarthy shares some benefits of outdoor play over at Harvard Health. Even if you have a tiny yard, be sure to create a space for your child to get in some daily outdoor play. If they like to color or finger paint, set up a table for crafting outdoors.
Water is the most fun element of sensory play.
A well designed play structure will keep your kids busy for an hour or two. You may not be familiar with the brand name Landscape Structures, but I'll bet you've seen one or two. These playground structures aren't just for swinging and sliding, they're set up with all kinds of ways to get kids moving and to encourage sensory play.
When you give children the freedom to play and discover on their own, they build self-confidence to explore more things on their own. They want to see what else they can discover without mom or dad. So, sit back and relax while the kids explore the outdoor environment and find new ways to have fun.
Hello, over there! This megaphone encourages interaction with others.
Landscape Structures playgrounds are designed to welcome children of all ages and abilities. This play equipment has all kinds of sensory elements and play activities that encourage kids to work together making it easier for them to socialize with others. These playgrounds also encourage exercise, but don't worry, your kids will have so much fun playing on the equipment they won't even know they're exercising!
Sneaky playground equipment encourages exercise.
Sensory play aids in the learning process. Children who play outdoors have more access to sensory elements as the five senses are involved in nearly every aspect of outdoor play. They hear other children laughing, birds chirping, and bugs buzzing. They feel the wind on their face and the grass on their feet. They can even taste the outdoors when berry picking or licking their salty lips.
Practicing on the bars builds upper body strength and self-confidence.
These poles encourage learning to balance.
What will you do when it's raining? Rain is the best sensory activity! Grab an umbrella and some rain boots and slosh through some puddles with your kiddos! Reach up to the sky and savor the raindrops as they splash on your face. Show your children that rain is fun, don't discourage it. Rain even smells good! These days, most parks use rubber mulch. If storms do force you to stay inside for awhile, don't worry about the playground being wet. Be a good parent and take the first trip down the slide to dry it off for those finicky little ones.
Encourage social interaction with other kids, but don't force it. Kids are smart, they know what you're trying to do. If they're moody, they'll fight you every step of the way. Also, simply knowing that you want them to interact with other kids can make the feel self-conscious. They may feel too shy to talk to another child when they know that you're anxious for it to happen. Pretend to keep busy reading a book or returning a text. Don't get too caught up though, those little eyes are always watching you. Sometimes, they want you to watch them and know that you're proud of them. Always be ready with a thumb's up!
A simple way to encourage socialization is to point out a favorite character on another child's clothing. "Hey, look he's wearing a dinosaur shirt. Don't you love it!" Your child may not respond, that's okay. Don't push them. You've given them something to talk about. You've made a connection with another child. Sit back and watch what happens. Socializing may start out awkward. If you have a backward child, trying to force it will certainly backfire. Learn to be happy with a nod or a smile. The rest will come with time.
Outdoor play improves mood.
Sleepy kids!
As an exhausted parent, one of the best benefits of getting in a lot of outdoor play time with the kids is that you'll get to enjoy some down time when the kids take naps. Even if they are past nap taking, they'll probably stay quiet for the car ride home! Be careful not to let little ones get too over tired. Often, an over tied preschooler will have trouble sleeping through the night. They need just enough exertion for a good night's sleep. And no one wants an over tired toddler...
Recommended:
More Ways to Play from Kids Creative Chaos
For adults and teens rainy days are great: you have the perfect excuse to stay inside, curl up on the couch and catch up with your favorite TV show or video game. Yet for little ones, rainy days force them to face the prospect of one more dreaded day stuck inside the house. When you use this guide to keeping your kids happy on rainy days for tips and tricks, rainy days don’t have to equal boredom for the kiddos!
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Howdy Partner! Mayhem in a Cowboy Costume.
Boredom Busters for Rainy Days
Click through the links below for fun activities on how to keep kids happy on rainy days.
Maybe you have a designated kids' playroom and you want to get creative with a spare bit of white wall that's just begging for a splash of bright color. You can always paint your wall like a chalkboard and let the kids go wild!
If you're organized, you can prep for rainy day activities during the summer by collecting interesting seashells at the beach or walnuts in the yard, and saving them for a rainy day when you and the kids can paint the shells all kinds of creative ways!
Entertain All of Their Senses
As you know, younger kids are receptive to nearly anything entertaining, so don’t underestimate the power of visual and aural stimulation. Whether it’s a colorful cartoon on the TV or sound waves making the floor vibrate with their favorite childhood tunes, you can use this stimulation as a spin off for a drawing activity like this cartoon anime lesson.
Oh, how times have changed!
Also, you may want to consider investing a little more in home tech equipment for a true all-round experience; for example, thewireszone.com has a great range of audio and video equipment, including amplifiers to really fill up the house on those gloomy weather days. With all those beats pumping though the house, you'll be up dancing on the ceiling! Seriously though, dancing with your kids is the best rainy day boredom buster ever!!
Use the Furniture to Your Advantage
If you have a large living space with plenty of couches and chairs, consider building a lion's den or a makeshift maze for the kids. You can move the furniture around and even drape the furniture in towels and bed sheets to create a cozy tent or tepee area for the kids to crawl into and stay quiet for a while. Ask Alexa to read a story while you catch up on some chores.
Decorate with Fairy Lights. Photo Credit: Amazon
Add a sensory element by placing toys and books inside the blankets and light it up with funky fairy lights to make it a space the kiddos will never want to leave (until the sun comes out, of course.)
Catch up with Chores
It doesn't sound like the most fun thing to do, but if you have a whole bunch of household tasks you need to catch up with – and a rainy day just so happens to present an opportunity to do just that – then make the kids pitch in and get all those chores done together.
Need some motivation? Here are some printable chore charts for kids to help you keep track of their progress and work toward rewards!
Turn ‘matching up odd socks’ into a fun game with a prize, or maybe get creative in the kitchen if you have food that needs prepped, and let the kids help whisk up dinner!
You can also turn chores into competitions! Promise a special treat for the winner of ‘who can tidy the front room the fastest!’
How cool is that? Using chores as rainy day boredom busters is a great way to teach kids that helping around the house can be fun!
Play Dress Up in Costumes
You don't need a trunk full of costumes to play dress up with kids and keep them happy on a rainy day. No Ma'am, just raid your closets for old clothes, ties, and bandannas. In the picture above, we raided Grandma and Grandpa's closets for an old vest from the 70's, a gun holster, and an Australian Outback hat. Voila! Instant cowgirl costume.
Making costumes can keep kids busy for at least an hour on a rainy day. Once the costumes are complete, it's time for some good old fashioned pretend play!
Preschool art activities don't have to be all finger painting and paper plate crafts. We've collected some art activities for preschoolers that include sensory fun. Read on for easy preschool art activities that are destined to become mini masterpieces.
This post contains affiliate links.
Art activities for preschoolers.
Bubble Painting is a fun, sensory way to introduce your preschooler to art. They can experiment with color mixing, layering, and layout. Scoot on over to Kelly Noel's Living the Dream blog for more details.
Bubble Painting Preschool Art Activity from Living the Dream.
Another fun way for preschoolers to experience sensory art activities is to let them play with food coloring and shaving cream. Skip over to our post on how to paint with shaving cream.
Coffee Filter Mobiles. All preschool teachers adore coffee filter crafts. Remember the days of the milk carton crafts? Wonder what we'll all switch to when coffee filters become a thing of the past? These coffee filter and cardboard paper towel tube painted mobiles are self-explanatory. We found them posted here but are sure they originated somewhere else. Please leave a comment if you know the original source.
Coffee Filter Mobile Preschool Art Activity.
Art, like sensory play, develops critical thinking skills and hand eye coordination. Click here to learn about how art can aid in brain development.
Handprint and footprint art is a staple in the world of preschool. Introduce your preschoolers to Pointillism with these beautiful fall handprint trees from Arty Crafty Kids.
Handprint Tree Preschool Activity from Arty Crafty Kids.
The Jammy Jigsaw offers up an art activity for preschoolers that serves double duty as a science project. This salt dough bone necklace is the perfect companion art project for a lesson on dinosaurs.
Salt Dough Bone Necklace Art Activity for Preschoolers from The Jammy Jigsaw.
Homemade Edible, Non Toxic Face Paint Recipe with Coconut Oil
We love Halloween, Dramatic Play, and all things theatrical. We are always testing new ways to make face paint at home. You'll find several homemade recipes for face paint in our archives. Of all of our recipes, this Non Toxic Face Paint Homemade Recipe using all natural coconut oil is our favorite. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
Non-Toxic Face Paint Homemade Recipe All Natural Coconut Oil.
We used cardbboard paper towel rolls and toilet paper tubes to make these little creatures. They are skinnier than most, because we cut a 1" strip out of each roll and then hot glued the cardboard back together. Each holiday creature is cut at a different height, so they can be displayed in an attractive centerpiece for the holidays.
To attach the head, it is best to use hot glue. Place a bead of glue around the top of the cardboard tube and then press and hold the pom pom down until the glue sets.
If you want to paint your tube, do that before you begin decorating it. We like the natural look of of the cardboard roll.
2. Cardboard Tube Puppy
Cut a 2" section of cardboard roll to make a little puppy.
Twist two pipecleaners together to make a scarf for your snowman.
We glued two cottonballs together to make his head.
4. Reindeer Toilet Roll Craft
Wrap pipecleaners around your finger or a pencil
to make spiral antlers for the cardboard reindeer.
More Cardboard Roll Crafts for Thanksgiving
Mayhem designed her own Easy Cardboard Toilet Tube Turkeys.
Cut 1/4" strips approximately 3" down the toilet paper roll to make the turkey feathers. Then, bend 1 strip down folding the end up to attach the turkey's head. Cut two orange strips and glue inside the tube to form legs. Now, you have a shelf sitter turkey for Thanksgiving.
Circle Games and Activities for Youth: Camp Songs and More
Camp Songs always bring back the best memories! Circle Time isn't just for preschoolers! Circle Activities and Games are fun for teens too. If you're planning activities for an after school program, summer camp, scouts, or youth group, these school-aged circle camp activities make nice icebreakers. We've used these group circle games and songs to welcome kids to camp, introduce each other, and as a way to make attendance and head counts fun.
Unusual and Unique Holidays and Special Days of May
These dates in May will help you plan fun activities for school, after-school, or camp programs. Want to know if you should wear mismatched socks, a silly hat, or make a special treat to celebrate? You've come to the right place. Here's our printable, editable, downloadable calendar of May holidays. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
Mother's Day is the second Sunday in May. In 2020, Mother's Day is May 10.
May 1 - National Mother Goose Day! So celebrate by dressing up like your favorite Nursery Rhyme Character, reading a bedtime story, or making a fun Mother Goose craft (We have some chicken crafts). Play a Goose game.
May 4 - National Star Wars Day! Hip hip hooray for Yoda! We've got a Yoda craft. Sport a set of green ears to school today! Make a Yoda mask... and don't judge all those crazed Star Wars fans walking around in authentic looking costumes.
May 12 - National Limerick Day. Memorize a limerick... What is a limerick? You know... you really do. Something about a lady from France? Eh, there are nicer ones too. Go write your own limerick today. It is a nonsense poem. You make a lot of non-sense, right?
May 13 - Yes, Frog Jumping Day is a real day. So, go find a frog and challenge it to a jumping contest. Wait. No, that's not right. Grab two frogs and ask them to have a jumping contest. The frog who jumps the farthest wins. You could dress like a frog and play a healthy game of Leapfrog instead. Hey, if you do that will you make a video and share it with me? Thanks! Frog Art Lesson for Kids
May 14 - National Dance Like a Chicken Day. Do you know how to do the Chicken Dance? No? What, you've never been to a wedding. Cluck, cluck boy, do we have chicken crafts for kids. We also have Chicken printables and chicken cartoons. Did you take a video of your dance too? Yep. Share it here in the comments.
May 14 - National Endangered Species Day. What is on the endangered species list? The Manatee for sure. The Eagle was, but is it still? IDK there are Bald Eagles after my chickens and ducks every other day. I see how they got to be endangered! Don't shoot, it is a Federal Offense. Endangered Species: Myotis Sodalis Bat
May 17 - National Armed Force's Day. Give thanks to a serviceman or veteran. Send a card, send a craft, give them a hug. Let them know you appreciate their service to our country. Army Coloring Pages for Teens
May 18 - National No Dirty Dishes Day. I'm getting tired of writing all of these days down, I was going to skip to the end of the month here, but... REALLY? No dirty dishes day? That's a holiday I won't be celebrating. I'll just pretend. Don't open the dishwasher or the oven. Am I right? Make your own Homemade Dish Detergent
May 24 - National Scavenger Hunt Day. Go outside. It is May, have a real life scavenger hunt. Here are some fun scavenger hunt ideas. Is it raining? Go play our Pinterest Preschool Scavenger Hunt.
May 27 - National Cellophane Tape Day. What the heck is that? It is tape. Don't you just love tape? You probably call it Scotch Tape, but that is a brand. Things to do with tape? Paper crafts! Tape a poster to your wall. Here is a friendship poster for your wall. Go tape it up in your room. Wrap a present. Send it to me! Thanks, I like presents :)
May 29 - National Paperclip Day. Make a paperclip necklace and wear it to school today. Don't steal your teacher's paperclips. The teacher's desk is off limits. Things to do with paper clips.
Looking for coupons to save on your holiday budget? Check out: Coupon Annie for more info.
When is Memorial Day?
May 30, 2016- Memorial Day. Ditto with the National Armed Force's Day, but now we remember those who served and died. Wear a ribbon, lay a wreath on a tombstone, make a scrapbook, share a story. Wave the flag. You could also dress up like a flag and walk in a parade, I guess. Whatever floats your boat. Flag Craft for Memorial Day
These Lunch Box Ideas for Tweens are Fun and Creative Do you miss sending cute notes or packing fun school lunches for your toddler? Now t...
Follow us on Instagram
Get Circle Time Handbook
Can't remember all of the words to your favorite group game? Get the handbook with reproducible pages to copy and add to your clipboard. All of your favorite games right at your fingertips!
