Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sensory play. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sensory play. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sensory play. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sensory play. Sort by date Show all posts
Gift Guide: 24 Cool Toys for Kids
As a parent, one of the biggest dilemmas for every birthday and holiday season, is what gifts to buy for your kids. Recently, it's become a trend to give kids gadgets, but always giving the gift of technology is proving detrimental for your kids well-being of our future adults. Instead, why not invest in something that's both educational and enjoyable. This way, your children will develop and grow into well balanced adults and still have fun along their childhood journey.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
For More Help
Buying presents for infants and toddlers is even more difficult than for older children. Luckily, there are many websites and blogs to guide you with gift ideas and recommendations. Snugbaby is one such helpful blog. From reviews about the best strollers for your young ones to life-saving advice for new struggling parents, Snugbaby.net has it all. So, be sure to check it out for more helpful gift reviews and advice on parenting little ones.
0-1 year olds Educational Toy Gift Ideas
Melissa and Doug Shape-Sorting SetThis classic toy is a popular educational toy for kids and comes in a variety of themes. See the farm sorting set pictured above, It gives a basic introduction to shapes and colors, as well as, problem solving skills and manual dexterity. Kids have to insert the blocks into the correct shape.
VTech Musical Rhymes Book
This colorful book with baby-friendly pages engages your toddlers with nursery rhymes while providing a fun way to learn the rhymes.
Skoolzy Rainbow Counting Bears with Matching Sorting Cups
Another simple game, it's an excellent way of teaching colors and simple math skills. Here, toddlers learn to put the bear in the matching colored cup. They also have to count the number of bears available to fill each cup, which makes it a helpful lesson in mathematics.
Download our counting math activity printable to use with this game.
VTech Sit to Stand Learning Walker
This popular toy encourages 9-month-olds to walk while engaging them with colorful activities and sound, thus developing their sensory skills and coordination.
1-3 years (Toddlers)
Learning Resources Alphabet Island Game
Using the classic ABC rhyme doesn’t have to be the only way to teach kids the alphabet. Make learning fun for your toddlers while they go treasure hunting for the alphabet.
Learning Resources Fine Motor Hedgehog
The spikes on the hedgehog are color-coded and easy to grip, making it a great game for kids to play to enhance motor skills, color coordination, and sorting abilities.
LeapFrog Scribble and Write Tablet
What a great way to introduce letters and numbers before your kids start preschool. Kids trace the letter or number using the tracing tool without the need for writing with crayons or pencils.
The Learning Journey: Match It! Spelling
Visual learning is a great method to teach kids. Linking words with images helps children learn more quickly. Moreover, the puzzle nature of the game also develops kid’s dexterity.
VTech Smart Shots Sports Center
This game is a great way to introduce an active toddler to sports. The Smart Shots Sports Center comes with a net and two balls. It teaches counting by scoring hoops for points and also teaches shapes, songs, and simple words.
ehome Toddler Musical Instrument
People of all age groups enjoy music, kids are no different. This set contains various musical instruments, so parents don't have to worry about which instrument to buy. Encourage your kids to try out playing the different instruments. Who knows, you may have the next Michael Jackson in your house. These also make a great gift for Easter baskets!
3-5 years (Preschool)
Magnetic Drawing Board Mini Travel Doodle
There's nothing wrong or right when it comes to art. This is the basic concept behind this old, yet popular toy. Give your kid free reign over the board and let the pen do the rest. It's fun for trips with family too!
Learning Resources Pretend and Play Doctor Kit
Playing doctors is still just as popular as ever. The doctor kit is a great gift for aspiring doctors and it's also a great way to teach kids to be kind, helpful, and patient.
ThinkFun Zingo Bingo Board Game
This award-winning game is a fun family activity. Essentially bingo with tiles that have labeled images, it teaches kids word-picture association, and it's also a great way to teach preschoolers new words.
Ideal My First Magic Set
Magic is always fascinating to kids, and what better way to teach your kids confidence, social skills, and self-discipline than using this fun magic game? The 25 tricks in this set, which comes with props, instructions, and online videos, make a great Christmas gift for children.
Back To Nature Outdoor Toy Set
For little explorers, this set includes a flashlight, binoculars, compass, and a magnifying glass. Make the game more fun by making a map and preparing a treasure and set your kids out treasure hunting. Can you imagine a memorable childhood play experience?
5-12 years (Elementary School)
Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Exploration Kit
Does your kid love tinkering around with electronics? This is the perfect gift for engineers in the making. The color-coded circuit components come with a guide and after they have mastered the basics, watch your kids build their own circuits!
Melissa and Doug Fashion Design Activity Kit
Science isn't the only subject of educational toys. Let your child's creative side flourish with this attractive fashion design kit that contains fashion plates, pencils, and crayons.
Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit
This kit is equipped with 11 fun activities that will entertain your little ones’ inquisitive minds. Build curiosity for new things and a love of science with this science experiment kit that's easy to clean and will quickly become your kid’s next favorite toy.
Grow ‘n’ Glow Terrarium
A unique toy that even adults have fun playing, is this gardening terrarium game. Kids plant the Chia seeds in the terrarium. The kit also comes with glow in the dark stickers and resin figurines to decorate.
IQ Builder Building Toy Set
This building toy set, featuring various shapes and sizes, challenges your kids to expand their creative boundaries in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Equipped with a storage box, this must-have STEM toy, barely takes any space in your room.
ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Logic Game
Develop strategic thinking skills with this innovative game. It uses blocks arranged in different ways to creatively work around the effect of gravity. The difficulty level increases as the game gets more complex.
Scharkspark Telescope For Kids
This birthday, gift your kids something out of this world. This wonderful telescope helps kids realize the beauty of our vast universe. Introduce your kids to the amazing world of star-gazing and also teach them to take care of their toys with this real working scientific instrument.
National Geographic Break Open Geodes
For the little James Huttons and Florence Bascoms who love scavenging and exploring, this amazing geology set is the perfect gift. Watch your kids squeal in delight when they discover beautiful gems after breaking open the included rocks.
Thames and Kosmos Candy Chemistry Kit
Inspire your kids love of chemistry with this fun game that rewards kids with handmade sweet treats. Sweets and science have truly undeniable chemistry together, a match made in heaven.
Summary
Parents spend a lot of money and time trying to give the best educational toys for kids. From toys to education, parents try not to compromise anything for the sake of their children. However, the best gift that parents can give their children are good values and a strong support system. Always encourage your children to try new things on their own and give their best effort. Eventually, your little one will grow to guide you on the journey of life, instead of the other way around.
Good luck on your journey of parenthood; you'll need it!
Recommended:
Activity Games you can Play with Things Around the House
Sensory Play Ideas
How to Grow a Living Playhouse for Kids from Willow Tree Branches: Plan for Earth Day
Building an outdoor playscape is just one of many fun garden projects you can do with your kids in the summer. We experimented by making a living playhouse from a willow tree. If you aren't sure how to get started on an outdoor design project, visit our post on diy outdoor design templates.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
How to Make a Living Play Space
We shopped for various styles of playhouses, but they were very expensive. After a storm, tree branches covered the yard, so we gathered several willow branches and stuck them in the ground. Then, we cut a few skinny branches off the tree and wrapped them around the bigger branches forming a loose connection. Click here to see examples of living willow tree play spaces from dengarden.com.
Miracle Grow gave our living willow playscape a boost. The kids generously watered the base of the branches. You don't need to have a green thumb to grow a Willow tree. Take a stem cutting or cut off a branch and stick it in soil. That's all you need to grow your own organic playhouse.
This is an easy project that keeps on giving year after year. Our little gardeners anxiously awaited for Spring in hopes their playhouse had survived the winter. To make sure your trees are well maintained, check with a tree care service and garden maintenance expert.
Miracle Grow gave our living willow playscape a boost. The kids generously watered the base of the branches. You don't need to have a green thumb to grow a Willow tree. Take a stem cutting or cut off a branch and stick it in soil. That's all you need to grow your own organic playhouse.
This is an easy project that keeps on giving year after year. Our little gardeners anxiously awaited for Spring in hopes their playhouse had survived the winter. To make sure your trees are well maintained, check with a tree care service and garden maintenance expert.
Life Lessons for Homeschooling
Back to homeschooling dealing with brain drain. By now, most kids are back in school full-time. As homeschoolers, we officially started August 12 withBrick and mortar schools have late start Monday, so why can’t we? We started late (
W-R-O-N-G!
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| School is back in session. |
Jake is doing great, on task, a little hurried so he can get back to his video games, but overall excellent. He had a perfect spelling test, near perfect Math homework, and he was all smiles and ready to roll. He hates school, but it comes easy.
Mayhem. Mayhem. Mayhem. That’s not her given name, but that’s what we call her, Mandy Mayhem. We woke up, brushed our teeth, freed the chickens, collected eggs and tomatoes, took a walk to the pond, and then made scrambled eggs and toast. Everything was fine. She was excited to start school- and then we started school. GRR. “I can’t make this work- the page disappeared- do I have to read this?” AND “I can’t find my Notebook
- where is a pencil? –You wrote in my sketchbook!” On a positive note, reading her assigned story, Iris and Walter went well. It seemed she’d retained more than I thought.
- where is a pencil? –You wrote in my sketchbook!” On a positive note, reading her assigned story, Iris and Walter went well. It seemed she’d retained more than I thought.
The paper wasn’t numbered from 1-15. There were big words and small words scribbled all about, there were capital A’s and small a’s intermixed in the same word. There were words, that had just been practiced in a worksheet, spelled on tiles, and read in the story. Not one word was written correctly. Although, if you paid close attention and understood the common transpositions, backward or upside down letters, you could decode the correct spelling word.
DeKs, backward J-oB, sAD, LTis, S A backward C- K, DutS, and pockt.
I think its interesting, that the only misspelled word is the only one written in appropriate all lowercase letters. Did you need a translator? Desk, job, sad, list, sack, dust, and pocket. A teacher would have taken one look at the sloppy mess and given up. Mommy took the time to decode it. Then, I wrote lines in pink highlighter, filled in the word 'desk' written correctly, and asked her to recopy her words with proper capitalization.
Dust, chop, Desk, Durm, backward j-ob, t- backward a and g, letts, snack, rook, Rib, engine, mess, and list.
She did a great job on chop, engine, mess, and list, but snack and rook aren’t on the list. I will have to decode those later. The good news is the words are written within the lines with appropriate letter size, and numbered from 1-15. We’ll focus on that for now- 2nd grade.
Teacher asked if I wanted to pass her last year. “What kind of question is that?” She had straight A+’s in first grade. She hated it. It was “boring” and too easy. Except, if the teacher and I hadn’t taken the time to decode the hand-written work… Did you see that? Handwritten work? That’s right, she doesn’t transpose when typing! Unfortunately, in second grade, she is required to turn in handwritten papers in preparation for academic testing. Bummer, next year I won’t waste those summer months.
In the meantime, she’s going to relax with some art and sensory play with her favorite medium, clay. This is a great fun dough product perfect for sensory play for children with autism or other processing disorders.Crazy Aaron's Putty World Super Scarab Putty 
is unique. It has thermodynamic and phosphorescent properties perfect for science exploration. Thermodynamics explores the relationship between heat and other forms of energy. The putty changes colors when touched.
is unique. It has thermodynamic and phosphorescent properties perfect for science exploration. Thermodynamics explores the relationship between heat and other forms of energy. The putty changes colors when touched. |
| Thermodynamic putty. |
Recommended:
Homeschool Projects for Elementary
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain
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Edible Painting with Straws is Fun, Sensory Activity for Toddlers
Toddlers love to play with straws. One of the first milestones is learning to drink out of a straw. Blowing through a straw if also a fun, sensory experience for toddlers. This activity uses both. It is fun to watch them practice. Grab a cottonball to teach them to blow through the straw and then mix up some edible paint to make these cool, colorful blot pictures.
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| Our paint isn't just edible; it is yummy too! |
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| Neon food color, maple syrup, milk, and cornstarch. Mix in three equal parts syrup, milk, and starch. Add one or two drops of color. |
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| Little ones learn to blow thru the straw vs. sucking ~ not as easy as it seems. |
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| It makes great finger-paint too. |
Crafty Kids: Fun Projects for You and Your Toddler
Child Psychology and Development Alternatives
Are you frustrated with traditional discipline methods that aren't working for your child? There are many alternatives to traditional discipline. We're sharing some of our favorite Child Psychology advice from Clare Cherry.
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| Add caption"Please Don't Sit on the Kids" by Clare Cherry. |
Clare Cherry is a well known educator located in San Bernardino, California. The Clare Cherry School was established in 1954. Ms. Cherry came up with this wonderful list for alternatives to punitive discipline. For more info click on the link above to purchase her book from Amazon.com or ask your local library for a copy. All parents and child caregivers should become familiar with this Magic List of Alternatives to Traditional Discipline Methods. The list works well with autistic children too.
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| Child Psychology: Alternatives to traditional discipline. |
The Magic List
- Anticipate trouble.
- Give gentle reminders.
- Distract to a positive model.
- Inject humor.
- Offer choices.
- Give praise and compliments.
- Offer encouragement.
- Clarify messages.
- Overlook small annoyances.
- Deliberately ignore provocation.
- Reconsider the situation.
- Point out natural or logical consequences.
- Provide renewal time.
- Give hugs and caring.
- Arrange discussion among children.
- Provide discussion with an adult.
I find all of these items very helpful. When working with other people's children, overlooking small annoyances and deliberately ignoring provocation do wonders for me psyche. As for my own kids, injecting humor, distracting to positive activity, and hugs are my go to fixes.
How do you deal with discipline? Switching to a sensory activity is also helpful. We've outgrown time outs and are too young for grounding, so we need this list!
Recommended Reading:
Child Development Sensory Play Aids in Learning
Activities for Children with Sensory Processing Disorders
Creative Art for the Developing Child: A Guide for Early Childhood Education
Parents Please Don't Sit on Your Kids (Fearon early childhood library)
MMmmm... How to make Homemade Powdered Sugar Do-nuts or Donuts.
Kids have tons of fun helping make this doughnut recipe. MMmmm... How to make Homemade Powdered Sugar Do-nuts or Donuts. No matter how you spell it they still taste good!
You will need:
Cans of refrigerated biscuits (buy generic for 25 cents a can), Vegetable or Canola oil, Powdered Sugar, 1 Egg, Milk.
Flatten biscuits with a roller or glass. We used a kid's medicine cup to cut the centers out. Roll the centers into balls for the doughnut holes. Beat an egg slightly and add a few tablespoons of milk, mix well.
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| How to make doughnuts at home. |
Dip your biscuits and centers into the egg mixture with a fork or slotted spoon. Coat well and lay on a plate to allow for drippage. With a slotted spoon, drop 2 or 3 "doughnuts" into about 1/4 Cup hot oil. You can add a drop of water first to check for readiness of the oil. Water should sizzle and bubble. Cook doughnuts about 1 minute each side or until golden.
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| Make homemade doughnuts. |
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| Fried homemade doughnuts. |
Make fun shapes too. Remove with slotted spoon allowing excess oil to drain off. Roll in a plate of powdered sugar or add your favorite icing and sprinkles.
Too much fun! Make these tonight in a flash! Yummy yummy! Tummy tummy! Maple glaze for doughnuts
2012 Doughnut upgrade?
Recommended Reading:
Busy Toddler, Happy Mom: Over 280 Activities to Engage Your Toddler in Small Motor and Gross Motor Activities, Crafts, Language Development and Sensory Play
Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home
Fun Games to Play with Marshmallows for Quiet Time
Here are three children's activities using Marshmallows that are oh so fun for children. Marshmallows are a quick way to steal a few second of quiet time. Kids love them with all their puffy squishy goodness they are fantastic for sensory play. Want to add an element of Messy Play? Just add water or edible paint and make marshmallow prints. |
| Marshmallows are the perfect companion for kids quiet time. |
Recommended Reading:
Marshmallow Fun for Advent
Gingerbread Marshmallow Man
Marshmallow Game
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.
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| Non-Toxic Face Paint Homemade Recipe All Natural Coconut Oil. |
Planning a themed Saint Patrick's Day Party?
These easy games can be played with one child or more. Try some leprechaun approved games for kids. Use these Saint Patrick's Day games in a circle time setting with preschoolers or early elementary school. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*
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| Saint Patrick's Day Party Games for Kids. |
How to do Kids’ Activities Without Breaking the Bank
Offering enriching activities to your children is great for their long term growth. However, it might not be fantastic for your pocket. Although you’ll want to make sure your kids get the best opportunities available to them, you don’t want to spend a small fortune on kids' activities, especially if you're learning that your child quickly loses interest. So, how do you do activities with your kids without spending a lot of money?
This post contains affiliate links.
It's a tough decision, you want to give your kids the best; but you don't want to waste your money or time. As a parent, you've got options. Your children don’t have to miss out on that activity they desperately want to try just because you're on a tight budget. Here are some helpful tips which will allow your kids to enjoy some fun, enriching kids' activities without breaking the bank.
Tips to Save Money on Activities for Kids
Enroll in One Activity at a Time
Your kids don’t have to do it all, it’s a good idea to pick one activity each season. If you have more than one child, enroll them all in the same activity. Not only will enrolling your kids together save time and stress, but it can save money. There are a number of places that offer sibling discounts and siblings can often share items too. Be sure to ask, even if you don’t see such a discount or offer advertised.
Purchase Fun Equipment for Home Use
There are various toys and equipment that allow different activities without spending too much. You can install a gaga ball pit to provide an exhilarating experience for kids. The pit can be set up outdoors or in a large spare room. You can also dismantle and stored the ball pit between uses. The best thing is that you don't have to spend a lot of money on pricey play venues. This ball pit gives your kids one more choice for fun and beneficial sensory play activities.Pay Ahead
See if there are any discounts available for paying ahead or in cash. Some businesses will give a price cut if you pay for the whole year up front, or they may even offer a discount once a year if you pay a few months in advance.
Buy Second-Hand
You might find it surprising just how easy it is to find kids' equipment that’s barely been used. So, before you go about buying a new instrument or sports equipment, have a look at places such as eBay, Craigslist, Play it Again Sports or thrift stores. You can even ask other parents! Kids often lose interest in an activity or outgrow their clothes quickly, which means you can find items in good condition for a fraction of the cost.
Go DIY with Crafts
One way to save money on activities for your children is to do it yourself with games and crafts. There are some great, inexpensive DIY craft ideas to try out, and you can always create activities for kids with free print-outs. Of course, some stores even provide coupons that help cover the costs of kids' activities. For instance, take a look at Target Coupons to see what discounts are available.
Volunteer
If you can manage a team, do coaching, record scores, or sell refreshments, you may be able to cut the cost of some activities. Have a chat with whoever oversees the kids' program to discuss how you can donate your time to work off any fees or equipment costs.
Barter
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Words of Wisdom: Quote about Children Teaching
Summer is time for play! Is there a more fun form of sensory play for children than running through a sprinkler? Kids have so much to share. They are born with a natural wisdom that adults soon forget. Here is an accurate saying to keep in mind during the monotonous day to day activities.Hey Mom, take a break and go run through the sprinkler. It's refreshing, fun, and your kids will cherish the memory for the rest of their lives. Remember, "While we try to teach our children about life, our children teach us what life is about."
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| While we try to teach our children about life, our children teach us what life is about. |
Recommended Reading:
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
A Child's Book of Character Building
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A Guide to Keeping Your Kids Happy on Rainy Days
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.
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| 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.
Get Creative with Painting
Painting doesn’t have to be just painting anymore; try some fun ideas, like painting with spaghetti, or paint rocks to look like ladybugs (on a drier day before the rain started, of course) or try finger painting in a fun new way. If you're up for it, let the kids try face painting with you as their model!
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.
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| 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!
- Use Cotton Balls to Make a Sheep Costume
- No sew Nativity Costumes
- Ideas for Easy Halloween Costumes
- Pretend Play as a Doctor or Nurse
- Make Costumes from Cardboard Boxes
- Dress up like a Chef
- Pretend Play at a Bakery with a Cool Cardboard Stove
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Games for Kids from Kids Creative Chaos
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