Yarn pictures art activity for kids is a simple exploration of abstract art and a fine motor exercise. This is a fun summer indoor activity. It is also good practice using glue! Included is a book recommendation that inspired this creative art project for kids. Yarn pictures can be completed indoors or out. If you have a beautiful day outside, take your supplies outdoors. Sit … [Read more...]
Learning Greater Than Less Than with Playing Cards
Learning greater than less than with playing cards builds number sense and math skills with a hands-on activity for kindergarten and early elementary age kids. Math skills are crucial to school success - and real world adulting let's be honest. Helping even preschoolers develop a love for learning numbers and math skills builds their future math success. We started with … [Read more...]
DIY Alphabet Memory Game
Because I love the memory game and I also like opportunities for learning, I created a memory game that teaches matching lowercase and uppercase alphabet letters. I came up with this easy DIY Alphabet Memory Game to play with my youngest (but my oldest also loved it). I remember playing Memory with my parents when I was a kid. I always loved trying to test my memory … [Read more...]
Kids Nature Mural Art for Outdoor Play
Summer time means getting creative to help the kids make use of the wide open days at home. Kids nature mural art for outdoor play and fine motor skills is super easy to set up and perfect for all ages to do together. I love the relaxed schedule of summer break. I like that my kids get to experience it too. They need breaks as much as we moms do. As much as I am a fan of … [Read more...]
Summer Writing Prompts: School Age Summer Activity
Summer’s here and it’s time for some relaxation, fun and definitely a lot of down time. I think I’m ready for the days of summer more than my own girls are. Although I know that unending free time all day long can be a bit too much. Summer writing prompts are a great school age summer activity. … [Read more...]
Foil Sculptures One Item Activity
There are days that we just need to have open ended creativity. It balances out our academic subjects. Fostering creativity and allowing kids the chance to design and build with different materials just adds to their problem solving abilities. Foil sculptures one item activity is a free form way to give kids time to create with a unique material. Aluminum foil is a fun … [Read more...]
Learning Multiplication Activity
Sometimes learning new skills can be very difficult for children. Up until now my girls haven’t really struggled with anything in school. That all changed when my oldest daughter was learning multiplication and division. She was having a hard time memorizing the multiplication facts. For whatever reason she just couldn’t get it. We tried everything. We tried … [Read more...]
Parenting Hack: 7 Ways to Prevent Summer Slide
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Please view my disclosure for more info. Kids lose some of what they learned during the school year over the summer. Teachers call it the summer slide, and it happens every single year. Elementary school age children, on average, lose about two months' worth of math skills and one month's worth of reading and spelling over … [Read more...]
Practicing Addition Busy Bag
This practicing addition busy bag gets the process of addition into the hands of school age children and even preschoolers. The more hands on a learning activity is, the younger the child is who can explore it. I truly believe our kids can learn big concepts-or begin to explore them-from a much earlier age than most people think. As long as we use age-appropriate learning … [Read more...]
Indoor Hopscotch Game
Getting enough time to play outside is essential to my children maintaining positive behavior...and let's be honest, it helps my behavior too! This indoor hopscotch game (made from a yoga mat) is a reusable activity that helps kids move to burn energy even when indoors. Moving our whole bodies helps us get exercise, burn off excess energy (which, frankly, as a mom I do not … [Read more...]
Helping A Child Face Challenges
“But life has a way of serving up the unexpected.” Soon many children will be entering new school buildings, classrooms, meeting new friends, and/or beginning a new year of study at home. That can all be intimidating and feel stressful for the whole family. Helping a child face challenges is an intense parenting struggle. It can also be a time of recognizing one's strengths … [Read more...]