All you need are your hands and a little memory! Most of us have used Patty Cake with babies, but much older kids can also enjoy the more complicated songs. Some of these songs have been around for hundreds of years, and others are recent nonsense fun. Teach your kids a clapping game, and be amazing today! This site has videos of some favorites. This site has … Continue reading Clapping Games
Some simple hand action can go a long way to help your kids feel loved! I struggle sometimes with lumping my kids all together in our experiences. It can be hard to maintain those important individual relationships with lots of kids! When I saw this video of Barry White, Jr. welcoming his students to class with an individualized handshake, I knew I had to try … Continue reading Individual Handshakes
I’ve said it before, but some of these ideas seem too simple to even post. But aren’t those simple things usually your kid’s favorites? I totally loved making dandelion curls when I was little, and my kids love it still. Many of us have dandelions this time of year. My sister once had a door-to-door lawn guy ask if they needed some help with their … Continue reading Dandelion Curls
Bossy or a pushover? It seems like kids fall into one camp or the other. One of the most important skills of childhood is learning to express thoughts and feelings openly and appropriately. Enter the Music Critic’s Club! Kids will just think they are having fun, but they are also learning a great skill: to have an opinion and to accept other’s opinions. Put together … Continue reading Music Critic’s Club
My husband is masterful at inventing creative dates. Before we were married, he once told me to be dressed all in black when he picked me up. We went to his apartment, made cookies, donned black knit caps, and went out on “capers” as he called them. In the cover of the dark night, we found our professor’s houses. We rang the doorbell, left cookies, … Continue reading Spy Cookie Capers
Need to be amazing on the go today? Grab a bottle of bubbles on your way out the door! Your air conditioner or heater makes the best bubble blower. Put the bubble solution in your cup holder, dip the wand, hold it near the vent, and watch the backseat fill up with fun! As I started parenting different age groups, I felt bad about having … Continue reading Car Soap Bubbles
10 minutes/elementary/ Most of us have an RC vehicle lying around from some past Christmas or birthday. It seems like they get played with for a few days and then it gets a little old. Jazz it up today by making an RC obstacle course with your littles! You could build fancy structures to go around with Lincoln Logs or blocks…or just raid the plastic … Continue reading RC Obstacle Course
10 minutes/toddlers/elementary Don’t have much time to be amazing today? Pull out the Halloween bin! If your kids are like mine, they plan their costumes for months. (Maybe their mom does, too…). If you don’t keep costumes around, maybe they can dress up in YOUR clothes! Snap some pics, tell them they are adorable, and have a great time. If you want a dose of … Continue reading Dress-ups!
10 minutes/babies and toddlers/elementary/ When one of my teenagers was little, his favorite game to play with me was to pretend he was a lost puppy. I would find him lonely on the beach, ask if he had a family, and take him home with me. (Don’t even try to psychoanalyze that one. I don’t think I’ll come out looking very good…) To add to the … Continue reading Peanut Butter Play Dough
Whole Family/Under 10 minutes/ How we love to play Sardines! Grab flashlights for the weak-hearted, turn off the lights, and have a great time before bed with this reverse game of hide and seek. We had a great time playing tonight, except for our spoiler kitties. They kept stalking the hiders and alerting everyone to where they were! One person hides, while others count to … Continue reading Sardines
