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Big Kid Family Activities Free Activities How To Kindergarten Age Life Parenting Teenager Toddler and Preschool Age Fun

15 Fun and Easy Ways to Keep Kids Busy at Home

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When you’re stuck at home with your kids, you might all go a little stir crazy. You can avoid it and have some fun by learning how to keep kids busy at home.

Some of these ideas will require assistance and/or participation from you (or another adult or older sibling). Of course, I know you will need ideas for how to keep kids busy so you can get stuff done, too, so there is plenty of activities for that on the list, too.

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How to Keep Your Kids Busy at Home

1. Help them or encourage them to set up an obstacle course.

The older your kids are, the more likely they will be to do this independently. Be prepared to have to attempt the obstacle course in the end, however.

For younger kids, you may have to assist them in the setting up process, and then teach them how to get through the obstacle course. You may be able to back off eventually and let them make their way through the course on their own.

2. Do a craft.

This doesn’t have to be hard! One of my favorites this week was using old magazines to make collages. All of my kids loved this craft, even the teenager.

Simply supply each kid with a magazine or two, a glue stick, and scissors. Then let them have fun and create whatever they want. Likewise, other engaging activities for kids include face painting. Interestingly, you can buy face paint for kids from online stores; these colors are safe for children to use. It pushes the kids to explore their creativity and try out new crafts. 

There are so many other crafts, however, so be creative and do whatever you think your kids will like. You’ll also have to decide how hands-on you want to be during the craft, too, before deciding on one.

3. Set up a sensory bin.

I love sensory bins!! You don’t have to have a sensory table to enjoy sensory play. All you need is a container such as a medium-sized tote or a large bowl. Then, fill it with whatever you think your kids will enjoy for a while.

Sometimes I just go with soap and water in the sensory bin, or I will dye rice. Other times I get fancier and do a shark-themed sensory bin. Oh, another favorite was our frog sensory bin! There are so many options.

4. Make something out of paper mache: How to keep kids busy

A few years ago, our son had to do a project where he created a 3-D animal. He chose to make a paper mache diamond-back rattlesnake. This project ended up being one of the best he’s ever done, and it gave us all a new-found love of paper mache.

These types of projects are so much easier than they sound and actually require only a few ingredients. Kids can make whatever they want, or you can challenge them to make something specific.

Click here for an easy paper mache recipe.

5. Have a push-up competition: How to keep kids busy

I’m excited for this one! My kids love to compete with one another, and I think even our 12 and 15-year-old will have fun with it. Actually, it may keep my husband busy for a while, too. If you have a gym or workout space, you could even make a day of it. Or if not, creating a purpose built space to entertain your kids could be great.

With a great contractor and basement waterproofing company, it will take no time at all and give you the exact space you need to have more fun as a family. Either way, spending time having a mini olympics or sports day can be fun for the whole family. Make sure someone is counting out loud, too!

6. Have them work on puzzles.

While I’m working from home, puzzles are one of my go-to options when the kids want to be right next to me. I get out a few wooden puzzles for them to choose from

One of the choices is always an alphabet puzzle and as they put it together I’ll call out a random letter that they have to find next. It’s helping with letter recognition along with keeping them busy. I’ve also been having my littles practice their name with the letters.

7. Let them play with and write on sticky notes.

So at first, I was completely against this idea. I didn’t want my sticky notes wasted. htat quickly changed when I realized that my kids left me alone for a bit when I let them use the sticky notes. A small price to pay.

My son has been having me write math problems out on sticky notes for him and then he solves them. My daughter has been practicing writing her name on them. Other times they make random pictures and stick them in random places, but that’s okay, too.

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8. Write a letter on a piece of paper and have your child write it in different colors.

My kids love this one because I pull out my “special” markers for it. Really, these markers are just the ones I hide from the kids so they don’t get lost or dried out.

Sometimes I even let them use glitter pens or a mixture of many different writing instruments.

9. Challenge them to build a Lego or block tower.

Tell them to make it bigger or wider than they ever have before, and to keep it a surprise until they are 100% finished. This should buy you a little time to get things done with kids in the house.

After that is done, you can always challenge them to make different things out of Legos. Be creative and come up with fun ideas that they’ll be excited about.

*Check out my Pinterest board called “Legos” for ideas!”

10. Set up an art center.

Before you get busy doing your own thing for the day, set up a small art center for your kiddos. This could include blank paper, markers or crayons, glue, some colored paper, or any little add-ons you can find to put in the bin.

If you want a themed art center, just go with whatever holiday or season is coming up and offer colors pertaining to that. You can use whatever you have around your house, or you can head to a dollar tree to grab a couple of seasonal items that they can use for artwork.

11. Find a free electronic resource for your kids to use.

Right now, many companies are offering free online resources for kids. This is to ensure every child has the chance to learn something new. A few good ones are Scholastic and ABC Mouse.

My 12-year-old has been loving the Scholastic lessons because they are about things that are interesting to him, and my 3-year-old has been really enjoying ABC Mouse. I think finding the right online source for your child based on their interests and their age group is important, but there are resources for all kids right now.

12. Blow up balloons: How to keep kids busy

No, I’m not kidding. This keeps ALL of my kids busy for a while. There are so many different things they can do with balloons. From playing indoor volleyball or balloon soccer to simply throwing the balloons at each other, they have fun for such a long time when I randomly blow up balloons.

13. Have a board game day.

Pull out yours and your child’s favorite board games and spend a few hours (or the entire day) playing games together. This is great bonding time, and your kid will love the time you spent with them. If you can’t play for such a long time, play a game or two and then suggest that they play with their siblings.

Since I have big kids and little kids, this gets a bit trickier, but it’s still possible. The other night we played Monopoly Voice Banking, which is our 12 year old’s favorite game. The littles wanted to play, too, of course, and instead of sending them away we formed “teams”.

Each little (there’s 3 of them) chose one big person’s team to be on. The little was responsible for rolling the dice and moving the piece (with help when needed), and the big person was responsible for the rest of the turn. We had very little argument or whining during the game and everyone had a good time!

14. Remember, it’s National Reading Awareness Month.

There are TONS of ideas out there to celebrate reading month. This could be as easy as pulling out your child’s school calendar and copying what your child would have been doing at school that day to celebrate. Otherwise, you can check out my blog post about Fun Ways to Celebrate National Reading Month.

15. Play hide and seek

We’ve already played in the house, in the backyard, and in the front yard since our social distancing began. The kids love this game and its one that can be played with parents or with siblings. Even better, it’s actually fun for everyone.

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Recap: How to Keep Kids Busy

There are many ideas for keeping your kids busy, but it’s sometimes hard to think of them when you need them most. This post can help.

What do you do to keep your kids busy? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Adulting How To Life On My Mind

Covid-19: How to Help Small Businesses Amidst the Coronavirus Outbreak

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With all the business shutdowns and event cancellations to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19), many small businesses are struggling. This means lost funds for employees and business owners and no income to support their families or pay bills.

For some small business, this means returning deposits received from customers for events that now have to be canceled. This could add up to well over $10,000 in refunds on top of lost gigs and payments.

It can be catastrophic to the small businesses, and may even require business closures. Right now, we should all be coming together to find any possible way to keep them afloat. Not only will we be helping other people during a time of crisis, but we will also be helping our economy.

I know most of us want to help but don’t know how. That’s where I come in! I’ve done some research and spoke to business owners to see what might help them during this time. I hope you will all do what you can, no matter how small.

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How to Support Small Businesses

1. Start booking for next year.

When it comes to wedding DJ’s or photographers, Covid-19 has essentially halted business for them until further notice. With the president saying this could last well into July or August, that cuts out one of the busiest times of the year for them.

Most weddings have well over the recommended limit of 10 people, which means that all weddings will have to be canceled or postponed. Not only that, but with government buildings shut down, no one can even apply for a marriage license now.

This is where the deposits may need to be refunded. Many couples who are affected by this limit on gatherings are going to need their deposits back. So, not only are DJ’s losing out on the payments they would receive on the day of the event, but they also have to dish out tons of money.

With all of that being said, we CAN help them hang on and bounce back when everything is overwith. We can do that by booking our events for next year (2021). When you book with them and make your deposit, you’ll not only be giving them a source of income and giving them job security for next year, but you’ll be helping yourself by getting ahead of the rush.

Just think, some of the brides that have to postpone their dates are going to be re-booking for the following year (we hope), so you’ll not only be competing to book dates with those who will be getting engaged in the next year, but also with those who were already engaged and had to reschedule.

2. Buy gift cards

Right now, only restaurants, nail salons, bars, etc. are closed, but small shops and stores are still open. Unfortunately, since many people are self-quarantined and social-distancing because of Covid-19, those small shops are still down in sales now.

With that being said, all of those places can get by if we all just buy gift cards to their establishments. You can buy them for yourself, since you know you’ll be out and about once this situation is more stable, and you can also buy them for gifts. Plan ahead for Christmas or birthdays and support your local economy at the same time.

3. Help keep the employees healthy

If the business is still open, do your part to keep everyone there healthy. Remember, even if you feel fine, you could still be a carrier of the illness. Make sure you are washing your hands, covering your coughs and sneezes, and staying home if you don’t feel well.

Even more important, if the employee has to come inside your home, take the time before they come to sanitize any surface they may have to touch. Do the same when they leave to protect yourself and your family.

4. See if they offer other services

While even small get-togethers are a no-go right now, you can still book smaller things such as photo shoots. For entertainers such as DJ’s, you could maybe ask if they record music for websites, podcast or YouTube introductions, etc. It is always worth a shot to ask!

5. Hire them to do an interview or write a post

Do you have a blog or podcast? Hire small business owners to come on your podcast and talk about what coronavirus means for their business and what it could mean for the future. If you don’t want to talk about Covid-19, just ask other business questions instead, like how they got started and if they have advice for up-and-comers.

Some small business owners are great writers, too, so they could even potentially do a guest post on your blog. Again, the post could be about this pandemic, or it could be about something completely unrelated.

6. Skip the chains

McDonald’s and Wendy’s are going to be fine. Skip the food chains and head to a local business instead. These are the businesses who will be losing the most since their regular customers can no longer come in and sit down to eat.

Order takeout from them and, if you can, try to tip their waitstaff as if you were sitting down to eat. Remember, they are losing a huge income source, too, and they still have families to feed and bills to pay.

7. Share their social media posts

This is the best way to help a small business during this time. When restaurants post images of their carry out menus, share it even if you won’t be eating there. This way the small restaurant may potentially gain new customers.

For other types of small businesses, share their content to help spread the word about their services. You never know, your share could have a huge impact on a small business.

Covid-19: How to Help Small Businesses Amidst the Coronavirus Outbreak

No matter what your stance is on the actions taken to protect against the spread of Coronavirus, we’re all in this together. If we don’t work together to get through this, it could be bad things for our economy and for local small businesses.

Help one another out, help our economy, and do your part to contribute in a positive way. We can all help small businesses in this time of crisis.

Is there something we can do to help small businesses that I didn’t mention on the list? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Big Kid Big kid fun Craft crafts Free Activities Holiday How To Toddler and Preschool Age Fun

Leprechaun Finders – Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars

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These Leprechaun Finders were a life-saver for me today as my kids desperately needed something to do. The school’s are shut down in our state because of the Corona Virus (Covid-19), and many public places have shut down as well. This includes our local indoor play places, restaurants, movie theatres and more. Unfortunately, all of this means the kids are already getting bored.

I want to keep them learning, creating, and engaging during this social-distancing time, so finding new activities to do each day is important. Along with practicing sight words for Sylas, letter recognition (capital and lowercase) for Josie, and name recognition for Liam, time for creativity has been essential.

With St. Patrick’s Day here, I thought it would be the perfect time to create Leprechaun Finders! They were easy, so much fun (they doubled as fine motor play!), and they kept the kids busy for quite some time.

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How to Make Leprechaun Finders

Materials:

This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

Directions

1. Cut the construction paper to fit perfectly around each toiler paper roll, then glue the paper in place. If you choose paint instead of paper, you would paint the tube green here instead.

2. Have the child decorate each of the green tubes with sequins, pipe cleaners, or sequins. You could also just have them decorate with markers or crayons. It can be as simple as you want it!

3. Hold the decorated rolls side by side and place a piece of tape starting on the inside of one roll and finishing on the inside of the other roll. Do this on both the front and the back of the toiler paper roll binoculars (or Leprechaun finders).

4. Now, you can add a piece of string to this so that the kids can wear it around their necks, but I didn’t do this for ours.

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Where to Use Your Leprechaun Finders

We started out using them inside of the house, looking out windows. I think by the time they were done inside, they had spent at least 5 minutes looking out every window in the house.

When they didn’t find them outside of the windows, we took them out to the backyard. Then, eventually, we went on a walk around the neighborhood looking for Leprechauns.

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Final Thought on Leprechaun Finder – Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars

This St Patty’s Day craft was so easy and so much fun. The kids loved it, and the prep and clean-up were easy for me. I’m a huge fan of toilet paper roll binoculars, and I foresee us doing more of these for future holidays.

Now, I have less than 24 hours to figure out how to trick the kids into thinking they found a Leprechaun using their Leprechaun finders! Any ideas? Let me know in the comments.

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Family Activities Holiday How To Parenting

March Momma-razzi Box: A Review

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If you’re anything like me, you love having cute, themed photos of your kids, but you hate paying the price for a photoshoot with a professional for each holiday. This is where the Momma-razzi box comes into play.

Because I don’t want to have to pay for seasonal and holiday photos each and every time, I always try to take my own cute holiday photos of my kids, and they always seem to be lacking. I realized it’s because I don’t have enough props!

Professionals always have the best props, right?! Luckily, I learned about something called a Momma-razzi Box. This box is full of cute props and other items to make these candid photoshoots something to remember and treasure forever!

*Disclaimer: I received the March Momma-razzi Box for free in exchange for this review. The opinions in this blog post are 100% my own, and I stand behind everything I have written.*

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Inside the Box

I received the “mini-box”, and I was pleasantly surprised by all of the stuff inside! It was a cute added touch that the balloons were placed inside classy gold envelopes, too. Let’s start at the beginning, however, and not just with the cute envelopes.

I opened the box and the first thing I found was an envelope with directions for using the items in the box, and a list of everything I’d find inside.

Then, as I dug deeper into the box, I found the following items:

  • a white backdrop/flooring
  • white balloons
  • colored, twisty balloons
  • gold coins
  • green shamrocks
  • an air pump for the balloons (definitely appreciated!)

Setting Up The Momma-razzi Box Photo Shoot

This was so easy to set up! I actually used thumb tacks to hold the backdrop up on a wall. Then, I blew up all of the balloons.

The colorful balloons were intended to look like a rainbow once they were all together, so I set them up that way. I taped them together because they wouldn’t stay in place otherwise.

I popped so many balloons trying to do this, and that was the biggest issue I ran into. At one point, I had a full rainbow with all colors, but I kept losing balloons as we went along. You’ll notice that I have no red or blue in my rainbow in my photos! Oops.

Then, I twisted 3 white balloons together and added them to the ends of the rainbow. I also randomly laid out some of the white balloons, the gold coins, and the shamrocks. It was that easy, and the photoshoot was ready.

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  • Momma-Razzi, MommaRazzi, March photo ideas, St Patrick's Day Photo Ideas, Easy Photo Shoot, Easy DIY Photo Shoot, cute pictures of kids, how to take good photos of kids
  • Momma-Razzi, MommaRazzi, March photo ideas, St Patrick's Day Photo Ideas, Easy Photo Shoot, Easy DIY Photo Shoot, cute pictures of kids, how to take good photos of kids
  • Momma-Razzi, MommaRazzi, March photo ideas, St Patrick's Day Photo Ideas, Easy Photo Shoot, Easy DIY Photo Shoot, cute pictures of kids, how to take good photos of kids

What My Kids Thought

My kids actually love having their pictures taken. They think it’s even more fun when it feels like a real photoshoot, so this was so exciting for them.

They loved seeing the photos afterward and wanted to keep taking more and more pictures. It was definitely a hit.

Once we were done, my 5 year old had fun making designs out of the props.

Final Thoughts on the March Momma-razzi Box

This box made our holiday photoshoot so easy and so much fun! I’ll definitely be ordering these for many other holidays and photoshoots to come. It would be easy to add additional items to the photoshoot, too, to personalize it even more.

The only issue I had was that the balloons popped SO easily, but that could have been on me LOL. Next time I’ll be much more careful with them. I plan on using the little props in a sensory table now that I’m done with them, especially since the kids are off school for three weeks!

What do you think?! If you want to order a box for yourself, check out Cassandra Barksdale’s CrateJoy website at www.cratejoy.com/subscription-box/life-lit-up/.

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Big Kid Big kid fun crafts Family Activities How To Parenting Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

5 Fun Ways to Celebrate National Reading Awareness Month

National Reading Awareness Month, March is Reading Month, Books for kids, best books, favorite books, celebrate reading, books to read with your kids

National Reading Awareness Month is one of my favorite times of the year. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a good mix of many books with excuses to read. Plus, the weather is slightly warmer, so I’m feeling good all around. Then, the kids get to dress up in fun outfits each day for school, making the month that much more exciting.

Since the school celebrates so heavily and has the kids dress up for National Reading Month, I wanted some fun ways to celebrate at home, too. Participating outside of school ensures that our kids understand reading is important (and fun!) at home AND school. It’s also a way for younger children to participate if they haven’t started school yet.

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

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Ways to Celebrate National Reading Month

1. Make it memorable and fun

Making the book and reading experience memorable is easy to do. You can do crafts related to the book, make snacks, or do any other activity that will help engrain that book into your child’s mind. Not only will they remember the book better, but they’ll have fun while doing it, encouraging more reading.

Other ideas to make a book memorable include acting them out or having your child re-tell the story. Drawing the story also helps and allows your child to get creative.

Check out these crafts based on books that my kids have done:

2. Make each book a learning opportunity

Try not to read a book and forget it right afterward. Find ways to help your child learn from the book. You can do this by discussing themes in the books such as kindness, trying again after failure, and others you notice or want to touch on.

Another simple way to make sure the learning aspect sticks is to talk to your kids about it. I like to do this while I’m tucking them in at night, but you can bring it up anytime. You can recall the ideas you learn from a story in any situation, and it helps your child make a connection and understand the lesson.

3. Read in different ways during Reading Awareness Month

Switching up the reading methods helps the story stick in their head. Some of the different ways to read include having the children read the book aloud or taking turns reading (I read a page, the child reads a page, etc.). Another fun method that kids seem to like is listening to the story on YouTube while seeing the words on the screen. Of course, it’s best to read with them as a bonding experience, too, but videos can be highly beneficial.

You can also build a fort with the child and then read books inside the fort. Another idea is to have the child read to a pet or stuffed animal. The possibilities for reading in different ways with your kids are endless.

4. Dress up as favorite book characters

This fun way to celebrate National Reading Awareness Month is probably my absolute favorite. Help your child pick out some clothes or accessories to dress up as a favorite book character or even as a character from a brand new book that you’ve just read together. You don’t have to have the exact costume, so be creative in making the look come to life.

Parents and older siblings can get in on this one, and it’s fun for everyone! I’ve been obsessively referring back to a blog post about a teacher who dressed up as a different book character every day. If you’re interested, check it out by clicking this link: PHraseD

5. Surprise your kids with a new book or two

As a kid (and even now, let’s be honest), nothing got me more excited about reading than getting a new book. My kids are the same way. You can take them to the store and let them choose their own, or you can surprise them with a new book that you picked out!

My kids and I are obsessed with Bookroo, a book subscription service for kids. They offer options for all ages and reading levels, including chapter books for middle grades. It’s so much fun and gives your kiddos something to look forward to even after reading month is over.

New favorites delivered monthly!
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National Reading Awareness Month, March is Reading Month, Books for kids, best books, favorite books, celebrate reading, books to read with your kids, Charles W. Eliot
National Reading Awareness Month, March is Reading Month, Books for kids, best books, favorite books, celebrate reading, books to read with your kids, George R. R. Martin

Best Books for Kids of All Ages to Celebrate National Reading Awareness Month

If you need some ideas, some of my favorite children’s books include:

For more ideas (specifically throwback books) that you and your child would love reading together, check out my post 10 Nostalgic Books to Read With Your Kids (or Alone).

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Final Thoughts On Fun Ways to Celebrate National Reading Awareness Month

Reading month is so much fun for me, but I know that it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Luckily, there are fun ways for everyone to celebrate National Reading Awareness Month, even those who don’t love to read.

With this month being all about reading awareness, it’s the perfect time to teach our kids the different ways they can make reading fun. What are you doing to celebrate reading month? Tell me about it in the comments!

National Reading Awareness Month, March is Reading Month, Books for kids, best books, favorite books, celebrate reading, books to read with your kids
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How To Parenting

8 Essential Bath Safety Tips for Kids

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When you give your child a bath, you likely envision splashing and playing with bath toys. You may think of your child pretending to swim or their cute little head covered in soap suds. To keep bath time fun and happy, though, you also have to think about bath safety tips for kids.

Bath safety is so important because of the risks involved with the hazards in the bathroom. The leading cause of injury death for children between the ages of one and four is drowning, with many of those instances being in bathtubs.

Additionally, the leading cause of nonfatal injuries for all children was falling, with a number of those occurring during bathtime or from a wet floor after bath. With this being the case, knowing tips for bath safety is essential.

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Bath Safety Tips for Kids

1. Check the temperature of the water

Burns are common when it comes to bath time injuries for kids. Checking the temperature with your hand is generally fine, but for added protection you could use a bath water thermometer.

2. Use caution near the faucet

A child can be severely injured if they hit a body part on the faucet. This can happen when falling or even just by hitting their head on it. Luckily, an awesome person invented covers for it, but a hand towel wrapped around it could work just as well.

3. Never leave the child unattended – Bath Safety Tips for Kids

Drowning can happen quickly, and being submerged for even a shorter amount of time can be seriously damaging to a child. It can happen in just a couple inches of water. The only way to prevent this is to never leave the bathroom if there is water in the bathtub.

Plan ahead and gather everything you need before you even begin filling the bathtub. If something comes up and you have to leave the room even for a second, wrap a towel around your child and take them with you.

4. Put in a rubber bathtub mat or other grippers

This can help prevent slips and falls while in the tub, preventing many serious injuries. There are a few different options, but my favorite was always a soft rubber mat at the bottom of the tub. Another option is non-slip stickers.

5. Be careful about how much water you put in

For kids who can sit up, fill the tub only to their waist. This measurement should be done when they are sitting down.

6. Keep the floor outside of the bath dry

This prevents slips and falls. Think of all the things that could go wrong if your child slipped and fell in the bathroom. They could hit their head on the outside of the bathtub or on the toilet, both hard objects that could cause serious damage.

7. Use a bathroom mat that is non-slip on the bottom

Again, this relates to slips and falls. If the bottom of the bathroom mat isn’t non-slip, it could slip out from under little feet, causing serious falls. If it slides, so do they, and they may not be able to catch their balance.

8. Keep electronic items unplugged and away from the bathtub

We all know that electronics and water don’t mix. Children may not know this, however, and even if they do know, accidents happen. An electronic item could accidentablly get knocked into the tub and if it’s plugged in, it could cause death.

Even if the items aren’t plugged in, it’s best to keep them away from the tub just to be safe.

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This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

Final Thoughts on Bath Safety Tips for Kids

Bath time for kids should be fun, but it should also be safe. Knowing bath safety tips for kids could make all the difference.

Do you know any other bath time safety tips? Leave a comment and let me know!

Categories
Big Kid Craft Free Activities Holiday How To Printables Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

Martin Luther King Jr Craft, Experiment and Quotes

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MLK Day is approaching and as I was planning a Martin Luther King Jr craft and activity, I decided to quiz my kids a little to see what they knew about him. My littles really had no idea and their answers were as follows:

5: I saw him at my school once.
Me: Like, a picture of him?
5: No, the real him.
Me: I don’t think that was him, kiddo, Martin Luther King Jr isn’t alive anymore.

4: Umm, I knew when I was a baby but I forgot now.

2: I see those M&M’s mom. Can I have an M&M, please?

With those kinds of answers, our 12 year old was on his own. He was the most knowledgeable, of course, and gave us the run down. In case your kids are still a little too young to already know, here is a run down you can summarize for them.

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  • MLK Day craft, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft, MLD activity, Martin Luther King Jr Day activity, MLK day experiment, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft, Martin Luther King Jr Quote
  • MLK Day craft, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft, MLD activity, Martin Luther King Jr Day activity, MLK day experiment, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft, Martin Luther King Jr Quote

Who is Martin Luther King Jr?

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr had a dream of equality and worked hard to make that happen in America. As a husband and father of four, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr wanted his children to live in a world where they wouldn’t be judged by the color of their skin.

To give his kids the life he dreamed for them, MLK lead the civil rights movement by leading peaceful protests, marches and bus boycotts. His most famous march was the March on Washington where he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of 250,000 people.

He went on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and, after he died, the Congressional Medal of Freedom. Since 1983, we celebrate MLK Day in honor of his birthday. While his birthday was the 15th of January, however, we observe MLK Day on the 3rd Monday in January.

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Martin Luther King Jr Book

We started our MLK activities with a book called Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It focuses on the dream idea and kids in the book tell what their dreams are. I think it really helps kids understand that Martin Luther King’s Dream speech wasn’t about dreams when you’re sleeping because my littles struggled with that at first.

Martin Luther King Jr Day book by Robin Hill School
Click for the link

MLK Day Craft

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Our craft, like the book, went with the dream idea.

Materials:

  • Blue cardstock or construction paper
  • White paper
  • Glue sticks
  • Markers
  • Glitter

Directions

1. Cut the blue paper in half

2. Cut out a cloud from the white paper.

3. Write the dream on the cloud

I wrote Josie and Liam’s for them. Syas insisted on doing his own and who am I to say no, so a translation is on the back. He dreamed that everyone would be nice. Liam was just not participating well and only wanted the M&M’s that we were going to use on the experiment.

4. Glue the cloud to the blue paper, leaving space at the top to write.

5. Write “I have a dream…” at the top of the blue paper, above the cloud.

6. Add glitter.

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  • MLK Day craft, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft, MLD activity, Martin Luther King Jr Day activity, MLK day experiment, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft
  • MLK Day craft, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft, MLD activity, Martin Luther King Jr Day activity, MLK day experiment, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft

Martin Luther King Jr Experiment

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I’ve seen so many of these experiments that use one brown egg and one white egg, but since my little guy has an egg allergy I needed a different option. We decided to use some Christmas M&M’s we had leftover. You could use any color M&Ms, and I honestly would have preferred using a regular pack with more colors.

In the first box of the printable, the kids laid out their different coored M&Ms and drew what they saw. Then, they took one bite of each M&M and put them in the second box where they drew what they saw on the inside.

Once they were done, we talked about how, like M&Ms, we all look different on the outside but the same on the inside. The kids loved this and really seemed to get it!

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  • MLK Day craft, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft, MLD activity, Martin Luther King Jr Day activity, MLK day experiment, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft
  • MLK Day craft, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft, MLD activity, Martin Luther King Jr Day activity, MLK day experiment, Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft

Heres the free Martin Luther King Jr printable that I created! Feel free to print it for personal use or to share.

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Final Thoughts On Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft and Activity

I feel like Martin Luther King Jr Day doesn’t get enough attention sometimes, so I want to ensure that my kids know and understand the sacrifices Martin Luther King Jr made and how much courage he had. MLK changed America for the better and left us with an amazing message to pass on to our kids.

What do you and your family do to observe Martin Luther King Jr Day? Tell me about it in the comments.

Categories
Holiday How To Parenting

16 Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Kids

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Gone are the days of going out for New Year’s Eve or having a house party with a group of friends. Now, our New Year’s Eve festivities involve our kids and while it is a big change from the past, I wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, celebrating New Year’s Eve with kids is the best way to bring in the New Year.

I love coming up with new ideas to make the night exciting, and it’s also fun to continue with old traditions. A mix of both together make for the perfect New Year’s Eve with kids.

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How to Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Kids

1. Don’t overwhelm them early in the night.

If you throw every activity or event at them right in the beginning of your evening, they’ll quickly become burnt out. Instead, try to spread out all of the fun and introduce new activities one at a time as the night goes on.

2. If you want them to make it until midnight, plan a fun activity for each hour.

This goes along with not overwhelming them, and it gives them something to look forward to each hour. Simply decide what time you want the fun to start, and create an activity for each hour.

In the past, we have used bags and written a time on them (5:00, 6:00, …. midnight) and put an activity inside of each bag. If the activity wouldn’t fit in the bag, we would just write the activity on a slip of paper and put it inside of the bag.

Each hour, on the hour, the kids get to open one and we spend the next hour doing that activity. If it doesn’t last the full hour, we just find somethin else to do until it’s time to open the next bag.

3. Offer simple, child-friendly food, snacks and drinks.

While it is fine (and encouraged!) to have adult treats to indulge in, it is even more important to have child-friendly foods for New Year’s Eve. Pigs in a blanket, milkshakes, s’mores dippers, homemade pizza, punch or sparkling soda, and whatever other treats your kids will be excited for are all great ideas!

4. If you are having champagne or wine at midnight, offer sparkling soda or punch to kids.

The kids will want to celebrate, too! If they see you toasting the New Year’s with your husband or friends, they’ll want in on it. A few years ago my sister just put orange juice in a plastic champagne flute and the kids were so excited!

5. Do a countdown.

Even if you send your kids to bed early on New Year’s Eve, you can still have a countdown with them! There are YouTube videos that do an early countdown to “midnight” as well as a Netflix show that does it.

If you keep them up until the real event, turn on the Times Square countdown or another countdown that you can find, or just have your own countdown complete with shouting, screaming, and celebrating.

6. Watch fireworks.

If there isn’t a fireworks event that you can see from your home, you could always go to an event in your city that has them, or you could buy a few small fireworks to set off yourself. Sparklers are an easy firework option, too!

If none of those options will work for you, you can find a firework show on the internet that you can watch with them.

7. Have a photoshoot.

Use a tablecloth or some wrapping paper as a backdrop, add streamers and balloons, and a New Year’s banner. If you’re feeling extra celebratory, you can get photo props to go along with it.

8. Get dressed up.

Use this night as an opportunity to get our your fanciest clothes and dress up. Just think, it’s going to be the 20’s, after all, so make sure you look your best.

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9. Have a dance party.

Create a playlist of your family’s favorite songs and have a dance party in your living room. You could even have a dance contest and give out prizes such as candy or party favors.

10. Set New Year’s resolutions.

Talk to your kids about setting goals and resolutions and what it means to do so. Then, have everyone in the family set one or two resolutions for themselves. Help them to make sure that the goals they are setting are realistic. You could even set a resolution for the entire family to accomplish together.

11. Build a fort.

Kids always love to build a fort, so why not make it part of your New Year’s Eve with kids celebration? You could eat snacks, watch movies, play games, or even watch the countdown inside of the fort.

12. Play board games.

Pull out a favorite board game or two, or grab one that they got for Christmas and haven’t gotten to play yet. Spend some time playing games, bonding, and laughing during your New Year’s Eve with kids celebration.

13. Do a New Year’s craft.

There are SO many options for this New Year’s activity! One of my favorites is New Year’s firework craft with card board tubes. Another idea is to have them put 4 handprints on a piece of paper (with paint), then when the handprints dry paint or write a 2 on one hand, a 0 on the next, a 2 on the third, and a 0 on the fourth hand.

14. Prepare in advance a ‘Year in Review’ photo slideshow to watch on NYE.

Spend some time in the days before New Year’s Eve going through photos from the past year. Choose your favorites and put them together in a slideshow to watch with your kids on New Year’s Eve.

15. Play dodgeball with marshmallows.

How often do you let your kids throw food in the house? Never? Me either. But, this is New Year’s Eve and we have to make it fun for them! You can make your own rules or use traditional dodge ball rules.

16. Choose a New Year’s printable to fill out.

A quick Pinterest search will bring up tons of New Year’s printables. There are some that review the year, allowing your kids to list out all of their favorites from the year past, and there are also printables that allow your kids to start looking ahead at the New Year and deciding what they want their 2020 to look like.

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Final Thoughts on How to Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Kids

New Year’s Eve with kids can be just as fun (if not more fun) than the crazy New Year’s Eve of times past. With a simple mix of activities, crafts, and yummy treats, you’ll give your kids a New Year’s Eve they’ll always remember.

What are your New Year’s Eve plans? Tell me about them in the comments!

Categories
Big Kid Big kid fun Family Activities Holiday How To Infant/Toddler Learning Sensory Play Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

DIY Easy Christmas Sensory Bottle

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Sensory bottle (also known as discovery bottles, calm down bottles, quiet time bottles, and many other names) are a must-have in our house. We make one for almost every holiday, and we pack them away with that holidays ornaments so that we’re sure to have them when the holiday rolls around the following year. Somehow, we have never made a Christmas sensory bottle, however.

I believe that we have at some point… but it must not have been worthy of saving or even taking pictures of. This year, though, our easy Christmas discovery bottle is perfect. So perfect, in fact, that I HAVE to share it with you!

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Materials Needed for a Christmas Sensory Bottle

  • An empty, clear bottle
  • Lukewarm water
  • 2 Containers of glitter glue, any color (I used silver and gold that I bought HERE)
  • Christmas glitter (I found mine in the dollar spot at Target or you can buy some HERE)
  • Hot glue and a hot glue gun, or just super glue

This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

Directions to Make a Cute Christmas Sensory Bottle

  1. Peel any paper from the bottle
  2. Fill the bottle just over 1/2 way up with lukewarm water
  3. Add the 2 bottles of glitter glue, put the lid on, and shake it up.
  4. Open the bottle and add the glitter. Add as much of it as you want!
  5. Fill the bottle the rest of the way up, leaving enough space for the water to still move.
  6. Put hot glue around the ridges where the lid goes in order to keep it closed so your kiddos don’t accidentally open it.
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Final Thoughts On Easy Christmas Sensory Bottle

Christmas activities don’t have to cost a ton of money, and if you’re doing Christmas on a budget or just want an easy Christmas activity for kids, a Christmas sensory bottle is the perfect way to go.

What are your favorite holiday activities to do with your kids? Tell me about them in the comments!

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Categories
Adulting Guest Post Holiday How To

Follow This Rule and Save On Christmas for the Kids

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When you’re planning a wedding, there are rules. You need something borrowed, something blue, something old, and something new. Well, there is a similar set of fun guidelines for how to save on Christmas when shopping for kids. As a perk, sticking to them will save you loads of cash.

**Emily Graham is the creator of MightyMoms.net which offers a wide range of info tailored for busy moms — from how to reduce stress to creative ways to spend time together as a family. She believes being a mom is one of the hardest jobs around and wanted to create a support system for moms from all walks of life.**

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What Is It, Already?

The secret to a successful if scrimping holiday season is to buy kids four things: Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.

Something They Want

This should be a fairly easy one. Kids typically have no reservations when telling adults what, exactly, they want. For 2019, the hottest gifts of the season run the gamut from $10 Hatchimals for the littlest present-pickers to the $300 Nintendo Switch for the tweens and tweens. Ask about their preferences, and see if you can narrow it down to something that easily fits within your budget. If everything hits slightly above your spending allowance, don’t give up hope or blow your budget. Spend some time looking at toy deals on sites that collect and sort information on the best prices. Rakuten is one example, and even categorizes toys by character and brand.

Something They Need

What your children need is pretty open-ended. This could mean anything from the dreaded socks and underwear to something more profound, such as time with loved ones. Depending on where you live, you might be able to provide them with experiences that will stick with them for a lifetime. Visit a free zoo, for example, or, if you live in a warmer climate, plan a fishing trip for Christmas morning. You might also consider gifting them with educational tools, particularly if your child struggles with things like organization. Reader’s Digest lists several affordable items, including colored pens and whimsical notebooks that make great stocking stuffers

Something to Wear

Every child has to have a wardrobe, and Christmas is the perfect time to add something they can snuggle up in this winter. A set of new pajamas makes a great Christmas Eve present that won’t tie up your entire shopping budget. Stores like Carter’s and Old Navy tend to run great deals on sleepwear throughout the holiday season. You can stretch the meaning of this a bit by including things like backpacks, headbands, jewelry, and even nail polish.

Something to Read

Giving your children the gift of the written word is perhaps the most meaningful gift you can bestow. Reading has a virtually unlimited bounty of benefits for kids of all ages, infants included. If your independent reader is already absorbed in a series (think Percy Jackson or Harry Potter), add to their collection or look for supplemental guides that will add extra depth to their stories. For younger kids, you can’t go wrong with Little Golden Book titles like Mister Dog, Tootles, and The Pokey Little Puppy, all of which tend to cost $5 or less.

I Don’t Like Rules!

If you would rather stick with a larger gift or a more traditional pile of presents, there are still ways to save on Christmas without draining your savings. Start by shopping at stores that offer rewards cards. GameStop, Kohl’s, and most other major retailers have loyalty programs that can help you get some cash back or other perks. GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards might be a good choice if game systems are on their wish list; Kohl’s has its YesToYou program, which gives you money back to spend at the store on the first day of the month after your purchase.

The point here is that you don’t have to compromise your financial future to play St. Nick. If you don’t have the money to overdo it, then don’t. Not only do you put yourself under undue stress, but you’re also teaching the kids that the holidays revolve around the cash register.

Image via Pexels

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Final Thoughts

**I just want to take a minute to say thank you to Emily for writing this awesome post and sharing it with my readers!! This is not the first guest post Emily has written for Mom Wife Wine, and I hope it isn’t the last! If you’re interested in reading the other post then click HERE to read about the The Relationship Challenges New Parents Face After the Baby Arrives.

Before you go, leave a comment and let us know your favorite way to save on Christmas! **