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Big Kid Health Healthy Living How To Kindergarten Age Learning Life Parenting Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

How to Help Your Kids Get Basic Health and Hygiene Down

As a parent, you likely want to improve your health and improve your child’s basic health and hygiene. It can be a battle to keep your kids clean, especially during the summer when they love to spend all their time outside. Teaching them how to look after themselves early on will set them up for a healthy and hygienic future. Consider these ideas to ensure they can take care of themselves as much as possible. 

Teaching Basic Health and Hygiene to Kids

Positive Reinforcement 

Kids love hearing that they did a good job, whether it’s at school, after playing sports, or any other time. When teaching kids the importance of basic health and hygiene, you can use this to your advantage. Giving them praise or rewards after sitting still during an appointment at places like ÈLAN Dentistry will stop them from worrying about unusual places and encourage them to take care of their teeth to get another reward next time. 

Modeling Behavior 

It is always essential for parents to be role models at home. Your home is where your kids will learn everything they can about life, especially if they haven’t started school yet. If you emphasize healthy living, whether through eating well, exercise, or getting enough sleep, they will copy this behavior. By doing this, they develop healthy habits early on, giving them a fantastic foundation to build on. On the other hand, if you don’t encourage healthy living and spend all of your time sitting on the sofa and eating fast food, it will be no surprise when they follow suit. 

Make Health Fun 

There is something about a healthy lifestyle that many kids want to avoid. They act like it’s not cool to enjoy fruit and vegetables or to exercise. To change this attitude, you need to make health fun. You can find health and wellness activities that your kids will love, and they can teach them about being healthy without them feeling like they are learning. Other options include singing songs about health with them, especially when bathing or brushing their teeth. The songs will help your child associate this routine with something enjoyable, making them more likely to pursue it. 

Basic Health and Hygiene Gives Them Opportunities 

Your kids will never embrace the magic of exercise and activities if you don’t give them the opportunities to do so. Signing them up for sports clubs, such as soccer or basketball, will keep them fit and active. Additionally, consider teaching them how to ride a bike or take them to swim classes. As these are two common skills, it will allow your child to do other things with their friends when they get older.

Healthy and Happy 

It’s no secret that a healthy child is a happy child. By encouraging excellent health and hygiene practices, your kids will grow up feeling good. It minimizes the number of infections or other problems that can impact children who aren’t educated on hygiene.

Basic Health and Hygiene For Kids

Parents know that keeping their child clean all of the time can be quite a challenge. You might feel like you constantly have to chase after them to keep them clean. Fortunately, you can teach basic health and hygiene for kids. While you will have to help your child sometimes, they will be much more independent regarding taking care of themselves.

What are some things you have done to teach your child about basic health and hygiene? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Adulting Family Activities How To Life Our Family

How To Reconnect With A Relative You Haven’t Seen For Years

Time has its way with us all, and sometimes, that can mean that the focus and direction of our life point away from other people. For instance, this is why two people can find themselves growing apart through no fault of their own. It’s just that they may focus on different interests or move elsewhere, or they may have other priorities. But there’s no need to fret about this outside of the obvious sense of sadness because time can bring people together much more frequently, too. While it might seem weird to reconnect with a relative you haven’t seen for years, you can make it fun and eliminate awkwardness.

Whether you’re moving closer or want to celebrate their first child with them, reconnecting can be seamless. Maybe you’ve just taken stock and are trying to stop taking the people in your life for granted.

Whatever the reason, reconnecting with a relative you haven’t seen for years can seem somewhat awkward at first. But never fear because you don’t always have to think this way. Here’s why:

Reconnect With A Relative

Reconnect With A Relative You Haven’t Seen For Years

Flowers Can Make A Greeting Special

Flowers can speak to the emotions you feel without you explicitly saying them. They also look beautiful and showcase temporary beauty, the need for cultivation, and care. This is, of course, the same stuff that relationships thrive on, and so flowers can be a lovely message to send along with your good wishes. We’d recommend utilizing the services of an award-winning florist to truly show how much thought you’ve put into it.

A Sincere Effort Can Be Lovely

Sometimes, we have to give a little to relate to someone. For instance, while it might be that neither of you has spoken for a while, genuinely asking after their side of the family, apologizing for not getting in contact, and inviting them for a coffee can show a sincere effort, humility, and the willingness to start again. At the very least, your effort can help you know you put your best foot forward, even if nothing comes of it. That has a massive benefit.

What’s The Worst That Could Happen?

Family relations, especially if they’re strained, can feel much rawer than any other connection. We sometimes find ourselves feeling worried about engaging in that kind of dialogue. You might worry that you’ll face rejection or that our efforts might hurt rather than help. One question is important to ask yourself though – what’s the worst that can happen if you make a genuine effort with goodwill in your heart? The worst is that the status quo of not speaking to someone may continue. But perhaps a dialogue can start. Maybe something can be opened. Little measures like that can often imply the most benefit. At the very least, you’ll respect yourself for having tried.

Reconnect With A Relative

With this advice, we hope you can connect to a relative you haven’t seen for years, even if it might sound worrying. You will be happy that you tried, and you might reconnect with a relative that you’ve missed. Have you ever had to reconnect with a relative? Tell us about it in the comments! 

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Big Kid Big kid fun Family Activities Free Activities Infant/Toddler Learning Kindergarten Age Outside Fun Parenting Spring

5 Exciting Spring Activities to Enjoy with the Kids

As the sun begins to shine and the temperature gets a little warmer, there are many activities you can start doing with your kids. While winter weather can make it tricky to get out and about, springtime opens up a wide range of possibilities. To begin planning your spring activities schedule, take a look at these five spring activities to enjoy with your kids.

Spring Activities For Families

1. Go on Nature Walks

Not only are nature walks a lot of fun, but they’re also suitable for kids of all ages and won’t cost you a thing. Before you set off, create a checklist of things for your kids to look out for. From different types of leaves to flowers and insects, you’ll never run out of things to search for.

Any environment can be suitable for a nature walk but, if you want to turn your walk into a whole day’s adventure, take a trip to local beauty spots, forests, or woodlands. 

2. Focus on Fitness

Encouraging your kids to be active is a great way to enhance their health and well-being. What’s more – burning off some energy can help them feel more relaxed at home, too!

Make fitness fun by incorporating age-appropriate equipment and toys, like Pony Cycle or a swingball set. When you’ve got the equipment at home, it’s easy to keep your kids entertained and active. 

There are also exercise videos for kids on YouTube for rainy days. My kids like to turn on fun kid songs that they can dance to, which is a fun way to get active, too.

3. Host a Treasure Hunt

Every kid enjoys hunting for treasure, so you can be sure that this will be hit. Hide prizes and clues around the yard and encourage your kids to find as much treasure as they can.

You can adjust the difficulty of the clues (and hiding spots!) depending on your kids’ ages but, if you have pets, make sure they don’t find the treasure first. If the weather lets you down, it’s easy to host a treasure hunt indoors too, so keep this in mind for rainy days. 

4. Make a Birdhouse

If you have an outdoor space, you can inspire your kids by helping them to make a birdhouse this spring. If you’re into crafts, then you might have what it takes to design and produce a birdhouse from scratch.

Alternatively, you can buy a pre-prepared kit and help your kids put it together and decorate it. Once it’s in place, you can have endless fun putting food out and watching the birds that come to visit. 

5. Create a Fairy Garden

Let your kids unleash their imagination and create their very own fairy garden. If you have a spare flowerpot or even a plastic container, you can help your kids fill it with soil and plant flowers and seeds. With a few sprinkles of glitter and some optional extras like rocks, paperchains, and ornaments, your kids can create the ultimate fairy garden. 

Spring Activities for Kids 2021

With so many great activities to enjoy, springtime can be an exciting time for kids and parents. By keeping things fresh and introducing new activities regularly, you can ensure that your kids will be entertained right through to the summer

What spring activities do you have planned for your kids? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Family Activities Holiday Parenting

4 Must-Haves You Should Always Pack When Traveling With Your Kids

Traveling with your kids can be tricky, but packing the right things can make your trip easier. Whether you are preparing for a trip that is already planned or still just thinking about it, you need to know what to consider packing for your kids. These must-have items will make traveling with your kids much easier and more enjoyable.

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

Things You Need When Traveling With Your Kids

1. Treats

There are a few reason that treats are useful for traveling with your kids. If you’re traveling by road it can satisfy food cravings until it’s time to stop for a snack. It can also help with car sickness.

If you are traveling by air, sucking on sweets can make the wait for flights far more bearable. It can also be used to ensure that your child’s ears don’t pop as the plane takes off. This is the last thing that you want to happen on a long flight with the kids. 

2. Sunscreen and Aloe Vera

If your kids get sunburned on vacation, then you’re in for a rough time. Sunburns can be painful, itchy, and irritating. Depending on your child and how bad the burns are, they might even decide that they want to stay in the hotel room.

This can make it a waste of a trip. If you get some sunscreen then you can probably avoid this type of disaster scenario. You should also take some aloe vera with you too, though, to help relieve sunburn in case it happens.

3. A Camera

You definitely need to make sure that you are packing a camera if you are traveling with your kids. You’re going to want to remember everything that happens and look back on events years from now.

With a high-quality camera, you’ll be able to take all the pictures that you could possibly desire. Travel enthusiasts like Chip Packard have some great advice on the different accessories that you need including the perfect camera for your next vacation away. You just need to make sure that your camera is included in your insurance plan as they can be quite expensive. 

4. Headphones 

Make sure that you are taking at least a few pairs of headphones or earbuds. Ideally, you want a couple of cheap ones you can pull out whenever you need them and some more expensive noise-canceling ones. This is useful if your child has sensory issues and finds loud environments frustrating or difficult to cope with.

If you’re struggling with a loud environment yourself, then headphones can also be incredibly useful. Don’t forget, there are headphones that are like headbands for children who find typical styles annoying or uncomfortable. 

If You are Going Camping

You will need different things if you are going camping with your kids. If you want a free printable checklist on packing for camping with kids, check out this blog post: What to Pack When Camping With Kids

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Traveling With Your Kids

If you pack the right items for traveling with your kids, then you’ll be able to guarantee that you have an easier trip. These ideas can help you avoid some of the headaches parents tend to experience. 

What would you suggest packing for traveling with your kids? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Big Kid Big kid fun Family Activities For the Home Home How To Kindergarten Age Outside Fun Parenting Sensory Play Spring Summer Toddler and Preschool Age Fun

5 Easy Ways to Get Your Kids Outside in the Yard

Spending time outside is very beneficial for people of all ages. Sometimes children may lack interest in going outside, however, and be more into electronics and indoor games. If you’re finding it challenging to get the kids away from those screens and out in the fresh air, there are plenty of ways to get your kids outside.

Spring is the best time of year to plant a few vegetables or even welcome wildlife. You can create a sensory, exciting space outside that will entice even the most indoorsy children. Here are five easy ways to get kids out in the yard.

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

How to Get Your Kids Outside

1. Yard Games

Invest in a couple of yard games. You can play these together as a family, or your children can invite friends over. Add a personal touch with these custom cornhole bags, for example, https://www.cornholeworldwide.com/products/cornhole-bags/custom-cornhole-bags/. You can have them personalized with the name or message of your choice. They make great gifts and just might incentivize kids to play more outside.

2. Grow Your Own

Growing your own vegetables is a fun way to get children interested in gardening as well as healthy eating. There are plenty of easy vegetables to grow with kids, such as carrots and potatoes, so you don’t need to be expertly green-thumbed. It’s one of the best ways to encourage kids to be productive and happy.

3. Start Seeds Inside

If you want to gauge your child’s interest beforehand, you could start seeds off inside. Plant seeds in glass jars so they can see the roots growing, which will engage their curiosity. You can then move the plants outside.

If you don’t have much yard space but would still like to get your kids interested in gardening, here are some low-maintenance indoor plants. You could even set up window boxes or a small balcony garden.

4. Welcome Wildlife

With a few quick upgrades, you can turn your yard into a wildlife habitat. The children will enjoy spotting and naming the wild visitors that come your way.

Create zones in your yard for critters to forage and hide. Let your lawn grow wilder, or build a rock garden. Add a water source and a bit of food and you’ll easily attract a variety of wildlife.

You could make your own bird feeders from recycled materials, or for a bigger project, build a bee hotel from old wood and bamboo. Another idea is to simply drill a few holes into some untreated wood for a basic home for insects.

5. Create a Sensory Space

Turn your garden into a treat for all the senses by adding plenty of textures, sights, and smells for your children to explore. Create a sensory garden by adding colorful and fragrant flowers which will also attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

An amazing sensory space can be from a swimming pool that is specifically designed with little ones in mind. There is nothing more exciting than splashing in the water on a hot summer’s day. Work with a reputable company like CaliforniaPools.com, so you get the best pool for little water explorers. 

You could even consider a water feature such as a pond or fountain. The sound of the water is incredibly relaxing and it will make a nice home for fish and amphibians. With sensory stimulation and fun activities, your children will love being out in the yard.

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Get Your Kids Outside

It is so important to get your kids outside, and it doesn’t have to be a struggle. By setting your yard up specifically for the kids, your kids will be eager to get outside every day.

What have you done to your yard to get your kids outside? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Adulting Family Activities Life Parenting

5 Simple Morning Rituals For Your Family to Make Your Day Better

Waking yourself up can sometimes feel like more of an effort than getting your children up for school. We all have those mornings where we would rather stay lying in bed than getting up and being productive. To get out of a bad habit and ensure your family has a bright and mindful morning routine, introduce these simple morning rituals.

Morning Rituals For Families

Wake Up Earlier

That’s right, as crazy as it sounds, waking up earlier is a great morning ritual to begin. Setting the alarm just 15 minutes earlier than your usual time can help you be more productive. Plus, it gives you more time to get yourself and your family ready for the day.

Wake up your children, your pets, and your partner if you rise first. You may want to make sure your pets are fed before starting the day, so getting that out of the way with yummy Pet-Ness treats will allow you to focus on the rest of the family.

Open The Curtains

You will want to wake up before the children to ensure you can start their day off positively. As soon as you wake, take advantage of the morning light by opening the bedroom curtains.

Getting light first thing in the morning will energize the brain and improve your mood. It can feel intense at first if you are used to leaving the curtains closed, but you soon add it to your routine when you feel the benefits. 

Get Fresh Air

A lack of fresh air overnight, while you are sleeping, is a common energy stealer. Waking up and stepping outside for some air as soon as possible will fight off the tired feeling and wake you up.

You could take your children out to play while you drink your coffee to make the most of your morning family time. Not only will you all be getting fresh air first thing in the morning, but you will also make lasting memories.

Eat Together

It can be easy to fall out of the habit of eating breakfast together. Cooking a quick batch of pancakes or eggs with toast and sitting around the table will make mealtimes more regular and special. Eating breakfast will also increase your kids’ energy and help them have a productive start to the day. 

Share Plans

While eating breakfast together, share your schedule and ask everyone around the table what they are looking forward to that day. Sharing positive thoughts and ideas can help boost everyone’s mood for the entire day. Talking over breakfast is a great opportunity to share any concerns or exciting news, too.

Integrating these morning rituals into your family’s routine can help everyone fight fatigue, be more productive, and communicate together before the day begins.

You don’t have to do them all right away. It might be easier to do one at a time as you ease into a new routine.

Does your family have any morning routines that you already do each day? Tell me about them in the comments!

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Family Activities How To Life Parenting

12 Proven Ways You Can Make Your Family Life Easier and Happier

Family life has its challenges. It doesn’t matter where you live or how much money you have, you’re probably going to run into some struggles. That being said, there are numerous ways you can make your family life easier and more enjoyable.

If you’re not happy with the way things are for you right now, or you know you could do with less stress and more joy, try some of these suggestions! 

How to Make Your Family Life Easier and Happier

Make Sure Everybody Has Responsibility

One of the best ways to make your life easier and more enjoyable is to make sure everybody has responsibility. They should have responsibility for their own space as well as the house in general.

If your teens have had friends over, make sure they know it’s their responsibility to tidy up. If they have been cooking or made a mess some other way, ensure you raise them knowing that it’s their job to clean it.

It’s also a good idea to ensure that your family has equal responsibility when it comes to any pets. Feeding, grooming, and walking pets, shouldn’t just be your job. Responsibility for both the house and pets will make you a stronger family unit and ensure your life is far more enjoyable. 

Eat One Meal Together Each Day

Eating one meal together each day might not seem possible at first. After all, you have work, school, and other things going on. However, the meal doesn’t have to be dinner.

You could all have breakfast together, or if it’s possible you could have lunch together. If you can find the time to put all of your devices and work away and spend time eating together for a short amount of time every day, you will notice so many benefits. Studies have proven that doing this can help kids perform better at school, will help them avoid peer pressure, and more. 

It doesn’t matter what you want to eat, whether you’ve got the best frozen Chinese food out of the freezer for a homemade takeaway, or you want to make your own pizzas and everyone gets a slice of each. As long as you’re taking the time to be together while eating, you’ll reap the benefits of a family mealtime. 

At our house, we all eat dinner together each evening. We don’t allow phones or other electronic devices during this time, and we make it a point to talk about our day. One person begins by asking someone else, “What was the best part of your day?”, and the person being asked answers the question.

Then, the person who just answered the question will ask the next person the same question. We do this until everyone has talked about their day. It usually lasts the entire time because it really gets the kids talking.

Eat The Same Things Each Week 

Eating the same things each week will help you get a handle on food prep, as well as your shopping. Eating the same meals on corresponding days throughout the week can help you to make mealtimes more of a fun tradition, too. You can keep your food budget down this way and ensure food shopping is more effective. 

*For a free meal planning & grocery list printable, click HERE!*

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Reduce Time Doing Laundry and Ironing

Doing laundry and ironing can feel like it takes ages to complete. However, with the help of items like ironing spray, you can minimize the time spent doing this and ensure your family remains clean and tidy.

It’ll help your clothes last longer, too. There’s no need to do a full wash after every single wear. 

Child Proof Your Home

If you ever worry about your children hurting themselves at home, it’s a good reason to spend time childproofing your home. Here are some ways you can do this:

  • Ensure there’s nothing your children can get tangled up in, such as blind cords. 
  • Avoid leaving children unattended if you have ponds, pools, and other bodies of water in the yard. It only needs to be shallow to suffer the devastating consequences. 
  • Get down to their level and see if you can spot any hazards.
  • Cover up sharp corners.
  • Avoid having hard floors with no rugs. 
  • Use dark colors and ensure materials wipe clean. 

Find Fun Things To Do Together

Doing fun things together brings you closer together as a family. There are so many more things out there you can do instead of just watching TV or playing on electronics!

Why not go on hikes, try arts and crafts, or read together? These are the moments you will treasure when your kids have grown up. Plus, it’s always a good idea to avoid too much screen time. 

Avoid Cluttering Up Your Home

When you have a family, the home can become easily cluttered. If you need help figuring out how to improve this, take a look at Marie Kondo on Netflix.

Keeping the things that truly bring you joy will make your home a tidier, happier place. Rather than buying your kids useless toys that they will use once and forget about (not to mention the plastic use and environmental impact this has), invest in experiences for them and things they can use again and again.  

Download Apps 

Apps can help to give you peace of mind. Some of them will help you know where your family is if they are out with friends or elsewhere. You can even use certain apps to control different parts of the house from a remote location. You can make it look like you are home by turning on the lights, for instance, even when you’re at work. 

Take A Break From The Screen

When you take a break from the screen, you’ll have less stuff cluttering up your brain. You’ll also have more time to focus on your family life and immediate surroundings. Get creative and find new things to do! 

Focus On What You Can Control

Rather than worrying about what you can’t control, focus on what you can control. You won’t always be able to stop bad things from happening, but you can put things into perspective and work on the things that are in your control. 

Simplify Your Wardrobe

Coming up with capsule wardrobes for each family member will have a tremendous impact on both your lives and the planet. You’ll save money, have high-quality pieces you can use again and again, and find getting dressed so much easier. This guide will help you get it right

Prioritize What’s Important To You As A Family

Different things are important to different families. Having a family motto can help you to define your values and morals and ensure your kids grow up to be great people. It’ll also allow you to better communicate with one another, and make decisions from a good place. 

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How are you going to make your family life easier and more enjoyable? Let us know in the comments!

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Classroom Family Activities Learning Toys and Games

5 Educational Board Games To Play With Your Kids

Playing board games with your kids can have many benefits. Board games can get your kids away from the screen and allow you to enjoy some family bonding time. On top of this, many board games can have educational benefits while still being very fun.

Educational Board Games To Play With Your Kids

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

Best Educational Board Games to Play With Kids

Chess

Chess is one of the oldest board games that is still played today. It’s a great game for teaching problem solving and strategy skills. In order to win, you need to keep track of all the pieces on the board while planning your moves ahead.

On top of traditional chess boards, there are chess boards available in all different themes from Harry Potter chess boards to Disney chess boards. You can teach chess to kids as young as 6 as this guide explains, although older kids are likely to appreciate the game more. Chess is a 2 player game, making it better suited to one-on-one time. 

*If you are looking for board games for younger kids, check out this post: 12 of the Best Games For Kids

Scrabble

Scrabble encourages players to earn points by forming words. On top of being a great game for expanding your child’s vocabulary, Scrabble helps kids to develop math skills through adding up points and forming patterns. Plus, it helps with teaching forward planning.

You can play Scrabble with up to four players. As with chess, older kids are likely to appreciate Scrabble more.

If you run out of word ideas, don’t worry. There are lots of tools online that can help you play scrabble better such as this word unscrambler tool.

Monopoly

Monopoly encourages players to buy property around a board until one person owns all the property. It’s a great game for teaching kids money management because in order to win, you need to be able to budget well and take calculated risks.

On top of the classic version of Monopoly, there are now many other versions themed around everything from Star Wars to Pokémon. You can play Monopoly with up to eight players, making it ideal for large families.

Qwirkle

Qwirkle is a game that involves matching colors and shapes using tiles. On top of helping to build logical skills through patterns, Qwirkle is a great game for teaching strategy much like chess or Scrabble (in fact, it’s a bit like a combination of chess and dominoes).

The game is easy to set up and can be played by all ages. Up to four players can play Qwirkle at a time. 

The World Game

If you’re looking for a game to teach geography skills, The World Game is the perfect option. Players compete to find the strongest fact about a country and win.

In doing so, players learn trivia about various countries from capital cities to flags. The game also teaches map orientation, helping kids to work out exactly where countries are in the world. It’s suitable for players of all ages and can be played with up to five players. 

Educational Board Games To Play With Your Kids

Learning doesn’t have to be boring, and you don’t have to force it on your kids. By finding the right ways to help them learn, you can have fun and bond while doing it. Board games are the perfect thing for that because they are fun and educational.

What are your favorite educational board games to play with your kids? Tell me in the comments!

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Big kid fun Family Activities How To Infant/Toddler Learning Learning Parenting Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning Toys Toys and Games

What Are Some Of The Ways You Can Encourage Imaginative Play?

Encouraging your child to use their imagination is very important. After all, this is an essential step in their learning process as it helps them develop skills and learn. The best way to get your child’s imagination working is through imaginative play. After all, if something seems fun, then your child will instantly be more responsive and involved.

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Luckily, there are quite a few imagination-based toys available in stores and on the internet. Even better, many toys for imaginative play are popular with young children. You’ll be able to find the perfect one for your kiddo that they will love.

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

Click these links for a few ideas for pretend play that your kids will love:

There are also online play options and virtual school assemblies. This means that you are not faced with a shortage of options to choose from.

This blog post aims to give you a helping hand with this by simply providing you with some tips and suggestions regarding the promotion of imaginative play.

Figure Out What Type of Imaginative Play Your Child Likes

The key is to try out a few different things to discover what type of imaginative play your child likes. Stick with things that let them use their mind to unlock the door of their imagination.

There are lots of great toys available that are based around role-playing. One of the most popular options to go for is a kid’s kitchen. This gives your child their very own area of space where they can pretend to cook and create different meals.

This helps them because they will be able to become more familiar with different kitchen activities. Plus, they can use their imagination to create different scenarios.

Buy a Dollhouse

Another good option is to buy a dollhouse. These are great because they promote creativity as well as imagination. Your child will be able to decorate the rooms in the house and think of different scenarios between the dolls. Plus, this helps the child learn about family dynamics, the roles of different individuals, and the makings of a household.

Encourage Imaginative Dress-Up

There are lots of different dress-up costumes available from toy stores, and it is another good option to go for. After all, what better way to let your imagination run wild and get into true character than dressing up as something? The choices for dress-up are never-ending, and it is a good idea to let your little one pick which outfit they likes best.

Consider Other Play Home Items

If you are looking for something which is smaller or more affordable than a play kitchen, then there are lots of scaled-down sets. These sets encourage kids to learn different life skills. You can get cake baking sets, laundry sets, coffee making sets, and much, much more.

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As you can see, there are several different ways in which you can get your child’s imagination working. Hopefully, the tips to promote imaginative play given in this article will have provided you with some ideas and inspiration. What are some ways your kids enjoy imaginative play? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Adulting Family Activities How To

Leading A More Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle

In recent years, there’s been a huge focus on climate change, waste production, and carbon footprints. The situation is growing more serious with each day that passes. It isn’t too late to change, however, and leading a more environmentally friendly lifestyle can help.

Mother Nature is simply unable to cope under all of the pressure. There are side effects such as extreme weather and rising sea levels occurring all over the world.

You may think that you can’t do much to change this as one individual, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Every positive change that you make will have an effect on the planet, no matter how small it may seem.

Your changes may even inspire those around you to rethink and adapt too. So, there’s no time like the present to start leading a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

If you want to find out more about how you can reduce your impact on the environment, then read on to uncover some of the best tips and tricks.

environmentally friendly lifestyle
Image Source – Pexels 

The Big Food Debate 

Food is essential and you can’t live without, but it’s a huge environmental issue that needs to be discussed. Far too many people do not know where their food comes from. Or, they simply aren’t alarmed when they find out that their fruits and vegetables have flown halfway around the world.

Globalization is not a beneficial advancement when considering environmental conservation. It requires ‘fresh’ produce to take a car, ship, and plane to reach your plate. One of the best things that you can do to reduce your carbon footprint is to eat local. Find a passionate local farmer or market where you can purchase fruits and vegetables that are in season locally.

Cooking your meals based on which produce is in season ensures that you can maintain variety while cutting your funds to exotic GMO producers. It is far from natural to see the same fruits and vegetables available all year round.

To add to this, the production process utilized in the animal agriculture business produces more carbon than all modes of transport combined. This makes meat one of the most environmentally unfriendly options you can choose. Attempting to follow a plant-based diet with no animal products will have a dramatic effect on your carbon footprint.

Sustainable Power 

Sustainable power is growing in popularity, whether this means investing in an electric car or sourcing a solar installer to add panels to your home. Utilizing finite resources such as coal and gas is not a long-term plan, as these resources will soon run dry and an alternative must be found.

Wind farms, hydropower, and solar panels are the energy of the future, as they utilize natural occurrences to source their power. It’s so inspiring to see such a wealth of investment reaching the sustainable power industry, but now it’s your turn to get involved! 

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What do you think you and your family can do to become more environmentally friendly? Leave a comment and let me know!