This Top Secret Valentine Writing Center was a huge hit with my kids (ages 6 and 10)! They spent an entire afternoon coding, writing, and trading Valentine messages back and forth. Special thanks to our friends at Melissa & Doug for sponsoring today’s creative Valentine activity post and supplying us with lots of crafty goodies. […]
DIY Cupid’s Cookie Shop!
January 27, 2015 by
This sweet little pretend Cupid’s Cookie Shop was so simple to set up, and kept the kids happily entertained for a long time during a recent snow day when they had off from school. I love how something as simple as a few sheets of felt and bits from the dollar store can make them […]
Valentine Craft for Kids
January 20, 2015 by
This Valentine craft for kids would be great to do as a party activity! Here’s how to make Cupid Cottages from paper bags, recycled newspaper, Valentine stickers, and some leftover crafty bits you may already have on-hand. These would look great as a table centerpiece or on display in your home! My kids had so […]
Polar Animals Sensory Bin
January 13, 2015 by
This polar animals sensory bin was one of my kids’ favorite activities during a recent day off from school due to icy weather. We did not get any snow, so we made our own. Then we added some small toy animals for plenty of imaginative Winter playtime fun! This was so quick and easy to […]
Autumn Nature Activity – Leaf Detectives!
November 11, 2014 by
This Autumn nature activity is a great way to keep the kids engaged in outdoor play this season, and you may be able to do this right in your own backyard! My kids loved pretending to be “leaf detectives” to explore which leaves come from which trees. They went on several top secret missions to […]
Rainy Day Fun — Paper Bag Houses
October 17, 2014 by
This invitation to create paper bag houses is so much fun to explore, and super simple to set up! It’s a great after school activity, and perfect for when you need a bit of rainy day fun. My kids loved designing their paper bag houses to create a colorful village, then spent the rest of […]
How to Make a Fort Building Kit
August 7, 2014 by
For a recent friend’s birthday, my kids wanted to surprise the birthday child with something super fun — a fort building kit! It was quick and easy to put together, but most importantly, it made the birthday girl smile!! They were very happy to learn that the fort building kit has already been put to […]
20 Ways to Play with Silks
May 20, 2014 by
Play silks are perfect for encouraging hours of imaginative play time fun because they can be easily made into several different things from costumes to props! Babies might enjoy a game of peek a boo with a play silk, while preschoolers might love to use a silk in a pot to stir up some pretend […]
Harry Potter Crafts and Play Date Fun!
April 30, 2014 by
Do your kids love Harry Potter? My 10 year old has been enjoying the Harry Potter series of books, and much of her love of reading can be attributed to the world of Hogwarts! Recently we hosted an impromptu Harry Potter themed play date, and it was so much fun!!! These activities would be great […]
Free Printable for Preschoolers: Bakery Play Mats!
March 17, 2014 by
Here’s a free printable for preschoolers that works as a great boredom buster, especially for kids who love to draw or play with play dough! These bakery play mats let kids decorate cupcakes and cookies however they would like. Keep the sheets in a binder, and you’ll have an instant (and free) play mat booklet […]
No Cook Chocolate Scented Playdough Recipe
February 14, 2014 by
I wish you could have smelled my kitchen after making this no cook chocolate scented playdough! My kids absolutely loved this invitation to play pretend Valentine chocolate shop! If the kids are old enough to know not to put play dough into their mouths, you can make your own no cook chocolate scented playdough with […]
Simple Craft for Kids — Cardboard Tube Construction Set
January 13, 2014 by
It’s that time of year when many of us have leftover wrapping paper tubes just waiting to be repurposed in some fun crafty way! Here’s an inspiring idea to reuse empty cardboard tubes for a simple craft for kids that’s sure to keep them entertained for a good long while. Yay for simple and fun […]
Cardboard Gingerbread House Life Size
November 25, 2013 by
If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that last night as soon as the kids went off to bed, Mark and I crafted up a cardboard gingerbread house life size to surprise them with this morning. We had so much fun making this for them and I loved seeing how […]
North Pole Travel Play Set
November 21, 2013 by
Searching for a way to bring a little North Pole magic wherever you go? Need a special toy to take on trips this holiday season?? Then a North Pole Travel Play Set is for you! The kids and I had such a great time putting this Winter play set together, and I love how it […]
Getting Ready for Halloween with Pretend Play
September 30, 2013 by
With Halloween around the corner, now is a great time to prepare kids for trick-or-treating fun using pretend play to reinforce good manners, important safety tips, and proper Halloween etiquette. Here are some of our favorite ways for getting ready for Halloween with pretend play with lots of imaginative playtime fun thrown in! A BIG thank you […]
How to Play with Stuffed Animals
August 1, 2013 by
Do your kids own lots of stuffed animals? Wish your kids would play with their stuffed animals instead of letting them collect dust on the shelf? Looking for something fun to do on a rainy day?? For a fun time, create a disguise kit for pretend stuffed animal “spies”! You’ll want to change their appearance […]
Let’s Build a Fairy Garden Table!
June 10, 2013 by
This fairy garden table is a never-ending project for the kids this Summer! I love that this space provides: 1. plenty of inspiration for imaginative playtime fun, 2. learning opportunities about various plants, and 3. fresh herbs for our Summer recipes! Oh, and it is absolutely adorable!! We started with a simple elevated garden bed […]
Kid Craft — Silly Stick Puppets
April 3, 2013 by
Here’s a quick, low-mess craft for the kids to do. Added bonus — they may be inspired to put on their own puppet shows for plenty of imaginative playtime fun! You might want to keep these in mind for upcoming Screen Free Week later this month! (More ideas for Screen Free Week can be found […]
