Instead of having kids glued to hand-held devices this summer, why not have them make their own? A homemade, single-player, steady hand game is a fun, easy project for elementary-aged kids that teaches them a little bit about electricity. To play the game, kids try to follow a curved wire path with ...
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Ziplock Solar System I-Spy Busy Bag
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!I'm a little ashamed to say, but I don't really worry about entertaining my preschooler and kindergartener. They are pretty good at entertaining themselves. However, if they start to melt down and I ABSOLUTELY need a minute, I can put on a movie and be confident they will leave me alone for at least ...
Look Inside a Volcano Activity
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!I'm not sure there exists a more fun and easy science experiment for young kids than a homemade volcano. All you really need for a volcano science activity is baking soda, vinegar, an empty container and maybe some food coloring and your kids will be begging for more. My kids LOVE homemade volcanoes ...
Coding a LEGO Maze
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!There's no denying it. For better or worse, technology is taking over the world. Being able to program a computer is a skill that will serve our children well in the future. I didn't write my first simple program until I was 18, but ultimately I got my PhD and worked full-time writing and operating ...
Goodnight Moon Game
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!This fun, open-ended game based on one of the world’s most popular books for babies and toddlers is the perfect first board game for young kids. There are lots of different ways to play making this game appropriate for a wide range of ages. Product: Goodnight Moon Game Company: Briar ...
Color Code
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!Color code is a fun, challenging, single player game that uses a different skill set than many logic puzzles aimed at similar age kids. It requires kids to use spatial reasoning, but rather than using 3 dimensional shapes, it requires kids to layer a series of flat (2 dimensional) images to make a ...
Movie Theater Pretend Play
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!When I was young, I spent a period of time living with my grandmother who was an expert at having fun. She took me to see my first movie at a movie theater back when I was about 5 years old (we saw My Little Pony) and I was completely in love with the experience. The tickets, the popcorn, the dimmed ...
Amusement Park Map Activity
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!When I was about 5 or 6, my mom and stepdad took me to Six Flags Magic Mountain. I had a terrible day. The rides were too scary, the larger-than-life Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd were terrifying, there was sooo much walking...I'm pretty sure I did nothing but complain or cry the entire day. (Sorry, ...
5 Quick and Easy Activities for Toddlers
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!Whether I'm cooking dinner, playing checkers with my kindergartner, or reading a story to my preschooler, there are moments throughout the day when I really would like my toddler to play by himself for short periods of time. He's actually very independent generally speaking, but the times when I ...
Homemade Bug Houses
This site uses affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!I don't like bugs. Period. At all. Not even a little bit. But my kids do. They think all types of insects, spiders, and other creepy, crawly creatures are fascinating. Parenthood has definitely made me more tolerant of countless things (bodily fluids, lack of privacy, random screaming...). My ...