Squeezable Homemade Finger Paint
I get writer’s block…some times more than others. I had a few days last week where I felt like my ideas had all dried up. That’s when I like to look through books and magazines for inspiration. In fact, I…
Salt-Absorbing Fireworks!
Several months ago, I saw this idea for absorbing artwork from Family Fun using salt and colored water. I thought it would be fun to use black paper to make some festive 4th of July fireworks. So that’s exactly what we…
Toddler Time: Straws & Lids
Little Brother came up with this activity all on his own. In fact, he is fascinated by it and will spend at least 15 minutes (which is long for him) putting the straw through the lid and then pulling it…
Toddler Time: Big Bead Threading for Little Fingers
I admit it…I’m double-dipping. Remember the caterpillar counting activity I posted? Well, I’m repurposing that for an activity with Little Brother as well. The pieces of the pool noodle serve as really large beads. And what’s an excellent fine-motor activity…
Stained Glass Butterfly
This craft sorta happened on accident. It is a combination of a leftover tie-dyed coffee filter from this post and the Bob & Larry Stained Glass. But boy, am I glad we stumbled upon it! I would like a few…
Tie-Dye Butterfly Magnet
Big Brother’s favorite part of making these butterflies was, hands down, using the spray bottle! And I just love how the colors blended together. The rest of it was pretty fun too, especially seeing the end result! And the best…
Edi-Dough {aka Edible Playdough}
Who says you can’t play with your food??? We had so much fun making, playing with, and eating this playdough! This was an activity I did with my first graders when we were exploring the life cycle of a butterfly…
Mother’s Day "Magic" Invisible Card
Big Brother got a kick out of making this card! The real surprise came once he began painting it! Here’s what you’ll need: white cardstock, a white crayon, a paintbrush, and some paint. 1. Using a white crayon, write a…
Chicken Beak Counting and Guessing Game
This “game” incorporates both fine motor and cognitive development and emphasizes number recognition, counting, one-to-one correspondence, and hypothesizing. Talk about packing a punch! We pretended that the tweezer was a chicken beak and Big Brother practiced putting the corresponding number…
Toddler Time: Building Towers
Blocks are a childhood staple, but did you know that learning to build a tower of blocks is also somewhat of a developmental milestone? Toddlers must use cognition and fine motor skills to stack one block on top of another…the…
Shape Chick
One of my biggest pet peeves is “kid’s crafts” that look perfect…because I know that the child was not really one doing the craft, the parent/caregiver/teacher was. As you can tell right off the bat, this sweet chick was 100%…
Toddler Time: Pots & Pans "Puzzles"
If your kids are anything like mine, they don’t really play with toys a whole lot. They’d rather play with household items or demand my constant, undivided attention (I’m particularly thinking of one of my children). That’s why I love any…
Toddler Time: Tearing Paper
After a recent conversation with my friend Jennie, a former Pre-K teacher who now has a son about the same age as Little Brother, I was motivated to start posting some toddler-friendly ideas…even if they aren’t all that “unique.” I’m…
Self-Portrait
Around 3 years of age, children will stop scribbling with crayons and start creating meaningful pictures. For the last several weeks, I have tried (to no avail) to get Big Brother to draw a picture of a person. He refused…
Lickety Stickety Valentines
Want to do something a little different for Valentines this year? How about making these lick-and-stick stickers with your child to give to all their friends! After all, every child loves stickers…especially ones that they can lick first. :) I…
Penguin Puppets
Aren’t these little penguin puppets cute? Big Brother has been having a ton of fun playing with them! I found this fun idea for making penguin puppets from empty toilet paper rolls from Preschool Express. Here’s what you’ll need: toilet…
Bob & Larry {Stained Glass}
Big Brother is on the verge of obsession with Veggie Tales. He LOVES all of the characters and will watch the movies over and over and over again. I happen to think they are pretty funny, have a GREAT message, and I…
Footprint Penguin
I am a sucker for anything that involves kid’s handprints, footprints, or fingerprints! There is something so sentimental about seeing their little hand or foot used to create something altogether new. With that being said, it’s no wonder why I…