Did you play Kick the Can when you were younger? I did! My kids love to play outdoor games so I cannot believe we never taught them how to play until this summer. That's why we have enjoyed our "Old School" Summer Bucket List so much, it gave us the chance to intentionally introduce some of our favorite childhood activities to our kids. How to Play Kick the Can 1. Grab a bucket or can that is kid safe and kick proof. 2. Choose someone to … [Read more...]
Building Block Busy Bag with Pool Noodles
All three of my kids love to build and create and ask to take their Lego bricks with them into the tub and the pool. To give them blocks that can easily go in and out of water and won't get lost down the drain I made them blocks made out of pool noodles! My kids had so much fun with them that I decided to make sets to give out to my friends at one of our Moms Night Out Busy Bag Swaps! To make the bags my husband and I cut up pool noodles into … [Read more...]
Sight Word Swim Game for Kids
Playing games is great for kids to learn sight words. If you have a child that needs to learn them for school you already know that practicing can get old very quickly! In order to make practicing more fun for my 5 year I decided to incorporate swimming, one of his favorite activities, into our game! To prepare the game I wrote 12 of the kindergarten sight words that he didn't automatically know on some of our ball pit balls. We have hundreds and … [Read more...]
Kids Nature Craft: Rock People and Pets
Rock people and pets are one of those classic crafts that you just have to make when you're a kid--so, of course, we had to include them on our "Old School Summer" bucket list! All I had to do was ask the kids if they wanted make rock friends and they were off! They collected rocks from our yard and use Sharpies, glitter glue and foam stickers to turn them into rock people and rock pets. Then they raided the recycling stash to create houses for … [Read more...]
ABC Ice Cream Gross Motor Game
My preschooler is in the process of learning her uppercase and lowercase letters. To make practicing more fun we decided to play an ice cream themed game. All of my kids LOVE to play pretend and kitchen and restaurant play is a favorite so this ice cream game was a hit! To make the game I used 12 ball pit balls and 4 paper towel rolls. I cut the rolls into thirds to make the cones and wrote lowercase letters on the front. Then I used a … [Read more...]
Move and Learn Activities for Kids
My kids learn best when they are active. Getting up and moving motivates kids to practice new skills and helps them to better retain the information. Plus, it's also lots of fun! Hands on : as we grow and The Pleasantest Thing and I are teaming up to bring Move and Learn! activities each week as part of a new series. To kick things off we are sharing move and learn activities from all over the web for each age group and I am focusing on active … [Read more...]
25 Glow in the Dark Kids Activities
My kids have been having so much fun this summer with glow in the dark activities! Staying up and playing after dark is always great and adding anything that glows to it doubles the fun. Here are 25 glow in the dark ways to learn, play and create with your kids! Glow in the Dark Learning Activities 1. Glow in the Dark Secret Messages 2. Glow in the Dark Alphabet Eggs 3. Letter Practice: Glow in the Dark Letter Hunt 4. Glow … [Read more...]
First Day of School Books
In our family we kick off the start of a new school year with a new book! For younger kids books about going back to school or what will happen on the first day of school can be both motivating and comforting. Here are 9 first day of school books that my kids have loved and asked to read over and over again. (affiliate links included for your convenience) First Day of School Books I Love School! by Philomen Sturge My kids love this cute … [Read more...]
