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Kid Activities

Silly Things for Toddlers and Kids to Paint With

March 24, 2020 by KT Leave a Comment

Silly Household Items for Painting with Toddlers and Kids

Looking for some silly everyday household things for toddlers and kids to paint with?

Look no further… Here are some things other than a paintbrush that you can use to paint with.

As an added bonus, most things you have laying around the house anyway!

Simply bring out the paper, paint, and a tablecloth perhaps to limit mess, and just find some of these super silly items to paint with.

I like to do one (two at most) silly items at a time so it will keep their interest. I usually have paintbrushes on hand for later because believe it or not, paintbrushes are still my kids preferred method of painting.

However, it is so fun to mix it up and get extra creative!

Here’s a few silly things you can paint with at home with toddlers and kids:

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

Q Tips

Painting with Q Tips with toddlers and kids

Grab those Q Tips out of the medicine closet and add them to any kid painting activity for an easy substitute for a paint brush!

Q Tips are great for getting those little dots on paper and little kids love painting with Q Tips for something different!

Cotton Balls

Silly Painting with Cotton Balls for Kids

Cotton Balls is a great paintbrush alternative and great for young kids! Put a cotton ball on clothespin and get stamping those cotton balls!

Easy, peasy!

Cookie Cutters

Painting with Cookie Cutters with Kids and Toddlers

Cookie Cutters are fun to paint with and a great way to make all different shapes with paint!

You can use whatever cookie cutters you have on and dip them into the paint to make whatever designs you want! So easy and fun!

If you don’t have cookie cutters but do have kids, I recommend getting some. We love baking with our cookie cutters too, but it’s fun to get other uses out of them too!

Feathers & Leaves

Painting with Feathers with kids

Feathers, leaves, or anything in nature with a silly shape is great to paint with!

Using feathers didn’t keep my kids attention for too long but they did get a cute giggle out of it!

Dinosaurs

Painting with Toy Dinosaurs for Young Kids for a silly painting activity!

Grab those dinosaur toys and get them stomping through the paint to make dinosaur tracks!

Our dinosaurs make more like paint globs, but it was still fun to do something different!

And dinosaurs are a great size for those little toddler hands for painting!

Painting with Bows

Painting with Wrapping Bows for a fun paint project

Take bows from wrapping paper and dip them into paint to big marks onto paper and a silly design!

You could use different sizes to see the difference is size and shape or just use one at a time!

Caps and Covers

Find leftover caps and covers from the recycling pile or where ever you can to use with paint!

Caps and covers are great to paint with and make super fun circle designs on paper!

Best of all, you use what you have and you can toss that leftover pouch cap or whatever after!

Painting with Legos

Painting with Legos with Kids

Painting with Legos was probably the biggest hit, and they cleaned pretty easily too!

We used our first builders building blocks but you can use whatever legos or blocks you want!

Painting with Toilet Paper Rolls

Painting with Toilet Paper Rolls for Kids

Use leftover toilet paper rolls to paint with too! They will also give you a circular shape or you can use tape to make a new shape, like a heart!

Toilet Paper Rolls make great stampers, or you can just paint the roll like what my two year old did.

A Few More Ideas

Here are a few silly ideas that we haven’t tested but my toddler and preschooler will paint with soon!

  • Monster Trucks and Cars: Drive those trucks right through the paint!
  • Potatoes/Apples/Etc: Cut the produce with a design and stamp them into the paint!
  • Yarn or Ribbon: Make silly lines and designs with the yarn!
  • Forks: Get those silly fork shapes onto paper!
  • Sponge: Cut your dish sponge into fun shapes to make a paint stamper!
  • Wine Corks: Put those leftover wine corks to good use and have the kids stamp with them!
  • Dice: If you have dice to spare, try using dice in your paint!
  • Cardboard Shapes: Cut out the cardboard to make even more shapes and designs! Layer them for extra fun!

What other household or common items that you’ve painted with before?

Filed Under: Kid Activities

The Best Board Games for Preschoolers and Small Kids

March 21, 2020 by KT Leave a Comment

Best Board Games for Families, Kids, Preschoolers and Toddlers

Are you looking for the best board games to play with preschoolers and young children?

I love playing board games and game with my toddler and preschooler, and I love family game time as a family of four!

My youngest is 2.5 and there are some games that he loves to play too, although some games are better than others! My preschooler is the perfect age for board games and loves to play with us!

It’s such a fun and easy family activity with quality family time, and a lot of the games are a little educational too!

Here are my favorite board games for preschoolers and young kids:

*This post does contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game is an award winning family favorite game!

It’s a great game that teaches fine motor skills and color matching and it’s just so fun too!

You basically need to collect the most acorns first to win! It’s a simple game, but it’s a lot of fun and great educational game without even knowing it!

My 2.5 year old is just getting the hang of it but it’s perfect for my 4.5 year old! We love playing this one as a family too!

For more information or to purchase The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game, please click here.

Banana Blast

Banana Blast was gifted to us and this game was an instant MEGA hit!

My 2.5 and 4.5 year old LOVED playing with this and my little one did pretty good at playing this!

You roll the dice and you try to sneak a banana from the monkey! Whoever gets the most bananas before he jumps, wins! You also try to catch that monkey to steal two bananas away to help you win the most!

Usually whoever catches that jump monkey, will usually win!

We sometimes get some sore losers, even my husband, but my kids can play with this for awhile all together!

Some great family fun for all!

For more information or to purchase Banana Blast, please click here.

Pop the Pig

Pop the Pig is a fun game, and perfect for little ones who are just getting into games! It was one of our first games!

Truthfully, we use Pop the Pig more as a toy than a game.

We feed him him burgers and when he gets full, he pops out! It’s super silly! My younger one loves this more than my almost 5 year old, so it’s a great beginner game!

It’s a great game to play casually and more like a toy if you’re little one is quite into board games yet too!

For more information or to purchase Pop the Pig, please click here.

Guess Who?

Guess Who? is a classic board game that I remember playing when I was little!

You need to make guesses to narrow down the person the other person picked, and to find the correct person first!

This is a two person game that my almost 5 year old is just getting into! I would say 5+ is good for actually playing the game and is too young for my little one, but my 5 year old and I have a little quality time together with this one!

For more information or to purchase Guess Who?, please click here.

Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It Toddler Game

Oone of our favorite authors is Richard Scarry, and we love Busytown and it’s great to see the world in a board game!

Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It! game has you racing around Busytown to find hidden objects!

We actually are gifting this game for our son’s fifth birthday after hearing so many positive reviews so I’ll post an update with my thoughts later when we play this as a family!

For more information or to purchase Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It! game, please click here.

Zingo!

Zingo! is an award winning preschool game that is great for pre-readers and early readers.

Zingo! is basically Bingo with a Zing and a great way to learn sight words for preschoolers and young kids!

For more information or to purchase Zingo!, please click here.

I’ll add more as we find more family favorites too! What are your favorite board games for small children?

Filed Under: Kid Activities, Parenting Tagged With: board games, Toddler Activities

Easy Salt Dough Ornaments with Kids

December 8, 2019 by KT Leave a Comment

Easy Salt Dough Ornament Recipe with Kids

I love making ornaments with the kids to give as gifts and every year we do Salt Dough Ornaments!

Salt Dough Ornaments are pretty easy but still very hands on and fun for kids to get involved!

I’ve done this every year since my child was around 20 months, so any age is good!

Just keep in mind you may lose a few over the years because they are somewhat fragile.

Here is a super easy recipe for Salt Dough Ornaments:

  • 1 Cup of Flour
  • 1/2 Cup of Salt
  • 1/2 Cup of Water

Mix together Flour and Salt then add the 1/2 cup of water. Stir in water until dough forms. You may want to use your hands to knead the dough– or have your kids stir or knead it!

It may take a few minutes (5 mins or so) until the dough forms!

Roll dough with rolling pin on parchment paper and add some flour to the paper to make it easier to roll out!

Once the dough is nice and flat (with around 1 inch thickness, or whatever you desire), use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes!

I use Christmas Cookie Cutters (affiliate link) on my Salt Dough Ornaments, but you can even just use circle jars and make snowmen! Or just stick those little kid hands in and use their hands as a mold and an ornament!

You may need to continue to add flour to the dough to make it less sticky or more water if the dough gets to dry. Either or neither may happen!

Don’t forget to use a pen or another sharp tip to make a small hole on the top so you can add a ribbon to the ornament for later!

Bake at 200 degrees for 2 to 3 hours.

After baking, feel free to paint and decorate your salt dough ornaments!

*You can also double the recipe if you want to make a lot of ornaments for gifts and such, but this recipe still makes a bunch!

These do make great gifts and are fun to make with the kids!

Enjoy!

You May Also Like: Christmas Bucket List with Kids

Filed Under: Kid Activities

Christmas Bucket List with Kids

November 24, 2019 by KT Leave a Comment

Christmas Bucket List with Kids for fun ideas of fun things to do this holiday season

Are you looking for some fun things to do this Christmas Season with kids?

Well, you make want to check out my Christmas Bucket List with 40 Ideas to do with kids this holiday season!

I definitely want to do SO many things with my toddler and preschooler while they are so into the Christmas Magic!

I’m going to try to do as many Christmas-y things as humanly possible but needed to make a Christmas Bucket List to keep track of everything! There’s so many fun things to do and so little time!

Also, don’t forget to check out 15 Christmas Traditions to Start with Your Family to get some good ideas of traditions to do ever year with your kids!

Here’s 40+ items on this Christmas Bucket List with Kids this Holiday Season:

  1. Write a Letter to Santa
  2. Take a Picture with Santa
  3. Chop Down a Christmas Tree
  4. Decorate the Christmas Tree
  5. Make a Popcorn Garland
  6. Decorate the House for Christmas
  7. Make a new ornament for the Christmas Tree
  8. Find The Elf on the Shelf
  9. Drink Hot Cocoa by a Cozy Fireplace
  10. Listen (and dance) to Christmas Music
  11. Watch Christmas Movies with Friends and/or Family
  12. Build a Snowman
  13. Go Sledding
  14. Drive around and look at Christmas Lights
  15. Go to a Tree Lighting
  16. Go to an annual Holiday Event
  17. Donate a Toy to Charity
  18. Volunteer your time to Spread Holiday Cheer
  19. Make a Christmas Gift this Year
  20. Make a Gingerbread House
  21. Bake and Decorate Cookies for Santa
  22. Deliver Cookies to a Neighbor or Friend
  23. Make an advent calendar and count the days ’til Xmas
  24. Go Caroling
  25. Go Ice Skating
  26. Read Polar Express
  27. Go on a Christmas Train Ride
  28. Go on a Sleigh Ride
  29. Send Christmas Cards to Family
  30. Make Gingerbread Playdough
  31. Make a Holiday Craft
  32. Wear Christmas Pajamas
  33. Make reindeer food for Rudolph
  34. Take Family Holiday Pictures
  35. Leave milk & cookies for Santa
  36. Wear an Ugly Christmas Sweater
  37. Wrap Christmas Gifts with Music in the background
  38. Send a Care Package to a Loved One
  39. Read the “Night Before Christmas” on Xmas Eve
  40. Do a Random Act of Kindness

What’s on your Christmas Bucket List with kids this year?

Filed Under: Kid Activities

Fun Marshmallow Building Activity for All Ages

October 23, 2019 by KT Leave a Comment

marshmallow and toothpick building toddler and kid activity

Building with marshmallows and toothpicks is a classic activity.

I remember in middle school building with marshmallows and toothpicks to see what team could build the strongest bridge and then in high school, the biggest tower.

I even built and played with marshmallows and toothpicks as a grown adult for team building exercises in college and work.

Building with Marshmallows and toothpicks, and other variations too, is a great activity for any age… even toddlers and preschoolers!

My 4 year old was looking for something to do and I wanted to get a few things done on my computer.

My husband was complaining earlier in the day that nobody was eating the marshmallows and they were getting stale… and viola! An easy activity was born.

I gave my building loving boy toothpicks, marshmallows at the table and he went to town while I worked for my laptop.

He LOVED it.

It kept him so busy building and he was learning at the same time.

He actually did pretty good building and it kept him busy for well over 30 minutes.

I always did this activity when I was older, but you can really do this activity at any age.

(My two year old just ate the marshmallows though and made me nervous with the toothpicks so maybe not so young, but my four year old was so great with this activity!)

Marshmallow Building Activity for Kids: Supplies and Instructions

This Marshmallow Building Activity is quite simple.

Here is the supplies needed for this easy kid activity:

  • Marshmallows (the regular size worked better for my 4 year old then the mini ones, but we’ve done both!)
  • Toothpicks

That’s it.

Put the marshmallows and toothpicks out, and let the kids (or adults!) play and build.

You may want to put some paper towels down or tablecloth down first for easy clean up but this wasn’t that messy, so you don’t have to if you don’t want too.

You can also give some instruction or leave it totally up to them to lead the activity.

I personally just set left toothpicks and marshmallows out on the table and let my 4 year old go to town.

He needed some instruction and showed him how to make a box, and then after that, it was all him.

I occasionally held something here and there for him, but it was such a simple and self play activity. A great activity for toddlers– or any age!

However, if your audience is a little older or with groups you could:

  • Create the tallest building without falling
  • Create the sturdiest bridge without breaking
  • Structure that can hold the most weight
  • Create a variety of 3-D shapes

This is such a fun STEM activity for any age and you could create a challenge to it or just leave it open for creative play.

More Ways to Build

You also switch up the supplies if you don’t have marshmallows and toothpicks or switch it up to add a little variety to the activity.

Here are some ideas you could also do to expand on the basic activity:

  • Gum Drops (instead of Marshmallows)
  • Peeps (instead of Marshmallows)
  • Jelly Beans (instead of Marshmallows)
  • Play Dough (instead of Marshmallows)
  • Clay (instead of Marshmallows)
  • Spaghetti (instead of toothpicks)
  • Pipe cleaners (instead of toothpicks)
  • Popsicle sticks (instead of toothpicks)
  • Pretzel sticks (instead of toothpicks)
  • Straws (instead of toothpicks)

You can switch up any or all the supplies or try them all!

There’s so much this little activity can do!

I love introducing marshmallow and toothpick building to my four year old– and he had so much fun with this as a preschooler!

I also did spaghetti and playdough with my two year old, and that was a hit for a younger age!

However, I’m sure I’ll add some new supplies and new challenges as my kids get older! This is such a versatile activity for toddlers to adults!

What is your favorite way to do this simple activity?

You May Also Like: 13 Things I Do Every Day as a Stay At Home Mom

Filed Under: Kid Activities, Uncategorized

Fall Bucket List with Kids

September 18, 2019 by KT Leave a Comment

Fall Bucket List with kids with so many fun things to do in fall!

Are you looking for an amazing Fall Bucket List with Kids?

I love Fall… perfect weather, yummy foods, and so many fun activities to do!

Below are a few family-friendly fall fun ideas to make the perfect fall bucket list with kids!

  • Enjoy a Fall Festival
  • Go Apple Picking
  • Make Apple Pie or Apple Crisp
  • Visit a Pumpkin Patch
  • Go on a Hayride
  • Family Bike Ride
  • Visit a Corn Maze
  • Explore a “Haunted House”
  • Go go on a nature walk
  • Watch Football
  • Go on a road trip for fall foliage
  • Make Pumpkin Bread
  • Eat or Drink Pumpkin Anything
  • Bake Cookies
  • Make and eat Caramel Apples
  • Decorate the house for fall
  • Build a scarecrow
  • Carve a Pumpkin
  • Make Halloween Costumes
  • Trick-or-treat
  • Jump in leaves
  • Collect leaves and make leaf art
  • Apple stamp art
  • Make pumpkin play dough
  • Take Fall Family Photos (for Christmas cards)
  • Give Thanks

And, if you’d rather a visual of a bucket list instead… Don’t forget to pin it either for some Fall Bucket list inspiration!

What’s on your family fall bucket list this year? What did I miss?

Filed Under: Kid Activities

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