Category: activities for kids

Easy Chores Kids Can Actually Help With

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Parents and guardians have a great deal of responsibility, and on top of caring for children; there are plenty of chores involved, too. That doesn’t even include providing for the family, supplying food and other necessities, running errands, and countless other things. Kids should focus on growing, developing and learning, but actually having kids pitch in with the chores and cleaning can be helpful! Kids should not be forced to do labor, especially nothing that is unsafe or unreasonable for them to do, but giving children a household responsibility helps them develop that skill, as they get older. It can also help teach lessons in patience, gratitude, and discipline. Here are some chores that you can assign your kids from time to time, or have them help you with.

Vacuum

Kids shouldn’t handle any heavy, large vacuums, but slimmer appliances can actually prove to be fun! They make toy vacuums for a reason, right? Giving kids a light task like vacuuming the kitchen or the bathrooms provides them with some activity yet is still small-scale enough that they can handle it. Knowing that they have a small hand in the household chores can help them feel more important as well as responsible without feeling overwhelmed.

Sorting the Recycling

Going through bottles, cans and plastics can actually be turned into a fun game if you’re creative enough! Focusing on recycling is good for any household, and it can help provide a lesson for kids about being environmentally conscious. By giving them a hands-on role in the recycling, they can develop a better understanding of the impact they have on the earth, and what can be done to prevent pollution and other damages that trash or certain materials can do to nature over time.

Help with Laundry

Laundry is a pretty stress-free task, though time consuming. That’s what makes it a great group activity. Whether you have your child assist you with folding and sorting or you disperse the tasks among several kids, laundry can be done in so many ways that no matter who helps, the whole process goes faster. Kids will also appreciate more and realize the time parents take to wash, fold and sort laundry. Plus, laundry usually allows for some multitasking, too. You can fold laundry and watch a movie or a show at the same time. That way you get to spend some quality time together while still being productive.

Two brothers helping father to wash and dry dishes in kitchen

Doing the Dishes

This is a classic, but it works! It’s a great idea to have kids help out with the cooking prep if you can, especially since kids are more likely to try new foods (even veggies!) if they had a hand in making it, but helping with the dishes is a great chore to task them with, too. Having kids do the dishes can also help them be more mindful of the appliances they use, and it may inspire a desire to wash dishes as soon as they’re done being used. Even if you have a dishwasher, tasking kids with filling and emptying the dishwasher can help with organizational skills.

Dusting

An easy chore, but still necessary! Dusting is an essential skill, even if it’s not at all challenging. The problem is remembering to dust. Dust buildup can cause a number of different things, but allergies especially. It’s something quick and easy that kids can accomplish, but also helpful. Plus, your kids may be able to get into those hard to reach places you can’t quite get to!

Refilling Supplies

This task is another good observational and organizational skill-builder. Ask kids to refill soap bottles, resupply toilet paper and paper towels, and take inventory of other such essential goods.

Having kids help around the house can be beneficial to the both of you. Not only is it important for kids to develop a healthy sense of responsibility, but helping out with the chores can help them develop a better understanding and appreciation for what you do for them all the time as well.

How To Keep An Active Toddler Busy

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Taking care of toddlers is notoriously difficult. They’re called the “terrible twos” for a reason, right?

Between the ages of 1-3, children can be difficult, especially since they are still learning to speak and communicating with them effectively can prove to be a bit of a challenge. Kids are constantly on the move, and their overactive minds are alight with questions and general inquisitiveness that keeps their hands roaming, their feet moving, and their energy levels at full capacity. As a parent, it’s important that you encourage their inquisitive nature while also keeping them in line, making sure that they stay safe and that they are also preoccupied so you can get what you need done, too. Here are some ways you can keep active toddler’s busy when you cannot focus 100% of your attention on them.

Kinesthetic Activities

The more stimulation you can provide for your child, the better. Try giving them colored blocks, playdough and other similar items to keep them occupied but learning, too. Color matching games are great for teaching children colors, which seems obvious, but it can also teach them basic organizational and special skills as well. Same goes for shape matching games as well. Playdough is a unique substance, and similar goos and slimes can work just as well, but the texture and appearance of these types of toys can introduce kids to their innate sense of creativity while also providing them with a highly stimulating activity.

Finger-painting

Finger-painting seems like a cliché toddler activity but it is a great way to encourage kids to be creative and explore their own modes of expression and exploration. There are plenty of mess-proof finger-painting kits out there, too, and you can even make your own. Place different colored paints into freezer bags and lock them up tight while eliminating most of the air from the bag. Place them on a window or a white surface so kids can play around with the paint, creating images with the negative space without making a mess!

Puzzles

Puzzles provide great exercises in logic, allowing kids to solve problems while actively using their visual imagination at the same time. Personalized puzzles is an added benefit because not only will the puzzle itself provide many benefits to your child but they will also learn their letters and spelling of their name. You can find personalized puzzles for kids on our website. You can also create puzzles of your own by printing out pictures from movies or shows that your child loves, or even make a copy of a piece of work that your child has created themselves, and cut it into sections for them to rearrange and place back together.

Get Creative

When you’re out of toys, games, and are wary of turning to television or mobile games, there are plenty of DIY solutions that you can whip up within minutes to help keep your toddlers occupied and actively using their brains. Doing a search on Google on Toddler Activities can return a plethora of blog sites with creative and unique suggestions that can easily be implemented at home.

Special Activities For Preschoolers During Summer Break

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Once kids hit school age, they are relatively easy to keep occupied in the summer. They are old enough to entertain themselves and hang out with friends. Honestly, the last thing they may want to do is spend time with Mom and Dad.

What about your preschooler, though? This is a fleeting time in your child’s life, and the time spent together with your little one at this stage is invaluable. You are their best friend and their favorite hero, and they want nothing more than your time and attention.

Avoid letting electronics seep into this time as a regular occurrence, whether that’s your cell phone, the computer, or a tablet or ipad. There is time enough for that when they are teenagers.. Take time and put some thought into how you and your little ones can spend your summer together while having fun, learning developmental skills, nurturing your relationship, and staying safe. Here is a compilation of ideas to help get you started.

Places to Go

There are many places in your community that cater to activities for preschoolers and their parents. Some of them are free, others may have a nominal fee, but regardless of cost, all can provide fun, educational, time-filling activities! One of the perks of getting out and about is encouraging and developing social skills, cooperation, and friendships. The camaraderie can be invaluable for stay-at-home parents, as well.

  • Public libraries have age-group based story times or mommy/daddy-and-me programs. Some include arts and crafts.
  • Check out a different local park every week. Play on the playgrounds, feed the ducks, explore the trails. Have a picnic.
  • Go to the zoo and explore learning about different animals. Some may offer educational programming, as well.
  • Research any local farms in your area. Inquire about do-it-yourself berry picking. Or, see if there are any garden co-ops around that let you pick your own veggies.
  • See if your local rec center or YMCA offers classes and activities for the preschooler set.
  • Take swim lessons at the local public pool or in your neighborhood.
  • Some home improvement stores offers craft classes for various ages. These are usually simple projects with the supplies provided.
  • Many movie theaters offer free children’s matinees mid-morning during the summer months. Check with your local theater.

Crafts to Create

At-home arts and crafts help develop fine motor skills, spark creativity, and bolster self-confidence. There is no wrong or right, only what inspires your toddler to create. Be as simple or involved as you would like.

  • Work together to build a birdfeeder. This can be made with wood and glue, or be more simplistic and natural with a pinecone and peanut butter. Hang them in your yard and watch the birds together.
  • Paint rocks. Big ones, little ones, whatever your child finds in the yard or neighborhood can become a piece of art. Display them in your garden or make patterns with them.
  • Make homemade playdough. Create keepsake garden stones or trinkets with stones and flowers and let them dry in the sun.
  • Ice paint. Using children’s paints, water, sticks or straws, and an ice cube tray, your child can become a Picasso while having a sensory experience.
  • Make cornstarch paint and get creative outside. Cornstarch is inexpensive and non-toxic. Simply mix it with water and food coloring, and use an old sheet as your canvas.
  • Make sun prints. Let the sun be a natural artist.
  • Make a sidewalk art gallery with sidewalk chalk. Or, practice writing their names. Draw hopscotch and teach them how to play.

Things to Do

These activities can help develop gross motor skills, encourage academic learning and problem solving, and teach children about the world around them.

  • Have a reading contest. See how many books you can read together. Talk about your favorite ones and why you like them.
  • Make ice cream in a bag. Google it and you’ll find simple recipes. Its guaranteed to bring smiles!
  • Play a water version of duck, duck, goose called drip, drip, splash.
  • Use pool noodles and hula hoops to create a backyard obstacle course.
  • Play sponge bullseye. This will keep them cool while building eye-hand coordination.
  • Build a fort. Use patio furniture, beach towels, and old sheets. Forts make great reading spots!
  • Pudding paint. Yes, finger paint with pudding! It’s messy, but there is no worry about the toxicity of the paint!
  • Go on a bug hunt and see how many different kinds of bugs you can find. See if you can identify them.
  • Organize a neighborhood parade. Create signs, decorate your bikes and wagons, and invite your neighbors to join you.
  • Plant a garden together.  Harvest the veggies and have them for dinner or pick flowers and make a bouquet to give a neighbor.
  • Put tape around your child’s wrist. Go on a walk, collect little items such as pebbles, flowers, and other small items, and make a nature bracelet. Use a magnifying glass to discover them up close and in detail.
  • Have an alphabet scavenger hunt. Try to find one item for each letter of the alphabet.
  • Make mudpies and stone soup. Be prepared to hose off before going inside!
  • Have fun with masking tape. Make a giant spider web and see what you can throw and catch in it. Or, make roads and and your little one can drive his matchbox cars all over town. End with a car wash. For that matter, let them help you wash your car.
  • Play with shaving cream. Practice writing letters and numbers.
  • Try to catch fireflies by flashlight.
  • Have a garage sale. Let your little one help sort and organize items to be sold. Teach them the names of the coins.
  • Arrange playdates with friends from preschool. This will help build friendships and help minimize separation anxiety from you when school starts back up.
  • Play with pipecleaners. They are easy to bend and manipulate and come in every color of the rainbow. Practice making letters and numbers, or create bugs, flowers, or anything else your child can create. Or, combine them with a colander with large openings, and your child will stay occupied indefinitely while pushing, pulling, and exploring, building fine motor skills all the while.

The ideas are endless. Be proactive and make some plans to take full advantage of your summer together. Otherwise, it will go by in the blink of an eye. This is a developmentally crucial time in your child’s, and there’s no better way to spend it than learning, exploring, and enjoying it together.