Thing to Do: Indoor Hop Scotch

It's COLD and WET and SNOWY

Aaaaannnnnndddd.... the kids need something to do for physical exercise besides jumping out of the window sills, off the couches and the top of the piano, and climbing the dresser and....

 

Time for HOP SCOTCH

All you need is masking tape, a bean bag, and a floor. 
Carpet is easiest to remove the tape.  WARNING: Don't leave it on for more than a few days, it'll leave sticky stuff on your floor if you do and then you'll have dirt sticking to the sticky...and the hop scotch stays longer than you planned.  Yes we experienced it.

Reminder on HopScotch rules:  jump one foot in #1, two feet in #2 and #3, etc.  Beginning of turn, throw a bean bag and whatever square you land it on, skip jumping on that square.  When you get to the the end, turn around, jump back, leaning over to pick up the bean bag on your way back. 

I was very surprised how much my kids loved it.  Even my son!!!!  And my little girl isn't old enough to quite understand, but it was still something different and fun so she loved it. 

Thursday's Things to Do: Printable Actitivities

I know there are a lot of websites out there to easily google and find what you'd like, but I thought I'd share one I recently found:

PrintActivities.com (yes this is a link)

I'm REALLY liking it.  It has activities, puzzles, dot-to-dot pages, coloring pages,.... you get the idea.  And I love how easily it's catagorized by THEMES.  And of course it's all FREE, which I always love.  :) 

 

Here's a little taste....

 

Let's say you read the story "The Three Little Pigs" today ...why not have a little extra fun and follow it with a little piggie and wolf maze such as this....

Anyway, just thought I'd share...

Friday Favorite: Puzzle Maker

This website is AWESOME!!!  & FREE 
Which is doubley awesome!!!!!

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/free-puzzlemaker/?CFID=278695&CFTOKEN=40580503

You can put in the title of a puzzle, words you want included, size, etc. and they make it up for you.  Then you can print it off.  Use this for word searches, mazes, letter tiles, etc.  A great idea to help you be ready for road trips, baby showers, a rainy day inside activity, .....

I've used this site a lot and thought you might enjoy it as well. 

Here's an example:

MOTHERHOOD

K S Y B A B M X 
I R I E M U O Z 
W E O S M S M S 
X P D W T O P L 
G A G O E E H E 
D I Z G A M R E 
D D V I Z U O P 
B R O T H E R H 

BABY
BROTHER
DAD
DIAPERS
HOME
HOMEWORK
MOM
SISTER
SLEEP

Tuesday's Tidbit: Wooden Blocks

The BEST developmentally diverse toy for children is a classic:

WOODEN ALPHABET BLOCKS

Seriously!  They don't need batteries, or have plastic parts that break, and kids will be entertained for an eternity.  As you're getting ready for Christmas, I'd HIGHLY suggest putting this $15.99 (give or take a few dollars depending on the store) toy on your list.

You may think they're boring compared to a Leap Frog computer, or Buzz Lightyear talking action figure...but kids won't. 

So, what can you do with alphabet blocks?  Here area few ideas:

- Teach a child how to spell their name, recognize letters and numbers, do addition, or simple subtraction

- Identify the pictures of items on the blocks

- Build castles, homes, cars, anything and everything

- Learn colors

- An individual block can end up being Buzz Lightyear, Cinderella, the grandma next door, a dog, a flower, dinner food to use with the little kitchen they have...anything! 

What kinds of development are these good for?

- Pediatricians will ask you if your child can stack items, and how many high.  That's because it's a key milestone in fine motor skill development.  Wooden blocks are ideal for learning this skill.  At first stacking one on top of the other is good.  By the time your child is in pre-school...watch out for tall towers around your home!

- Imaginative play

- Spacial and Dimentional development...being able to recognize dimentions from different angles.  These are important skills for many jobs such as architecture, software design, and even in art classes.

-  The list is nearly countless as you play with your child in recognizing letters, numbers, etc.

As you're shopping for toys this Christmas pay attention to Classic Toys.  Not just the ones that are back for a 20 year anniversary edition, but the ones that never left.  They never left because they are the toys kids love, and the interest in them doesn't wear out after Christmas Day.  And interestingly, they are almost always great for development as well. 

Happy Shopping!

Thursday's Thing to Do: What's Different?

This is a great game that doesn't take too much energy for mom, but is super fun for kids. It is also an INDOOR game, which is handy since it's wet and cold in many places right now.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT?
How you play:
1.  Stand in front of your child or children dressed in something extra (a hat, necklace, or holding something random) Give your child a moment to study you.
2.  Leave the room and change something about your appearance.
3.  Come back in the room and have them figure out what is different.
4.  Take turns. 
* If you have more than one child, it could be played that the quickest to guess gets to be "it" next, or you could just take turns so everyone has the same number of turns.
* This game works great for nearly every age.  With young children, keep it more obvious, with older children, it can be something specific, a sleeve that's rolled up, or a shoe lace that is tied strange, etc.

Developmentally, this game helps children increase their attention span, pay attention to detail, and when they have a turn, gives them a chance to "be in charge" and lead the play time which is important in their development of self confidence and being able to take initiative.

Thursday's Thing to Do: Children's Play Dough

Play Dough of any kind is a wonderful thing. 

Not only is it fun, it's great for development.  Play Dough is also a great activity to involve children of different ages.  Children from toddler's up to about age 10, and sometimes older, love to manipulate the dough and create anything from snakes to intricate castles.  By playing with play dough, they learn about textile manipulation and creativity.  Young children can also learn about shapes as they use shape cookie cutters or you help them mold the dough into various shapes.  With older children they can take turns being the artist and have guessing games to see what others are making. 

You can use Playdoh, real dough (but be careful your kids don't eat it, they'll have tummy aches), or if you'd like to make your own fun play dough, there are many recipes out there that are great. Here's one to try:

Peanut Butter Play Dough
4 lbs. Peanut Butter
3 lbs. Powdered Sugar
3 1/2 C. Karo Syrup
2 Tbl. Vanilla Extract


Combine all ingredients in no particular order in a large bowl.  Stir until completely mixed.  (This will take some muscle work--hang in there!)  This play dough should be stored in the refrigerator, and should not be used after about three days. 
*(and, yes, it's edible)

Tuesday's Tidbit: Handclapping

Did you know that handclapping games....(yes, those same ones we did with our friends on the playground in elementary school)...are SMART.  They actually help children develop and improve important skills.  The combination of rhythm, music, and specialized movements helps improve children's coordination, verbal memory, and handwriting skills.  If you'd like some great tutorials in remembering these songs with actions, or if you would like to learn some new ones, here's a great site filled with handclapping songs that you'll love. 

~Idea from Disney's Family Fun, Sept. 2010, 71