There are a lot of fun things for kids to do over the summer. But when your kids are staying at home with you, you don’t just want to keep them busy. You want to keep them engaged and, dare I say, maybe even learn something in the process…which is why you need some really fun summer challenges for kids.
Summer challenges are such a fun solution and your kids will really get excited about the process, which will make them LOVE what they’re doing.
For my baby shower, my sister had a brilliant idea idea to ask each guest to bring what they thought was one of the best toddler books instead of a card. So with each gift, I received a children’s book with a note in it for the baby, and I now have an awesome collection of books for my son that will last him years.
I’ve sorted them out by age so some are still a little old for him, but at just under 1 year old, he has clear favorites. In fact, some he loves so much that he’d prefer it over a toy. We joke that his lovey will end up being a book instead of a stuffed animal.
So if you’re looking for some great beginner books for babies or toddlers (or an awesome baby shower gift!), these are the winners in my house: (more…)
My 4-year old has been hooked on crafts lately, so I’ve been on the hunt for fun DIY projects that are easy enough for him and also serve a practical purpose…because I can only hang up so much construction paper! So when I came up with the idea to create Hungry Caterpillar Magnets (inspired by the all-too-famous Very Hungry Caterpillar book!), I was really excited. And rightfully so, because it was a huge hit!
This Hungry Caterpillar craft project was so easy that he could basically do the entire thing himself…and would have been able to do it completely alone had I not wanted to make sure the magnets were super secure with hot glue instead of Elmer’s (if you’ve got a little one running around, you should probably do the same!).
I’m all about kid crafts that can last longer than your classic construction paper card – and that’s exactly what these egg carton flowers are! They will last forever, can be stored away for special occasions, or placed prominently somewhere permanently.
And they are ADORABLE.
Bright colors, screaming of little kid design…and they don’t require a wall to hang on.
From the second I came across the concept of hygge, I was hooked. And since it goes hand-in-hand with holidays, you better believe I’m going to have a hygge Easter this year!
Easter is hands down one of my favorite holidays and it’s perfect for adding hygge. So many critical hygge concepts (family, outdoors, food) are already present in Easter, so hygge-fying it is not only easy, it’s also fun.
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Last year was the first time that my son was really, really into Christmas. He was so excited for Santa, Christmas music, snow, setting up our Christmas tree, and of course all of the gifts associated with the holiday. And if you know us at all, then you probably know that also means incorporating trains into EVERYTHING. The polar express, train cookies, trains as gifts, and the most fun of all – DIY train ornaments!
I will admit, I initially went searching to find an easy train ornament tutorial somewhere, but to my surprise I found nothing. So I had to come up with this on my own and luckily it turned out great! It was simple, my son was able to take part in every single step, and we were able to make enough for the whole family to receive at least one.
I’ll be honest. When my son started preschool this year, the last thing on my mind was what the heck I’d do with all his artwork. In fact, I couldn’t wait to see what he’d bring home! I had the magnets ready and oo’ed and ah’ed at his initial creations.
Then they kept coming.
And coming and coming.
I swear, he has 4 art classes a day!
So it wasn’t long before my husband confronted me. The artwork had to find a home. One that wasn’t the kitchen table, kitchen counter, or family room end table.
And he was right. Within weeks, the artwork had taken over the house. I wasn’t willing to part with it (obviously). So that left one option – figure out what to do with it.