Jan
14
Do you have young children? Do you teach young children? Are you a grandma who likes to plan fun activities for your grandchildren? If you do you have probably done crafts together. Crafting with young children can be a very fun activity. They are so creative and fun to watch and they make the most wonderful creations.
Do you need some crafting ideas? Are you tired of glitter and glue everywhere? Do you have a bag of toilet paper tubes that you are keeping for some crafting reason but can’t find the inspiration of what to do with them? If so, you are in the right place. When crafting with young children you need to maximize the time spent together so the activity is fun and inviting.
You want the environment to be relaxed and nurturing so a magical creation will be the outcome. You will set a great example and you will enjoy helping little minds expand and they will love spending time with you. I have two young boys ages 6 and 8 and they have loved to craft for many years now. I keep a craft cart on hand filled with things like:
- fun rubber stamps and large washable ink pads
- glue – glitter glue and regular Elmer’s glue
- age appropriate scissors
- water colors and washable paint
- colored tissue paper
- fun shaped paint stampers and paint brushes
- colored construction paper
- paint pens
- confetti glitter with large shapes
- colored rocks/marbles
- stickers of all kinds
- seashells from trips to the ocean
- small plastic animals such as dinosaurs and ocean creatures and bugs
- colored pipe cleaners
- small pieces of cardboard
- scraps of fabric (in case you need to make a scarf for a styrofoam snowman!)
- paper plates
These are usually things you have around the house and are easy to collect. Before you throw out something think to yourself, can this be used in a craft? A tin can for example, use one of those can openers that cut the top off smooth with no sharp edges and wala! Collect 3 different sized cans and you and your child can craft a homemade wind chime!
Sometimes you need a little help, inspiration so to speak to come up with some very easy and fun ideas. There are two great new e-books to help inspire you with easy, fun ideas for you and your children to craft together.
By: Kimberly Hedrick
About the Author:
Potty Training
Jan
14
Exercise is a fundamental part of our physical development and growth. Our bones need resistance to grow and produce minerals, we all have cardiovascular systems, we all need muscle resistance for growth, ligaments and tendons need exercise for flexibility and strength and there are many other universal factors that we have in common, regardless of a person’s ability.
It would be easy to consider the development of common exercises for disabilities to difficult due to the diversity of categories and classifications. This is not the case as despite the range of categorization of disabilities this is mainly for classification and reference purposes and is irrelevant for the process of creating activities.
Having a disability simply means the amount and type of exercises that can be done is limited by the individual or the equipment required. There are plenty of activities that can still suit people with a range of disabilities and there are some activities that have been tailored or created for particular disabilities.
In the case of children this is even more important as they are going through a period of rapid growth in which exercise plays an important role. A lack of activity at this stage in their lives could have a detrimental effect on the rest of their life and worsen their disability. For children, collective exercise also forms a fundamental part of their social activity, it can help avoid segregation and isolation for a disabled child and in the case of mentally disabled children, can improve their development.
A wide variety of activity for children with disabilities is offered in many schools, government projects and charities that can provide everything from the basics of exercise to fully active competitive social integration. There is something on offer for their needs, whatever a child’s disability, and a limit in ability should definitely not mean a limit in activity, integration and development.
By: Tom Doerr
About the Author:
There is a range of
mobility aids on offer for disabled
children looking to take part in sports and exercise. Prodo Digital is the leading
Chester SEO agency.
Skin Care
Jan
11
If you want ideas, think about your own childhood. What type of activities made you squeal with delight? A birthday party or perhaps arts and crafts? Maybe a picnic at the park while a softball game was being played? Think about what you loved to do and offer these choices to your children.
Each child has a different and unique personality; therefore their interests will be different. What interests one child will most definitely bore another. Sit your children down and have a family meeting. You would be surprised at how well just talking to your children will yield a lot of activities that they can agree on and have fun doing.
There are many different activities for children that include dance, music, or computer lessons, also martial arts, joining a sports team, or even cheerleading.
When you choose your child’s activities, make sure that they can be done both after school and on vacations. Studies have shown that if a child has structured activities they retain more and their learning experiences are more fun for them. These activities can assist with physical activity and with the overcrowding in today’s school systems; it is often impossible to achieve this.
When you are choosing the activities for your child, make sure that the activity is age appropriate.
You want your child to develop new interests, but if they are too difficult, the child will simply give up.
Although a lot of activities can be adapted for age appropriate levels, music seems to be the favorite among children. There are several different instruments that they can have fun learning how to play. Then level of satisfaction that they receive when they learn how to play is apparent on their faces when they perform their recital in front of their family.
Playing an instrument can also assist the child in improving their social skills. With the instrument that your child plays, he or she can join the school band.
All children’s activities should have a common goal; to develop social and talent. Activities that are provided by teachers, and sports groups are designed to achieve these goals. It can be a challenge for parents to come up with such activities, but with a little creativity, it can be done.
It has been proven that when a child is involved in sports, it is less likely for them get involved in illegal activities. Sports also offer a rigorous exercise routine to combat the growing problem of obesity in children.
For children who have turned into “Couch Potatoes” activities that involve movement as sports do, offer an alternative to a sedentary lifestyle. Sports also offer a boost to the child’s self esteem and give them a sense of accomplishment.
Art is important in any child’s life; without it, a child can become stunted, and lack imagination. A child can express himself or herself through art in any form that he or she wants. Self-expression is one of the fundamentals of art.
When you choose an activity or your child, it should be something that they enjoy, and something that years from now they will look back on and want to share the same experience with their own children.
By: Paul Heitman
About the Author:
Paul Heitman is a recognized authority on parenting. CLICK HERE for more parenting articles, news and other resources about raising healthy and happy
children [http://www.activities.modern-parenting-resources.com].
Or CLICK HERE to browse the Raising Children Blog [http://wpmi.modern-parenting-resources.com/raisingchildren.blog].
Gifts for Babies
Jan
11
Some people think that crafts are more for girls than boys, but in actuality all children love crafts. Cowboy crafts for children are a great idea and boys especially love them.
If you have some empty toilet-paper or paper towels rolls handy, you can make a village full of cowboys and cowgirls! Use construction paper to fashion clothes for your person and glue flat against the roll. Then add arms and a head that stick out to make the person more 3-D. Depending on the child’s age and creativity, you can add details such as a cowboy hat, boots, a guitar, a rope, or whatever else you desire. Make several of these to create a fun afternoon of pretend play.
Cowboy vests are a staple item of their wardrobe. To make a cute and simple cowboy vest, use a paper grocery bag. Make a hole in the bottom of the bag for the child’s head. Then cut down the front of the bag and cut arm holes in the sides. Voila, you have a vest. To give it more of a western look, the child can cut up from the bottom of the vest in small strips to make it look like fringe. They can also color or glue a badge or other design onto their vest.
Here is a craft that doubles as a fun game. Make a snake out of rope, yarn, or a heavy paper. Make the snake 6 to 8 feet long in order for the game to work well. To the front of your snake, glue paper cut or colored to look like the snake’s head. To the end, glue or tape a film canister or other small container filled with beans or rice to make a rattlesnake. You can also cut a small hole in the container, poke a pipe cleaner through it, and use that to attach the rattle to the snake. Children can take turns winding the snake on the floor while the others try to jump over it.
A cowboy boot stocking is a fun idea for the Christmas holidays. Cut two boot shapes out of paper, felt, or other material. Glue together along the edges. Older children may wish to sew, with help, to help the craft hold up better. Glue embellishments such a small buckles to the cowboy boot. This can now be hung as a decoration, or used as a stocking!
These are just a few possibilities. With a little imagination or research, you and your little ones could come up with many more great ideas.
By: Aazdak Alisimo
About the Author:
Aazdak Alisimo writes about
kid crafts for KidCraftsActivity.com.
Find Your Niche
Jan
7
Most children enjoy the activity of coloring. Children can learn many things from the simple task of coloring. Children often learn best when a lesson is being taught during play. The addition of a coloring project can give children many different tools for later in life. Here are some of the skills children learn from coloring.
Developing Fine Motor Skills
When a child is coloring it is often not thought of as a lesson that builds any skills. However, coloring is a great activity to help children develop their fine motor skills. Proper development of their fine motor skills will help children later when learning things like writing, dressing and being able to feed themselves. Oftentimes coloring is the first experience in learning how to grasp a writing instrument. A child learning how to color within the lines of a coloring sheet teaches hand-eye coordination and focus that will help benefit them as they are developing their writing skills. When children are able to color within the lines it is often an important milestone.
Reinforcement of Educational Lessons
Experts believe that children learn best through playing. A simple coloring sheet can reinforce the lessons being taught in the classroom. In early childhood education teachers often give coloring sheets that focus on the alphabet, shapes and numbers. Children subconsciously connect the lesson with the coloring sheet activity. Children also are able to learn color recognition and how to use the color wheel.
Self Expression
Some children often have a hard time being able to express their feelings. Many child therapists use coloring to learn more about how a child is feeling over a certain event. Children that are coloring disturbing pictures may have some issues that need to be dealt with. Coloring can give them this outlet. Giving children a way to express their thoughts and feeling freely is very important. Coloring can also be a great way of a child to unwind or sooth themselves after a hectic day. Free drawing can also help develop a child’s imagination.
Teaching Concentration
Introducing a color project to a child can help them learn how to concentrate on completing a task. A child will have a sense of accomplishment when they complete a project. Additionally, when a child focuses on the task and is able to color within the lines they feel a sense of pride. Completion of the coloring project also teaches children the value of hard work and dedication. When a child’s concentration improves they will be able to better focus on other more complex tasks such as mathematics.
Decision Making Skills
Giving children a coloring activity helps them develop their decision making skills. When completing a coloring sheet the children can decide what colors to use as well as the direction of the picture. A child can also make the decision on whether or not to complete a project to the best of their ability. Children that are able to make the decision to complete the task often have a better time academically.
By: Jonathan Price
About the Author:
This article brought to you by Jonathan Price of
TheColor.com TheColor.com is an interactive coloring website where you can save your interactive online coloring pages that you have created in your gallery, print the coloring pages to your printer, or email them to friends and family. These coloring pages are fun and they also help
children develop important skills such as color concepts, the names of the 192 colors, eye-hand coordination, picture comprehension.
SEO Services
Jan
5
If your children enjoy to play house and make mud pies or even stir their grass soups, then it may perhaps be time to introduce them towards the kitchen area. Though it may perhaps seem early, it’s never too early for a child to begin helping out within the kitchen area. Whether it should be to fill a pot of water, add sugar or salt or even break an egg, most youngsters enjoy to produce some thing from the kitchen area. The very best method to introduce them for the kitchen area and basics of cooking is with young children cooking pursuits.
You will find a whole lot of reasons that make youngsters cooking actions significant. It not only gives bonding time with your kid, it also can be a fantastic way of promoting and inculcating healthful eating habits. Besides this if your youngsters are picky eaters, you ought to keep in mind that little ones are usually ready to consume a thing that they’ve themselves produced from the kitchen area. Since, you want your child to continue with cooking, be sure that youngsters cooking pursuits are entertaining and enjoyable. Read much more on food games for little ones.
Children Cooking Things to do
Bread Dough Shapes: Perhaps one of many easiest cooking pursuits for youngsters is doing bread dough shapes. You’ll be able to use your favorite pizza dough and have entertaining teaching your child make dough. Children cooking pursuits can range from letting them measure the water to hand kneading the dough. Once the dough is kneaded, you’ll be able to let their creativity roll for doing diverse shapes using the dough. As most little ones appreciate playing with play dough, they will absolutely appreciate this, as well as the greatest part is that that is edible. Cooking with youngsters can’t be a lot more stress totally free and enjoyable than this.
Handmade Butter: One more one of several little ones cooking pursuits is producing handmade butter. That is one of many most exciting cooking routines for little ones. As we all know, butter is manufactured by vigorously shaking the cream. And what is usually a lot more exciting for kids? You may season the butter with herbs, salt or pepper. But recall to be sure that the container using the cream is well sealed.
Pudding Pie: What might be simpler than preparing pudding pie? Considering that this would be to be produced by kids, it is finest to use Jell-O instant pudding. Children cooking actions consist of letting them measure the milk, beating the pudding mix with milk and obviously putting whipped cream on it. No matter how creative your little chefs get, you can’t go wrong with pudding and whipped cream!
Cupcake Decoration: Among the most enjoyment cooking things to do for little ones is decorating cupcakes. And given that they can’t possibly go wrong here, you may make it a solo assignment to create them feel “grown up”. Just hand them a tray of cupcakes, some colorful icing and it will maintain them occupied for hours.
Omelet: Among the most standard and quick cooking routines for children is letting them allow you to make omelets. Even though you may well not want your child near the stove, breaking the eggs (ok, this can get messy!), and mixing the eggs are some in the things they are able to do. Also, you are able to ask them to prepare the “stuffing” with cheese, vegetables or whatever they like.
Salads: Yet another choice for young children cooking actions is generating a salad. Though it is obvious that the youngsters will not be cutting the vegetables, they are able to allow you to in tossing the salad or adding the salt, pepper or dressing. The simple idea behind doing a salad with youngsters is inculcating a healthful eating habit as children generally consume what they’ve prepared.
These were some suggestions for little ones cooking things to do. You will discover a whole lot of tips which are uncomplicated to create and will be exciting for your young children to produce. To encourage them you are able to retain prizes for the ideal dishes and make scrapbooks with details and photographs with the dishes they prepare.
By: Fabio Jesus
About the Author:
We offer the best quality products to your kitchen at the lowest prices! Visit us and see our stainless, aluminium cookware,
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Fix Your Golf Swing
Jan
2
Halloween craft activities are perfect way to keep kids busy in the lead up to Halloween. They can enjoy the activity and when they are finished they can then use what they have made to decorate their home for Halloween. This means that they get to enjoy it even more and they will feel proud of what they have created.
There are many different Halloween craft activities that are suitable for kids at home or at school. They can create ghosts, bats, spiders and other creepy things. They can also create edible crafts that can be eaten when they are finished.
Here are a few Halloween craft activities to get you started. There are three popular activities that kids enjoy and that can be prepared quickly by the teacher or the parent.
A small clay pot can be easily made into a spider. All you need is some black paint, glue, black pipe cleaner and string. The pot is painted black and turned upside down to create the spider body. You then add some googly eyes to the side. The pipe cleaners are glued to the edges of the rim of the pot with four on each side. Bend the pipe cleaners into shape to be the spider legs and sit the pot on its rim. Your spider can then sit on a shelf or it can be hung.
To hang the spider put a piece of string through the hole and secure the string by tying a knot or tying it to a small stick so that the string won’t come back through the hole. The spider can then be hung up.
There are also lots of great Halloween craft activities that use paper plates. If you cut a hole in the center of the plate about six inches in diameter, you will leave a wide rim that can be used to create a Halloween wreath. The wreath can be first painted in black or orange. The rim can then be covered with dried grasses, leaves, flowers and twigs. Add plastic spiders and bugs and cotton balls that are stretched over it to create spider webs.
Another simple Halloween craft is to create Halloween luminaries. These can be made from large jars that are painted orange. Cut out a black shape of a pumpkin, a witch or a bat etc and glue the shape onto the jar. Place sand in the bottom of the jar and a small tea candle in the center of the sand. These can be indoor or outdoor decorations. A row of these look great lining the walkway to greet the trick or treaters.
Halloween craft activities are a great activity for the lead up to Halloween. Use a little imagination and these crafts don’t have to be expensive. Often you can use materials that you already have. The kids enjoy making the craft and they get to use them when they are finished to decorate their home or classroom.
By: Teresa Evans
About the Author:
Teresa Evans is a parent and teacher who has created a collection of Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids. For more Halloween craft activities visit
www.easy-kids-halloween-crafts.com.
Satellite Pictures
Dec
29
My husband and I have 5 children. When you have this many kids in the house, you’ve got to be creative with ways to entertain them. Here’s a great idea that will get the whole family involved!
During the summer, my husband got our oldest 4 involved in a Pirate Treasure Hunt. The kids loved this role play activity and we did it about 3 times the first day. Here’s what we did.
First, we drew a rough map of our house on a piece of paper. Then we labeled each room. We used names like: Ocean of Lost Souls, Waste Land, Land of Tomorrow, Land of Nightmares, Dungeon of Doom, Land of Milk and Honey, Cave of Night, Mountain of Gold.
Then we cut the map into four randomly shaped pieces. On each there was an arrow showing where to go next and a clue. These were, for example, “Search for 3 gold coins.” Then, we hid three of the map pieces with coins in the rooms indicated on the map. The fourth map piece was given to the appointed Captain of our Pirate Crew.
We also invented a series of scenarios to occur in each room. As we entered we rolled a dice to determine which scenario we would encounter. Here are some examples:
Room #1:
1. A trip wire is crossed. Your crew has 5 minutes to finish the entire mission or you are trapped forever.
2. Nothing happens.
3. A giant snake attacks. Roll 6 or you loose your crew.
4. If anyone spoke when you entered the room, you woke up spiders. Roll a 6 and you’ll be trapped.
5. Nothing happens.
6. Nothing happens.
Room #2:
1. A sea monster takes a crew member captive. Choose which member.
2. Nothing happens.
3. A wart-faced hog creature sword fights your leader.
4. Nothing happens.
5. A pack of wolves eat a crew members unless you avoid rolling a 1.
6. A small squid-like creature attaches itself to a crew member. Roll once in all remaining rooms for a 6.
Room #3:
1. A crew member is attacked by a giant flesh eating vine and is rescued by your leader.
2. Nothing happens.
3. Big spiders attack your leader. He’s rescued by a crew member.
4. Nothing happens.
5. Walking skeletons attack. Roll a 6 and you never escape.
6. A talking frog shows you the way to your clue.
Each crew member was then given a weapon (make believe or toy) and a flashlight or lantern. We each dressed up in some way as a pirate. Then we drew the blinds, turned off the light and began our adventure. As we moved into the first room, my husband pulled out a dice and had the Pirate Captain roll it. We acted out the scenario indicated by the Captain’s roll of the dice, then continued on our adventure. At the end, we found a treasure chest of gold.
This pretend play idea can be improvised and adjusted to fit your children’s preferences, or you can use it just as listed above. Either way, I hope your kids love it as much as ours do.
By: Eve Lawson
About the Author:
If you enjoyed this kids activity, please visit
http://kidsactivityalley.blogspot.com to find and share other ideas for kids activities, kids crafts,
childrens books, and parent discussion.
SEO
Dec
28
Do your children like to spend their time making awesome mud pies or are they constantly stirring up some of their best grass soup? Then maybe it’s time to let them loose in the kitchen with these fun kids cooking activities.
1. Allow your kids to create a new recipe. Pick out 5-7 ingredients that you think might go together and can be baked in a pie pan. For example, eggs, cheese, barbecue sauce, salt, flour, garlic powder, and corn chips can go together. The kids can also try a combination of cinnamon, eggs, flour tortillas, caramel sauce, and bananas. You may need to help them figure out “reasonable” amounts of each ingredient. There’s no right answer; just have fun with it.
2. Start a Kids’ Recipe Book. Everyone has recipes they love, including the kids. Have your child pick out 10 of his or her very favorite recipes. Either you or they can type the recipes out on the computer in a cool font with borders and some clipart. Print them out and “laminate” them with clear contact paper. They can then put the recipes in their very own cooking notebook.
3. Give your child an easy kid-friendly recipe to prepare on their own. Kids love to spread their wings and do things “all by myself.” Give them the opportunity by handing them a super easy recipe and explaining how to do it. Depending on their age and skill, talk about kitchen safety and that you will be handling the oven/stove part of the task.
4. Have the kids take pictures of each other while cooking. They can make a small scrapbook filled with photos of their proud cooking moments. They will really enjoy this now, but also after they’ve grown up. Looking at the scrapbook and their kids’ recipe book may remind them of good family times.
5. Decorate the cupcake challenge. Most kids have no problem creatively decorating a cupcake when given the proper toppings. Add a twist to the activity by getting out any possible toppings you can think of and asking them to decorate the cupcake to look like a cat or a flower. They’ll come up with some decorative toppings you didn’t think of.
All these kids cooking activities give you the chance to teach your kids the ins and outs of cooking. Your children also get the chance to learn many things in an atmosphere of fun. Give your child every opportunity to be creative in the kitchen and your child will thank you one day.
By: Peg Baron
About the Author:
Peggy is the editor of the popular Cookin’ Kids Newsletter. Interesting themes, fun facts, silly clip art, easy kid-friendly recipes, kid jokes, cooking terms, and safety tips make this newsletter a hit with kids!
Learn more at http://cookinkids.com and pick up some ideas for kids cooking activities while you’re at it.
Children’s Murals
Dec
28
Sunday school crafts make learning about religion fun for kids. It’s always good to incorporate fun Bible crafts because visuals help children to memorize stories and verses. Plus, you want to make the learning as fun as you can possibly can!
A perfect subject to begin your crafts with is the story of creation. You’re going to have your class create a creation wheel! There are a number of supplies and materials that you will need to provide: scissors, pencil ruler, corrugated cardboard, light weight cardboard, markers, glue, cotton balls and paper fasteners. You should precut circles with a diameter of 12 inches from the corrugated cardboard and the lightweight cardboard. On the corrugated cardboard, there needs to be 8 wedges of the same size drawn. The lightweight cardboard needs 1 wedge slightly smaller than the ones on the other cardboard cut into it. The kids will be drawing the Creation story on the 8 wedges, with the first spot being the title, “The Creation Story.”
Using markers, the kids will decorate the wheel to tell about the 7 days of creation. You’ll need to review each day and most likely write them on a chalkboard so the kids have reference in case they forget. Segment 1 will be when God separated light from dark. Segment 2 will be when he made the sky; have the kids use the cotton to make clouds. Segment 3 will be when the lands were separated from the sea. Segment 4 will be when God put the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky. Segment 5 will be when he created birds in the sky and fish in the sea. Segment 6 will be when he created animals and mankind. Then, segment 7 will be when God rested. After the children are done decorating the wheel, clip the cardboard pieces together so that the segment with the title on it is showing through the open wedge.
Sunday school crafts are a great key to teaching different parts of Christianity to kids. The “Cheerful Cookie Box” is one of the Sunday school crafts that show the importance of family. You’ll need to provide two identical plastic containers for each kid. You should have a box filled with different coloring pages that have to do with Christianity. The kids will need to bring in different photographs from home. You’ll need scissors and sticky bows. Have the children put one of the containers inside the other and then they’re ready to decorate. They’ll cut their photos and colored pictures and stick them between the containers so that they can be seen from the outside and stay in place. They should decorate every side with different pictures. After they’re done decorating, give them the sticky bows to put on top of the lid. Surprise them by providing cookies to put in their boxes!
You want the Sunday school crafts to teach information from the actual Bible but you also want them to show Christian values like family. The “Cheerful Cookie Box” can be made as a Christmas gift or just for decoration. Most importantly, make sure that the kids are enjoying themselves while they develop their Christianity!
It can sometimes be difficult to find free Sunday school lessons that incorporate Bible-based crafts into the learning. With a little creativity, you can pull together fun, message-driven lessons using everyday supplies.
By: Mary Kate Warner
About the Author:
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