My definition of “Let Them” pictured below. 😂 Children are going to dig. They are going to explore, and they want to get messy (for the most part). Let them. It really helped from day one to assign a specific digging area in our space. It’s their own space to get messy and into explore all the senses with shovels, buckets, cars, figurines, water, other nature materials and a bunch of loose parts! If you’re able to, pick a spot that will give them enough space where they wil

Like my other Top 10 posts, these are in no way ranked in any particular order, but I need to say that all of them have been a major source of sensory play, creativity, and engagement in this household! Below are ten items that my kiddos ages 4 - 11  years old have been gifted over the past year! There is a solid mix of  preschool and elementary school-aged toys and items! Stickikubes: https://amzn.to/4rpLuBg My kids love these teensy, tiny cubes! They are SUPER sticky! They

Another oldie, but goodie! SUPER oldie! If you’ve seen my Thanksgiving turkey feather poke, then you are familiar with this activity! Use a sharpie or acrylic marker to outline holes in different colors on a colander. Hand your toddler some pipe cleaners, colored match sticks or feathers and have him or her poke the colored item through the matching colander color hole. This is a playful, yet challenging activity for littles who are just starting to use their tiny motor musc

Last summer we completely upped our game (see what I did there?! 😉) and added a few more natural items to our yard space! We lined up some old tree stumps as a partial barrier and after I smoothed the surfaces, I got started on making a tic-tac-toe board and a checkers board. I’m not gonna lie… I’m not sure how many checkers squares are on award, but my kids were happy with this one and so I didn’t want to mess with it. We also added two more stumps— one with a small world p

This activity meant so much to my preschooler at the time! The desire at this age to be first to be a leader is super strong… especially when you have multiple siblings! We decided to try a Meal Manager Day, where one of our middle guys made dinner (witha parent), prepped the table (cleaned, decorated, and set), made name cards for each seat, and then served everyone’s meal! For us, this is a great way to knock out a bunch of needs in one activity. Our little guy gained conf

📒📙📕📘📗 I'm a strong believer that one of the best things that you can do for yourself and your kiddos is to use books as tools! Kids...

Never underestimate the power of a visual checklist or chart! A lot of times when we want our child, little or big, to complete a task we...

Do you have ice trays? Letter beads? Looped cereal? Pipe cleaners or string? Grab a dry erase marker and write a letter in each icecube slot! String your pipe cleaner with a mix of letter beads and cereal. Now it’s time for your child to snack and sort!! Encourage your child to name the letters and sounds that each letter makes! When your kiddo has finished all of the beads and treats, restring them again! This activity can also be used with color identification or number ide

What can you do with a paper towel holder and wooden rings?! Many things! If you have toddlers who like to stack items, or preschoolers who love making colorful designs or patterns, this activity might be for your family! Ways to use this activity: Name colors aloud and have your child follow your auditory directions for placing rings. Identify different colors of the rainbow while sorting colors and stacking. Talk about patterns and demonstrate making patterns from colored r

Why is it I am only learning about this wonderful thing called, “Black Glue” now? Holy smokes, it’s fun! I had the boys trace their first...

Enjoy ten ideas for Tuff Tray play! These activities are best suited for ages 3-10 years old. Some are a bit more “holiday-themed” than...

We are in the season of playdough! With the new scented and sparkle playdough addition to our loose part library, we decided to break out...

There is nothing fancy about this one, folks!! Just a tuff tray , chalk marker , and some wooden hearts ! Each kiddo took turns matching...

What happens when you have older elementary aged children who are into cards, like Pokémon? A great way to get them to be creative independently and break up screen-time is to have them create their own cards like Pokémon. This is super inexpensive and can really go a long way as far as stretching the imagination. Have your child come up with a name for their card system or theme, and have them draw out different characters just as Pokémon characters have weird and unique nam

This is the “Loose Parts Library”— it is exactly what it sounds like! It is a place for the kids to freely choose what loose parts they...

Let’s make a Valentine Cake! Oh, what fun! My preschool-aged kiddos LOVED this tuff tray activity! We gathered cooking utensils, hearts...

What is window ball? An AWESOME way to get out energy when you are cooped up inside! All you need is a window or mirror, some suction balls , and some window markers ! In the first two pictures, I had my older boys make rules for our window ball game with an entire point system and rules! This took some time (which was the point) and also sparked lots of creativity. Then, all four boys played their most updated version of window ball! In the second group of pictures, I drew o

Tuff Tray Set https://amzn.to/4gJaKhD We just purchased our first Tuff Tray and we love it! We had to do with the largest size, because...

What are some ways that you use tinker toys— the old school kind? We’ve been playing with them for years and only recently discovered a...

CREATING A CALMING COMFORT BOX I'm sure your kiddos have BIG FEELINGS, like every child! Come along on this journey with me, as we...