Tips for Cooking with Kids of All Ages

#cooking #cookingwithkids #cookingwithtoddlers #cookingwithmytoddler #canmytoddlercook #cantoddlerscook #shouldtoddlerscook #toddlercookingskills #toddlerkitchenskills #kitchenskills #kitchenskillbyage #kitchenskillsforkids #kitchenskillstoddler

Every night is the same- it’s time to make dinner, and the kids are underfoot. If you’re wondering what to do with kids while cooking, we suggest getting them involved! Check out our best tips for cooking with kids (including babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and up!).

One of the most challenging time of days for our family is that half hour right before dinner. The kids are getting hangry and they don’t like being ignored by Mommy.

And while most of them would be happy to plop down on the couch and go full zombie watching TV, that’s not exactly going to get me my Mother of the Year trophy.

And like the old saying, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” – it seems the best way to entertain my kids is to invite them to participate in cooking

It might get messy, and these tips for cooking with kids won’t always be easy, but it will make wonderful memories for you and your children to share. From baby to elementary schooler, there are many easy ways to get your kids involved in making dinner right alongside you.

Frustrated trying to get dinner made? Bring your kids in the kitchen! With something for kids of every age, we've got you covered! #cooking #cookingwithkids #jrchef #cookingwithbabies #cookingwithtoddlers #cookingwithmybaby #cookingwithmytoddler #cookingwithpreschoolers #cookingwithmypreschooler

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Fun Ways to Practice Sight Words at Home

For some kids, learning sight words can be HARD. But that doesn't mean it cant be FUN! Check out these tips to keep your kids playing while they learn! #sightwords #highfrequencywords #kindergarten #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #sightwordpractice #howtoteachsightwords #howtotaechhighfrequencywords

Is your child struggling with sight words? Check out these fun ideas of ways to practice sight words at home (without fussing, fighting, or grumpy kids!). We’ve got easy ways to turn those sight word practice sessions into playtime for kids, and they’ll be none the wiser. 

I remember the first day my son brought home his list of sight words to memorize. This next building block in his life as a reader was going to be an exciting one. I knew my boy, who LOVES books, was going to love being able to enjoy them on his own.

But through our homework and practicing and constant reading is just. wasn’t. happening. I was sad and frustrated – and so was he. As kids started taking their tests – and passing them – and getting new tests, we went past frustration to discouraged.

But we refused to give up. We doubled down, and I asked myself- how can I make learning sight words fun for him, and not a struggle? 

Here are a few things we did to help Cole practice sight words at home, wihtout turning it into a chore.. And we bet your kids are going to love (and learn!) with them, too. 

sight word activities; text overlay: the most fun ways to teach sight words

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St. Patricks’ Day Activities for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your toddlers and preschoolers this month! We've got a collection of hands-on St. Patrick's Day activities for kids featurign fine motor skills, sensory play, and art that will keep them busy for the whole month of March. Find the full list of ideas at TheSaltyMamas.com. #stpatricksday #stpatricksdayactivitiesforkids #finemotorskills #sensoryplay #sensoryactivities #stpatricksdaysensorybin #toddlers #kids #kidsactivities #activitiesfortoddlers #parents

Need some fun St. Patrick’s Day activities for preschoolers or toddlers? Check out these engaging St. Patrick’s Day fine motor activities for the kids to get them in the Irish spirt, and follow up with a few St. Patrick’s Day sensory activities, too. Read on for our kid-approved favorites!

I’ve always felt that St. Patrick’s Day gets the short end of the stick when it comes to holidays. Crammed between Valentine’s Day and Easter, it often gets shuffled to the back of the priority list. But with leprechauns, rainbows, and gold coins, there is HUGE potential for crazy-fun St. Patrick’s Day activities for preschool that are suited right to their interests.

We are constantly on the lookout for ways to engage our toddlers through play. Toddlers are starting to learn how to use their fingers more effectively, and so we include fine motor skills activities in our toddler daily schedule to help them practice these skills. 

But we never, ever, ever want this practice to feel like work, so we do our best to change up the activities based on the month, theme, weather, or what’s going on in our lives.  So this March, we are doing it up BIG with St. Patrick’s Day fine motor activities for toddlers (and some fun St. Patrick’s day sensory activities, too). Read on for the full list of ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your kids.

sensory activities; text reads: hands on st. patrick's day activities for kids

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Open Ended Bath Toys for Toddlers (Under $15!)

Looking for bath toys for toddlers to keep your little one entertained in the tub? We've got crazy fun toys and activities to turn bathtime into an activity your baby and toddler will love at TheSaltyMamas.com. #bathtime #bathtoys #bathtoysforbabies #bathtoysfortoddlers

Need to change up your bath time routine? Check out this list of open ended bath toys for toddlers, under $15 each! Lots of educational opportunity, and a LOT of bang for your buck, in this fun and simple list. 

If you’ve got little ones at home, you’ll know how stinking hard it is to entertain tiny children. We coordinate all the activities for them, we buy the toys, we play with them and try to teach them things. But at the end of the day, entertaining toddlers is a lot of work, and sometimes we need a little break. That’s where bathtime- and the best bath toys for toddlers!- come in.

When the day is stretching on to infinity and beyond, we like to throw the kids in the tub for that last, long hour of the day.  We fill up a wineglass and then fill up the bathtub, and throw ourselves what our dear friend Amanda likes to call Bathtime Happy Hour.

From about 5 to 6 pm on one of the Daddies’ long work nights, you can find us setting up shop in the bathroom and letting the kids enjoy an extra long (and extra fun!) bathtime.  It’s an excellent sensory experience, helps with to scientific and analytical thinking (we’re not even kidding!), is a screen-free activity, and contributes to personal hygiene. Which makes it an extraordinarily easy thing to justify.

And more importantly, it keeps them from driving us bonkers.

So if you’re looking to get a little more life out of your bathtime routine, we’ve collected the best open ended bath toys for toddlers (under $15 each!), along with some activities and add-ins to make your time in the tub a little more fun.

Toddler pouring water on themselves in a bathtub; Text overlay: The very best bath toys for toddlers

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Puffy Paint Snowman Art

Do you wanna build a snowman? Us too! One teensy little problem though- we live near Los Angeles, and snow is in short supply. So when my kids requested that we build a snowman without snow, I quickly put some supplies together to bring them this snowman art for kids to scratch the itch with some snowman painting.

My kids and I love doing process art projects together (well, let’s be honest- I love setting up the project, and then drinking coffee in peace while they do said art project. Potato, Potahto.) I love the basics, but sometimes they get a little bored of doing the same projects over and over. So I try to keep it fresh by adding in some seasonal art prompts and materials, depending on the month we are in.

In this winter themed art project for kids, your children will use Shaving Cream Puffy Paint to create a snowman (or, if they’re younger, a snow scene). They’ll add some simple decorations to their creations, and, if you’re lucky, repeat the process to take up even more time. As a bonus, you’ll end up with some adorable little works of art in the process. Read on for the full instructions on this sweet snowman art for kids.

shaving cream snowman paint; text overlay: puffy paint snowmen

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