Kids’ Activities

How to Keep a One Year Old Busy! GUARANTEED!

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Fine five activities that are guaranteed to entertain your one year old! from The Salty Mamas! #toddlers #howtoentertaintoddlers #howtoentertainbabies #toystoentertaintoddlers #besttoysfortoddlers #bestbooksfortoddlers #bestgamesfortoddlers #bestbookforbaby #bestbooksforbabies #bestgameforbabies #bestgamesforbabies #besttoyforbaby #besttoysforbabies

Ah, one year olds. All the moxie of a full-grown toddler, but none of the interest in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And while the real fun and games of toddlerhood seem to hit around two, our kids definitely grow out of the “baby” stage well before then. We’re left with this not-so-fun in between time where our kids are more active than babies, but cannot yet be bribed.

Worse still, they often will refuse to sit through a 21 minute episode of something bright and cartoony so we can just make dinner already!

It’s not like I don’t love sitting with my one year old and playing Pat-a-Cake until my hands are raw, but sometimes I just have to get something done. And if I could find a way to entertain my toddler while they’re sitting next to me also doing something she enjoys, then hurray for us both!

Here are some activities that actually entertain a one year old at home.

Fine five activities that are guaranteed to entertain your one year old! from The Salty Mamas! #toddlers #howtoentertaintoddlers #howtoentertainbabies #toystoentertaintoddlers #besttoysfortoddlers #bestbooksfortoddlers #bestgamesfortoddlers #bestbookforbaby #bestbooksforbabies #bestgameforbabies #bestgamesforbabies #besttoyforbaby #besttoysforbabies

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Ways to Celebrate Oktoberfest with Kids

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Just because you have kids doesn't mean you can't rock Okctoberfest! #oktoberfestwithkids #oktoberfestlongbeach #oktoberfestlb #alpinevillage #alpinemarket #octoberactiviteswithkids #octoberwithkids #fallactivitieswithkids #kidsandbeer #germankids #teachingkidsaboutoktoberfest #oktoberfestcrafts #oktoberfestcraftsforkids

My birthday is in October, and luckily for me, every beer garden in the world has decided to throw me a party complete with live music, tons of people and – of course – giant steins of beer. Now, I’m not delusional enough to think that every Oktoberfest in Long Beach is actually thrown in celebration of my birthday, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t spend many years taking full advantage of this easy to throw party. I mean, who doesn’t want to go to Oktoberfest?!? But the harder question is, Who wants to go to Oktoberfest with kids?

Not me.

Standing in front of a large crowd chugging a stein of beer just doesn’t have the same appeal when my three kids are part of the audience. But the truth is that somewhere along the line I ended up enjoying so much more about Oktoberfest than just the beer. And I found myself wanting to find a way to share some of that with my kids. Here are some cool ideas of ways to celebrate Oktoberfest with your kids.

Just because you have kids doesn't mean you can't rock Okctoberfest! #oktoberfestwithkids #oktoberfestlongbeach #oktoberfestlb #alpinevillage #alpinemarket #octoberactiviteswithkids #octoberwithkids #fallactivitieswithkids #kidsandbeer #germankids #teachingkidsaboutoktoberfest #oktoberfestcrafts #oktoberfestcraftsforkids

This post was sponsored by Cool Cabins. As always, all thoughts and opinions are those of The Salty Mamas. You can read more at our legal page. 

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Entertain on the Go with Fun & Easy Toddler Busy Bags

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10 Amazing, Engaging, NO PREP Busy Bags for Babies and Toddlers, from TheSaltyMamas.com.

Looking for some easy toddler busy bags to keep your little one entertained? Whether you’re on the go or just staying at home, these no-prep busy bags for toddlers are sure to meet your needs. Read on for our ten favorite, easy busy bags for babies and toddlers.

Ahhh, toddlers. That beautiful stage full of curiosity, enthusiasm, joy… And tantrums. And opinions. And energy. Allllll the energy.

If you’ve got a toddler, you know that it can be hard to keep them entertained. They want to do everything, but there’s still a lot of limitations to what they can do.  Restaurants, road trips, flights, dinner parties at non-baby-proofed houses- it’s enough to strike fear into any parent’s heart.

But it doesn’t have to be that way (well, not ALL the time at least). We’re bringing you a collection of easy toddler busy bags and busy bags for babies for our Littlest Salties.Cotton balls in a cup, pipe cleaner and beads, Q-tips in a spice container, and a miniature xylophone; Text overlay; First busy bags no prep activities babies and toddlers will love.

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Indoor Activities for Stir-Crazy Kids

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Stuck at home with the kids? Whether you need rainy days activities or just activities for stir-crazy kids, we've got a fantastic list of solutions to redeem the day. Find out how to do rainy days like a fun mom at TheSaltyMamas.com.

Got the bad-weather blues? We’ve got tons of rainy day indoor activities for stir-crazy kids. From ways to burn energy indoors to the best activities for sick kids, we’ve got all the ideas you need to fill up a day stuck-at-home day.

Let me start by saying- I am not a Stay at Home Mom. I mean, I AM. That’s what anyone would call me. But the title is so, so inaccurate.

I am a take-kids-to-swim-lessons mom. I am a host-a-playdate-mom. I am a go-to-the-beach mom, a running-errands mom, a might-as-well-be-a-chauffeur-mom. I don’t go to work everyday, but I’m also not likely to be found at home, either. 

But sometimes? We HAVE to stay home. Because we’re potty training, or waiting on an appliance repair person, or someone is contagious (even though they feel fine). Maybe it’s too hot, or maybe there’s snow. Or maybe it’s freaking dangerous to be around other people and your best bet is to keep your butt at home.

But for whatever reason, sometimes you just have to stay home all day. And if you’re into that sort of thing? That’s likely not a problem. But if you’re not? You’re trying to fill the longest.day.ever. with activities for stir-crazy kids.

After a recent Hand-Foot-Mouth scare over at our place, we found ourselves quarantined. No one felt particularly sick, but we’d been advised to stay away from our friends for a day or two.

Lila took it hard (I might as well have handed home a death sentence), but I took it upon myself to seize the day and make it an amazing one.

An amazing day that happened to include six hours of television. But who’s counting?

So if you find yourself in a similar position, we’ve got some super fun activities for stir-crazy kids that will make that long day at home a fun one, too.

Toddler with rainbow umbrella; Text overlay: How to survive a day at home with stir-crazy kids

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Make Learning Exciting with Color Activities for Toddlers

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child sorting candy by color; text overlay: fun ways to teach kids colors

Wondering how to teach your 2 year old their colors? Or 3, 4, or 5 year old? Whatever your child’s age, they’re going to love these color activities for toddlers (featuring a FREE printable color activity!), written by an early education teacher.

I don’t know how it happened, but my daughter somehow knew all of her colors by two years old. I don’t remember doing a lot of kids’ learning activities with her- my older daughter just picked  up the color names on her own, and I didn’t think much of it.

So when my son didn’t know his colors at a few months past two, I panicked, thinking he was way behind.

Well, it turns out he’s not.

 So the first step for us was accepting that we did not have a problem, by any stretch of the imagination. But it did also make me realize I needed a plan for how to teach my 2 year old their colors, and as a result, I’ve been making a greater effort to teach him.

So if you are ready to start teaching colors to your child, we’ve got some The average child should be able to name at least one color by age three.

child sorting candy by color; text overlay: fun ways to teach kids colors

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