Kids’ Activities

Need to kill an hour or so? With about five minutes of prep, this baking soda and vinegar process art for preschoolers or toddlers will definitely fill the need! They’ll practice color names, fine motor skills and (suprisingly!) probably not even make a mess with this fun baking soda experiment for kids.

Okay, this may seem counterintuitive to some. But when my kids are being decidedly EXTRA, I don’t try to calm them down. Frankly, it’s a losing battle, and I just end up feeling like I’m banging my head against the wall.

And one or more of us often end up crying.

Instead, I meet them in that very-extra place with an activity that seems very-extra to them. Sensory activities are usually my go to, and this baking soda and vinegar process art is my Hail Mary on an extra wiggly day inside.

With about five minutes worth of prep and ingredients you probably already have on hand, baking soda and vinegar is the the perfect way to mesmerize (and calm down) busy toddler bodies. 

And I hope you bought that baking soda in bulk- because they’re going to want to do this one again, and again, and again.

Read on for the full instructions on how to set up a baking soda process art activity on your own, right here at home!

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Okay, we know the developmental benefits of talking a family walk. But what if your kids aren’t into it? Do you need to figure out how to make a walk more fun for kids? Check out our list of fun things to do a on a walk with kids of all ages. 

When the kids were toddlers, we took a family walk almost every night after dinner. It was a chance to chat with my husband, for the kids to sneak in some more time outside and, if we’re being honest, a way to fill up the witching hour.

But the kids got older, and they decided walks were boring. We tried bringing out the scooters, bikes, and skateboards, but none of that had the same peaceful vibe from our earlier walks.

So we changed it up. We made up a few games, took advantage of a few neighborhood landmarks, and threw in some excitement now and then. 

If you find yourself having to drag your kids through your nightly walk, try out some of these fun things to do on a walk with kids. You might find that they don’t hate the walk so much after all!

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Working on a zoo theme with your preschoolers? Check out this easy, Build a Zoo themed fine motor skill activity for toddlers and beyond. It’s a fine-motor-filled zoo activity for toddlers and up that they’ll enjoy making (and shh! Don’t tell them how much they’ll be learning in the process!)

We found ourselves in a rental car lobby with too much time to kill. As usualy, I scanned the area around me to find something- anything!- that could occupy my kids for a few minutes and prevent them from causing a scene.

I steered them over to the tourist brochure section. You know, those wooden shelves stacked with travel pamphlets? We spent a lot of time browsing the different brochures, playing “which would you choose,” “would you rather,” and planning pretend vacations while we waited.

And then, when our rental car came, I gathered up the pamphlets and threw them in my backpack, thinking they could occupy the kids on the road.

When we got home, I realized I still had the Zoo travel brochures, and my teacher brain immediately activated.

In just a couple of short minutes, I had a Zoo themed fine motor skill activity ready to go for my toddler (and a cute Zoo craft for kids for my fridge, too). Let’s take a look at home to turn this simple Zoo craft into a HUGE learning opportunity.

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