Kids’ Activities

Wondering what to do with leftover glow sticks? Trying to figure out what to do with glow sticks that won’t last less than a minute? If you’re anything like us, your kids just open them up and walk away bored. But it doesn’t have to be like that! Check out these fun ways to play with glow sticks for kids.

A standard of birthday party favors, Halloween goodie bags, and dollar store value buys alike, Glow Sticks are always present in our house (even though we hardly ever buy them ourselves).

They’re cheap, exciting and fun, but if your kids are like ours, they don’t really know what to do with them past the “make them start glowing” phase of play. We’re always wondering what to do with leftover glow sticks. And frankly, that just feels like a bit of a waste.

But there are so many fun ways to extend the life of those glow sticks, and turn a 1 minute experience into a whole day of play. So if you, like us, find yourself with an abundance of glow sticks (and not much idea what to do with them) check out this list for novel new ways to play with glow sticks. 

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Okay, YES, we’ll admit it- our kids are on their screens a LOT more than they used to be. Because we can’t go anywhere or see anyone and, frankly, we’re all a little bored of the inside of our house. 

Since one of our best chances of connection with the outside world is through our screens, you can bet our tech use has crept up-way up- in the last few months. 

But if we’re going to be on our devices this much, are there better screen time activities for our kids to use? Are all forms of tech created equally when it comes to kids’ development? Or are there screen time activities that don’t really “count” as screen time? 

So we set out to find out- what does research really say about the different types of screen time? And more importantly- can we let our kids use their devices more without feeling so guilty about it?

Well lucky for us, research supported our theories when it comes to tech. Here’s what the experts had to say about better screen time activities for kids. 

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Your child is getting older, and they’re learning more and more everyday. As they get closer to preschool, you’ll probably start to wonder- when should a child learn to write their name? And how do you teach a kid how to write their name anyways? We’ve got the best name writing activities for kids here at TheSaltyMamas.com.

According to family legend, when I was one and a half and my sister was three, my mom needed to get us out of her hair for a while. At the end of her rope, she sent my sister out of the room with me, telling her to teach me to write my name. She figured it’d buy her a few minutes, at the very least.

And if you believe her, an hour later, I came out able to write my name. 

So when my kids were toddlers, I really thought it was as easy as that. You show them their name. Then you tell them to write it. Then you’re done.

Insert cry laughing emoji here.

If you and your kids are anything like me and mine, you’ll likely know by now that it’s not usually quite that simple. There are several stages to figuring out how to teach a kid to write their name, starting with the very basics and moving on to independent writing. 

Here, we’ve got a collection of fun name writing activities for preschoolers (or toddlers, if your feeling ambitious) that will have them writing their names in no time. 

Well, like normal levels of “no time.” Not like “family legends of one year olds writing their names” no time. But you know what I mean.

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There are a MILLION resources out there for easy activities for kids stuck inside. But do you REALLY have time to wade through them every time you hear “I’m bored?” Check out our printable, easy activity cards for kids, for quick ideas right when you need them.

Look, we’re spending a lot of time with our kids right now. Like, A LOT. And while we love all this quality time (seriously, in March we said we wished we could freeze time and, mission accomplished), we’re still spending MUCH more time at home than we’re used to.

Meaning, we’re also hearing, “I’m boooorrreeed” a lot more than we used to, too.

And while a little boredom is good for kids (it encourages creativity, teaches them patience, and teaches them independence) there is a limit to how much boredom we can all take.

Kids are bored, and parents are busy. We are working from home, running a household, and homeschooling older kids. Sometimes, we just need to keep our kids entertained so we can focus on other tasks.

When the dreaded, “I’m bored” makes an appearance, the last thing you want to do is start scrolling through Pinterest, spending time setting up projects your kids may not even be interest in. 

And mamas, we’re right there with you. Which is why we designed the resource we needed ourselves- easy, printable activity cards to put an end to “I’m bored” once and for all.

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The world is changing, and we’re all changing with it. If you suddenly find yourself trying to figure out how to do preschool at home, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got tons of resources for teaching preschool at home, from educational activities to the best homeschool preschool curriculum. Read on for pro tips from a teacher and fellow mom in the trenches!

With a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, many of us are finding ourselves in unusual positions. Schools have closed, many are struggling financially, and kids are WAY off their routines. 

In the midst of all of this, many of us are looking for ways to give our kids structure and consistency, while keeping up with our larger goals for our kids.

We’re not saying your kiddo HAS to do homeschool preschool. A day full of playing and art and sunshine will do them loads of good. But if your kids are like ours, they’re used to going to preschool, and they miss it. Many of us find ourselves teaching preschool at home, and are looking for ways to do it better.

If you’re in the same boat, we’ve got tips on how to teach preschool at home in a way that will be fun for your kids, and low stress for you.

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