Whether it’s snow, sleet, rain, or a younger sibling’s nap time, there are times when weather or other challenges call for indoor play at home. Here are 11 ideas for fun activities for young children at home. Make a blanket fort with old sheets, blankets and pillows with stuffed animals Build the biggest block tower […]
I’m the oddball who’s always loved math. My favorite part of math is the every day, how math explains the world around us. So it is important to me was instilling that same love in my kids. I resisted buying workbooks for my kids until elementary school was around the corner, but I do bring […]
Celebrating July 4th offers so many fun summer time fun opportunities from delicious food to spending time with friends and family to creative activities that can teach kids about our nation’s history. Here are ideas from our Mom experience and nifty resources we found online. Seeing the Fireworks or Seeking Alternative Day Time Events […]
I don’t know how it happened, but Easter is one of my daughter’s favorite holidays. We aren’t religious, so to me it was always sort of a non-event holiday. But when my first child, now 5.5, was born, every chance to do something special was embraced; maybe even overindulged. If you ask her today why […]
Passover has always been one of my favorite holidays, second only to Chanukah and birthdays. We love the family seder, and use the time as an opportunity to connect. What makes the holiday special for kids? Many of these ideas are inspired by my children’s Beth Sholom Preschool: Sing! We love to sing fun […]
My fondest memories of preschool were with my best friend: drinking green punch, painting, tying our shoes. When my first started preschool, my hope was for him to make wonderful friends. But how does this happen? Some kids make friends on their own. My elder child, now five, made his first friends before starting preschool, […]
When you’ve faced what can seem like an endless stream of bad weather days, entertaining young children indoors starts to test even the most creative parents. Here are ideas for indoor adventures out and about, building on our recent article, 11 Fun Indoor Activities for Bad Weather Days for keeping kids entertained at home. Be sure […]
As parents we face a daily conundrum of opportunities and needs to coach our children about everything from conflict resolution and manners to transitions and routines. Two creative tools I love for teaching children social and life skills are social stories and puppets. Storytelling can be such a powerful way to engage children, capturing their […]
Free Range Parenting vs. Helicoptering As I watch my two year old race to the play structure and try to climb a tricky bridge, something she’s never done before, my five year old warns me. “Lili can’t do that. Mama! Quick!” I wonder, should I cover her? Do I give her the space to try […]
For those of us who celebrate Hanukkah, we will soon experience the once in a lifetime convergence of the Thanksgiving and Hanukkah holidays. We’ve been thinking about creative ways to combine our Thanksgiving and Hanukkah traditions, while looking over ideas published in honor of this unique Thanksgivukkah opportunity, such as this quick guide from ReformJudaism.org […]