Click here to read Kids’ Science Experiment to Make Music with Water on Hands On As We Grow®

Learn how to make music with water in this super simple classic science experiment from Rachel.

All you need for this classic science experiment is a few matching glasses, a spoon and water. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!

Check out these other super easy set-up activities!

I don’t know about you, but I remember doing this experiment when I was a kid, both at home and in school. It is a really fun and easy way to explore the science of sound!

How to Make Music with Water

It’s honestly super simple. Grab a few glasses.

Make sure they are the roughly the same size. It makes everything work a little better.

Now, fill the glasses with different amounts of water. You could get super accurate here and measure the water if you want to try to create specific notes/pitches.

I just filled a pitcher and had Hannah help me pour a little in one, more in the next, etc.

Last, I gave Hannah a spoon and showed her how to tap it on the glass. If you have a really young child or a very enthusiastic one, I would use a plastic spoon to minimize the risk of breakage.

I knew Hannah would be fine, so we just used a metal cereal spoon.

Make Music with Water Science:

Tapping the spoon on the glass creates a vibration sending a sound wave through the water in the glass. Each glass makes a different sound because the sound wave travels at different speeds through the water.

The speed of the sound wave depends on the amount of water in the glass.

The glass with the most water makes the lowest sound because the sound waves travel the slowest. The glass with the least water makes the highest sound because the sound waves travel the fastest.

An older child might be really interested in a simple explanation of sound waves and how they work.

For Hannah, we compared the sounds each glass made and the amount of water in each glass. I knew she wouldn’t understand what a “high” or “low” sound was, so I called the low sound “big” and the high sound “little.”

Not scientifically accurate, but much more in her realm of understanding.

What Happened When We Made Music with Water

We went through the experiment several times, tapping each glass, looking at the amounts of water, and comparing.

She was able to see the connection between the amount of water and the sounds pretty quickly. The glass with lots of water made a big sound, and the glass with a little water made a little sound.

After that, she went to town! I showed her how to tap the glasses randomly (up until now we were tapping them in order) to make music with water.

She took over and played her glasses for much longer than I expected.

At this point, if you do your research and measure your water accurately, you can play actual songs.

We were going for the exploration, so I didn’t worry about this, but older kids especially might love learning to play a song they know.

It’s been a long time since we did any experiments in our house. This reminded me how much the kids and I both love them!

We will definitely be turning the kitchen into a lab again soon.

What activity from your childhood have you done with your kids?

Click here to read 4 Blanket Games To Play That Burn Off Energy & Encourage Gross Motor Skills on Hands On As We Grow®

Grab some blankets or sheets to burn energy with those kiddos while exercising their gross motor skills with these easy games.

If you wear them out enough, you can even take the blankets straight to nap time!

Play these 4 Gross Motor Blanket Games

Household items are excellent tools for fun or silly activities at home with kids.

I find toddlers and preschoolers especially get a kick out of using them in ways we don’t normally do.

And these blanket games are no exception.

Enjoy the building of gross motor skills in your toddlers and preschoolers with these super simple games.

The best part is that you can whip these out any time.

We often go to these gross motor ideas when the kids have extra energy to burn.

Or even on a rainy or snowy day when you are stuck indoors.

Go ahead and give one or all of these blanket games a try at your house!

Download FREE Week of Active Indoor Fun for Kids Here!

Supplies Needed for all 4 Gross Motor Games

• Blanket(s) or flat sheets
• Balloons, balls (think light ones, like for ball pits), or small stuffed animals
• Clothes pins or safety pins

Blanket Sleigh Kids Pulling Game

For this activity, all you need is a sturdy blanket and (preferably) a hard and smooth surface.

Have your child sit on the blanket.

Then, holding it by one corner, pull them through the house.

Voila! Instant sleigh ride!

Once they understand the idea, have siblings take turns pulling each other or let the little ones give their stuffies a ride.

This “heavy work” activity is great for hyper kids who can’t sit still – so load up that blanket.

Mom Hack #1: Use old sheets or towels and let it double as dusting the hard floors!

Mom Hack #2: Have the kids pick up toys from one room and carry them over to their proper location during the ride.

Burrito Roll-Up Blanket Rolling Game

Grab a blanket and lay it flat on the floor.

Fold it in half (or quarters) length-wise to adjust to your child’s height.

Have your little one lay at one end of the blanket.

Leaving their head uncovered on one side, roll your kid up like a burrito!

Let them squirm, wiggle, and unroll their way out of the casing.

This blanket game is GREAT core work since they can’t use their arms to escape.

Keep the activity going by timing them and challenge them to beat their record.

Do you have multiple kids?

Roll them all up and make it a race to see who can escape first!

Ghost Chase Blanket Game for Kids

Grab that trusty old blanket and throw it over your head.

That’s right.

Now you’re a ghost.

This game is great because it’s super easy and you get to scare your kids (see “Big Kid Variation” below).

As the ghost, simply chase your kids around the house.

I like to hold the blanket out away from me a bit so that I can see where I’m stepping and avoid any building blocks or metal cars!

To “catch” your kids, billow out the blanket like a parachute, trap them underneath, then pull them in with a big, cozy hug.

Mom Hack: I sometimes suggest this game if I have a couple texts or an email I need to respond to on my phone. I don’t like being on my phone in front of my kids, so I can play with them and take care of a little business while I slowly walk around the house.

Big Kid Hiding Ghost Variation:

Combine Ghost Chase with Hide-and-Seek.

Turn off all the lights, give the kids flashlights and let the ghost hide.

The kids walk around the house with the flashlights trying to find the ghost before the ghost jumps out to scare THEM!

And while you have the lights out with those older kiddos, check out these other cool ways to learn in the dark or get creative with shadow puppets!

Blanket Parachute Game: Kicking, Throwing, Catching, Jumping

Remember those awesome days in elementary gym class when your teacher brought out the parachute?

Those were my FAVORITE days.

Good news! You don’t need 21 other kids and a pricey parachute to have the same kind of fun at home.

All you need is a flat sheet and pins or clips.

If you don’t have multiple children at home to help hold all the edges of the sheet, simply tuck one edge into the couch cushions, or set up some chairs to secure the sides with clothes pins or safety pins.

Once you have secured the other ends of the sheet, then invite your little one over for the fun.

Fluff, shake, and billow the sheet.

The possibilities are endless!

Our Favorite Blanket Parachute Games:

• Add balloons, small balls, or small stuffed animals to the mix. Have your child try to shake them out or keep them in.
• Run under the sheet when it’s up and duck down to be trapped underneath.
• Race underneath the sheet and try to make it to the other side without being caught (I like to add a pillow pile for them to dive into on the “exit” side.)
• Secure all four corners of the sheet suspended in the air like a canopy (over couches, cushions or chairs) and have them lay underneath using their hands or feet to push/kick the balls off the sheet. See if they can use controlled movements to remove only one item at a time. (Have older kids do this, then have younger ones throw them back on top.)
• Try to keep the balloons on top of the sheet when bouncing around, or bounce the balloons off and have kids catch them before they hit the ground.

Never underestimate the entertainment value of things you have lying around your home!

Blankets, pillows, towels, balloons – why fill your house with more toys when you can get the same results with what’s on hand?

What is your favorite household staple your kids use to play?

Click here to read A Week of Nature Activities to Do on Hands On As We Grow®

Nature activities and Spring go hand in hand. Spring feels like it’s here and I’m ready for it! (Unfortunately, it’s only February now, and since I’m in Iowa I am sure it is short lived and will be gone just as quick.)

I can’t wait for the flowers to pop up and the leaves to bud, so I’m prepping us with a week of nature activities when nature is ready where you are.

Free feel to browse this post for more nature activities!

How to plan weekly activities for your kids:

Just to give you a little background on how I plan a week of activities for my own kids:

I start with the gauging what my child is interested in (using the “My Child This Week” sheet of the free weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly.

Here’s where you can download the free activity planner.

With each of my kids’ interests, I brainstorm 7 activities to do that week. I jot them down on the simple ‘Activities To Do This Week’ planner. As for this week of activities to learn a letter, it could be any of our letter learning activities. But for this one in particular, I wanted the ability to be able to focus in on one letter.

And of course, like always, I include a day of family time. I think the kids will especially love this family activity!

Here’s a week of activities for kids to get out in nature!

Join The Activity Room to have every week of fun planned for you!

Monday: Nature Scavenger Hunt

Hunt for nature. Use colors and shapes as clues.

Supplies needed:

• basket or bucket (optional)

Find details: Nature Scavenger Hunt

Tuesday: Nature Suncatcher

Make a nature suncatcher. Cut the centers out of paper plates. Cover with clear contact paper. Fill with found objects from nature.

Supplies needed:

• paper plates
• clear contact paper
• objects from nature

Find details: Nature Collage Suncatcher Craft

Wednesday: Counting Flower Petals

Go on a hunt around your yard to find a variety of different flowers. Take a moment to observe them to see how they are similar or different. Then count the flower petals on each one.

Supplies needed:

• flowers

Find details: Counting Flower Petals

Thursday: What Absorbs Water?

Collect various objects of nature in a muffin tin. Pour water into each section to see what absorbs water and what doesn’t.

Supplies needed:

• nature
• muffin pan
• water

Find details:What Absorbs Water Experiment

Friday: Painting with Nature

Gather a few items from nature. Lay out a piece of paper and a tray of paint. Use the items from nature as paintbrushes to paint a masterpiece!

Supplies needed:

• nature
• paper
• paint
• tray

Find details: Painting with Nature

Saturday: Leaf Rubbings Match Up

Find various pairs of leaves in nature. Tape one of each leaf on the back of a piece of paper. Rub crayons over front side of the paper to show the leaf! Match the remaining leaf to the crayon rubbings.

Supplies needed:

• leaves from nature
• crayons
• white paper
• tape

Find details: Leaf Rubbings Match Up

Sunday: Nature Sensory Bag

Create a sensory bag with hair gel in a baggy. Add nature items, such as flowers, grass and leaves. Tape it to the window to explore in the sunlight.

Supplies needed:

• nature
• hair gel or clear gelatin
• gallon-size freezer baggy
• tape

Find details: Nature Sensory Bag

Click here to read Move & Spell Fun Gross Motor Literacy Game on Hands On As We Grow®

Try a super fun gross motor literacy game to build a word for kids from Alisha!

Looking for a way to combine learning and moving? It can seem hard, especially when you’re looking for a fun, simple literacy game.

But I think I found one! Truth: I might have borrowed this one from my last CrossFit workout, but shhhh!

Bonus: there are basically no supplies needed – just paper and something to write with, plus your body!

We think you’ll love this awesome indoor energy buster game, as well!

Move & Spell Fun Gross Motor Literacy Game

Before you get moving, you’ll need about 5 minutes to get set up for your literacy game.

To DIY your own gross motor literacy game, you’ll need:

• Paper
• Marker or pencil

Fold your paper vertically in half, to make two columns on your paper.

Then draw thirteen dots on one side and thirteen on the other side. Try to space them out evenly to fill up the entire column.

Write one letter per each dot on the paper. A-M will be on the left side of the paper and N-Z on the right side of the paper.

You can choose uppercase, lowercase, or even both types of letters.

If you have a child who can write their alphabet, this is a great practice opportunity. If not, you can go ahead a write them out.

Try even more simple alphabet activities for extra learning fun!

Add a Little Movement to Learning

Once the letters are written on the paper, write the movement activities.

You can choose any actions that are suitable for your kids. Along with each action, decide on an amount to do – like 5 jumping jacks.

You’ll put one action + the amount of that action beside each letter.

My game sheet is simply a guide. You are welcome to copy it exactly as is or use it as a reference to create one more suited for your child’s age.

I chose thirteen movements that are suitable for my kids (ages 5 and 7). Then, I repeated them again with different amounts to equal twenty-six movements.

Some examples of movements are jumping jacks, sidekicks, two-feet jumps, and forward arm circles.

Get moving inside with a whole week of gross motor fun to try out!

I recommend that you write out the amount and the movement per letter, but if your child is able, then they can do it as well. You might also consider doing the letters in one color and the actions in another color.

One Gross Motor Literacy Game, Many Ways to Play!

There are many ways to play this literacy game, but the main objective is to spell words while doing actions.

Adding in actions and movement while learning can help kids (and adults) remember information or skills more effectively.

We started with simple name spelling. Each of us took a turn finding the letters in our names, then doing the actions for each letter.

I went first, just to get us started. My name is Alisha, so I would do the movements for letters A, L, I, S, H, and A.

From our game sheet, that would be:

• 5 jumping jacks
• 5 left-foot hops
• 3 backward arm circles
• 3 toe touches
• 4 right-foot hops
• 5 jumping jacks.

You can choose to play in a group, where each person takes turns building their word and doing the movements.

Or you could play with one person as they build continuous words and do those movements; it could be quite a workout.

Another fun way would be to all work on building the same letter. Either do all the movements for all the letters together or round-robin the letters, with each person doing one letter in turn until the word is spelled out.

This gross motor game can be played by just the kids or adults can join in, too! The day we did this in my CrossFit group, we were all gasping for air by the end with muscles burning.

Learn More with These Gross Motor Game Ideas

I love how adaptable this gross motor activity is to all sorts of learning. We did it as a literacy game, but you could 100% switch it up!

We thought of these creative ways to move and learn:

• Name practice: build your name
• Seasonal words: summer (ocean and hot)
• Holiday words: Easter (egg, cross, and bunny)
• Sight words practice: choose words that your child is learning
• Spelling words practice: have them spell the words to you
• Simple letter recognition: have your child find a letter and do that single move

Another fun idea might be to format this for sticker sheets you can print. Format everything on your computer, then hit print.

Your child will be able to peel and stick letters + actions before they move. It’ll help them avoid hunting for each letter and losing their place in the words.

Choose the best approach for you, mix and match, and use this literacy game again and again. Save your game sheet and add this to your go-to activities whenever you need a quick energy buster activity.

What other indoor energy busters do you have in your go-to activity toolkit? Share your genius with us!

Click here to read Ribbon Flower Bouquet Gift Made by Kids on Hands On As We Grow®

A ribbon flower bouquet is an awesome gift for anyone who’s sick and in the hospital for a while. So are any of these flower crafts that I adore.

Sometimes hospitals, especially ICUs, put restrictions on real flowers.

It may just be certain kinds of flowers, I’m not entirely sure. But I do know that some are restricted.

But flowers always cheer up a dreadful hospital room, as well as the patient!

Why not make them a bouquet of ribbon flowers?

Double the fun!

Brighten up the room plus give a homemade gift from the kids.

Sweeter than ever.

Or send them some of these tissue paper and contact paper flowers we’ve made. They’d be adorable too!

Get your FREE DOWNLOAD of Spring Fun Week Here!

Preschoolers and Hot Glue Gun

This was George’s first time using a hot glue gun.

And he nailed it!

I gave him a safety once over before we began.

Showing him where it was hot at the tip and that the glue would be hot when it came out.

He did awesome!

I am incredibly impressed and suggest you try a hot glue gun with the kids (maybe try a low heat one).

He cut, glued, and formed these flowers all on his own.

Of course, I had to make some for myself too!

Tip: When using hot glue, use a craft stick to press down the ribbon and pipe cleaner instead of your fingers. It’s hot!

How to Make Ribbon flowers Bouquet:

Here are the steps we used to make our ribbon flower bouquet as shown above, starting at the top, left to right.

Simple Steps to Make Bouquet of Ribbon Flowers

1. Cut the Ribbons

I cut one ribbon to begin.

George followed by measuring ribbon and cutting five to eight more to length (depending on how big the ribbon was and how much I had on hand).

2. Glue Ends Together

George glued the ends of all the ribbons together in a flower-like fashion.

I first set them out to give him an idea of the shape and how they should be spaced apart and he took it from there.

3. Fold Ribbons Into Loops

Each ribbon got folded into the center to make a ‘loop.’

I’ve seen several ribbon flowers where they twist it at this stage.

I actually prefer the ‘flat’ look of the loop without twisting.

4. Glue Loops to Center

Finish gluing each ribbon loop to the center.

This is when you really begin to see the bouquet of ribbon flowers coming to form!

5. Add a Centre to Ribbon Flowers

Add a center to the flower.

We used large pom poms.

Large buttons would also be extremely cute!

6. Glue on a Pipe Cleaner Stem

On the back of the flower, we glued a pipe cleaner on.

I twisted it in a spiral so that it would have more surface area.

George squeezed a glob of glue on the back of the flower.

Then he used a craft stick to push the pipe cleaner into the glob.

Prop the finished flowers in a tall, narrow vase to display the ribbon bouquet!

Gorgeous and a homemade gift for a friend.

Let your kids take it to school as a homemade gift to give the teacher!

Or maybe for someone special on Mother’s Day or International Women’s Day!

Click here to read How to Make a Composting Bin with Worms on Hands On As We Grow®

Today’s activity from contributor Adrianne is a perfect outdoor activity for kids who love squirmy worms!

My son loves going on nature scavenger hunts around the yard. He enjoys finding flowers, sticks, and anything that moves!

But once he found a few worms, he wanted to do nothing else but find more worms!

That is when I thought it would be fun to do a vermicomposting bin!

Using worms to create your own fertilizer is easy and fun!

When worms eat food scraps, their castings (ahem… poop!) make great fertilizer.

If your kids love nature and enjoy slimy creatures, they’ll love making their own vermicomposting bin.

While you’re outside,try exploring these other activities for nature lovers.

You Will Need:

• clear plastic bin with lid
• worms
• dirt
• leaves or shredded paper
• fruit and vegetable scraps
• spray bottle with water
• book about composting (optional [affiliate link])

Let’s Start Vermicomposting!

Prepare Your Bin.

Poke holes in the lid for air flow. Collect leaves or shredded paper and dirt to make the “bed” of your bin.

Find Worms.

We look under rocks and other objects that might be hiding little wrigglers underneath. It would be easier to buy a container of worms, but seriously this is the fun part (once you get over the sliminess!)

They are easiest to find in the morning. The saying, “The early bird catches the worm,” is actually true!

While looking for worms, we’ve found crickets, spiders, beetles, salamanders, and so many other fun creatures! We love to observe them all for a while and then put them back!

Every day we find more and more worms to add to our bin. He gets so excited every time he spots one!

Add Food Scraps.

Worms are hungry little creatures, so throw your fruit and vegetable waste in with your worms and let them get to work turning it into fertilizer! The whole “worm poop” concept has not gotten old in our house yet. :)

Maintain your bin.

We keep our bin in the garage. Keep your bin away from direct sun and in a location that isn’t too hot or cold.

Check to make sure the bin isn’t too dry or wet. Add moisture if necessary by spraying water.

Replace bedding (leaves and shredded paper) when needed. Look for worm castings, and remove when you get a good amount. Add the castings to your garden!

Want another gardening activity? Try painted rock garden markers!

Learn about worms!

When we first started our bin, our librarian read a book about composting at story time. The book was called Compost Stew: An A-Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals (affiliate link). The timing was perfect! It’s a great book to teach young kids about compost.

We also checked out a few books about worms and other creepy crawlies from the library. We both learned so much!

Would your kids enjoy a vermicomposting bin?

Click here to read 10 Free Road Trip Printables for Long Car Rides on Hands On As We Grow®

Keep those long road trips interesting and engaging with these printable activity pages. Your kids will be entertained and challenged while learning with fun free printables!

Singalongs and mobile games are great ways to pass the time.

Depending on the length of the drive, though, your kids will need some quiet concentration time.

Critical thinking activities will help keep your children energized and alert even on the road while, at the same time, occupied with educational tasks, too.

There is no end to road trip ideas, especially for kids.

To further enhance the activities, we’ve included awesome free PDF printable material to keep your children happy and entertained on your next road trip.

Here are 10 exciting printable games for long road trips.

Spice up your next road trip with these fun free printable activities that will engage the kids with learning and play while you travel!

Vehicle Matching Games

Vehicle matching is an exciting and educational opportunity for your kids to study the world around them.

With this printable road trip activity, your little ones will delight in finding the vehicles shown on the paper.

Have your children draw lines to match the images on the right to the names on the left.

Additionally, instruct them to circle the vehicles as they see them on the road.

Encourage them to say the words aloud, as well as other details like colors.

Car Counting for Kids

With this printable, your kids have access to pages of cars and numerals.

Younger kids and toddlers will enjoy tracing numbers and matching the images to vehicles on the road.

Encourage them to say the words and numbers aloud for a bonus vocabulary lesson.

There are many game variations with these cards.

Print out multiple copies to create a matching game.

Create a friendly matching competition within the family.

Or, laminate the pages for reusable number-tracing tools. 

Trace That Truck!

Image tracing is a great way for kids to build fine motor skills.

Your kids will boost their hand-eye coordination, handwriting control, and even drawing skills by following lines and creating an image. 

After they have finished tracing, hand over the crayons and washable markers.

Ask them to color their images like the trucks they see on the road.

Afterward, encourage them to draw their own trucks, but this time without tracing.

Have them use the original image as a guide.

This helps hone a budding artistic spirit.

Vacation Map Maze

Maps are a little confusing, particularly for younger children.

With this printable map maze, however, your kids will have fun while learning the basics of maps.

This printable highlights how different routes lead to various destinations.

Teach your kids about the different landmarks found on the map.

As you pass those landmarks on the trip, point them out for an exciting real-life matching game. 

Auto Alphabet Road Trip Printable

Another great game for younger kids, these auto alphabet printables provide plenty of entertainment.

Laminate the pages for repeated tracing exercises.

Have them match and spell the vehicles as they see them on the road.

Vehicle Lacing Games

This vehicle lacing game involves a pre-trip setup, but it’s an excellent opportunity to involve the entire family in the process.

Parents will need to buy plastic needles and yarn of different colors.

Or you can use long shoelaces.

Print out these pages before cutting and gluing the images to heavy stock paper or cereal boxes.

Let them dry until it’s time for the trip.

To make it easier, pre-punch the lacing holes.

While on the road, your kids will thread the yarn through the holes to create fun designs over the images.

Road Trip Bingo Printable Game

The classic game of bingo is now adapted with this printable for road trips.

These printables create hours of searching and matching fun.

As the trip proceeds, your kids should keep a look out for the images on the sheet.

When they see one, mark it with a sticker or marker. 

Like always, the first to five in a row wins!

Laminate the sheet to play multiple times on the same trip.

The printable is also a great vocabulary tool.

Have your children read and spell each word aloud as they see them on the road.

By the end, they’ll be road trip experts. 

I Spy: Road Sign Edition

Like bingo, I Spy is a fun matching game to keep your kids involved and entertained.

This game focuses on road signs.

As your kids see each sign, they should make a mark to keep count.

Some of these signs are tricky to find.

Help your kids out by taking some detours on a sign hunt.

Turn it into a friendly competition to see who can find all the signs first.

Or, keep a count and tally up who saw the most signs at the end of the trip.

Don’t forget to teach your kids the meaning of each sign.

It’s a great opportunity to instill important safety lessons. 

 Road Trip Word Search Printable

If your kids are of the spelling age, a word search is a fun game to pass the time.

This printable word search contains many road trip-related terms hidden throughout the grid.

For best results, laminate the page.

It works great as a traditional word search activity.

However, consider adding a rule that to find a word, your kids have to see the object.

Not only does this help them take in the sights, but it also builds their matching skills. 

The License Plate Game

What road trip would be complete without the license plate game?

With this printable map, your kids have a visual guide for them to keep score.

Instruct them to color in each state as they find the license plate.

Use any color, or match the color to that of the plate.

They should also keep score of how many times they see each plate.

Use it as a friendly competition, or just to have more fun. 

Final Thoughts

This summer, keep the road trips fresh and enjoyable with these printable activity pages.

Full of educational tools, these printables are perfect companions to your family’s road trip package of fun.

Bio: Rachel is an Outreach Associate with North Star Inbound. An honors graduate of New York University, she contributes home improvement, landscaping and renovation pieces. When not writing, she enjoys gardening with her mom and spending time in the Florida sunshine.

Click here to read Nature Sensory Bag Suncatcher on Hands On As We Grow®

Explore spring, and build a fun suncatcher, when you make a DIY nature sensory bag with your kids!

I love making simple sensory bags for the kids, this nature sensory bag is no exception.

They’re easy to make, super fast, and gives the kids something to explore in a fun way. I find them super entertaining for toddlers.

We’ve recently done learning sensory bags for the older boys, making them ‘I Spy’ sensory bags to find letters and math equations (for my first grader).

But my favorite one we’ve done in the past was so simple, just some googly eyes to explore. (It was during the Halloween season).

We needed to explore something for other seasons, right?

This is perfect for Spring with all the little bits of nature peeking up now.

Here are 48 ways to explore with sensory bags!

Make Your Own DIY Nature Sensory Bag

The boys did their part to help me make this nature sensory bag.

They went outside to collect flowers and leaves (make it a scavenger hunt!) to add to the sensory bag while I added hair gel to a gallon-size baggy.

I buy the cheapest hair gel I can possibly find (affiliate link, this was L.A. Looks which brought back funny memories). This gel was blue in the bottle. I didn’t have a lot left, maybe half a bottle, but it was enough!

I love that it didn’t end up looking too blue either.

It took them a while because we don’t have many flowers yet in our yard, so they had to head to Grandpa’s yard to find gorgeous flowers (he gave them the okay to pick them).

Once the boys got back with their nature finds, I added them to the bag of gel.

I decided on a front side of the sensory bag and tried my best to lay the flowers flat facing that side.

I didn’t double bag it, but you could if you’re worried about holes or it leaking.

Explore the Nature Sensory Bag

I taped the nature sensory bag to our front door that’s a full glass window to make it a suncatcher too! It looked so pretty with the light shining through.

Another project! Make a nature suncatcher.

Louis explored the flowers with his fingers. He tried to move them around a little, squishing it.

The older boys were playing outside when they saw Louis in the door with his sensory bag and decided they needed to play with it too!

Louis also thought it was time for him to go outside at the same time because he saw the older boys. So they literally swapped places and then Louis realized he wanted to be inside when he saw them playing with the sensory bag.

Oh, the fun of a toddler!

You can find a week of simple activities for a 2 year old here!

Henry thought he could spot pairs of flowers and match them together by moving them in the sensory bag. He didn’t have very good luck moving them though, the flowers kept breaking apart (but that leads me to an idea for a puzzle sensory bag some time!).

My one big tip with sensory bags that I failed at this time is to make sure you get all the air out of the baggy.

After putting the flowers in the bag full of gel, I forgot to squeeze it out until later. While Henry was trying to move the flowers around, some started falling to the bottom of the bag as the gel was beginning to settle.

If I had sucked the air out it wouldn’t have happened, at least not as soon as it did.

Here’s another version of our sensory bag:

Click here to read 10 Jumping Activities Sure to Wear Out the Kids on Hands On As We Grow®

Is jumping allowed in your house? We love to jump and jumping activities are a sure fire way to wear out my kids when they need it (err, when I need it…).

These are 10 quick and easy to do activities that get the kids jumping around! Its a fantastic gross motor skill that kids need to learn too!

And if jumping isn’t allowed in your house… sometime rules need to be broken in order to just let kids be kids.

My kids learned to jump anywhere from 18 months to 3 years old. I think my youngest learned quicker than the other older two since he had quite a bit of daily motivation.

Do you expect your child to sit still and be quiet and you’re not sure why its important to get the kids moving? You need to watch this video. Go on, watch it and come back to find our ten jumping activities to get kids moving.

Gross motor activities that get kids jumping!

Jump and pop the bubble wrap!

Jump and grab to learn! Whatever it is you’re learning, we’ve done sight words, shapes, and even matched snowflakes!

Jump across pillows, or islands! Don’t touch the lava (or water)!

Head outside to the trampoline and play a multitude of games, learning or not!

Tape 6 lines of tape on the floor, and jump away! See our 5 activities to do them here.

Print out these free arrows from And Next Comes L for an arrow jumping game.

Get out the jump rope and try these jump rope songs from Five Little Chefs.

Take the jumping outdoors on the sidewalk! Take a turn jumping while learning phonics, like The Imagination Tree, or do shapes, colors, numbers, etc.

Make an activity dice with some jumping! Get your free printable to make activity dice on Twitchetts.

Make a simple activity course with jumping stations.

Keep on jumping!

My kids have so much fun jumping! These are great activities to do on a snow day (like we’re having today). Have you seen our other activities to do on a snow day? Snow much fun!

Find more gross motor activities for preschoolers here.

Click here to read Rainbow Bead Counting Game for St. Patrick’s Day on Hands On As We Grow®

Want to teach number sense and counting to your preschooler this St. Patrick’s Day? You’ll love this super simple bead counting game for St. Patrick’s Day from Julie.

Counting with beads is a fun, hands-on way to support early math skills. Help your child build a rainbow for the pot of gold, and practice number recognition, too!

If you’re looking for more fun St. Patrick’s Day ideas, check out this list!

You probably have the materials for this activity around your house already. Here’s what you’ll need:

• one ball yellow play dough for the “pot of gold”
• one ball any color play dough for the card stand
• assorted color beads (affiliate link)
• dowels, wooden skewers, or straws (small enough to fit through the beads)
• number flash cards (affiliate link, or make your own on index cards!)

To set up this activity, you’ll need to make a “pot of gold” with the yellow play doh. I just made a ball and dug my thumbs in the middle to create a bowl shape. Then stick a few dowels or straws upright in the play dough.

Set a separate ball of play dough to the side to use as the stand for your number cards. Place the beads in a dish for easy access for little hands.

If you want to make your own play dough, here are my favorite tips on how to make homemade playdough.

Looking for more preschool counting activities? Check out this idea for fun with block counting!

How-To Play

You can use this simple set-up in tons of different ways. It just depends on what you want to teach your child!

We are working on recognizing numbers and connecting them with the values they represent. We played two different games with our pot of gold and rainbow activity.

Bead Counting Game #1

First, we started with the “1” card in the play dough stand. I showed my little guy how to add only one colored bead to each dowel. Then, we switched up the card to the number “2” flash card. My son then added one more bead to each dowel to make a total of two beads on each dowel.

We went up to five beads with this game, adding one bead to each color every time. I always ask him to point to the number and trace it with his finger to help him remember the numeral more easily.

When we were done with this game, we had counted each color up to five, and practiced identifying numerals up to five.

Easy and fun!

Bead Counting Game #2

For the next game we played, I wanted to give my little guy a little more free reign in his choices. This time, I picked a number flash card at random to place in the play dough stand.

Our first card was a 4. After we identified the 4 and traced it, I let him choose 4 beads of any color and place them on whichever dowel he chose. We repeated with another card and another.

I like this game because it reinforces the concept of “greater than and less than.” When he added five beads at a time, the dowels filled up more quickly than when he added just one bead at a time. He learned that five is greater than one!

If you love this activity, I know you’ll love this number puzzle scavenger hunt.

You could also easily use this counting with beads activity to teach more advanced addition and subtraction, create patterns, or sort colors. It’s so versatile!

I love having fun with holiday preschool activities, and this St. Patrick’s day pot of gold bead counting activity was so much fun!

What is your child’s favorite number or counting activity?

Click here to read 40 Sensory Activities for Babies and Toddlers that are Appropriate on Hands On As We Grow®

Sensory play is important for little ones and their brain development. But it isn’t always easy to find sensory activities that are appropriate for babies and toddlers.

That’s why I have created this list of 40 sensory activities for babies and toddlers.

So many ideas all in one spot!

Download FREE Week of Baby Activities here!!

Explore the five senses with these sensory activities.

Let your baby or toddler see the colors, feel the textures, taste the edible paints (if you choose), hear the various sounds, and smell the different odors.

So much learning, growing, and playing!

Can you sense how excited I am to share these sensory activities with you?

Please keep in mind that babies and toddlers should be closely supervised during all of these sensory activities due to potential hazards.

Sensory Bags for Babies and Toddlers

Sensory bags are a great mess free sensory activity for babies and toddlers to explore.

Simply fill a resealable bag with materials you have on hand and securely seal it shut.

To prevent spills, use freezer bags, double bag the filled bag, don’t overfill or fill with sharp objects, and tape the edges down.

• Explore colors with a baby oil and glitter sensory bag as seen on Laughing Kids Learn. It’s like a confetti celebration in a bag!
• Push buttons around with a button sensory bag found on Hands On As We Grow. Big and small round buttons work great for this.
• Squish a bead sensory bag shown on Baby Play Hacks. Dry the beads to use for a future activity with your baby such as a sensory bottle.
• Feel a pom pom sensory bag as seen on Baby Play Hacks. Colorful pom poms are visually stimulating.
• Bring nature indoors with this flowers sensory bag found on Hands On As We Grow. This really sparkles in the window when the sun shines!
• Make green peas dance with a green pea sensory bag shown on Happy Toddler Playtime. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!
• Investigate a shells sensory bag as seen on Mama OT. Then try a sensory bag with glow sticks.
• Don’t overlook a googly eyes sensory bag found on Hands On As We Grow. It is an eye-deal sensory activity for little ones.
• Add some food coloring to a shaving cream sensory bag shown on Simple Play Ideas. Squishy!
• Create a pumpkin sensory bag as seen on Messy Little Monster. Pumpkin guts make my daughter itchy, so this is a great alternative to touching the insides of a pumpkin.
• Squeeze a play doh sensory bag found on Simple Fun 4 Kids. Have an older kid? Let them do one of these 35+ things to make with play dough at the same time.
• Tape a grid of sensory bags to the floor as seen on Entertain Your Toddler. Use shampoo, hair gel, shaving cream, dry popcorn, rice, dry beans, cut straws, or whatever else you have on hand. So many options with this sensory activity for babies!

Sensory Jars for Babies and Toddlers

Sensory jars and bottles are another alternative for mess free exploration.

Double check they are completely sealed to avoid spills and any choking hazards.

• Hunt for small colored objects to fill rainbow sensory bottles found on The Kavanaugh Report. They look pretty enough to be used as decoration!
• Create discovery bottles shown on The Imagination Tree. The filling options are endless. Try pony beads, pipe cleaners, a mixture of vegetable oil and colored water, pom poms, buttons, rice, and more. So many different sounds and colors!
• Make some noise with a snack bottle rattle as seen on Hands On As We Grow. Include the sense of taste with this activity if desired.
• Mix a soapy sensory jar found on Hands On As We Grow. Add some glitter and food coloring for some sparkly bubbles!
• Gather a few supplies for sound time as seen on Hands On As We Grow. This is a great activity to do during baby tummy time!
• Listen to some sound jars shown on Hands On As We Grow. Simply add popcorn seeds, bells, coins, rice, dry beans, beads, or some other objects to small containers and seal shut. Shake, rattle, and roll!

Edible Paint to Explore

Incorporate the senses of sound, smell, touch, sight, and even taste (if you desire) with these edible sensory ideas.

Who knew there were so many different ways to make edible paint for babies and toddlers?

It’s up to you to decide if you will allow your babies or toddlers to taste the edible paint during the sensory activity.

• Play with pudding paint and ice cubes as seen on Learn Play Imagine. So cool!
• Mix some colorful pudding paint shown on Busy Toddler. A whisk and spatula make interesting paint brushes!
• Paint with yogurt paint found on Meri Cherry. Vanilla yogurt is a great base for vibrant colors.
• Smear colorful yogurt paint as seen on Messy Little Monster. Use a white tray as a canvas for easy cleanup.
• Finger paint with cornstarch paint shown on Learning 4 Kids. Great for hand-eye coordination!
• Prepare thick cornstarch paint found on Rainy Day Mum. All you need is water, cornstarch, and food coloring. This reminds me of colorful oobleck!
• Enjoy the smell of kool-aid paint as shown on Fun At Home With Kids. Your baby might become a cute colorful masterpiece!
• Prepare frozen cool whip paint as seen on Hello Wonderful. Large craft sticks make great handles for little fingers.
• Use real fruit to make pureed fruit paint found on Hands On As We Grow. Yellow paint can be made with bananas. Green paint can be made with kiwis. And blue paint can be made with blueberries.
• Feel the texture of rice cereal paint shown on Little Rusted Ladle. All you need is baby rice, water, and food coloring.
• Glob and splatter gelatin paint as seen on Hands On As We Grow. Then let the work of art dry before displaying.
• Swirl spaghetti and edible paint found on Kids Creative Chaos. Sticky and squishy sensory play!

More Sensory Activities for Babies and Toddlers

Here are even more sensory activities for babies and toddlers. Enjoy!

• Splash in bubbles. All you need is water and dish soap in a bucket. Add funnels, large utensils, and toys for even more sensory play.
• Stay cool with ice cube play. Simply fill a bowl with ice cubes and explore. Or get even more adventurous and create colorful and scented ice cubes with tea to play with!
• Explore with some sensory shaving cream play. Cool whip is a great alternative if you would prefer to not use shaving cream.
• Try some Jello play time. Insert large treasures in the center for added exploration.
• Feel spaghetti slime. Ooey, gooey, messy play!
• Make maracas with a pasta bin. Shake, shake, shake!
• Dig for treasure in an oatmeal sensory bin. Perfect on a cold day!
• Observe different textures with a textured wall. What materials will you choose to use?
• Practice fine motor skills with felt play. So soft!
• Create an edible beach made with crushed Cheerios like the one shown on Play Beyond the Lines. This reminds me of these edible brown sugar castles.

What is your favorite baby sensory idea?

Click here to read 13 No-Prep Games to Play Over FaceTime (or Skype) on Hands On As We Grow®

These games to play over Facetime, or Skype, will be so much fun to still stay connected!

There are occasionally times in life when getting together with a friend or family member just isn’t possible.

Maybe your child is sick, maybe Daddy is working a late shift and can only see you virtually on his dinner break, or maybe Nana and Papa live far away.

Here are some activities you can do with grandma!

When you can’t get together and play a game in person, you can try one of these thirteen no-prep games to play over Facetime, Skype, or Zoom!

Many of the games below can also be used in the car, at a restaurant, or anywhere you need some time filled.

These games use few or no supplies and require basically zero prep. This is a huge win for any parent who has ever needed something to do with their child–and fast!

13 No-Prep Games to Play Over Facetime

Twenty Questions

This age-old favorite can be played anywhere and needs no supplies.

One person thinks of a person, place, or thing, and then the other players can ask up to 20 yes or no questions to figure out the answer.

Even younger kids can play this.

But you may want to have them share their person, place, or thing with an adult to make sure things stay accurate and on track.

A fact checker of sorts!

Clap the Song

Think of a song and then clap it. Simple!

See if the other players can guess what song!

Alternatively, you can leave out the words and just hum the song until the other players can guess what it is.

Props Game

This one is sure to get giggles all around!

Collect a bunch of medium to large common household objects. Things like plates, blankets, books.

The options are endless as long as both parties have the same objects!

Make sure people on each end of the screen have a set!

Then, take turns pretending the item is something else.

For example, you might pretend that the plate is a hat, or a moon, or even an egg… and you are a bird!

Say something silly to go along with each way you use your prop, such as “Don’t you just love my fancy new hat?” or “The moon is full tonight!” or “This egg is getting bigger and bigger every day!”

Check out these ideas for incorporating technology in a hands-on way!

Charades

A classic! All you need to do is act anything out without making noise.

You can prepare cards with things to act out, or players can make their own choices as they go.

Pictionary

My kids love this one! One person begins drawing something of their choice. The first person to guess what it is takes the next turn.

You can limit the drawings to a certain theme if you want, such as “school” or “travel.”

Grab the actual game of it (affiliate link), or just play it on a whim like this.

The Alphabet Game

Choose a topic (animals, food, names, etc.) and everyone takes a turn thinking of something that starts with the letter A that fits in that category.

Let the youngest player go first! And repeat for each letter of the alphabet.

These ideas will help you manage your child’s screen time.

Rainbow Race

On your mark, get set, go!

The first person who returns with three items of a predetermined color is the winner.

Repeat with other colors.

To make it more challenging, you can create rules such as the objects “must be in this room” or “must be smaller than your hand.”

You can also do this with the alphabet. Who can be the first to find three things that all start with B?

That’s already 7 games to play over Facetime! Want 6 more?

Let’s keep this fun going virtually! These games are so easy and simple, you’ll wonder why you never thought to do this over Facetime before.

What’s Missing?

Collect a group of 8-10 objects.

Have the other player study the set of objects and then close their eyes.

Then, while their eyes are closed, remove one of the objects.

Can they figure out which one is missing?

Use more or fewer objects depending on the children’s ages.

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

Think of a series of three or four items. One of the items should not be related to the other three.

For example, you might say “Person, stove, clock, dog.” The odd one out is the stove because it does not have a face!

You can make your themes more or less obvious depending on the age of the children you are playing with.

Category Race

Pick a category: candy bars, cereal, Disney characters, whatever you find interesting!

Set a timer.

Then, each team has a set amount of time to write down as many things as they can think of that fit into that category.

When the timer goes off, see how many you each got!

What did you think of that your opponent did not?

What did you both think of?

Alphabet Beat the Clock

Choose a letter and set a goal for how many of those words you want to think of.

For example, the letter is B and the goal is 15.

Then, set a timer to a length of your choice. One minute? Two?

You can make the time shorter or longer depending on the age of the child you are playing.

Then, work together to brainstorm!

Can you meet your goal before the timer goes off?

Though this works great for a virtual game over Skype, Facetime, or Zoom, we also like to play this on walks when little legs start getting tired.

“How many words that start with M can you think of before we get to the corner?”

Sentence Story Building

Create a story together, one sentence at a time!

One person says the first sentence, then the next person adds on to that.

This activity is great for reinforcing early writing concepts of needing a beginning, middle, and end.

Of course, just being silly and having fun is fine too!

Virtual Hide and Seek

What? Hide and seek? Yes!

Play it like Twenty Questions.

Think of a hiding place, then the other players have to ask you questions to figure out where you are “hiding.”

“Are you in the kitchen?”

“Are you in a drawer?”

“Are you underneath the napkins?”

Since it’s just pretend, any hiding place is fair game!

These Games to Play Over Facetime are Great with Friends!

Kids, mom, dad, grandma and grandpa are sure to love these games to play over Skype or Facetime (or Zoom… or whatever virtual meeting place you can hang out in).

But don’t forget to try these games with their friends, too!

It shows that technology can be more than just staring at video games. It’s a great tool for communication.

When you are all done, be sure to blow a big virtual kiss!

Got any more games to play over Facetime with kids?

Click here to read Learn to Spell Your Name & Make a Rainbow on Hands On As We Grow®

Make a rainbow and learn to spell your name! This colorful literacy and letters activity is perfect for preschoolers!

George has been learning to spell his name. And he’s getting so much better at it!

This is an activity that was fun to make a rainbow in the process, but also a great way to learn to spell your name!

Learn to Spell Your Name & Make a Rainbow

To make your own rainbow colored name, you’ll need:

• strips of colored construction paper
• paperclip(s)
• marker(s)
• stickers – optional for extra decoration
• plastic bag – for storage to use again

To start I made 7 strips of paper in the colors of the rainbow and cut them at various lengths getting longer and longer.

I then wrote the letter of his name on each one, building on the previous one.

So the smallest paper had just a G on it, the next one had GE and so on up to GEORGE.

I put a good sized space between the name stem and the new letter. For example: GE O. That way the new letter was right at the end of the paper strip and lined up with the other stips when he stacked them.

George only has 6 letters in his name, instead of 7, which I’m assuming is the case for most of your kids, they don’t have 7 letters in their name either.

For George, I just added the 7th paper with his name spelled out and then a heart to be fun and cute.

If you have a kid with a longer name, you could add more than one letter per paper. And if you have a kid with less than 7 letters you can add cute graphics like we did.

Or you could just have more or less colors or pieces of paper if you’d like too. It doesn’t have to be a perfect rainbow!

Preschoolers love everything about learning to spell their name!

Build a Rainbow and Spell Your Name

I started George by having him sort through the rainbow pieces of paper and arrange them by size, like our circle rainbow we did last year.

I suggested that he sort shortest to longest as a fun way to start.

George had a little difficulty with sorting. He started out okay and I don’t know if he just got tired of that, but he started being goofy with it.

So we just scrapped that part of the activity and went on to what the activity is really about. Making the rainbow while spelling his name!

He found the shortest piece of paper with the letter that his name started with: G.

And to get him going, I’d ask:

“Do you see a piece of paper that has that letter G and one more letter on it?”

And that made sense to him. He found the paper with GE. And then I’d ask the same again.

When he found the next one, he stacked them together to see all the colors and paper clipped them together at the end.

This is what makes this an excellent fine motor activity. Paper clips are brilliant for little hands!

I don’t think he realized what he was spelling until he saw it all spelled out and he got excited then!

He continued on finding the next set of letter until he paper clipped them all together to spell GEORGE!

A couple days later, he spotted his name and told me it was his name.

And this part is what got me excited.

It wasn’t just the letter G that made him recognize it was his name. He told me all the letters were his name and spelled it out for me.

Finally, his name is more than just a G.

If you’re on a “name activities” kick, Toddler Approved is my favorite place for fun ways to learn their name. Plus No Time for Flash Cards just shared a spelling game to spell your name.

What are your favorite ways to play with your child’s name? Share your best activities!

Click here to read Improve Kids Fine Motor Skills with 30 Materials & Activities on Hands On As We Grow®

Make fine motor activities easier and simpler to do with easy materials and activities to boost fine motor skills!

Fine motor activities have been put on a back burner in this house for a bit, about a year. Now we’re back on a big fine motor skills activity kick!

Which is probably a good thing.

Gross motor skills should come before fine motor skills.

Those big muscles help the little muscles!

But wow! What a difference a year makes!

You’ve got to try these cutting activities to build fine motor skills as well as learn to use scissors!

Last year, Henry wouldn’t sit still. He didn’t have any desire to do anything that didn’t involve a lot of running around.

We were really into activities that promoted his gross motor skills at that time.

But recently, Henry’s taken a turn and likes to focus on some of these littler things. He loves to cut especially.

Improve Kids Fine Motor Skills with 30 Materials & Activities

Now that’s he’s interested in these fine motor activities, what can we do?

I’ve gathered up some inspiration.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

But, first of all, what are fine motor skills?

According to Understood.org:

"We use fine motor skills to make small movements. These movements come so naturally to most people that we usually don’t think about them. Fine motor skills are complex, however. They involve the coordinated efforts of the brain and muscles, and they’re built on the gross motor skills that allow us to make bigger movements."

What are examples of fine motor skills and activities?

Fine motor skills can include small movements such as:

• holding a pencil
• maneuvering a pencil
• scissor skills
• pushing Lego blocks together (and pulling them apart)
• manipulating play dough
• getting dressed with belts, buttons, zippers and snaps
• using silverware while eating
• opening and closing latches
• technology/mouse manipulation

Why are fine motor skills important for a preschooler?

As you can see, many of these skills are needed in a child’s (and adult’s) everyday tasks.

Without having gained strength in fine motor skills, a child can suffer moving forward. They may not have the ability to do these small tasks, but they also may lack the confidence to do more advanced tasks or projects because of this inability.

You can check out the chart of fine motor development on Kidsense.org.

Are you convinced now that fine motor skills are important to focus on just a bit?

Of course, I still recommend not going crazy about it. Don’t expect your kid to be able to make straight lines and hold their pencil correctly when they’re two years old.

Click here to Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

But if you notice they are lacking in their fine motor ability, there are tons of fun ways to help improve it.

The big question becomes…

“How can I improve my child’s fine motor skills?”

Let’s have fun with promoting their fine motor skills anytime! No need to wait until they’re behind, right?

These are some supply suggestions that naturally promote fine motor through activities for preschoolers.

Materials that promote fine motor skills… and click the link (or look below) to find fine motor activities to do with them!

By the way, these would be fantastic to put together in a “fine motor kit” to have on hand.

• Pom Poms in general are small, needing small movements to grasp them, pick them up, and move them. They are fantastic material to work on hand eye coordination.
  
• Buttons are also small items that work great in developing fine motor skills. Picking them up works those small muscles, But the true fine motor skills comes in the act of buttoning something up, that takes some amazing finger strength and hand eye coordination.
  
• Paper Clips are great for finger movements and manipulation. Being able to slide the clip onto a piece of paper takes a lot of concentration for kids in preschool and kindergarten.
  
• Clothespins are a fantastic material for building finger strength. We use them a lot in our learning activities that the kids absolutely love.
  
• Rubber Bands also work on finger strength, but in the opposite way that most materials do. These are a fantastic addition to any fine motor activity!
  
• Tweezers take a lot of hand eye coordination to be able to operate successfully and move an item from one place to another. Try it!
  
• Pipe Cleaners can be used as a great tool for fine motor skills. They can be threaded and poked!
  
• Straws can be used as beads, to thread onto something! But they also work great with play dough too.
  
• Play Dough is fantastic for building those small muscles! Kneading, pushing and rolling the dough really helps! Find out how to make homemade playdough.

• Knobs and Screws (or Nuts and Bolts), any real tool from Dad’s toolbox is a hit for my kids! These also take incredible hand eye coordination and concentration to be able to tighten and loosen.
  
• Stickers are amazing! Have your child try to peel the stickers off the sticker sheet! If it’s tricky, you can remove the non-sticker part of the sheet and it’s still an amazing fine motor activity. And then placing the sticker on a paper also takes hand control.
  
• Hole Punch are hard! Trust me, your child will need to work up to this amount of muscle strength in their hands before they’ll be able to successfully do this. So plan to help out, but give them the chance to try!
  
• Syringes are so much fun for kids and have the added bonus of working those small muscles in their hands with control so they don’t squirt the liquid out too fast.
  
• Eye Droppers are a fun way for kids to work on their pincer grasp. Suck it up and let it out!
  
• Kitchen Tongs can be a great tool for working on hand strength and control. Bring them out during clean up time and I bet your child will be more willing to pick up their toys plus you get the added bonus of working on their fine motor skills.
  
• Toothpicks are small and take a good pincer grasp to be able to hold it.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

Fine Motor Skills Activity Ideas

Now that you have some materials to grab and have on hand to work on fine motor skill, put them to use with some of the activities that promote them!

These activities can be done with a great variety of materials, so don’t just limit yourself to what’s above. Instead, use our suggestions as inspiration!

If you’re struggling for younger kids to work on their fine motor skills, you may want to look into our fine motor activities for toddlers suggestions.

Below are some great fine motor activities for preschoolers to get started with.

• Sewing
• Weaving
• Lacing
• Beading
• Balancing
• Spooning
• Painting
• Tracing
• Pinching
• Threading
• Make things small
• Cutting
• Sorting
• Poking
• Buttoning

Get a quick print of these materials and what to do with them here, or click the image below. Put this printout in a fine motor kit to have on hand with the supplies listed to use and you’ll be set!

Check out our 32 activities that focus in on objects that help strengthen a child’s hand grip.

Like I said, stock up on these fine motor materials and keep them handy. Here are some handy affiliate links to get you started: Plastic Sewing Needles for Kids, Colorful Buttons, Eye Droppers, Fiskars Pointed Scissors, Marbles, Beads.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

However, keep in mind that before really you really focus in on fine motor skills, kids need to get moving and using their gross motor skills first to build up their big muscles which in turn will help support the little muscles used in fine motor activities!

• 30 moving activities for excess energy
• 26 gross motor activities for preschoolers
• 20 physical activities for toddlers
• 32 scavenger hunts for kids

What are your best tips and tricks to make fine motor activities super fun?

Click here to read No-Prep Pom Pom Fine Motor Activity by Stuffing Gloves! on Hands On As We Grow®

Do you have a pile of lonely, matchless gloves hiding in your coat closet? Fill them with new purpose (literally) with this no-prep pom pom fine motor activity!

A No-Prep Pom Pom Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers

This activity was inspired by my toddler’s love of putting things into containers and taking them out again.

Stuffing pom poms into a water bottle?

She loves it.

Slipping popsicle sticks into a box?

She loves it.

I’m always on the hunt for similar activities that hold my toddler’s attention while strengthening her coordination, problem solving, and fine motor skills. 

No prep or low prep activities are always a plus, especially on a busy homeschooling day!

The idea for this one struck as I picked up a pile of wet gloves off the floor, and came together quickly using materials from around our house.

Download FREE Go-To List of Fine Motor Pre-Writing Activities

For this pom pom fine motor activity, you will need:

• Gloves or mittens
• Materials for filling, such as:
  • Pom poms
  • Cotton balls
  • Crumpled paper
  • Poly-fil
  • Dry beans or rice
• Tongs, tweezers, scoops, and funnels (optional)

For our simple activity, we used pom poms, poly-fil from an old stuffed animal, and some ripped newspaper.

You could make this activity into an even better fine motor skill workout by encouraging your child to rip and crumple the newspaper themself! 

Filling Gloves with Pom Poms and More!

For this fine motor activity I encouraged my kids to fill their gloves with materials like pom poms, newspaper, and poly-fil.

When my toddler first spotted the bins of materials, she dove right in for a sensory experience.

She took some time to squish the poly-fil, crinkle up the newspaper, and scoop up the pom poms.

Our oldest daughter joined in to show Clara how to fill the gloves with the different materials.

The pom poms proved to be her favorite material in this fine motor activity.

They were the easiest to work with.

For more fun pom pom activities and crafts, look here!

This activity gave Clara’s fine motor and problem solving skills quite a workout!

She was challenged to hold the glove open with one hand while carefully maneuvering the materials into it with the other. 

In the future, I’d love to try this activity with our sensory rice bin or with tongs, scoops, and funnels to make it more of a challenge!

From Fine Motor Skills to Pretend Play!

After my kids finished filling their gloves with pom poms, they launched from a fine motor activity right into pretend play!

Apparently, the filled gloves look just like 5-legged octopuses! Who knew?

What’s a fine motor skill activity that your toddler loves?

Click here to read 40+ Big Fun Art Projects for Kids on Hands On As We Grow®

Make massive, involved, creative, and fun art projects for kids! We’ve collected 40+ of our favorite big art ideas to make it super simple to get started.

If you’ve been around for a while, you already know I’m a fan of Big Art. It seems to make art projects – even with toddlers and boys – manageable.

For those of you that are new to this term that I’ve made up:

Big Art is fun art projects for kids that invites total involvement in the process. I believe that the early years it’s all about the process, and not the product.

• It’s usually big in size.
• It gets you moving. Building those gross motor skills that are so important in the early years!

Get a FREE Giant Go-To List of Arts & Crafts!

40+ Big Fun Art Projects for Kids

Remember, Big Art projects make movement part of the creative process. So go big, get moving, and make art together!

Check out the Big Art Pinterest board for more art project inspiration ideas!

Big art projects are some of my very favorite activities for kids. They’re super involving and kids tend to get lost in the creation process.

Plus, Big Art is really easy to adapt and create on your own. You can start with one of the 40+ ideas up top or create completely from scratch!

Get a FREE Giant Go-To List of Arts & Crafts!

Top Tips to Make Big Art Fun for Kids

Since these projects are so big in scale and time commitment

• Make art bigger
• Create art with movement
• Use big objects to make the art

Make your art bigger by going outside, unrolling a big roll of paper, or grabbing a giant box. You’re looking to take up space – and lots of it!

Run, jump, roll, throw – just move! Getting into the physical action make bigger sized art projects more fun and engaging.

Adding movement to art creation builds those gross motor skills and major muscle groups. Plus, your kids will burn off tons of energy!

Get creative with your art tools, too. Unexpected objects, like giant bouncy balls or toy trucks, can make really interesting art!

What are your top art tips for kids and toddlers?

Click here to read How to Keep the Baby Busy While Your Cooking Dinner on Hands On As We Grow®

This is a quick list of a few very simple ideas to keep baby busy, and even toddlers, while you’re cooking dinner in the kitchen.

I have found that including kids with you in the kitchen is key!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find it really hard to get dinner on the table.

Coming up with the idea for dinner is always the hardest for me. But keeping the kids (especially a baby) happily occupied (and out from under my feet) while I’m cooking is often a challenge in itself.

Babies especially are difficult to occupy, because they need constant supervision and are just in the needy stage in general. They need mom!

Thankfully, I’ve been partnering with Ella’s Kitchen to bring you edible sensory activities for kids to try at home in ways that will also help introduce them to food that’s good for them!

And these are all quick and perfect for baby activities!

Ella’s believes that, just as adults do, Babies eat with all of their senses, it’s not just the texture or taste that’s important. That’s why we’re finding all these fun sensory ways for the kids to play! It’s also why Ella’s makes sure all their yummy, organic baby food appeals to all their senses, with bright, colorful, squeeze packs to grab and squish.

What do you do with baby while cooking?

Below, I have listed 5 of my favorite ideas for how to keep that baby busy while cooking! But there are so many more!

Try some of our busy activities, put them in a high chair next to you and grab some edible sensory play. For older babies and toddlers take a look at some of our activities from the kitchen!

And like I mentioned before, letting your baby get involved in what you are doing is key. Hand them some tools you are using and a few pantry items they are safe to explore and taste. Frozen veggies are always fun!

Quick activities to keep baby busy while you’re cooking…

… especially while you are trying to make dinner for the family!

1. Let them sample what you’re making, taste test! Pull the high chair up next to where you’re working and give them some Ella’s Kitchen Puffits as pre-dinner snacks. It’s also a great way to feed them their dinner so when its time for you to sit down and eat you really can just eat! If they need to move around and the chair isn’t for them, move it to the floor!
2. Let babies dig through the Tupperware drawer. Stack them up, nest them, match up with their lids! Many babies will just think its fun to toss them around back and forth. You would be surprised how long this can occupy a little one.
3. Pots and pans with spoons are fun to make noises with and pretend to be like Mom. That goes for measuring cups too!
4. Make a sensory rattle with snacks for babies. Older babies can make it themselves. Putting the food in and pouring it out will become a game that keep babies and toddlers busy while you cook.
5. Make a sensory sandbox using items from your pantry. Lay out a towel and large tub and dump some oatmeal or flour in it. Just a little goes a long way.

Do you have any secret, and quick, activities that are easy to keep babies busy while you’re cooking in the kitchen?

Be sure to check out the collaborative Pinterest board with Ella’s Kitchen with many sensory play ideas – Tiny Taste Bud Adventures!

Find out more about the Ella’s Kitchen organic baby food and how its good in every sense:

• Ella’s Kitchen website
• Ella’s Kitchen USA on Facebook
• @EllasKitchenUSA on Twitter
• Ella’s Kitchen USA on Pinterest

Disclosure: I’m excited to be brand ambassador for Ella’s Kitchen organic baby food!

Click here to read Mortar and Pestle Montessori Sensory Activity to Crush & Grind on Hands On As We Grow®

Besides a great cooking utensil, a mortar and pestle turned out to be a fun Montessori activity and experimenting tool!

Do you have a mortar and pestle lying in your kitchen?

Here are 30 Oh-So-Cool Science Experiments for Preschoolers to Try!

This activity is great to spice up kids curiosity, and at the same time stimulate their sense of smell and taste.

Oh, and all the crushing and pounding was an added gross motor bonus!

Here is a list of the materials we used, but feel free to try anything you have at home or even in nature!

Download FREE Week of Nature Activities for Kids here!

Materials Used for Mortar and Pestle Montessori Sensory Activity:

• Mortar and Pestle
• Seeds: Mustard and poppy
• Herbs: Basil, oregano and mint
• Nuts: Almonds and walnuts
• White rice
• Leaves from our garden
• Flower petals
• Small dishes or cupcake liners

We made a quick trip to the garden to collect our petals and some leaves we thought might be interesting to crush.

After gathering all the sensory ingredients for the mortar and pestle it was time to begin our montessori experiment.

Start Crushing, Pounding, and Exploring

Melissa chose to crush the mustard seeds first.

It was amazing how she didn’t need any help on how to pound!

She cracked open the mustard seeds, stopping every now and then to smell them.

And, she liked the smell!

She did taste some, but I don’t think she’ll be repeating that one!

We would clean the mortar and pestle between each new sensory ingredient we tested with our Montessori activity.

We checked if the smell had changed, which ones crushed easier, tasting our edible ones too.

34 Edible Sensory Play Ideas For Kids That Put Everything in Their Mouth

The flower petals were a nice surprise!

They became a red juicy pulp which Melissa decided to call tomato sauce.

But no tasting here, only smelling, of course!

Melissa’s favorites were the mint and the almonds.

We absolutely loved our little montessori sensory experiment with the mortar and pestle!

What did your kids like best in this mortar and pestle montessori idea?

Click here to read A Week of Activities to Learn A Number on Hands On As We Grow®

Learning numbers is tricky! I’ve created a week of activities to help a preschooler learn a number – any number!

Counting is one thing and often comes before recognizing numbers (at least in my kids’ case!). And those darn teens are super hard for kids to keep straight.

Just like we can use activities to learn any letter, you can do the same to learn any number. Just substitute a number that’s giving your child troubles and plug it in to these activities.

Of course, do these activities over and over with other numbers they are familiar with so that it builds their confidence.

Here are some more ways to build confidence in kids.

Some of these activities focus on counting, and that’s just fine. It’s the part where you write the number as well so they can make the connection that the counted number means the same as the written number.

How to plan weekly activities for your kids:

First, let’s give you a little background on how I plan a week of activities for my own kids.

I start with gauging what my child is interested in (using the “My Child This Week” sheet of the free weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly.

Here’s where you can download the free activity planner.

With each of my kids’ interests, I brainstorm seven activities to do that week. I jot them down on the simple ‘Activities To Do This Week’ planner.

As for this week of activities to learn a number, it could be any of our number learning activities.

But for this one in particular, I wanted the ability to be able to focus on just one number at a time.

Here’s this week’s activities to learn any number:

Monday: Bean Bag Number Toss

Write one number on each piece of paper and tape to a step on the stairs. Call out a number and try to toss the bean bag onto the step that has the matching number. Or reverse it and toss the bean bag and then call out the number it lands on!

Supplies needed:

• paper
• marker
• bean bags or balled up socks

Find details: Bean Bag Number Toss

Tuesday: Follow the Number Maze

Make a path of a certain number on a long sheet of paper. Fill in a grid around it with other random numbers. Follow the number from beginning to end.

Supplies needed:

• butcher or art paper
• marker or tape

Find details: Can you Follow the Number from Start to Finish??

Wednesday: Match The Numbers Obstacle Course

String yarn through the legs of a hallway of chairs, low to the ground. Clip matching numbers of playing cards throughout the string. Climb through the string obstacle course to find the matching numbers.

Supplies needed:

• yarn
• clothespins
• playing cards (or numbers written on paper)

Find details: Obstacle Course to Find Matching Numbers

Thursday: Number Scavenger Hunt

Go on a hunt to find pre-hidden numbers around the house. Write the corresponding number (or draw the corresponding number of dots) on a piece of paper to match the found numbers too.

Supplies needed:

• foam numbers (or numbers written on paper)
• paper
• marker

Find details: Letter & Number Scavenger Hunt

Friday: Number Card Slap

Tape one of each number card from a deck of cards to a wall (remove J, Q, K, A). Put tape on the rest of the number cards. Set out to find matches to the numbers on the wall.

Supplies needed:

• deck of cards (or numbers written on paper)
• tape

Find details: Number Card Slap

Saturday: I Spy Counting Sensory Bin

Make a sensory bin with cereal and hide several objects in it. Create a legend to find a certain number of each object

Supplies needed:

• tub
• cereal
• several small objects
• marker
• paper

Find details: I Spy Counting Sensory Bin

Sunday: Learning Obstacle Course

Write letters on sticky notes and place them around the house (under and on top of the dining room table and chairs works great). Name a letter then stomp it! Repeat!

Supplies needed:

• sticky notes
• markers

Find details: Learning Obstacle Course

Click here to read How to Teach Symmetry Without Worksheets on Hands On As We Grow®

Have you ever talked with your preschooler about learning symmetry? Julie shows us how to steer clear of worksheets to keep the learning immersive and hands-on!

I love learning about math with my preschool age son. Symmetry, in particular, is one of those topics that is easy to teach. Once preschoolers start learning symmetry, they will notice it everywhere!

This easy symmetry activity takes about 15-45 minutes (depending on how fast your paint dries!). It’s the perfect introduction to symmetry for preschoolers. If you’re looking for more symmetry ideas, try making paper snowflakes!

Materials:

For this activity, you’ll need just a few materials you probably already have at home:

• Two plain pieces of paper
• Black marker or pen
• A leaf!
• Paint marker (affiliate link) or paintbrush and paint
• Assorted blocks and toys

Ready? Gather up your preschooler and get ready for learning symmetry!

Find more preschool math inspiration with these ideas for learning numbers!

Prepare Your Leaves for Stamping

First, we painted the back side of the leaf with our paint pen. We tried a few different colors, but green looked the best for us. Make sure to paint the back of the leaf instead of the front, as the veins will pop out more and make a better stamped impression.

You could use also toys for this activity and get the job done, but we enjoy using natural objects any chance we can for early learning projects.

Then, I had my son carefully press the leaf onto a plain white sheet of paper. Help your child get all the edges pressed down as well, so you can really see the beautiful symmetry.

While we were waiting for the leaf print to dry, I drew a vertical line on another blank sheet of paper. I wrote the word “symmetry” at the top (another chance to identify letters and sound out words!)

Once your leaf print is dry, you’re ready to teach about symmetry. Trim around the outside of the leaf to make the paper more manageable for little hands, and then carefully cut the leaf print right down the middle so that you have two symmetrical sides.

Tips for Teaching Symmetry

Patterns versus Symmetry

Since we’ve been studying patterns recently, my son wanted to make patterns instead of symmetry at first. I explained the idea of symmetry using his own hands.

Have your child place their hands palm to palm. Notice how the thumb touches the thumb, and the other fingers touch their match as well?

Now open up their hands so that only the pinky fingers are touching, palms facing up. Now, both thumbs are on the outside, both pinky fingers are on the inside. Symmetry is like a mirror image.

Modeling

Start out with modeling how to create symmetry. Show your child how to match the left and right sides like a mirror on either side of the vertical line. You could even grab a small mirror and place it along the center of the leaf (or object) to show him the symmetry.

Next, only create one side of the symmetrical image. Have your child place the toy or leaf print part in the correct space to create symmetry. Then, let your child try it by himself!

Go on a Symmetry Hunt!

If you want a bit more challenge, you could have your preschooler gather other items around the house or yard and create a symmetrical image with them on the paper.

Once your child understands the concept of symmetry, go on a “symmetry hunt!” Where can you find symmetry in your house or neighborhood?

If you love this symmetry activity for preschoolers, I know you’ll enjoy this number puzzle scavenger hunt!

How have you explored symmetry with your child?