Creative Family Fun

Your one-stop shop for kids activities and family fun

Terri Thompson

Kid’s Co-op

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It’s Friday and you know what that means? It’s time for the Kids Co-op! Link-up your favorite kid-related post and make sure and check out all the fun that has been linked up from other bloggers!

There were so many fabulous ideas linked up last week; fun book activities, outdoor games, Mother’s Day ideas, and many more. Here are a few of my favorites from the 200 that were linked up last week.

Toddler Approved shared this fabulous cleaning game: Four in a Row.
Now it’s your turn to share! Please join up and share your favorite post. (And, we’d love you forever if you’d link back to us!) Your link will show up on all of the hosts blogs. It’s time to link up, visit some new blogs, and have a lot of fun!

 

Creative Family Fun Nights: Paper Airplane Races

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I’m not sure I’ve ever met a person who didn’t smile at the idea of a paper airplane.

They’re inexpensive, fun, and perfect for an awesome family fun night.

All you need is a pile of paper, some instructions, and a little healthy competition.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

If you don’t already know how to fold a paper airplane, you can find plenty of instructions on-line.

I found all my instructions on these two sites: Fun Paper Airplanes, and Origami-Instructions Online.

We stuck with the simple designs, but there are all sorts of fun and more complicated designs on these websites. If you’re up for the challenge, go for it!

We did an assortment of designs. Not only were we going to race them, but we also wanted to see which design flew better.

We tried flying the airplanes inside. We raced them through the living room and down the stairs.

We also took them outside to try and race them around the backyard. At that point, it didn’t really matter who won, we were having too much fun!

We found that some of our airplanes were complete flops and others flew really well. Part of the fun was testing the different designs.

The next time you’re looking for some fun for the entire family, grab a pile of paper and start folding! Everyone young and old will have fun!

More Ways to Have Fun With Paper Airplanes:

Design your own.

Divide into teams and see which team can come up with the fastest paper airplane.

Or see which team can make the airplane that flies the furthest.

Hand out silly awards like “Best Crash Landing” or “Shortest Flight”

Other Fun Links:

At Home with Ali: Fun With Paper Airplanes

Mama Smiles: Aviation

Creekside Learning: The Glorious Flight

Straw-Printed Dandelion Art Project

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After our dandelion exploration, we decided to get a little crafty and paint our own dandelions.

We were trying to get the wispy look of the puffball and a paint brush was just not going to work.

So, we decided to try straw printing.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed:

Drinking straws
Scissors
White & green paint
Paintbrush
Blue construction paper

To prep our straws, I took the scissors and started cutting strips on one end.

Then we smashed the end on the paper to make the strips fan out.

To use, dip that end in paint and start stamping. AJ (age 3) decided to smear instead.

We had paintbrushes out to help us paint the stems and leaves.

It was kind of fun to use the paint brush and straw at the same time!

This project was simple to do.

It can be open-ended (as you can see by AJ’s picture below) or you can work with a specific goal in mind (like Lizzie’s dandelions).

Like all of our projects, it was successful because we had fun! Get out your drinking straws and start painting!

Are you looking for more preschool art projects? Check out the Three to Five: Playful Preschool ebook. You can find all the details here.

https://www.creativefamilyfun.net/2014/05/three-to-five-playful-preschool.html

Go Outside: Jump!

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Go outside and jump! Kids will love playing these simple jumping games.

Do you have active kids who need to burn off some energy?

Tell them to jump! It’s easy, fun, and requires nothing more than your own two feet.

Here are some fun ways to add a little variety to this classic gross motor exercise.

Go outside and play some jumping games!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

1. Long Jump: The long jump has been a part of track and field events for decades. We thought it would be fun to recreate this event in our backyard. I spread out a piece of twine for our starting point and then told the girls to jump as far as they could. Each time, we took out our tape measure to see just how far we could jump. (50 inches! Wow!) We tried jumping from a stationary position and then tried running and jumping. Which one helped us jump the longest?

2. Who can jump the most? This one should really be titled “a sneaky way to tire your kids out when they have way too much energy.” All you have to do is say “Who can jump the most before getting tired? Ready, set, go… start jumping!” Have your kids jump and jump some more. Who will be the last one jumping? This is a great way to tire the kids out when they have excess energy. Keep it in your arsenal because you can use it on road trips, rainy days, or any other time your kids are bouncing off the walls.

3. Jumping over obstacles. I set up a mini-obstacle course for the girls to jump over. We had a pile of scrap wood, so I took a few and laid them out at intervals. I challenged the girls to go down the course jumping over each one. If you don’t have scrap wood, don’t let it limit you. You can use toys, cardboard scraps, rope, sticks, anything you happen to have on hand. Challenge their gross motor skills and have some fun while you’re at it!

4. Pose jumping. This was probably my favorite of our jumping activities. I would shout out a challenge, such as “jump like a bird” or “jump like a ballerina,” and the girls would start jumping. It’s fun to see just how silly everyone can be. I can guarantee lots of giggles with this game! So, start jumping. Jump like a deer or jump like a monster. But, most of all, have fun!

Do you know any fun games that involve jumping?

Make this a family adventure:

Cost: Free
Planning time: None. This can be a fun last minute family activity. If you’re planning on doing the jumping obstacle course, you will need just a few minutes to set it up.
Ages: All. No one is too young or too old to jump!
Time Needed: Varies. You can take as little or as much time as you need.
Notes: This activity can be done anywhere. It’s perfect for an outdoor activity after dinner or a quick energy break on a road trip. Have fun and jump!

 

Get outside and play some more with one of these active games:

Go Outside: Shape Hopscotch

Silly Races

Move Like a Gymnast

Weekends: Reflections on Motherhood

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Five years ago, I became a mother.

It’s the most important role I’ve ever had to play.

It’s a humbling experience knowing that I have these two girls to love, nurture, and guide.

I get to teach them and play with them. I laugh with them. I pray every day that they will continue to delight in the world around them.

We play games, go on walks, draw pictures, and cook together.

I do all this knowing that one day this will change. They will grow up and find their way in the world. They’ll make mistakes, have their heart broken, and struggle at times.

But, they’ll also laugh, love, follow their dreams, and have adventures. Oh, I do hope they have adventures!

All I can do is love them and guide them. Yes – that is enough.

I’ll encourage the laughter, the hugs, and the late night giggle sessions between sisters.

I’ll pray that they remain good friends throughout their life. I’ll pray that they never lose their endless curiosity and eagerness to learn.

I hope they remain compassionate to both people and animals. I pray they will always be the lovely young ladies that they currently are.

As a mother, I sometimes doubt myself. Don’t we all?

But I know deep down that as long as my girls have plenty of love and gentle hands to guide them, they will thrive. And that is what being a mother – no, being a parent – is all about.

What does motherhood mean to you?

Happy Mother’s Day!