Toddler Activities

Tips for Hiking With Young Children

May 2, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Does the thought of hiking with young children send shivers down your spine? Where can you go? Will I end up having to carry my kids half-way through? How can I keep them safe? All. The. Worries.

I’m here to tell you to stop worrying. You’ve got this.

Hiking can be such a fun family activity. It gets everyone moving. You can explore a new place. And, it’s a fun way to learn and explore in nature.

Yes, you can go hiking with young children. It's a fun and rewarding family activity. Find all the best tips for a successful hike with your toddlers and preschoolers here so you can plan a successful family hike.

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How to have a fun hike with your kids

I took my kids hiking by myself all the time when they were younger. But, here’s the thing, our hikes looked a lot different than they would if it was just me and my husband.

But, no matter how they looked, they were fun and they were valuable. My kids loved a family hike.

The key: keep it simple and keep it on your kid’s level.

You don’t need to hike up a mountain or go deep in the woods to experience all the fun of a hike. For our hikes we often stayed local and would choose a paved path in a wooded area.

We also kept it short, stopping and turning around when the girls requested it. After all, there was no way I could carry both of my kids back to the car if we went too far.

A long hike for a young child may not necessarily seem long to you and that’s okay.

Let your kids lead the way

Another thing that worked well for me when hiking with young children was to let my girls lead the way. I would stop when they stopped. I would look at what they looked at.

We would examine anything and everything that they wanted to look at. I saw so many nature treasures that I would have missed if I didn’t have the kids along.

We’d look at a cool rock or feel the texture of the bark on a tree. My daughter had an eagle eye when it came to spotting wildflowers.

We picked up sticks and laid them all out to examine and figure out which were the best ones. Apparently there is special 4-year-old criteria when it comes to finding the best stick.

If you look high and look low, you’re sure to find something interesting, like this bird’s nest already abandoned for the winter.We also found bright yellow leaves, a big curvy tree, a small batch of berries (which we learned not to touch since we don’t know what they are), a secret path leading to a dock on a small lake and lots of nature treasures.

We found all of these on small, simple hikes.

Tips for Hiking With Young Children

Keep it short.
Bring along water and small healthy snacks for energy. (And be prepared to carry your waste until you find a trashcan.)
Keep it slow. Let your kids explore and examine as much as they want.
Go someplace familiar. You will feel more comfortable if you know the area well.
Turn back if the kids start getting tired. You don’t want to push them and end up having to carry an exhausted child!
Use your eyes, ears, and nose to learn a little about the natural world around you. Experience the hike, don’t just walk it.
And the most important… Keep it simple! You will all enjoy yourself more.

Let’s Go on a Family Hike!

Are you ready? Let’s do this.

Pick a location, get the kids ready, and just go. I guarantee you’ll have fun and want to go hiking over and over again.

Hiking is such a great family activity that you can do with kids of all ages. Keep it simple while hiking with young children and then as your kids grow older, you can go on longer and longer hikes.

Get out, explore, and have fun.

Kids to Parks Day

I wrote this post to help celebrate Kids to Parks Day from the National Park Trust which is coming up on Saturday, May 19, 2018. It’s a fun day to get out and have fun with the family. You can attend an official event or do something on your own, like a fun family hike! You can check here to find a local event.

No matter what you do, take the opportunity to celebrate the outdoors and to celebrate your family. Have fun! Share your adventures with the #KidstoParks hashtag on social media.

Water Play Ideas for Toddlers

April 18, 2018 By Terri Thompson

When the weather is warm, there isn’t anything more fun than water.

Kids can splash, swim, and have loads of fun while they’re playing. You can keep it simple with a small bin of water (or even the bathtub). Or, you can have fun with one of these water play ideas for toddlers.

Splash and have fun with one of these water play ideas for toddlers. You can play indoors and outdoors with these fun sensory play ideas.

I selected these activities for toddlers because they were fun, simple, and appropriate for your 2 and 3 year olds. But, it’s very important to supervise your child carefully while playing with water. In addition, some of these activities use small items. You know your child best, so only choose an activity that is appropriate for them.

What is water play?

What exactly is water play? Basically, it’s a fun and open-ended sensory activity that uses water.

You can incorporate all sorts of learning activity into water play such as fine motor, scooping and pouring, color mixing, counting, etc.

It’s fun, sometimes messy, and can be done inside and out!

Are you ready to have some fun?

Water Sensory Bins for Toddlers

Get out the rubber duckies for this fun Pond Sensory Bin from In Our Pond.

Add lemons to the water for a fun Lemon Sensory Bin from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Play with letters in water with this fun Alphabet Sensory Bin from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds. These awesome letters and numbers from Little Tikes are perfect for using with water!

Combine flower petals with water for this Flower Petal Sensory Play idea from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Add some sharks to water for this fun Shark Sensory Bin from Mommy’s Bundle.

Have fun scooping with this fun and simple Scooping Blocks Sensory Bin from My Bored Toddler.

Play with sand and water with this fun Ocean Sensory Bin from Fun Learning for Kids.

Practice sorting colors with this fun Color Sorting Water Bin from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds.

Large plastic bins are perfect to use for indoor water play. Try a plastic underbed storage bin. It’s shallow, for easy access and has a lid so an adult can move it with minimal mess. Put a large beach towel underneath to soak up any spills.

Outdoor Water Fun for Toddlers

Have fun painting with water with this low-mess and super-fun outdoor activity from Mama Smiles.

Get out the hose and spray at targets with this fun idea from Busy Toddler.

Water the alphabet flowers with this fun driveway activity from Fun Learning for Kids.

Get out the water sprinklers and have some fun using these tips from Rhythms of Play.

Throw some fun Sponge Water Bombs with this fun idea from Messy Little Monster.

Paint your driveway with water with this fun idea from Hands On As We Grow.

An outdoor water table is a great investment for water play. You can choose a simple water table or a fun, themed water table like this pirate ship.

More Water Play Ideas for Toddlers

Keep it simple with some pouring and scooping with our water play for toddlers idea.

Exercise your fine motor skills with this fun Pom Pom Squeeze Water Play idea from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Add some ice to water for this fun scooping and transferring activity from Busy Toddler.

Try some simple science when you see what will sink and what will float with this fun idea from Rainy Day Mum.

Practice pouring with this fun Pouring Station idea from Busy Toddler.

Go Fishing for Numbers in the water table with this idea from Buggy and Buddy.

This toy washing station from Busy Toddler is always a popular and fun idea!

Experiment with a simple Water Wall with this fun idea from There’s Just One Mommy.

Scoop and pour these fun edible water beads from The Art Kit.

Save your bottle caps for this fun Bottle Cap Soup idea from School Time Snippets.

Float some Sponge Sailboats in water with this fun idea from Easy Peasy and Fun.

Grab some squirt bottle so you can Squirt the Numbers with this fun idea from Days with Grey.

Which of these water play ideas for toddlers do you want to try with your kids?

My recommended resource for toddlers

Do you enjoy doing activities with your toddler? Grab your copy of PLAY from Hands On As We Grow for fun and simple activity that you can do.

It’s so great to have activities ready to go, isn’t it?

Check out this fun set of activity plans here.

Do more activities with your kids!

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Let’s Go On a Listening Walk

March 22, 2018 By Terri Thompson

If you want to add a peaceful element to your next walk with your kids, go on a listening walk.

Take the time to enjoy the peace and quiet or even the hustle and bustle of your neighborhood with this fun walk idea for families.

Listen carefully… what do you hear?

You can take an informal walk where the goal is to see just how many things you can hear.

Do you hear a cricket chirping? A car horn? Tweeting birds?

Emphasize quiet where the only time someone talks is when they want to share what they hear.

This is such a nice way to wind down together as a family at the end of a busy day. Or, it’s a fun morning activity to get the day started.

Use your ears to go on a fun listening scavenger hunt while you walk around your neighborhood with this fun walk idea for families, a listening walk.

You can also bring along a list of items to create a listening scavenger hunt.We keep a stack of lists on a small clipboard that’s easy to grab and take along outside. You can print out our list here or you can make your own lists.

Here are some ideas you can add to you listening walk list:

A dog barking
Cars driving by
An airplane flying overhead
Geese honking
People talking
Children giggling
The wind whispering
Buzzing bees
Crows cawing
A car door slamming

Use your ears to go on a fun listening scavenger hunt while you walk around your neighborhood with this fun walk idea for families.

When making your list, think about the sounds you often hear in your neighborhood. If you live in the country, add a lot of nature sounds. A city walk could include vehicle noises, people, or construction noises.

Print your list here. Prints in landscape format.

Listen and learn about your neighborhood! What sorts of noises would you hear on a walk around your town?

You may also enjoy one of these outdoor family fun ideas:

Go Outside! Cards

Go Outside: Counting Walk

10 Ways to Make a Walk More Fun

My Five Senses Walk at Great Family Reads

Originally published 8/5/2013, updated March, 2018.

Painted Easter Egg Suncatcher

March 5, 2018 By Terri Thompson

This simple Painted Easter Egg Suncatcher craft is fun to do, easy to prep, and can be adapted for all ages of kids.

Get ready to decorate all your windows because your kids won’t want to stop once they get started painting these suncatchers.

Decorate your windows with this pretty Easter Egg suncatcher craft for kids. The fun sensory craft is easy to make and each one turns out unique.

Supplies Needed

Clear contact paper
Construction paper
Paint (craft paint or acrylic paint work best)
Cotton swabs

How to make this Painted Easter Egg Suncatcher

To prep the project, I cut out two Easter egg outlines from the construction paper. I made ours big, using the entire sheet of construction paper. Your older kids can draw and cut out the Easter eggs on their own. You’ll want to do this step for younger ones.

I also cut two squares of the Contact Paper for each Easter egg. Cut them slightly bigger than your Easter egg outlines.

Next, I peeled the backing off of one square of Contact Paper and placed it sticky-side up on our table. I carefully placed the Easter egg outline on the Contact Paper and then it was time to paint. My preschooler used a cotton swab to paint designs inside the outline.

I know you’re wondering what it’s like to paint on the sticky paper.

Will your cotton swabs get stuck? Once you have paint on the end of your cotton swab, it won’t stick to the paper while you are painting. This is the perfect project for dot painting. But, if you’re like my daughter and hate to dot paint, the cotton swab will slide nicely over the sticky paper. It’s not as quick and smooth as regular paper, but you can paint whatever you want on the Easter egg.

Once she moved on to our second egg, my daughter was finished with the cotton swabs. Almost every painting project we do lately, turns into a finger painting project. This project was no exception. She started out with a bit of finger painting and soon dived in with full hand smearing. And you know what? This is the perfect project for finger painting!

Once my preschooler was finished painting, I added a second sheet of Contact Paper over the top to completely seal in the paint. Finish the project off by trimming around the edges. You will need to leave about 1/4 inch of Contact Paper around the edge to keep your project sealed.

I love this painted Easter Egg Suncatcher project for it’s ease and it’s open-ended aspect. Your kids can paint whatever they like on their eggs. Plus, it can be easily adapted for all ages.

Hang them in the window and let the sun shine in. They’re so pretty!

Silly Heart Puppet Valentine Craft

January 31, 2018 By Terri Thompson

We’ve been making a lot of Valentines for our family and friends lately.

It’s been so much fun sharing the love, but I thought the girls would enjoy making a fun craft for themselves.

We got out all the fun supplies: puff balls, googly eyes, paint, and glitter and turned them into a Silly Heart Puppet.

This is a fun open-ended project that is perfect for both toddlers and preschoolers. We had some much fun making this Valentine’s kids craft and I know you will too.

Use recycled materials to make this Silly Heart Puppet Valentines craft for kids. It's fun for toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids too.

Supplies Needed

Cardboard (I used an old cereal box)
Large craft sticks
Glue
Paint
Googly eyes
Puff balls, glitter and any other embellishment you want to add

How to make a Silly Heart Puppet

We started by gluing our craft sticks onto the backs of our cardboard hearts.

Next we got out our paint to decorate our hearts.

After the painting was done, it was time for the glitter. I had the girls sprinkle the glitter on the wet paint, which will hold it on as well as glue does.

Don’t be afraid of the glitter! Fold a piece of paper in half, then open it up again. Shake the excess glitter off onto the paper and use the fold to help you get the glitter back in the container.

Hint: Wrap some packing tape around your hand, sticky side up, and it will pick up all the excess that is scattered around the table and the floor.

Once the paint dried a little, it was time for the embellishments.

We glued colorful puffballs and googly eyes on our hearts.

Use your imagination! Scraps of fabric, ribbon, sequins, and beads are just a few of the things you could add to your puppets.

Keep it open-ended and keep it fun. I always love to see the things my girls create.

Each Silly Heart Puppet is a little bit kooky, a whole lot of silly, and very unique.

We had a great time making them!

Now it’s time to have a lot of fun playing with them!

You may also love one of these fun Valentine’s ideas

Stained Glass Window Valentines

Heart Stamped Valentines

Collage Heart Valentines

Love Banners

Toddler Valentines Heart Bouquet at Arty Crafty Kids

Find your supplies here:

After you’ve raided your recycling bin for cardboard, here are some of our favorite craft supplies to make these fun Valentine’s Day puppets:

Toddler Activities

Tips for Hiking With Young Children