I love doing stuff with the kids. Play activities, teaching them stuff, going outdoors, discovering the latest play dough recipe - the lot, in fact I imagine you might be similar too given that you're reading this post, so I thought I'd share with you where I find great kids activities....
1 - Check out other Kid Bloggers
There are loads of great kid blogs out there, one way to find ones you like is to check out the Pinterest board 'I'm a kid friendly blogger'.
Another way is to check out some of the blog link ups where bloggers share their posts that week, you can scan through loads of pictures of different activities, click on the ones you like and bookmark some new blogs. Try Rainy Day Mum on a Tuesday Kids Activities Blog on a Wednesday and Taming the Goblin on a Thursday.
2 - Find some great kid activities books
Great books are such a brilliant resource, plus you can come back to them time and time again. I love the Usborne books, the science one below has heaps of ideas and really clear descriptions as to how to complete each activity. Two that I haven't bought yet, but am planning to are Red Ted Arts kids craft book and the Made by Dad book from What I Made which I'm planning to buy for Hubby for Father's Day (shhhhh), both are from brilliant bloggers so I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into their crafts.
3 - Use Pinterest
Who doesn't love Pinterest! But, it can be a serious time sucker. If I'm looking for new activities the search isn't always great, what seems to work best is to find great boards. So, find people that you love what they pin and follow them and hopefully brilliant ideas will constantly be popping into your Pinterest stream. If you're interested you can find Making Boys Men on Pinterest here.
4 - Remember what you loved as a kid
If you enjoyed something as a kid then there's a good chance your kids might enjoy it too, or at least a variation of it! One of my fondest memories is making 'perfume' with my sisters from the mint and lavender in the garden, so last summer I helped the boys make some perfume of their own and this year I'm hoping to make a bit of a scented garden with them ready for more perfume, or more likely for them bug stew making!
5 - Sign up for an eCourse
Still searching for more ideas? To help me come up with play ideas that are more family orientated I've signed up for the Connecting Families Through Creative Play ecourse. Led by Gina from Connecting Family and Seoul and Kat from Creative Playhouse, both are Mothers and Educators and are going to share their experience and ideas. It runs for 30 days and includes an opportunity to discuss experiences with other participants as well as get advice from Kat and Gina themselves. Plus you get to 'pay what you wish' - bargain! You can find out more about it here.
Number 4 brings back happy memories of making mud pies. That may explain why one of my children is so enthusiastic about mud!
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