Cold weather got you and the kids trapped inside? Here are some fun and innovative ideas for activities with the kids that can be done with little or no preparation. Have fun!!
Music and Movement
1. Play dress up and dance to fun music.
2. Play favorite music and look through old photos of the kids and family.
3. Play start and stop to music. Move when it is playing and stop when it stops. You can pass the movement and do mirroring and/or follow the leader.
4. Find sound makers around the house and play with them. Play a steady beat and simple rhythms to repeat.
5. Put on an exercise tape and do it with your child, or at least let it inspire your own movement activity!
Fun With Water
1. Take a bath with measuring spoons, cups and bowls or other toys or non-toys.
2. Fill a dishtub or shallow pan with water and give them measuring spoons, cups and bowls, turkey basters or other toys or non- toys...keep towels nearby (a great way to get the kitchen floor clean!)
3. Give a spray bottle full of water (you can add a little vinegar for shine) and a sponge, rag or towel to clean floors, walls, etc.
4. Paint with water on paper, a chalkboard, a cookie tray, the wall, the floor, etc.
Fun With Food
1. Spread peanut butter or cream cheese on a tortilla and let the kids 'decorate' with raisins, cereal, jelly....
2. Bake a cake or cookies, trail mix, or granola....kids love to empty measuring cups and spoons and mix batter and will take at least 10 minutes to lick the bowl while you are cleaning up!!
3. Sort, pattern, and/or count and graph with multi-colored foods (M&M's, Fruit Loops, or a mixture of several like Cheerios, raisins, and Goldfish).
4. Make a mixture of cornstarch and water. Get it thick enough to roll a ball between your fingers. Paint in it with a brush and tempera paints or just play in it with your hands!
Arts and Crafts
1. Make a drum or other instrument (with pots, bowls, toilet paper tubes, saran wrap, rubber bands, spatula, cans....). Decorate it!
2. Take old drawings, paintings, photos, magazine clippings and art supplies to make a book or collage (toy and flower catalogs, and kid friendly magazines are great for these!)
3. Make a doll or puppet using socks, toilet paper tubes, yarn, feathers, fabric....
4. Make a hat out of paper plates and construction paper. Decorate it!
5. Cover a styrofoam plate with aluminum foil and show your child how to etch in it with a popsicle stick.
6. Make a decorative string, like a string of flags, pictures of friends, your child's name, abc's etc.
7. Tape a large piece of butcher paper or a poster board to the wall or floor where the kids can draw or paint when they feel like it with crayons or markers.
New Village classes for babies Newborn to 18 months begin on March 17th. Class times are Mondays at 10:00 and Wednesdays at 9:00. Monday class at 5:00 starts March 24th. Cost for 8 weeks is $115 which includes materials and tuition.
Posts
