25+ Winter Sensory Ideas for Kids

Hot Chocolate Cloud Dough – Sugar Spice & Glitter

Cloud dough is easy to make, and a unique sensory experience. Create this hot chocolate themed cloud dough!

Sparkly Winter 2 Ingredient Play Dough – Growing Hand On Kids

Have you ever made play dough? This play dough looks and feels just like winter!

Hot Chocolate Sensory Bin – Play Learn Everyday

While you’re snuggled by the fire, try this hot chocolate sensory bin.

Blizzard in a Bottle – No Time for Flash Cards

Have a snowstorm around your house? Make a blizzard in a bottle!

Elf On The Shelf Sensory Series – Integrated Learning Strategies Corner

If you use Elf on the Shelf, get him involved in this sensory idea.

How Do Animals Stay Warm in Winter? – Science Sparks

Find out how animals stay warm in winter with this science activity combined with a sensory experience!

Paint the Snow – Growing a Jeweled Rose

Bring snow indoors for this sensory idea. It’s great to experience the look and feel of snow, without the cold, making this especially ideal for little ones.

Melting Snow Science Experiment – Mom Inspired Life

How does snow melt? How long does it take to melt? Grow an innovative mind with this basic science experiment.

Salt Water Experiment – The Science Kids

Experiment with the density of salt water in this science experiment. Test it with different items for more fun!

Hot Chocolate Play Dough – Mid West Modern Mama

Make hot chocolate themed play dough with this simple recipe!

Arctic Frozen Foam Dough – Natural Beach Living

This frozen foam dough is inspired by the arctic and Antartica. Learn the habitat of arctic examples while gaining a sensory experience.

Snow Storm In a Bottle – Blue Skies Ahead

Create a snow storm in a bottle! This sensory bottle has a confined mess and is fun to shake back and forth!

Squishy Snowman Sensory Bag – Mama Papa Bubba

Create a snowman, in a bag! They’re simple to make even with little ones. They’re fun to hang on a windowsill to see the light glisten through the bags.

Snowflake Sensory Bin for Learning and Fun – Life Over C’s

This snowflake themed sensory bin is a mixture of white and blue, and contains all things winter!

Animals Hibernating in Winter – The Natural Homeschool

Which animals hibernate in winter? Why? Find out in this science/sensory activity, great for teaching science hands-on.

Marshmallow Snowflakes – Play Ground Park Bench

This activity combines sensory skills and fine motor skills. Plus, it’s low cost and low mess.

Arctic Sensory Tub – Rainy Day Mum

Study the different animals of the arctic in this sensory tub, that can pair with arctic themed picture books.

Winter Snowflake Sensory Bottle – The Jenny Evolution

This sensory bottle is festive and has a winter feel, without being messy or too cold!

Winter Snowman Sensory Box – Where Imagination Grows

This sensory box has the look and feel of real snow. Create your own mini snowmen in this box, with a limited mess!

Simple Snowman Sensory Bin – Living Montessori Now

Great for toddlers, this sensory bin is soft and fluffy, gentle for little hands.

Penguin World Winter Sensory Bin – Adventure In a Box

Penguins are probably my favorite winter animal. Discover more about their lives in the arctic through this sensory bin.

Touchy-Feely Sensory Tube Ideas – Kids Activities Blog

Experience different textures with this sensory bin.

Make Your Own DIY Play Snow – Savvy Sassy Mom

If you don’t have snow where you live, try creating your own play snow!

Hot Chocolate Paint – Colors are Magic

Get creative with this hot chocolate colored paint that smells like cocoa!

Peppermint Water Science Candy Sensory Play – Little Bin For Little Hands

Combine science, sensory, and the sweet smell of peppermint in this sensory activity!

The post 25+ Winter Sensory Ideas for Kids first appeared on True Aim.

7 Fun Activities to Keep Your Toddler Busy

1. Snack Foods

Sit your toddler down in their high chair with plenty of snack food to eat, such as bananas, cheerios, and raisins which are enjoyed by toddlers everywhere. Snacking on the finger food will entertain your toddler for several minutes, long enough to possibly complete a math lesson with your older child.

2. Edible Finger Paint

Every toddler eats anything you put in front of them so I’m always hesitant to allow my toddlers to play with regular finger paint. However you can use edible finger paint for your little one to paint their high chair tray or the table. Simply add a touch of food coloring to vanilla pudding, rice cereal, or yogurt. Your toddler will have a blast smearing and painting their high chair tray. You’ll have the time you need to teach.

3. Special Toys

Keep a bin of special toys near your homeschool area. Pull these special toys out only when you’re homeschooling your older children. These toys can be electronic, puzzles, large beads, or board books. Your little one will adore having special school activities just like the older children, and you’ll have the quiet you need to focus on homeschooling.

4. Crayons

Find the large crayons for your toddler to color with while you’re working with your older children on handwriting. You may wish to tape the paper to the table so it doesn’t slide all over the place and frustrate your little one. The coloring will develop the fine motor skills your child will need to write in the future. Your toddler will also be delighted to join the big kids in their work.

5. Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are buckets of filler and objects for children to play with. These bins may be filled with birdseed, rice, water, pom-poms, or craft sand. Add some toys, measuring cups, and spoons then let your child explore and play. Just keep an eye on what your child is putting in their mouth or use an edible filler which your child can eat or drink. You can even create theme based sensory bins on topics such as penguins. These bins are so exciting even your older kids will want to join in the fun.

6. Pots, Pans, Spoons

If you don’t mind a bit of noise, let your toddler play with the pots, pans, and spoons. They’ll adore banging the pots like drums or stirring up a dinner for the family. The pots and pans will survive your toddler’s pretend play, and you’ll have a few minutes to focus on other children.

7. Collection of Large Boxes

Everyone knows how much toddlers adore boxes, so pick up boxes in a variety of sizes. Big refrigerator boxes can turn into play houses while smaller boxes can be filled with toys. Keep a variety of boxes in the house for your child to open, close, climb inside, and play with while you homeschool your big kids.

The trick to homeschooling with toddlers is to keep them busy in a location near you. Choose one of these activities, set your child up, and have some time to focus on the older children while your toddler plays happily.

How do you keep your toddler busy?

The post 7 Fun Activities to Keep Your Toddler Busy first appeared on True Aim.

Fun Pretend Play Ideas for Kids

Playing shop is definitely one of our favorite pretend activities. Set up a Cardboard Cafe, Ice Cream Shop, Coffee Shop or Lollipop Shop with all these lovely ideas!

If your kids like restaurants, try this Dramatic Play Restaurant.

Prepare a little one for a trip to the Airport, Doctors Office  or one to the Eye Doctor. This will ease the anxiety of experiencing something unknown, or play it afterwards to keep the memories alive.

A Perfume Factory outside will be enjoyed this Summer, I am sure!

A Pancake Making activity could be a good idea before attempting to bake real pancakes.

How fun does this Taco Stand with felt tacos and all look?

Outings to the Library, Car Wash, Ice Skating Rink, Farmers Market, Flower shop, Grocery Shop or Garden Center is always fun to play out, pretending to be the adults with dolls as children (or the youngest siblings)!

Everyday tasks like Laundry Day or Gift Wrapping becomes fun through play, and prepare children for the life of an adult.

On the note of careers, a Photography Studio is such a fun idea to play photographer for the day and mom can get a chance to be in a photo too!

During the upcoming holidays/breaks, these pretend activities could be set up easily to prevent boredom too!

Which one will your kids want to try out first?

You might want to see these ideas too:

100+ Things to Keep Kids Busy this Summer

The post 20+ Fun Pretend Play Ideas first appeared on True Aim.

My kids love pom-poms and I had leftover coffee cans so I just put the two together. My  two-year-old is learning his colors so I started to make this up for him. I took the Lid of the coffee can and poked some holes in the top. I made them a little bit smaller than the pom-poms.  Then, I outlined the holes with colored markers to match the colors of the pom-poms. Now my toddler can match the colors and poke the pom-poms through the holes.

Since the holes are a little smaller and it takes him a little bit to getting to the pom-poms in.  After he was done putting the pom-poms in, he saw that when I took off the lid they reappeared again. He was so excited! And so was I because  that gave me the idea that I could use this activity for my kindergartner who is learning addition. I could turn this into a math sheet machine!

So, I made some flashcards for her with simple addition problems on them. She put the different colored pom-poms into the can according to what the problem was on the card. When she opened the can she would have the answer to her addition problem! This gave her a way to check her answers so she would have fun putting the problems to memory even if she knew or didn’t know what the answer was.

I love this because there are just so many different applications and it helps strengthen fingers for writing and drawing. The best part is when you get to open the can and dump all the Pom-poms out. It’s like a learning party!

So recycling and math meet in a multi age level activity. So much fun! What do you think? Would your child like this activity?

Make sure you check out our Christian Preschool Curriculum!

The post Preschool Activities: Colors and Math with Pom Poms! first appeared on True Aim.

This post contains affiliate and consultant links to my Usborne Book store.

Penguin Book for Toddlers

This book is perfect for children ages 9 months and up! It especially engages toddlers because it is filled with sensory experiences. Each page features a penguin with a different texture. Which Penguin is the right one?

That’s Not My Penguin

Penguin Learning Activities for Toddlers

These activities are meant to encourage learning, but if your child isn’t enjoying it, it might not be the right level for them. Try adjusting it to fit their interests and abilities.

Penguin Finger Print

Just like every finger print is different, so is every Penguin. Teach your toddler about their finger print or talk about how penguins can identify each other by the noise they make and every penguin has a different call.

Penguin Hand Print

It’s easy and fun to do hand print art and talk about the different parts of a penguin as you make it with your child.

Penguin Sensory Bin

Great idea for independent play and to talk about where Penguins live.

Blubber Science

How do penguins stay warm in the freezing cold water?

Simple Penguin Math Games

Here are some ideas for fun math games to play with these or any printable penguins.

Circle Penguin Craft

Just have the circles cut out and ready and this is the easiest craft! Your toddlers will learn what a circle is in one activity.

More Penguin Shapes

Teach your toddler all their shapes with these cute printable penguins and more.

Penguin Pompom Color Match

Use this for counting too!

Feed the Penguin

Like a fun flash card game, teach your toddler lots of things with this activity!

Penguin Counting

Another easy game about feeding the penguins!

Penguin Preschool Games App

The penguin videos are a blast!

Penguin Snack

If they get hungry during their learning activity, try this cute little snack

Penguin Treat

After all their hard ‘work’ reward them with a penguin ice cream treat!

The Story Corner!

Check out more book themed activities below!

Your hosts:

Dusty at To the Moon and Back

Karyn at Teach Beside Me

Nicole at Home with My Sons

Jodie at Growing Book by Book

The post Penguin Learning Activities for Toddlers first appeared on True Aim.

Welcome to Mom’s Library!

Filled with parenting tips, activities for young children, crafts, devotionals, recipes, and more!

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Check out last week’s Mom’s Library for 6 Pumpkin Activities for Kids!

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This Week’s Featured Posts…

Exploring Sensory Bottles

Making several different bottles with different colors and types of liquid and items will inspire lots of exploration.

Playing with Felt

Giving your child different felt shape to play with and create scenes and animals is a great idea. They’re like fuzzy reusable stickers!

Solving Puzzles

Puzzles can be a lot of fun as long as they are age appropriate. Try these free Cube puzzle printables for your preschoolers.

Painting With Q Tips

Painting with q tips is one of my favorite painting activities because it is relatively mess free. Try these free letter printables and let them create their own pictures.

Building with Foam Blocks

Blocks are really fun to play with, but they make a lot of noise. That’s where foam blocks comes in. Here is a great messy activity to do with foam blocks.

Drawing on the Windows

Make your own dry erase board by allowing your children to draw on the windows with dry erase markers. Can they trace what they see outside?

Sensory Table Activities

Sensory tables allow children to do lots of different activities with lots of different substances.

Play-Dough Guessing Game

This is perfect for my girls to do together and it involves one of their favorite things.

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The post 8 Quiet Time Activities and Mom’s Library #114 first appeared on True Aim.

Soft, colorful, and endless opportunities for imaginary play; Pom poms are an essential item if you have a busy toddler in the house.  My son can play with them for a whole hour and even his older sisters like to join in on the fun.  As they happily play with their ‘feast’, ‘bugs’, or ‘jewels’, I can get a lot done around the house.  Who knew such a simple activity would captivate my children for so long.  But, I didn’t come up with the activity on my own.

I had a little help from a new app called Knoala.  This is the perfect app for parents of young children.  Wether you’re waiting in the doctors office, taking a road trip, or just want to connect with your kids, Knoala offers access to hundreds of activity prompts for parents that require little to no set up.

When I first gave the pom poms to my toddler I didn’t expect that the activity would turn into an educational one.  My children started sorting, counting, and acting out different rolls with the pompoms.  It was a joy to watch them get along and explore while creating their own little world.

Get the FULL play prompt instructions here:

Knoala isn’t just an app it is a community.  I love how the app allows you to participate in the creation of activity ideas.  You can submit your idea to be added to the app and all activities can be shared with your friends instantly.  I’m definitely using it to plan play dates and get birthday game ideas too!

What kinds of activities does your toddler like to do?  For more simple activity ideas for kids, like us on Facebook or follow on Pinterest.

P.S. If you liked this activity prompt, be sure to check out the app for yourself!

A little bit more about Knoala….

Knoala offers thousands of fun & development-boosting activities for parents to enjoy with infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Based on your child’s age and local weather conditions, Knoala finds activities that are most suitable for you and your family. Bond with your child over games and crafts that foster artistic, cognitive, emotional, motor, sensory and language skills. Connect with thousand of parents to exchange ideas on how to keep your child happy and busy. Follow the hottest mom and dad bloggers for their expert advice on keeping your little ones entertained. With Knoala in hand, you never have to worry about your child feeling bored again. All content on Knoala are free, and always will be.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Simple Toddler Activity: Pom Pom Play first appeared on True Aim.

My just turned 2-yr-old son was sitting on the potty.  It was day two of the three day potty training method and it wasn’t going well.  The first day he peed on the couch.  Luckily, I had put a towel underneath just in case.

The morning of the second day, I started having horrible contractions.  We didn’t even get through the second day of training because I went into pre-term labor and delivered my 4th child.

I put potty training off, waiting for a three day period where I could devote all my attention to it.  After my 4th child was sleeping better at night, I decided to try again.  This time I was diligent, keeping my son in the linoleum areas of the house, putting him on the potty every 30 minutes, using stickers, snacks, drinks, and treats.

Nothing seemed to work.  After sitting on the potty, singing songs and reading books for at least 5 minutes, I would get him off the potty and 5 minutes later he would have an accident.  I emphasized the need to be dry and clean; had him teach his beloved stuffed duck to use the potty, but to no avail.  Plus, I was exhausted from feeding a newborn every 3 hours around the clock.

After the three days were up my son started to hate the potty.  Simply saying the word would make him start to blubber and cry and I started to feel the same way.

However, I didn’t give up.  I just changed my approach.  I call it the Gentle Potty Training Method.

What Is Gentle Potty Training?

This is a strategy for moms who simply can’t devote more than one day to potty training, don’t want to clean up a bunch of messes, but want to stop changing so many diapers especially poopy ones.  Here are the things I like about this method:

• No messes
• No treats
• Perfect for busy moms
• Can be used for very young children

The first step in Gently Potty Training is to get your toddler used to the idea of using the potty, emphasizing how everyone uses it.  The key is to show how fun it is and how wet diapers are dirty and yucky.

In this step, I just have my child come into the bathroom with me, daddy, or anyone else in the family that feels comfortable with it.  I show my child how everyone in the family uses the toilet and how no one except babies wear a diaper.

This helps children become familiar with the restroom, toilet, the process and all the noises involved.  Some children are just afraid of the potty and the small cramped space in the restroom.

The next step is to get your supplies.  You’ll need some underwear, potty seat or extender, travel potty, special potty book(s) and prizes, and training diapers.

I love Pampers Easy Ups because they have an underwear-like look and feel, but are 25% more absorbent than the other leading training pants which means no leaks even overnight!  

After that, establish a potty routine.  I started putting my son on the potty right after breakfast and after nap everyday.  Even if he fought me I would make him sit for just a little bit with me and we would read a special new book that was only for the potty.  When he got off, I praised him with lots of clapping and wahoos even if he didn’t actually go.

Anytime he wet his diaper I just reminded him where pee goes.  Poo was different because I hate changing poopy diapers.  So I made sure to tell him how dirty it is and even showed him what it looks like.

After a few days he got used to his potty routine and actually went in the potty right after his nap!  Oh man were we excited about that.  I rewarded him with a snack that he usually gets anyways.  I then introduced him to the prizes he could earn if he stayed dry and clean for the whole day.

We also introduced underwear that he would get to wear if he stayed dry.  Getting underwear with a special character that your child really likes and displaying them in a prominent place in their room really helps.  You can even have your children wear the underwear under their Easy Ups just to get a feel of what it is like to be wet because the Pampers do an amazing job of keeping moisture away from the skin.

Gradually we added more potty times to our routine.  We are up to 6 potty times now and down to using 2-3 diapers a day.  I rarely have to change a poopy diaper and my son is so close to wearing those dinosaur underwear and playing with his special prizes.

Tips for the Gentle Method

While this method does work, it takes just as much patience and the results are not immediate.  We’ve been doing the potty routine for about 3 weeks now.  So, if you need your child potty trained quickly, and have the time, then I suggest trying the three day method first.  The key is to keep up the potty routine no matter where you are, so a travel potty really helps.

Want to Learn More About Potty Training?

Join the Pampers Twitter Party on Thursday June 10th at 9pm EST to get helpful advice and win prizes, too!  Prizes include:

• 100 ct Easy Ups, Sesame Street Portable Potty
• 100 ct Easy Ups, Baby BanZ Sun Protective Beach Tent
• 100 ct Easy Ups, Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Trike
• 100 ct Easy Ups and Splash Zone Spray N Splash Inflatable Water Park
• RSVP: 100 ct Easy Ups

Follow Pampers on Twitter and Facebook

Pampers Giveaway!

To help you get potty training started, I’m giving away a Pampers Prize Pack ($100 Value) including 100 ct Pampers Easy Ups, Portable Potty, and fun items to use as prizes of just kick off summer for your child!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post The Gentle Potty Training Method first appeared on True Aim.

Welcome to Mom’s Library!

Filled with parenting tips, activities for young children, craft, devotionals, recipes, and more!

Be sure to subscribe so don’t miss the next Library!
Follow the Mom’s Library Pinterest Board to see all of our featured posts.
Make sure you check out last week’s Mom’s Library for 10 Fun Character Building Activities for Kids!

This Week’s Featured Posts…

Fabric Play!

Add a sticky wall for even more fun!  Best feature: no choking worries.

Playing with Beads

Whenever you bring out special materials, kids love exploring!

Free Dot Monster Printable

Nature Light Box Play

A beautiful way to bring the outdoors, in.

DIY Weaving Toy for Toddlers

Genius idea!  Can’t wait to try it.

10 Fine Motor Activities with Flowers

Cutting, arranging, counting, lacing, and more!

Exploring Pumpkins

Mommy and Me Music Time!

We love to sing and dance in our home.  Here are some fun song suggestions for your toddler.

10 Ideas for Block Play

Blocks are a favorite toy for the toddlers in my house.  How about yours?

Star Themed Activities for Toddlers

8+ unique ideas.  I love this simple star craft activity!

Jack-O-Lantern Sensory Bag

Mess Free!

Apple Tot School Activities

All About Me for Toddlers

8 Activities to learn about themselves!

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The post 20+ Activities for Toddlers and Mom’s Library #65 first appeared on True Aim.

To make your own flash cards you will need :

• Flash Card (Buisness card) Printable Template
• Printer
• Cardstock
• Printable Business Cards (optional) *affiliate link
• Laminator (optional) *affiliate link

I use these flash cards to do TONS of fun learning activities.  You can teach your children letter recognition, letter sounds, sight words, number recognition, addition, subtraction, shape recognition, color recognition and more.  Just download a business card template and start typing in what you want on your cards.  Printing the cards on printable business cards ensures that they are all the same size and it saves a lot of time.  But you can also print them on card stock.  You might want to laminate them so they last.

Free Printable Flash Cards

Don’t have time to make your own cards?  Here are some freebies:

Free Addition Flash Cards

Free Music Note Flash Cards

Free Alphabet Flash Cards

10+ Free Printable Flash Cards

208 Free Printable Flash Cards

Top 10 Flash Card Games

You can make learning with flash cards fun with these games.   My children love the hands on learning experiences and the games really work!  They increase knowledge, improve memory like nootropics from modafinilnet.com, and motor skills.  You may never go back to plain old flash cards!

Flash Card Musical Chairs

Reading Road

Cups and Card

I Can Read More Than You

Flash Card Hide and Seek

Play Board Games with Flash Cards

Flash Card Pop!

Flash Cards in a Box!

Flash Card Buried Treasure!

Lego Flash Card Math

Lego Flash Card Mountain Game

Check out even more Flash Card Resources on my Flash Card Pinterest Board.

These activities go great with my learning eBooks for kids!

Part of the School’s Out series from KBN!

The post Top 10 Flash Card Games and DIY Flash Cards first appeared on True Aim.