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19 Exciting Gifts for Active Kids

Gifts for Active Preschool Kids

Ring Toss Game

The Ring Toss Game is fun for the entire family. After all if your kids are anything like mine, they adore throwing things. So instead of dealing with paper planes flying across the house, set up this ring toss game in the yard.

Encourage the kids to toss rings, calculate points, and have a great time outside. These make perfect gifts for active kids!

Trampoline

Encourage your kids to jump with this 3 ft Trampoline designed for 3-6 year olds. Just set it up in the house and let your bouncing babies to jump to their heart’s content. No more babies bouncing on the sofa, jumping off the ottoman, or leaping across chairs.

They’ll now have a fun, safe, and sane way to jump on the trampoline for hours.

Standing Easel

This Standing Easel is great fun for preschoolers and elementary kids. Clip paper onto the easel for painting. Pull out the chalk and draw silly pictures on the chalkboard. Hand your kids dry erase markers to draw on the dry-erase board.

Your active kids will enjoy doing artwork when they’re standing at an easel.

River Stones

Have your children ever tossed pillows on the floor in a desperate attempt to keep out of the lava? Mine certainly have! These river stones make the perfect gift for kids trapped indoors. Kids can pretend to cross lava, dance across rocks over a river, or create an obstacle course in the house.

Save your pilllows and gift your children with these river stones. Everyone will enjoy hours of fun.

Super Sand Digger

Do you have a child fascinated with construction? I do! My sons have spent hours digging in the sandbox pretending they were construction workers digging a ditch.

This super sand digger makes pretending even more real when the kids actually dig like they’re using heavy equipment to dig a foundation for a skyscraper or pretend they’re Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel.

Hopper Ball Bouncing Toy

Did you ever play with one of bouncing ball toys for kids from 3-6 when you were small? I don’t know about you but I spent hours of fun bouncing around on these balls. They’re perfect for cold winter days when the weather keeps you indoors. They are relatively inexpensive so can get multiple gifts for active kids in your life.

Instead of having kids bouncing around underfoot, let them bounce around the house on the Bouncing Ball!

Tootle Turtle Target Game

If you have a child who loves to throw, let them throw self-stick beanbags at this cheerful turtle target. Hold competitions to see who can score the highest number. Encourage your kids to count by throwing at specific digits.

The Tootle Turtle Target game is wonderful for active kids and teaching math at the same time!

Pogo Jumper

Give your children the gift of a pogo jumper this year. The Foam Pogo Jumper is a fun jumping toy for kids of all ages. Since it holds up to 250 lbs, you can even give it a whirl.

Learn to balance while you jump with the Pogo Jumper for a fun exercise which your kids will love.

Active Gifts for Elementary Kids

Rocket Balloon Set

If your kids love watching regular balloons shoot around the room, they’ll love Rocket Balloons! Pump up these reusable balloons up to 40 inches in length. Then let them go and watch them fly. These are an exciting outdoor toy!

This package of 85 balloons and pump makes an awesome gift for kids 8 and up.

Twister

Have you ever played Twister? It’s an old classic game that’s perfect for active kids. If you haven’t played it yet, you’re missing an exciting game that tests your flexibility. One child spins to find out which hand or foot goes on which color. The players’ challenge is to remain upright while moving their appendages from one color to the next. The last person stand wins!

My kids adore pulling out Twister and playing a round on a rainy afternoon.

Dodge Ball Tag

My boys love playing dodge ball every chance they get. Here’s a fun gift which allows them to play dodge ball with sticky balls! Each player wears an air mesh vest and carries 3 soft and safe balls. The goal is to stick your balls to your opponent’s vest!

Dodge Ball Tag is a great gift for encouraging kids to get off the walls and heading outside to run.

Walkie Talkies

Did you ever run around the neighborhood with your friends playing spy? Walkie Talkies are the toy to have. You can chat with your friends, keep in touch with parents, and have a great time playing around the neighborhood.

A Walkie Talkie set is a classic fun toy to give to active kids.

Marble Run

Have you ever played Marble Run? The goal is to build an elaborate creation of tubes and ramps. Once it’s built, drop the marbles, and watch them roll.

It’s a game that affords hours of fun play as the kids set up the runs and watch the marbles go! Marble run is recommended for children ages 4 and up.

Construction Fort

Instead of having your active kids pulling out every blanket, book, and pillow in the house to build forts, give them a Construction Fort. The kids build an interlocking frame on which to throw the canvas.They can create a castle, tunnel, tent, or fort. This is a fun gift for historical reenactment as well.

Aimed at 5 and up, this gift will give your children hours of fun as they create and play in custom designed forts.

Dueling Stomp Rockets

Stomp rockets are simple rockets which fly from air pressure. The dueling stomp rocket allows kids to challenge each other. Who can send rockets soaring higher in the air?

This is a great gift for siblings, no bickering over who gets to stomp first!

Active Gifts for Older Kids

Croquet

My parents had a croquet set. It’s a fun game where you attempt to knock the balls between the hoops in the correct order. The first person to hit the stake at the end of the course wins the game.

This is the perfect game for lively children as well as adults. Everyone in the family, especially those over 6, will enjoy playing croquet in the backyard.

Stilts

Stilts are awesome for active kids. They develop balance and coordination while your kids are having fun seeing the world from a higher height.

Give your kids a set of stilts to walk around on this year.

Frisbee Disc

Frisbees are a wonderful gift to give to active kids of all ages. Kids can play catch with the Frisbee. As your kids age and become more skilled there are all sorts of Frisbee games they can play such as Frisbee tag or Frisbee bowling.

Give your kids a Frisbee Disc to throw around with your friends!

Laser Tag

Laser tag is a fun game for older kids to play at the park. There’s no need to worry about Nerf darts hitting an innocent spectator. Everything is done with lasers.

Your kids will love playing laser tag with their friends.

With these amazing gifts for active kids, your kids will have hours and hours of exciting play throughout the year.

What is your favorite gift for active kids?

Christmas Blessings Giveaway!

Let us help you check things off your Christmas list for FREE! I’ve partnered with a wonderful group of bloggers to bring you the Christmas Blessings Giveaway. We know the holiday season can be full of both joy and stress, and our hope is to ease that burden just a bit for a few families. Enter to win 4 $250 gift cards!

To enter, simply use the entry form below. We know it’s a long one, but each blogger personally contributed to make this giveaway happen, and your support means so much. Plus, the more entries you complete, the better your chances of winning one of the $250 prizes!

Wishing you a season full of peace, joy, and blessings!

Giveaway ends November 28th at 11:59pm ET.  Winners will be drawn and emailed the following day. The winners will have 48 hours to respond to email to claim the prize.  By entering this giveaway you will be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. You must live in the United States or Canada to be eligible to win. 

For more Gift Ideas for Kids, Check out these Gift Guides!

Gifts for Art Lovers

Gifts for Young Sewers!

The post 19 Exciting Gifts for Active Kids and A Giveaway! first appeared on True Aim.

School vacations, when you are freed from the constraints of busy schedules, is a great time to explore the world together through literature. Diverse children’s books can help provide a window into other ways of life, explaining differences but also allowing children to understand that we have much more in common than we realize.

Reading books about other cultures can:

• encourage children who don’t often see themselves represented in books
• foster empathy with those who may at first seem different
• reduce bullying by teaching respect for others
• spark curiosity about other ways of life
• raise awareness about challenges others may face

Travel the World Through Books This Summer

Now that you are excited to travel the world through books with your kids, you may be wondering how to get started! Here are some questions to consider when you are looking for quality multicultural books for children:

• Does the book include people of color or characters from other cultures/nationalities? (Even better, are these main characters, not just supporting ones?)
• Does the book rely on stereotypes or help break them down?
• Does the author come from the culture they are writing about, or have deep personal knowledge of it?

The great news is that your local library is a treasure trove of diverse literature that you and your family can dive into this summer. Your children’s librarian can help get you started, plus we have compiled diverse summer reading recommendations from bloggers around the world! This annual book list is sorted by age group, so you can be sure to find books perfect for you and your kiddos. Follow along this summer, plus be sure to visit the summer reading lists we have been creating since 2015!

Books are a wonderful jumping off point for exploring other cultures. Once your child’s curiosity is piqued, you can explore further. You might, for example, sample foods or make crafts from that culture, or trying to connect locally with neighbors who are from that area.

Want to raise a curious child who is respectful of others? Head to your local library and travel the world through books! Through reading about other cultures, you can nurture a sense of wonder about the world as well as foster empathy for those that may at first seem different.

What country would you like to explore through books with your kids this summer? Let us know in the comments!

Leanna is a homeschooler with three sweet, funny, rambunctious children. She and her husband, who is from Costa Rica, are raising their children to be bilingual and bicultural but more importantly to be “world citizens.” Leanna is the founder of Multicultural Kid Blogs and also maintains her personal blog, All Done Monkey

Check out More Summer Reading Ideas Here!

The post Travel the World Through Books with your Kids! first appeared on True Aim.

Sound-it-out does not always work. Parents have forgotten helpful reading strategies and are no longer aware of using them. One example is rereading.

Rereading a word or sentence often clarifies what was just read. Adults do this without thinking about rereading as a comprehension strategy.

Help for Early Readers

Sound-it-out uses isolated sounds to read a word. Take my name, for instance. Carolyn would be ca-air-oh-lul-ya-nin. Try pronouncing that all together, and the result is nothing like my name. The word “math” sounds out to mum-ah-tah-huh. Isolated letter sounds alone do not comprise most words. There are just too many irregular words and letter blends for sound-it-out to be the only strategy, for even beginning readers.

Do children need phonics? Yes. Do children need to simply memorize sight words? Yes. Phonics is more than isolated letter-sound combinations. For instance, think of words that begin with stra (strawberry, stranger, strategy) and it is easy to see sounding out s-t-r-a for each word would require too much time.

There are many letter combinations children will learn, and some with have different sounds than isolated letter sounds, such as kn (knight, knee, knob). There are silent letters and special sounds for letter combinations. Frequently, q is usually followed by u, so the sound for qu must be taught (queen, quick, quack).

Another common assumption is that a child knows his or her letters by practicing capital letters. Most of reading is actually lower-case letters. Lower case letters should be taught before capital letters. Capital letters will be learned as children learn to write names, proper nouns, and begin writing sentences. A child who knows only “big” letters is not ready to learn to read. Lower case letters and their sounds are important to know.

Word-solving Strategies Beyond Sound-it-out to Use with Beginning Readers

The reason children need to know more word-solving strategies than sound-it-out is so they begin to self-correct when reading. A child who cannot self-correct while reading is not going to make as much progress as a child who can do so.

At school, if a child was reading aloud and stopped reading perhaps five or six times during one paragraph, I knew an adult at home was jumping in to tell the word to the child. Telling a child words is quick and easy, but will not help children to learn how to help themselves.

Yes, I told words sometimes. English language learners, newly emergent readers, and a child who had tried some strategies and was frustrated are some cases when I told a word. However, as a steady diet, telling children words does not help advance reading skills. There are many word-solving strategies that help for early readers. Every child will not “take” to every strategy, and should use the ones that make sense to that child. Here are a few to try.

1. Skippy Frog

Skip it, skip it, then go back and read it. Adults do this, also. When reading a news article or new information and finding an unknown word, we do not stop and give up. We do not put down the book, article, or newspaper. We keep reading.

This word-solving strategy is one children understand and like to use. I think it is second to sound-it-out. When reading, maybe the child puts a finder on the unknown word, finishes reading the sentence, and then goes back to try the whole sentence again.

This is reading a word in context as meaning is important in reading. Some children equate reading “fast” with being a “good” reader, so it is important to tell children that good readers use what they know to learn what they do not know.

2. Stretchy Snake

Look at all the letters in the word before saying it out loud. When a child gets to the first letter of an unknown word and stops reading, the child is not looking through the whole word. He or she has not learned to self-correct and gives up. Somehow the child knows the word is difficult or unknown and will say the first letter.

In this case, the child must be encouraged to look at all the letters in that word. Stretchy snake is one name for this strategy. Similar to sound-it-out and is done silently (at least at first). Looking at each letter, the child whispers the sounds in his or her heads. Often, just seeing all the letters and trying some silent sounds, the child will be able to say the word.

Adults automatically puzzle over the letters in a new or unfamiliar word, and can often then read the word. Of course, adults do not think about stretch snake when using this strategy as it has become automatic.

3. Noticing Owl

Find a little word in a big word. Ahh, the dreaded syllabication strategy, but more simply stated for children to find it useful. For instance, in the word Mississippi, the child can find miss, is, and sip. A hard word becomes more manageable.

At school, this decoding strategy might be called Chunky Monkey so children will chunk the sounds together. However, for emergent readers, this could be a difficult idea.

Children delight in finding little words in big words and often show the parent or teacher such discoveries. They find the fact owls can turn their heads 180 degrees (or more) fascinating. So, a little word can become a clue towards solving an unfamiliar word. They like to imitate animals, so twisting their heads while looking through a big word can help them to understand the strategy.

Results for Early Readers!

Parents are amazed at the reading progress children can make when several word-solving strategies are used. Children will begin to self-correct and help themselves learn to read. A mistake when oral reading is an opportunity to help a child learn a new word-solving strategy. Soon, children will automatically employ several word-solving strategies and make advances in reading.

Carolyn Wilhelm is a wife, mom, and grandmother. She has a BS in Elementary Education, an MS in Special Studies of Gifted Children, and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction K-12. She was a National Board Certification Middle Childhood Generalist 2004-2014. She is also a licensed, certified teacher in Minnesota through 2021. Retired, she now volunteers at an elementary school and runs TheWiseOwlFactory.com. 

Check out More Summer Reading Ideas Here!

The post Help for Early Readers: Strategies Beyond Sound-it-Out first appeared on True Aim.

Free Road Trip Scavenger Hunt Printable

If you’re going on a long road trip soon, this printable scavenger hunt is for you! It’s especially great for multiple children and can spark some fun competitiveness.

Increase observational skills with family fun! Print this scavenger hunt for each member of the backseat and try to get four in a row, or all of them!

The following common items are included on the sheet:

• Taxi
• Police car
• Stop sign
• School bus
• Motorcycle
• Gas station
• Red car
• Bicycle
• Scooter
• Ambulance
• Food truck
• Car carrier
• Tractor
• White car
• Dog
• Blue car

Get Your Road Trip Scavenger Hunt Printable!

More Road Trip Ideas:

• Free Printable Road Trip Games: From Tic Tac Toe to Bingo, here are 25 free road trip printables great for kids!
• 27 Busy Bags: For younger children, keep them occupied screen-free with these busy bags! You can also keep reusing them over and over! You can also use them practice reading, writing, spelling, and more.
• DIY Travel Coloring Case: Kids can color on the road with this mini travel coloring case that is incredibly easy to throw together.

The post Free Road Trip Scavenger Hunt Printable first appeared on True Aim.

Traveling with the family can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a bit stressful. When the kids get bored, everyone starts to get a little cranky and moody. Also, when the kids start bickering with each other it can be distracting. To help make your next adventure a safe and pleasant one, find ways to entertain your kids while traveling.

Here are seven ways to keep your kids entertained during a road trip:

1. Make a travel bag

Put together a travel bag with a variety of games and activities appropriate for a road trip. It can include books, paper, crayons, coloring books and magnet travel activity trays. (here are some toddler busy bag ideas)

2. Bring electronics

Take along electronics for older kids that include DS games, tablets and other portable devices. There are a variety of things can do on them, from reading, to games, to games together!

3. Make sure each child has their most prized possession with them.

For older kids this might be their phone, iPod or tablet. For younger kids it may be their favorite stuffed animal, doll or truck. If you’re travelling overnight, a small stuffed animal is a great way to keep the younger ones happy.

4. Pack snacks and beverages in non-spill containers.

Kids are a lot happier when they’re stomachs are full and they have plenty to drink. In addition, eating keeps them entertained for awhile so it’s a good distraction that helps them forget about being in such close quarters with the whole family.

5. Bring cameras.

Teens and tweens usually love taking photos. Bring alone the digital camera and allow them to take pictures of anything they see interesting while on the road. It’s also a great way to document your trip.

6. Involve geography.

Give each of your kids a printed map with your route marked out so they can track your journey. They’ll be excited each time you pass a new land mark because they’ll know they’re getting closer to their final destination! (here are some fun geography activities and games you can play without a textbook, some that you can use on a road trip)

7. Pack dry erase board and markers.

We love dry erase boards and markers! Your kids can use these to doodle and draw pictures to keep them entertained or to play games like tic-tac-toe.

Planning ahead can help make your next road trip a pleasant one. If you’re not sure which form of entertainment to choose, look for something that will keep all of your children happy regardless of age. This could be something like watching a movie, singing songs or playing travel spy games.

If your kids vary a lot in age (such as toddlers and teenagers), look for individual activities for each child. For example, younger kids may be happy coloring or drawing while older kids read a book or listen to music through a headset.

The post 7 Ways to Keep Kids Entertained During a Road Trip first appeared on True Aim.

Whether you give commission based on certain extra chores completed, or a weekly allowance, grab 3 jars per child. Pringles or shoeboxes work well, but I’ve noticed clear mason jars serve as the best “visual” – as you can see the money. Label the three jars: saving, spending, and giving respectively. The rules typically are although you can take Spending money and put it either in Giving or Saving, you cannot move Saving or Giving money. Find what works best for your family. Some times, the traditional 10% Giving, 60% Savings, 30% Spending works. Other times, during a certain season, more money must be used for Savings rather than Spending.

Saving

The savings jar is for money to be used for large purchases, or to go into a savings account for future use – such as a bicycle, or a big trip. Money in this jar goes towards the large purchase, or a real bank account. If you haven’t yet, take a trip to the bank and open a savings account for your child, where the temptation to use that money is put at ease.

Spending

Spending money can be used however the child wants – such as candies, movie tickets, trips to the Dollar store, vacation souvenir extras, or other “fun” things.

Giving

Teaching philanthropy is important even at a young age. Giving can include birthday or Christmas presents, sponsoring a child, school fundraisers, or tithing.

With this free printable that comes in two different color schemes, help children keep track of the amount of money they save, spend, and give. Each time money goes in or out one of banks, include a note of what it was used for, plus the amount.

Save Spend Give

Save Spend Give Pink

The post Save, Spend, Give! Plus FREE Printable for Kids first appeared on True Aim.

Welcome to Mom’s Library

This post is filled with parenting tips, activities for young children, crafts, devotionals, recipes, and more!

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next Library!

Click here to see all Mom’s Library Posts

This Week’s Featured Giveaway!

One Sentence Bible Storybooks: Bible Heroes! 

Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of these little mini books that help teach children to read with the Bibles Stories!
One Sentence Bible Storybooks: Heroes ($15.99 value)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Autumn Art Projects

Crayon Drip Pumpkins – There’s Just One Mommy

Instead of the traditional jack-o-lantern, try this beautiful crayon-melted pumpkin!

Squeeze Bottle Sidewalk Chalk – Tiny Tots Adventure.com

If you’re looking for an alternative to sidewalk chalk, try this squeeze bottle version!

Paint With Ice Salt Sugar – The Practical Mom Blog

A more out doors craft,  combine paint/food coloring with ice.

Fall Leaf Abstract Art For Kids – Mini Monets and Mommies

If you enjoy messy crafts, try this fall leaf abstract art.

Autumn Angel – Crafty Journal

Gather some leaves for this rustic craft for kiddos!

Would you like to participate?

Please follow me and support your fellow bloggers by visiting some links! Grab a button if you were featured!

* by linking up you give Mom’s Library Bloggers permission to use photos from your post with a link back.

The post Autumn Art Projects and Mom’s Library #158 first appeared on True Aim.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bic. The opinions and text are all mine.

I don’t know why I didn’t place an importance on handwriting when I was a child, but I wish someone would have inspired me. It would make filling out forms, writing letters, and even applying for jobs a lot easier. That’s why I’ve joined BIC’s Pledge to Save Handwriting by encouraging the act of handwriting in my home. Here are 3 ways I encourage my children to write!

3 Ways to Encourage Children to Write

Writing helps kids become better readers, boosts their confidence and sparks their creativity! It engages 14 different abilities, so why wouldn’t you want to encourage your kids to do it? Some experts recommend at least 15 minutes of handwriting instruction a day. Make it fun by trying some of these activities.

1. The Personal Notebook

Having a special notebook your child can write whatever they want to in definitely boosts their will to write.

Give it extra meaning by naming it their , “Things I Like Notebook” or “What I want to be Notebook”, Maybe even “Questions and Answers Journal”. Choose a name that really sparks an interest in your child and also turns it into a keepsake later on.

2. Make it Easy for Them

We have an ample supply of writing materials and art supplies to help our children draw and create whenever they feel inspired to. They also have places to display it too, but the easiest way that I’ve found to encourage my children to write is to compliment their work. It makes them want to do more!

3. Word Art

A fun activity my daughter likes to do weaves words and art together! Her first project was to trace her hand and then write about herself, tracing the outline with words instead of just lines.

This project she can work on for several days and add little things to it as she thinks about them. She’s really excited about what it looks like so far!

Next she tried a nature scene with a story woven into the drawing. I LOVE it and will be hanging it up in her room when she is finished.

How about you? Will you Join BIC’s mission to save handwriting? Show kids how awesome writing can be, how awesome they can be and enter to win a $1200 BIC prize pack. No Purch Nec., U.S. only, 18+. Ends 09/14/15. For details and full rules visit www.BICFightForYourWrite.com.

The post 3 Ways to Encourage Your Children to Write first appeared on True Aim.

The short story is, I couldn’t find any so I made some. Here’s what I came up with; Stained Glass Nativity Ornaments.

They are pretty enough to laminate and keep for a while or give them to people on presents like gift tags. You could also use some clear tape and hang them in the window.

Stained Glass Nativity Ornaments

To be honest, I had fun coloring some too. I printed the ornaments on card stock and used my BIC permanent markers to color each little area a different color. Colored pencils or crayons would work great too!

I tried to keep each section the same hue; I used blues and yellows for the sky, greens and browns for the ground.

We tried adding some oil to the back of the ornaments in a few places so the light can come through them even more and make them really look like stained glass. The great thing about these nativity ornaments is that the Christmas story really shows through because they’re in black silhouettes. That means they look awesome on the tree!

These are definitely laminate-worthy and if you do use a little oil, or choose to oil the whole backside, it will help the oil from getting on other things.

Click the image below to download. Please do not copy, or share this file without linking back to this post. It is for personal use only. Thank you for following copyright law.

These are close to my favorite ornaments so far! How about you? What is your favorite handmade ornament?

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy the free printable!

The post Stained Glass Nativity Ornaments Printable first appeared on True Aim.

When my husband had to leave for training, it was always hard for us. That was just for military training. I cannot imagine what it would be like to spend Christmas away from home and in enemy territory.

There’s still time to bring a little Christmas cheer to a solider away from home.

You can show your appreciation for their sacrifice by making this simple Christmas card with BIC Mark-It Permanent markers. They come in 36 packs for regular colors and 8 packs of metallic colors for endless inspiration.

For this card, I used #DeepSeaBlue for #BICMerryMarking and a star cookie cutter to trace. I wanted my card to be bigger than normal because our soliders deserve a bigger than normal thank you!

After I traced my star with a pencil I went over it with my marker, highlighting one side of the stars to make them pop by going over that side again to make it look bold.

Then I added a thoughtful message inside and made my own large envelope from wrapping paper.

I’m excited to make even more of these with different shapes, like a Christmas tree or snowman.

As for getting your cards to the soldiers, you can find lots of places that will take your cards and get them to the right place or just call your local Red Cross office and they will tell you what to do. Valiant Veterans will also take a minimum of 5 cards until December 12th, but if you are late you can contact the USO and they will deliver them any time.

I’m nominating Karen, Kara, and Kathrine to join me in this challenge!

I hope you will consider writing a few cards today and get the booklet of merry marking and a coupon to start marking!

The post Christmas Cookie Cutter Cards for Soldiers first appeared on True Aim.