A – Z Things to Do at Home
We have started learning the alphabet in our house. Ever try to think of something that starts with a Q that your kids know? Q-Tip, the thing I ask you not to stick in your ear? X for xylophone that I am tired of hearing but think it’s cute that you wrote me the song that sounds a little like banging on it over and over. We learn through play around here, so we are playing through the alphabet. Here are a few ideas to play your way through the alphabet.
A
Avocado seed – next time you make guac or add avocado to something, keep the seed for the kids to “plant”. Use these instructions. Don’t feel bad if you get some duds!
Art – Drawing, coloring, canvas or paper, what kid doesn’t like to create art? Want to know my secret for not keeping everything my kids have ever drawn? I have been sending it to friends, family and local retirement communities along with a quick note saying hi.
B
Bake – Bake some homemade cookies or a cake with kids. Depending on their skill level, get fancy!
Bowling Alley at home – pull out some sports cones, use old water bottles, beach ball, anything that can be set up and knocked over!
C
Construction truck sand box or sensory table – Since you probably dont want actual dirt or sand from the sand box in your house, go for coffee beans, rocks, crushed up cereal or even try corn or rice.
Coloring pages from online sites are an easy way to print coloring pages you know your kids will love.
Paint The World Coloring Pages
D
Dress up in fancy clothes – who says you have to be going somewhere fancy to look fancy? Have your kids pick one of your old bridesmaid dresses or a silly 80’s outfit and then help them pick put their craziest clothes to wear.
Donate items you have outgrown – Being at home more you may have noticed your kids outgrew some toys or haven’t touches some in a while. You may also have some friends, family or neighbors who are struggling right now. Why not clean out some of your outgrown items and donate them?
E
Egg Carton – I never throw away paper towel tubed or empty egg cartons. Whether I use them for sorting colors, paint or creating animals, they are a great item to keep around after eating.
Excavator – Construction is life around my house. My son knows every construction truck and what they do. He uses his excavator for everything. Scooping up dirt or sand, feeding his farm animals or even feeding himself. I love that he uses them so creatively.
F
Felt – Simple felt shapes, a train track, dolls. The possibilities are endless.
Fire -Grab some chalk and draw a fire on your gate/fence. Pull out the house and have the kids put out the fire.
G
Golf – DIY home golf game
H
Hug – Construction paper, ribbon and arms are all you need. Make a hug to mail to loved ones that you can’t hug in person.
I
Ice sensory bin – whether you pull out your cute ice cube shapes or grab some from the freezer, throw some cubes in some water. Use food dye to color the water before freezing it, letting the cubes melt to learn colors. Freeze animals, numbers or letters inside the cubes. Either go outside early or throw a towel down inside under your sensory bin. Great way to stay cool.
J
Jungle – Grab your stuffed animals and set up a jungle. Make animals or palm trees out of those TP rolls you kept.
K
Kitchen skills – Learn a new skill in the kitchen with the kids. I got out knives and taught the kids how to cut food because they wanted “half” of everything (probably from sharing everything with each other). They loved it, thought they were so grown up and was a great opportunity to talk about how some knives are only for grown up.
L
Legos – Who doesn’t love Legos? Build a fun original Lego structure and send a picture to friends. Challenge them to make their own. Or participate in the Lego Challenge using hashtag #LetsBuildTogether.
M
Murals – This city has some beautiful murals. Feeling stir crazy? Get in the car and go find one in the valley.
Mailbox – Help the kids build a mailbox, write letters and mail them.
N
Nugget – Do I need to say more? Build a fort, use felt, make a slide and get creative using your Nugget.
National Day Activity – I love checking our National Day Calendar for a new activity. Each day has something unique to celebrate. The website has cooring pages, recipes, educational activities and so much more. Check out out April month of activities on the blog.
O
Octopus or Owl – Get out those craft supplies and make some animals.
P
Pretend play – You don’t have to dress up to pretend you are an astronaut, firefighter, Olympic star or whatever creative idea your kids have. Take time to really get into character.
Paint rock – Have the kids pick some rocks from the garden, throw down a old blanket and paint rocks. You can leave them outside for neighbors to see when they walk by! Paint rocks and write letters on them to work on learning the alphabet or spelling.
Playdough – Swap out the kids regular favs for some kitchen tools or shapes and watch them play for hours.
Q
Question – “What is this?” is the most common question in my house. The kids want to know what everything is. They love learning new words. And I ask them questions back. How do you feel? What are you wearing? What was your favorite thing you did today? It is a great way for engaging early talkers, keep older kids communicating with parents and learn new words. What questions can you ask your kids?
R
Rainbow – make as many rainbows as you can. Put M&Ms or Skittles on a plate, add water and watch the color develop. Dye rice in a rainbow of colors and put it in your sensory table. Pull out the chalk and make a rainbow on your neighbors driveway.
S
Summer Reading Programs are great for all ages. This summer Maricopa County is offering a program called Imagine Your Story. It’s open to all ages. You can sign up here.
Simon Says – remember this fun game? Simon say hop on one leg. Simon says turn around 3 times, jump up twice and touch your nose before speaking. Add more challenging taks for older kids.
T
Time capsule of the things you love this year and bury it in the backyard. Print and fill out this time capsule from Long Creations.
time capsule, tape down toys to free, tape to make a road for cars to drive on. Think Play Dough, TP Tubes, Toddler Test Kitchen
U
Unicorns are a favorite in our house. From drawing unicorns on paper, making a puzzle to wearing horns and riding around the house on a unicorn, it’s non stop.
V
Virtual story times are a fun current trend. Check out your local library for story times.
W
Water – The only way to keep cool over the summer is to be in water. Swimming, blow up pool, plastic pool, water tables, splash pad, anything to keep you cool. Check out our recent blog here.
Walk, Wish Entertainment, water
X
X-Rays – Pull out some black construction paper, glue and q-tips to make your own X-Rays. You can make a skeleton or have your kid put out there hand or foot and make an X-ray of it to teach them about their fingers.
Xylophone – Teach your kids how to play.
Y
Yoga – We could all use something to unwind and de-stress. Why not try yoga with the kids. I hear Cosmic Yoga is amazing!
Yarn – Add yarn to paper dolls or make friendship bracelets.
Z
Zoo virtual – When you don’t want to go to the zoo, stream it in your house. The Phoenix Zoo has the Digital Safari and The San Diego Zoo has live streaming videos. Maybe you can catch animals when they are being their silliest.
Zoo In Your House – Grab some tape, string or yarn and make an inpromtu cage for your kids stuffed animals and have a zoo in your own house.
