Family Life Archives - Look! We're Learning!

20 Fun and Easy Indoor Activities for Kids

March 4, 2020 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

When you’re at home with the kids, it’s easy for a day to just “get away” from you.

Especially if your children are fans of screen time.

But when they’re on break from school or stuck inside because of bad weather, we don’t want them to run right for their devices.

So – here’s a list of 20 fun and easy indoor activities for kids to help you fill your days at home with quality time!

These are also great for class art projects, sensory play ideas, and games. They’d also make great activity choices for kids’ parties!

Read below to see the full list.

And for more ways to keep kids engaged and entertained, don’t miss our list of 50 cabin fever activity ideas!

Make the most of time at home with these easy boredom busters for kids! Great for school breaks, summer vacation, and more!

20 Fun and Easy Indoor Activities for Kids

If you try any of these yourself, I’d love to know which were your favorites!

1. These printable Farm Paper Bag Puppets are perfect for spring or fall!

2. Make this Beach Shoebox Diorama with an old shoebox in just a few minutes!

3. Share this easy DIY Flubber for some quick sensory fun!

4. Practice recognizing money values with this fun Dollars and Cents Game!

5. You don’t need cold weather to play in the snow with this easy Snowman Slime!

6. Pick up these printable Family Night Indoor Scavenger Hunt cards for an indoor family night game!

7. This low-prep Farm Five In A Row Game is a great way to extend a farm unit any time of year!

8. Running low on craft supplies? You only need the basics for this Paper Tube Butterfly Craft!

9. Practice recognizing colors with little learners with this Color Matching Birds Activity!

10. This Coffee Filter Crab Craft only takes a few minutes to make!

11. Interested in learning sign language? These ASL Alphabet Matching Puzzles are a simple start!

12. Have a race to see who can complete this Finish the Emoji Drawing Activity first!

13. Work on times tables with this fun basketball-themed Shoot and Score Multiplication Game!

14. Make this Floating Spider Craft and let the kids practice flying them around the living room!

15. This printable Snowball Emoji Board Game is so fun for building emotional vocabulary!

16. Make your own DIY Moon Sand for moldable play!

17. Let kids make this Paper Bag Fox Craft and use it for storytelling!

18. This Edible Solar System Playdough is both fun to play with and safe to eat!

19. Blast off with this easy Paper Roll Rocket Craft!

20. This low-prep Mail Color Sorting Activity makes a wonderful busy bag go-to for little ones!

Want to see more fun ways to learn with kids? Try these ideas!

These Spanish color playdough mats are a wonderful hands on resource for early learners, Spanish language learners, and ESL students!

These fun weather STEM activities for kids are excellent for simple spring science experiments! Simple enough for home or the classroom!

This fun Spanish color word activity is perfect for helping kids learn how to read and write Spanish color vocabulary words!

If your kids are stuck at home, they will love this list of 20 easy boredom busters for kids! Great for school breaks, rainy days, and more!

3 Easy Ways to Stop Kids from Arguing

December 16, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

If you have more than one child, I don’t have to tell you how often kids get into arguments at home.

You already know.

My brother and I argued growing up and there were ten years between us, so when I tell you that our four children are all between the ages of 7 and 15, you can imagine what a typical weeknight is like.

We’ve been at this parenting thing for nearly 16 years and we’ve finally found a few easy ways to stop kids from arguing that I thought might be helpful for others.

After all, when the kids are very small, they only argue about toys or elbow room. It’s when they get older that the real conflicts begin.

Read on to see these tips for yourself! And, for more help with parenting in the early years, take a look at five ways to help preschoolers manage their emotions!

3 Easy Ways to Stop Kids from Arguing

Image c/o: monkeybusiness & lufimorgan / depositphotos

Empathize with your kids.

When there’s more than one child in a family, it’s easy for each one to feel that they need to fight for your attention as a parent. It may not be true, but depending on the situation, that’s how the kids may feel.

We can put a damper on many arguments between the kids when we try to see things from their point of view. Then make sure the kids know that we care about their feelings and want to include them as we got forward.

Hold a family forum each week.

Choose one weeknight to hold a regular family forum. This is a time when each child gets to talk about the things that are bothering him or her.

During the forum, each person can speak freely and openly about frustrations, problems, fears, or anything else that has been weighing on their mind. If the kids are getting into arguments about the same issue, the family forum is a good time to address it.

It’s important to keep the environment during the family meeting positive. Focus on hearing everyone’s viewpoint and then compromising to solve the problem. Then agree on a strategy to follow moving forward.

It may even be helpful to post the strategy in writing as a reminder for how to defuse the argument next time.

Be sure to check on how everyone is doing with the plan at the next meeting!

Be consistent.

We have to parent each child differently, considering their age, disposition, and level of responsibility. Which means that nothing will ever be “fair” between them.

However, we can insist that each child follow the house rules. When a rule is broken, each child has to be held accountable, according to their level of maturity.

Consistently enforcing rules is one of the best ways to stop kids from arguing before they even get started.

How do you stop your kids from arguing at home? Share your tried and tested tips in the comments!

Don’t miss these other parenting tips!

Follow my Parenting with Joy Pinterest board for more support!

How to Make Chores Fun for Kids

December 12, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

If you ask kids what their least favorite thing to do is in the whole wide world, a large majority of them will instantly answer, “Chores!”

Actually, I’ve been known to say the same myself.

Still, doing chores around the house is an important part of growing up. But that doesn’t mean it has to feel like chores, right?

There are plenty of easy ideas for how to make chores fun for kids and I’m sharing a couple today!

Keep reading for some great tips on making chores a little more fun for your kids. Plus, grab a handy printable chore chart for kids to help the little ones keep up each week!

Want more ideas for keeping your home in order? Take a look at how to set up a spring cleaning plan of attack!

How to Make Chores More Fun for Kids

Images c/o: antiksu & Dmyrto_z / Deposit Photos

1. Turn up the Music!

When your little ones have chores to do, turn on some of their favorite tunes. You can even make a special playlist for your child to keep their spirits up.

After all, when I have a pile of work to get through, I go to a dedicated “work flow” playlist that features upbeat electronica. Why not try the same for the kids?

Be sure to take a dance break every few songs too!

2. Play A Game

Everyone loves to play games of some kind – kids, in particular. Turn as many chores as you can into friendly competitions.

If you have kids who share a room, see who can get their side clean the fastest! If you have laundry to fold, divide the pile in half and challenge the kids to finish folding their pile (neatly) in five minutes or less.

Shower them with praise for their hard work!

3. Offer A Few Rewards

Giving myself a tiny reward for finishing work often helps me stay on task. And I’m grown!

Kids love rewards too, so be sure to reward your child for a job well done in completing their chores.

Because chores are often daily tasks for a lot of children, you may want to choose to offer a reward at the end of the week, instead of daily. It can be as simple as letting the kids choose the family’s movie for the week or serving a favorite dessert.

4. Use a Chore Chart

How can you keep up with who is supposed to do what each week? Use a printable chore chart for kids!

Issue one to each child and let them fill out their weekly chores and check off their progress along the way. They’ll love the feeling of charting their progress!

If you need a printable chore chart, just scroll down to grab one for your kids – free!

Don’t miss these other home and family tips!

Follow my Parenting with Joy board on Pinterest for more tips for happy parenting!

Dinosaur Free Printable Chore Chart for Kids

I can’t lie. I love a cute printable.

And so do my kids!

With this printable dinosaur chore chart, I don’t have to remember who’s responsible for what. The kids can do it themselves!

To use this printable chore chart for kids, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Laminator (optional)
Dry erase marker (optional)

This chart includes a fun dinosaur theme, a space for a child’s name, and lines for tracking up to eight chores.

Kids can simply check off the chore as it’s completed each day.

You can print the chart, laminate it, and hang it on the fridge for use each week! Just mark off the chores with a dry erase marker.

To get your copy of this dinosaur printable chore chart for kids, sign up for our weekly email newsletter! You can follow the instructions below to get started.

30 Kid Friendly Muffin Recipes for Cold Mornings

December 3, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Is there anything better on a cold morning than a hot cup of a coffee and a warm muffin?

Don’t think so.

I wasn’t much of a muffin eater as a kid, but once I learned how to make them as an adult, they quickly became a breakfast go-to.

My kids are nuts about muffins for breakfast too. With winter quickly approaching, I thought it would be handy to round up 30 kid friendly muffin recipes that would be perfect for cold mornings!

Some of these can even be made ahead and frozen! Just take out a bag of freezer muffins the night before so they can thaw and be ready for the next morning.

Take a look at the full list below. Be sure to let me know which ones your kids love the most!

Want to bake up more deliciousness this winter? Don’t miss our list of 25 delicious cookie bar recipes to bake at home!

30 Kid Friendly Muffin Recipes for Cold Mornings

1. Vanilla Iced Banana Bread Muffins – Look! We’re Learning!

2. Hash Brown Egg Muffin Cups – School Time Snippets

3. Double Chocolate Muffins – Spaceships and Laserbeams

4. Buttermilk Rhubarb Crumble Muffins – Happy Hooligans

5. Loaded Omelet Muffins – Kids Activities Blog

6. Pancake Muffins – Parenting Chaos

7. Lemon Blueberry Muffins – Frugal Family

8. Maple Sugar Bacon Muffins – Confessions of an Overworked Mom

9. Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins – Temecula Blogs

10. Easy Smores Muffins – A Turtle’s Life for Me

11. Mini Banana Muffins – On My Kids Plate

12. Banana Split Sprinkle Muffins – Sweet Recipeas

13. Cinnamon Iced Pumpkin Crumb Muffins – Celebrating Sweets

14. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins – The Kitchen Is My Playground

15. Easy Berry Muffins – My Bored Toddler

16. Banana Oatmeal Muffins – Pichea Place

17. Healthy Pumpkin Muffins – Nate and Rachael

18. Orange Strawberry Muffins – Recipes From a Pantry

19. Funfetti French Toast Muffins – Sheri Silver

20. Cinnamon Roll Muffins – A Magical Mess

21. Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins – Mom Vs. The Boys

22. Apple Pie Muffins – Bunny’s Warm Oven

23. Lemon Pound Cake Muffins – Simply Stacie

24. Monkey Bread Muffins – Spaceships and Laserbeams

25. Chocolaty Chip Muffins – The Monday Box

26. Cheery Clementine Muffins – On My Kids Plate

27. Double Chocolate Banana Muffins – Peas and Crayons

28. Bakery Style Oreo Muffins – Amy Treasure

29. Nutella Muffins – Taming Twins

30. Easy Banana Bread Muffins – A Turtle’s Life for Me

Did you love these kid friendly muffin recipes? Try some of these other tried and tested kid friendly foods below!

Be sure to follow my Breakfast Ideas for the Family board on Pinterest too!

5 Reasons to Go Fall Camping and a Fall Scavenger Hunt for Kids!

September 2, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Lots of people think of camping as a spring or summer vacation and there’s good reason why.

You get to spend all day outside, you can explore nature when the days are long, and you can wear shorts the whole time.

But fall is also an awesome time to go camping as a family. And there are lots of reasons why!

Read on to see why fall camping is a great vacation for families! And pick up a free printable fall scavenger hunt you can share with the kids while you’re camping out!

Want more ways to spend time in the great outdoors as a family? See five ways you can get outside with the kids more!

5 Reasons to Go Fall Camping as a Family

1. The camping rates are affordable.

Camping tends to be fairly inexpensive in the first place. If you go tent camping, you’ll only have to pay for the campsite fee each night.

But rates tend to be lower during the fall and that makes it a great time of year to grab a campsite!

2. You won’t have to deal with bugs.

Insects are usually all over the place during the hot, humid weather of summer. But in the fall, bugs (especially mosquitoes) are few and far between. Since we live in the Deep South, this makes fall camping a definite win.

3. The autumn colors are glorious.

If you plan your fall camping trip right, you’ll be sleeping outdoors when the trees are at their most beautiful. In our area, we tend to see fall foliage around late October and into mid-November, right when the weather is turning crisp.

And there’s nothing like sitting around a campfire with gorgeous fall leaves all around you.

4. Campsites are less crowded.

After the new school year begins, most families take a break from vacations. Which means fewer campers! If your school year includes a fall break (like ours does), that is a perfect time to book your camping trip together.

5. Fall is a wonderful season to spend time outdoors with the kids.

There are so many fun outdoor activities you can try with your family on a fall camping trip!

Roast marshmallows around the bonfire.
Gather up colorful leaves and make a DIY leaf garland to hang inside your tent.
Get a handful of leaves and add them to a baby food jar to make an easy fall leaf snow globe.
Or try an easy fall scavenger hunt with the little ones, like the one below!

Printable Fall Scavenger Hunt for Kids

This printable fall scavenger hunt is a fantastic fall camping activity to try with the kids! Since it has words and pictures, you can even use it with pre-readers!

Print several copies and see who can find the most fall items to check off first!

Scroll down to get your copy of Fall Scavenger Hunt for your kids!

Try some of these other fall learning ideas and activities!

$These printable apple counting puzzles are perfect for early math lessons! Use them at fall math centers or for an interactive apple lesson for little ones!$

Follow my Fall Activities for Kids Pinterest board for more autumn ideas!

To get your free fall scavenger hunt, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get this printable, plus lots more, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

By the way, if you don’t see the welcome email in your inbox, check your spam folder. Sometimes it ends up there.

Just follow the instructions below to sign up!

Easy Vanilla Iced Banana Bread Muffins

August 6, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

I don’t think I ever had a single piece of banana bread when I was growing up. And I wasn’t the biggest fans of bananas either.

So I didn’t grasp the full amazingness of banana bread until I was an adult. And, let me tell you, it is amazing.

My kids love banana bread too. But now that the school year has started and our mornings are a little…hectic, I prefer to serve them something they can grab and go.

Which is why these iced banana bread muffins are a perfect go-to morning meal!

I can bake them up fairly quickly and then let the kids eat a few with yogurt or fruit before they head out. Then I can eat the rest while they’re gone.

It’s a win-win.

Read on to get this easy iced banana bread muffins recipe to make for your family!

Plus, take a look at our easy no-churn ice cream recipes if you want to have a little something special waiting when the kids get home too!

Easy Iced Banana Bread Muffins

This iced banana bread muffins recipe uses the basic muffin ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and, of course, bananas. But it’s a bit healthier because it uses applesauce, rather than oil or butter.

What really sets it apart, though, is the streusel topping and the glaze that’s added at the end.

Those two touches basically make it dessert-worthy in my book.

As a note, if you intend to freeze these, do it before you add the streusel topping and glaze. Save those steps until you defrost the muffins and warm them up again.

The streusel is made of cinnamon and brown sugar and butter and just everything that makes life sweet.

Plus, it gives the muffins a little “crunch” too.

The icing is just the finishing touch.

By the way, if you’re baking these on a busy morning, you can make the streusel the night before and store it in airtight container.

Then you’ve saved a step when you’re trying to get the kids out the door.

Scroll down to get the full printable iced banana bread muffins recipe!

Check out these other recipes your kids will love!

And see more ways to get breakfast on the table on my Breakfast Ideas for the Family Pinterest board!

Iced Banana Bread Muffins Recipe

Print the recipe card below to get the full iced banana bread muffins recipe! If you make these yourself, I’d love to know how they turned out!

(And if you were tempted to eat the entire batch.)

Easy Iced Banana Bread Muffins Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 bananas mashed
1/3 cup applesauce

Streusel

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp butter softened

Vanilla Icing

3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp milk

Instructions

To make the muffins:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line or grease a muffin pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In another mixing bowl, combine the egg, brown sugar, vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and applesauce.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir until fully combined, without mixing more than necessary.
Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full.

To make the streusel:

In a small mixing bowl, prepare the streusel by combining the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter.
Sprinkle the streusel over the muffins then bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make the vanilla icing:

Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to make the icing.
Once the muffins have cooked and cooled slightly, use a spoon to drizzle each muffin with the vanilla icing.
Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

If you want to freeze the muffins, bake them and let them cool completely. Store them in a resealable plastic bag.

When you want to serve them, defrost them and make the streusel as described aboved. Sprinkle the streusel over the muffins and warm them in the oven by baking them at 300 degrees for five to ten minutes.

Prepare the icing as described above and drizzle over each muffin before serving.

20 Cute and Creative Bento Lunches for Kids

July 31, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

When my oldest was about five years old, I heard about this thing called a “bento box”. I was on an online forum and everyone was talking about them as if they were the bestest thing ever.

I’d never heard of a bento box before. But when I ordered one for my daughter, I immediately understood the hype.

Bento lunches really are the bestest thing ever. They’re bite-sized and fun and just perfect for kids.

If you’re ready to venture into the bento box world, here are 20 cute and creative bento lunches for kids that are sure to make your child’s lunch special!

Take a look at these bento lunchbox ideas to get some school lunch inspiration!

And, for more fun treats for kids, don’t miss our list of 20 DIY popsicle recipes to make with your family!

20 Cute and Creative Bento Lunches for Kids

1. Back to School Bento – Brite and Bubbly

2. Breakfast Leftovers Bento – 3 Boys and a Dog

3. Pizza Kebabs and Peanut Butter Dip Bento – A Turtles Life For Me

4. Puppy Dog Bento Lunch for Kids – Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons

5. Shark Themed Bento – Bento n Better Lunches

6. Star Wars Bento – Twin Dragonfly Designs

7. Spiderman and Batman Bentos – Bentoriffic

8. Dinosaur Bento – Glue Sticks and Gum Drops

9. Toy Story Bento – A Night Owl Blog

10. Fun Pirate Treasure Map Bento Lunch for Kids – Eats Amazing

11. Camping Themed Bento – 3 Boys and a Dog

12. Milk and Cookies Themed Bento – Love at First Bento

13. Rainbow Bento – Go Dairy Free

14. Triple Decker Peanut Butter and Jelly Bento – Make the Best of Everything

15. Crayon Themed Bento – Love at First Bento

16. Green Themed Bento – Twin Dragonfly Designs

17. Star Wars Luke Skywalker Bento – Lunch Box Dad

18. Monkey Bento – Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons

19. Shel Silverstein Bento – Bento n Better Lunches

20. Koala Bento – Bento-logy

Simple Bento Lunches for Kids Supply List

So if you’re feeling inspired and ready to make these cute bento lunches for kids yourself, what do you need? Well, you don’t need to buy every bento box making mold out there.

These Amazon affiliate supplies, though, will definitely come in handy and get their fair share of use.

Bentgo Kids Leak Proof 5-Compartment Lunchbox

Complete Bento Lunch Box Supplies and Accessories Set

AmazonBasics Reusable Silicone Baking Cups, Pack of 12

Did you love these bento lunches for kids? Don’t miss these other fun treats to share with the family!

Follow my School Lunches for Kids board on Pinterest for more meal ideas!

School Supply Lunchbox Notes for Kids

July 30, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Do you send a lunch to school with your kids? Sometimes we have our children pack a lunch, especially if we’re doing a field trip or planning a long day out of the house.

It’s always a nice surprise to find a thoughtful note from a family member and, if our kids are having a rough day at school, seeing a sweet note from Mom or Dad can really lift their spirits.

So I thought these printable school supply lunchbox notes for kids would be an awesome gift to share with all of you!

These are so adorable! They’re school supply themed and they each have a sweet message that can help kids feel more confident about the day ahead.

Read on to see how to get your set free! And, don’t miss our Back to School All About Me writing prompts while you’re here!

School Supply Printable Lunchbox Notes for Kids

To use these school supply printable lunchbox notes for kids, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This set includes eight different lunchbox notes for kids.

Each has a school-themed picture with a confidence-boosting message.

You can print these on regular printer paper, but I think cardstock holds up better.

Especially if your child’s lunch has a juice box or a thermos in it.

Since the back of each note is blank, you can add a short handwritten note if you want!

Scroll down to get your set of school supply printable lunchbox notes for kids!

Don’t miss these learning printables for kids too!

And be sure to follow my Educational Printables board on Pinterest!

To get your copy of our printable School Supply Lunchbox Notes for Kids free, just sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get access to these (and loads of other printables) when you subscribe.

Just use the widget below to enroll!

NOTE: If you don’t see the welcome email right away, check your spam folder. 🙂

20 Delicious No Churn Ice Cream Recipes

June 6, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Can we actually have summer without ice cream?

I don’t know if anyone has attempted it, but that is one science experiment I am not interested in trying.

Once the weather gets warm, it’s ice cream time. Even if it happens to be a weird heat streak in January.

I’ve always bought ice cream from the store, because I thought I’d need an ice cream maker to make ice cream at home. And I really don’t have space to store an ice cream maker.

But once I found out about no churn ice cream recipes that didn’t require an ice cream maker, I was sold.

It turns out that you can make actual, honest-to-goodness ice cream without an ice cream maker. No churning, no ice cream salt, nothing but some good ingredients and your favorite mix-ins.

That’s a done deal in my book.

Take a look at these ways to make no churn ice cream and see if any of the homemade ice cream recipes below catch your eye!

And for more fun with icy treats, check out our roundup of 20 homemade popsicle recipes you can make too!

20 Delicious No Churn Ice Cream Recipes

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.1. Blueberry Crumble Ice Cream – Sally’s Baking Addiction

2. Circus Animal No-Churn Ice Cream – Sugar Hero

3. No-Churn Banana Cream Pie Ice Cream – Crazy For Crust

4. Roasted Marshmallow Ice Cream – Frugal Mom Eh

5. No-Churn White Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream – Fearless Dining

6. Chocolate Zucchini No-Churn Ice Cream – Beyond Frosting

7. No-Churn Ricotta Ice Cream – How Sweet Eats

8. No-Churn Olive Oil Ice Cream with Roasted Peaches – Shared Appetite

9. No-Churn Cotton Candy Ice Cream – Spaceships and Laser Beams

10. No-Churn Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream – Jo Cooks

11. No-Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream – Wholefully

12. No-Churn Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream – The Domestic Rebel

13. No-Churn Mocha Marshmallow Chip Ice Cream – Baking Bites

14. No-Churn Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream – Crazy For Crust

15. Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream – Frugal Mom Eh

16. No-Churn Tiramisu Ice Cream – Beyond Frosting

17. No-Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream – Like Mother, Like Daughter

18. No-Churn Sugar Roasted Peach Pie Ice Cream – How Sweet Eats

19. No-Churn Unicorn Ice Cream – Totally the Bomb

20. Funfetti Cookie Dough Ice Cream – Inside Bru Crew Life

How to Make No Churn Ice Cream Recipes at Home

The great thing about making no churn ice cream recipes is that, not only do you not need an ice cream maker or rock salt, you don’t really need any special equipment at all!

You can mix the ingredients directly in a glass baking dish. Freeze as directed in each recipe. And then serve!

That’s truly all there is to it.

I’ve had the same Pyrex glass baking dishes for years, so I can heartily recommend these. They’ll hold up forever.

And it’s great to have two of them, because you can keep one in the freezer for your ice cream and the other free for dinner casserole. (I think I cook a meal in my Pyrex dish at least three times a week.)

Pyrex Basics 3-Quart Glass Baking Dish, Set of 2

And these adorable ice cream serving bowls would be perfect for sharing these no churn ice cream recipes with the kids!

BonBon Ice Cream Serving Bowls and Spoons

Did you love these no churn ice cream recipes? Don’t miss these other ice cream activities for kids!

$Build basic AABB and ABAB math patterns with this fun ice pop math patterns activity for early grades! Perfect for use in centers and morning tubs!$

And see more sweet recipes for little ones on my Sweet Treats for Kids Pinterest board!

20 Easy DIY Popsicle Recipes to Make With the Kids

May 20, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Nothing quite says “summer” like a popsicle. I remember my parents getting the big bag of flavored freeze pops during the summer and storing them in the freezer.

It was always a race between my brother and I to see who could get the rare blue raspberry flavored pop first.

I didn’t know then that you could make popsicles at home. And, since we have four children, it’s actually worth it to make a lot of DIY popsicle recipes for ourselves. That way, the kids can get involved in making them too!

These easy homemade popsicles are perfect for making delicious summertime treats together. Pick a few to try for some cool sweets your kids will love!

Read on to see the list of popsicle recipes below! And, for more summer fun, take a look at our list of 60 outdoor play ideas for summer!

20 DIY Popsicle Recipes to Make with Kids

1. Banana Popsicles Recipe – On My Kids Plate

2. Blueberry Peach Popsicles – Dancing Through the Rain

3. Strawberry Freezer Popsicles – Low Carb Yum

4. Banana Berry Popsicles – Sidewalk Shoes

5. Orange Pineapple Popsicles – Five Spot Green Living

6. Root Beer Float Popsicles – Boulder Locavore

7. Watermelon Popsicles – A Magical Mess

8. Blueberries Cream Popsicles – A Simple Pantry

9. Peach Honey Popsicles – Cookie and Kate

10. Watermelon Sorbet Popsicles – Parenting Chaos

11. Green Smoothie Popsicles – 5 Minutes for Mom

12. Kids Summer Watermelon Popsicles – Powerful Mothering

13. Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles – Yellow Bliss Road

14. Fruit Smoothie Popsicles – Lemon Tree Dwelling

15. Creamy Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles – Good Life Eats

16. Limeade Popsicles – A Simple Pantry

17. Grapefruit Popsicles – Paper N Stitch Blog

18. Strawberry Coconut Milk Popsicles – The Roasted Root

19. Chocolate-Covered Banana Popsicles – Cafe Delites

20. Mermaid Popsicles – Seduction In the Kitchen

Did you love this list of DIY popsicle recipes? Make warm weather learning fun with these other summer ideas!

$Build basic AABB and ABAB math patterns with this fun ice pop math patterns activity for early grades! Perfect for use in centers and morning tubs!$

And for more ways to spend summer with the kids, follow my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

Summer Fun! Printable Family Summer Bucket List

May 16, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Summertime is my very favorite time of year. I think I have that in common with most school kids.

My kids always enjoyed summer break, too. Even though we’ve been homeschoolers for many years, we’ve always taken a break over the summer and this year will be no different.

Still, though, I never wanted my kids to just sit around being bored through June and July.

So I thought it would be good to share a printable family summer bucket list to give you some ideas for how to keep the kids (and yourself) entertained over the summer!

This is such a simple way to add fun to your summer without overloading everyone’s schedule. Plus, you can choose as many or as few activities as you like.

Read on to get your copy free! And, for more ways to have fun this summer, take a look at our list of 60 outdoor play ideas to share with the kids!

Summer Fun! Printable Family Summer Bucket List

One of my biggest regrets about childhood is that I didn’t spend much time outside. I’m a child of the 80s, so I was indoors watching television a lot.

Looking back, I think I would have liked being outside more if I’d had a better idea of what to do while I was out there.

So, if you’re like me and a bit…unsure about how to help the kids get outside more, this family summer bucket list is a perfect help!

There are sixty-five different bucket list ideas here for kids, including ways to have fun outside, places to visit over the summer, crafts to make, and ways to help others.

Some of the ideas include:

Going on a stargazing hike
Having a water balloon fight
Reading to others at a local nursing home
Going to the zoo
And many more!

How to Complete Your Family Summer Bucket List

So, once you have your family summer bucket list, how do you actually get around to doing the items on it?

Here’s an idea that may help.

Enlist your kids to make sure you actually choose one activity a day. Since there are 65 different ideas, you can try one each day and fill up the entire summer!

Laminate the bucket list and hang it on the refrigerator. As you try each one, check it off with a dry erase marker.

If you’re feeling really adventurous, let the kids plan your week by choosing seven activities themselves. They’ll be so excited to complete all the activities!

As a bonus, plan a special treat for when you’ve tried each item on your summer bucket list. You might even make some special family memories along the way!

Scroll down to get your printable family summer bucket list!

Did you like this family summer bucket list? Take a look at these other ways to spend the summer together!

Get more ideas to try on my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our printable family summer bucket list, subscribe to our email newsletter! You’ll get this printable, plus lots of others, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

5 Fun Ways to Spend Time Outside With the Kids This Year

May 15, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Confession time: I am NOT an outdoors person.

I wasn’t raised to spend a lot of time outside. I spent most of my afternoons parked in front of the TV watching cartoons.

But my kids love being outside. Which means…I have to find a way to love being out there with them. And that’s why I wanted to share these five fun ways to spend time outside with the kids!

These are easy enough for even the most nature-averse person (AKA me) to try!

We’ve tried a few of these already and, I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed myself each time. So I can tell you from experience that these tips actually do work.

Want more ways to make outdoors fun with the kids? Don’t miss our list of 60 outdoor play ideas for summer!

5 Fun Ways to Spend Time Outside With the Kids This Year

Images c/o: monkeybusiness & Wavebreakmedia / depositphotos

1. Go on a road trip.

Going on a family road trip is a classic outdoor activity for kids. We went on several road trips when I was a kid and I always loved traveling to new places and finding cool stops along the way.

With our kids, we try to take road trips to places we can spend time outside. And we try to find interesting routes so that we can see cool roadside attractions as we drive.

Give yourself an extra day or two on the journey so you can stop and explore natural sights you come across. Bring along a few learning road trip activities to make your trip educational too!

2. Go camping.

Remember how I’m not an outdoors person? Camping is one of those outdoor things that I have always said I’d never do.

Guess what we’re doing this summer?

So far, I’ve bought the tent, the sleeping bags, the charcoal, and the LED lights. And I still feel uncertain about it. Fortunately, though, we’re going with an experienced camping family who will, hopefully, be patient with us as newbies.

From what I hear, camping is a wonderful outdoor activity for kids. I’ll report back after our experience, good or bad.

3. Go for a picnic

Picnics are super fun ways to spend time outside with the kids. You can make some simple meals ahead of time (and let the kids get involved with that too!) and take them to a scenic spot to eat.

Use this time to talk about anything with your family and bring a long a few card games or family board games. When the kids get restless, walk around and see what you can find near your picnic spot. Snap a few pictures to remember your time together.

4. Explore a new park in your area

One of our favorite things to do outside is to take a trip to a park we’ve never visited before. In our state, we have plenty of beautiful state parks to explore and, every time we’ve found a new one, we’ve found something unique that we haven’t seen before.

Take a look at your local area and make a list of the outdoor parks. Then let the kids choose one or two to visit this week. You might be surprised at how much you all enjoy it!

5. Go for a nature walk.

Nature walks are excellent ways to explore science in a hands-on way. All you do is take the kids outside (in your own backyard or neighborhood) and try to learn about the plants and animals that are all around you.

If you find it hard to think about specimens you can discover, pick up a set of our flower identification cards, bird identification cards, butterfly identification cards, or leaf identification cards to see which species you can spot locally!

Did you love the ideas here for fun ways to spend time outside with the kids? Take a look at these other tips!

And don’t miss more ways to spend a summer with the family on my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

5 Tips for Helping Preschoolers Manage Their Emotions

February 28, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Have you experienced a preschool meltdown today? We have four children and our youngest is now six, so we’re past the preschool stage. But I remember it so well.

I’d see one of my kids go running by having the time of their life. 30 seconds later, they’re dissolving into a puddle of tears, generally crying so hard that they couldn’t tell me what was wrong.

Initially, I thought I just had emotional kids. (I can be pretty emotional myself, so it was no secret where they got it from.) But it’s difficult to help preschoolers manage their emotions in general.

After all, understanding emotions can be difficult at any age, but for little ones, it is even more challenging. Between the newness of their developing emotions and their limited vocabulary, it can be very frustrating for them to communicate what they are feeling.

Helping preschoolers understand their emotions and teaching them the right way to express those feelings is an important task for parents and caregivers. Here are some tips that can help as you navigate emotions with your little one.

Read on to get some helpful tips for teaching your preschooler to manage his or her feelings. And if your child struggles with worry, don’t miss our printable Worry Journal for kids!

Images c/o: Yaruta & Kotangens / depositphotos

5 Tips for Helping Preschoolers Manage Their Emotions

Never Refer to an Emotion as “Bad” or “Wrong”

The first thing to remember when you’re helping preschoolers manage their emotions is that there is simply no such thing as a bad emotion. However, there are inappropriate reactions to emotions. By labeling an emotion as bad or wrong, you run the risk of your child taking that label upon themselves.

If your preschooler is worried that he or she is feeling something “bad”, they are far more likely to keep their emotions bottled up and will face even more challenges to understand and cope with emotions.

Take Time to Talk About Your Emotions and Reactions

Using age-appropriate conversation, share how you feel from time to time with your preschooler and what has caused that feeling. If your emotions are tied to something your child did, make it clear that it is about the action and not about them as a person.

For example, explaining that you love her very much, but backtalk when you’ve asked her to do something makes you feel upset and raise your voice, helps to put the focus on your emotion and reaction toward the action. Be sure to explain your happiness and joy, as well as anger and sadness.

Help Them Expand Their Emotional Vocabulary

As your preschooler begins to mature, he or she can begin to explore more words that relate to emotions. Happy, sad, and angry can begin to develop into excitement, disappointment, and frustration as they start to understand that their emotions are more complex.

Use these descriptors as you talk about your own emotions and relate them to those base emotions to help your child make sense of these expanded feelings.

Our English and Spanish feelings flashcards are a great way to help little ones learn to describe their emotions! Pick up a set for your child here.

Guide Them to Identifying Their Feelings

Instead of using phrases like “I know you are angry”, open up a conversation that will allow your child to identify their own feelings and emotions. Sometimes, a reaction might lead us to think our child is angry or sad, when they’re really feeling frustrated or have had their feelings hurt by someone else.

By giving them the power to own and name their emotions, you’ll build the coping skills that will help them along as they move slowly toward adulthood.

Give Them Outlets of Expression Beyond Just Words

Sometimes it can be hard to communicate how a child is feeling through words. If your little one can’t express himself or herself clearly, ask your child to draw a picture of what happened or how they feel. Role playing with dolls or action figures can sometimes be effective for getting to the bottom of a tricky emotion.

As they show you the scenario leading up to an upset or sadness, you can help them by asking questions that lead them to use their words to express emotions.

Helping preschoolers understand their emotions is just the first step in a long process of navigating feelings and reactions throughout their lives. Remember to keep things simple and get on their level, then expand the concepts as they mature and grow.

Stop by to see these other posts for happy parenting!

And get even more tips for your parenting journey on my Parenting with Joy Pinterest board!

3 Ways to Teach Kids to Be Kind Online

October 29, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

If you’ve been noticing that the tone of online messages seems more negative than it used to be, you’re not imagining it. And, worse, it’s greatly affecting our children.

When we teach our kids how to be kind online, we not only stop the spread of negativity on the Internet; we actively promote good citizenship – something that can help protect our children from Internet bullying.

Disclosure: As a member of the Forward Influence Network, I am being compensated by the sponsor for this post.

Is bullying a real problem for our kids? Absolutely.

According to the latest figures, 28% of students have been bullied and 71% have seen bullying happen, including online.

The best way to prevent bullying and equip our kids on how to handle it is to teach them about kindness at home. When we show them how to be good citizens (in real life and online), we can help stop bullying in its tracks.

And that’s why I’m excited to share three ways to teach kids to be kind online and to introduce a brand new (and free!) program to help parents and teachers equip children against Internet bullying.

Take a look at how this curriculum can help kids become good online citizens!

Images c/o: AllaSerebrina & Guas / depositphotos

3 Ways to Teach Kids to Be Kind Online

Model kindness for the kids to see.

We can’t expect children to be kind online if they don’t see us behaving with kindness on the Internet or in real life. Let them see you comment positively on a news story.

Talk about the events and people you interact with in a positive manner. Try to avoid talking about negative online reports when possible.

Another way to model kindness is to teach children about how to be “Upstanders”. Since so many children witness bullying, it’s important for them to learn what to do when they see it.

Becoming an “Upstander” – someone who stands up for peers who are being bullied – can do a lot to stop bullying when it happens.

Talk with your children about how they can safely come to the aid of a classmate or friend who is being bullied. Try a few role-playing scenarios to help them brainstorm how to get the help of a responsible adult or other peers as well.

Encourage them to visit positive and uplifting media sources.

Many Internet bullies hang out around negative or viral media sources. To encourage kids to think positively, show them how to find uplifting media sources and talk about what they see there.

When we give our children positive things to think about, we make it easier for them to spot bullying when they see it and respond in a kind and appropriate manner.

Show them how to be thoughtful online.

An especially helpful resource for modeling kindness online is Be Internet Awesome, a comprehensive curriculum from Google that helps educators and parents show students how to be good Internet citizens. This program features plenty of class activities you can use with kids at school or home that encourage kind words and acts, even on the Internet.

Want to make learning about Internet kindness fun? Let the kids play Interland, where they can make their way through Kind Kingdom, a virtual environment that shows them how to make thoughtful decisions when interacting with others.

Social Media Notes of Kindness

A simple way to be kind online is to be complimentary. If your children are allowed to use social media, let them download a few of these kindness notes to share with their friends!

Sending a quick note of kindness can do a lot to spread positivity. Plus, your children’s friends can share them too!

Just right-click and download each image to save it to your computer.

Looking for more ways to connect with your kids?

And get more tips for raising a happy family on my Parenting with Joy Pinterest board!

Beautiful Georgia State Parks to Visit With the Kids This Year

October 1, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

When we first started having children, I thought “I’m going to be the bestest mom on the planet!”. I’m sure many of you did the same.

In my mind, being the bestest mom meant taking my kids to the amusement park every chance I got. After all, that’s where I always wanted to go as a kid.

But something happened as the kids got older. I noticed that they weren’t really *enjoying* themselves at those places. I mean, they had fun, but they always seemed so exhausted and overstimulated afterward that I often wished we hadn’t gone.

So, my husband and I decided to start spending more time outdoors with our kids. And we decided to start with all of the beautiful Georgia state parks to visit in our area.

And I’m here to tell you that there are a LOT of them. So many that I’d never seen, never visited, or never even heard of!

I wanted to share several of these Georgia state parks to visit with all of you, just in case you’re planning a trip to the Southeast U.S. and you’re looking for a relaxing, gorgeous, and affordable way to spend some time together as a family. They’re definitely worth a trip.

Heading out to one of these parks in the summer? Don’t miss our printable beach scavenger hunt to play with the kids while you’re there!

Beautiful Georgia State Parks to Visit With the Kids This Year

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

As a note, this will be a growing list. We’re planning to visit as many of Georgia’s state and national parks as we can over the next few years. So be prepared for this post to get pretty long as we share pictures, experiences, and reviews.

Hard Labor Creek State Park

Just an hour outside of Atlanta is Hard Labor Creek State Park. With a beautiful golf course, a lakeside beach, and plenty of trails, this state park should be on your short list of places to visit.

There are 24 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback trails to explore. Stay in one of the cozy cottages or bring your tent or RV as this campsite has all the modern-day amenities.

This is the cottage we stayed in at Hard Labor Creek state park. It was wonderful. The kitchen is fully furnished (complete with flatware!), the floors are hardwood, and there were two full bedrooms with two beds each.

We had cable TV, a fireplace, a screened porch, and complementary board games in the cupboard!

There are a couple of hiking trails and they’re both fairly easy. So you can bring the kids along without packing an entire suitcase of supplies.

There are horse stables and a special horse campground too! Bring your beach toys and have a fun and relaxing day on the lakeside beach. My kids love the beach there, by the way.

F.D. Roosevelt State Park

Georgia’s largest state park was a favorite of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Just 80 miles southwest of Atlanta, these 9,049 acres will easily help you forget all your troubles at home and help you to reconnect with nature.

Go on a day hike or jump on your bike and explore the 40 miles of trails throughout the park. Discover hidden waterfalls, beautiful tall trees, and little creeks where the local animals come out to visit.

Wash off the dust of the trail in the cool spring water of the Liberty Bell swimming pool. Don’t forget your fishing poles or go on a guided horseback ride.

This park is dedicated to FDR and has a life-sized sculpture welcoming you to the park. Visit the Roosevelt Little White House State Historic Site, which is located nearby. The warm spring pools are what brought FDR to this area to seek relief from polio. You can view his home and walk through the museum too.

Amicalola Falls State Park

For those that love the idea of camping, but like the reality of a hotel room facing the woods, head over to Amicalola Falls State Park. You can have a luxury stay on the mountaintop at the North Georgia Lodge with a spectacular view of the park.

For a bit more privacy, reserve a secluded cabin that is perfect for a mountain getaway with all the comforts of home. Stay close to the waterfalls at the campground that can accommodate both RVs and tents.

Amicalola Falls State Park has some pretty unique features as it is operated by a private company and not the state. Enjoy ziplining, archery, a climbing rock wall, survivalist camp, and a GPS scavenger hunt.

Personally, this is one of my favorite Georgia state parks to visit. The falls are beautiful and the hike up to them is pretty easy. On one of our visits, I was pregnant and the hike was still a breeze.

Cloudland Canyon State Park

One of Georgia’s most treasured places for spectacular nature formations is Cloudland Canyon State Park. This is the place to go if you love discovering hidden caves, cascading waterfalls, sandstone cliffs, and thousand-foot deep canyons carved out of the mountains.

Mountain bikers will love the new Five Points Recreation Area and Cloudland Connector Trail. Hikers can spend the day exploring the waterfalls and taking the West Rim Loop Trail to drink in the views of the gorgeous landscape. Bring your tent or RV, stay in a yurt, or relax in your very own cottage in the woods.

Cumberland Island National Seashore

Camping at Cumberland Island National Seashore is like no other experience in Georgia. After you have taken the 45-minute ferry ride to the island, you are ready for your adventure! For those that want clean restrooms, a fire ring, a food cage, stay at the popular Sea Camp Campground.

If you want to try your hand at camping in a situation when you have to boil your water first, stay at the Stafford Beach Campground. If you’re an experienced primitive camper, you can wilderness camp in secluded, beautiful areas of the island!

The history of the island and wild horses make this camping experience perfect for those looking for something off the beaten path.

Those are the Georgia state parks to visit that have made our must-visit list so far! But we’re looking forward to plenty more we can share soon!

Get more ideas for ways to spend time with the kids in these posts!

See even more ideas for reconnecting with the kids on my Parenting with Joy Pinterest board!

60 Awesome Fun in the Sun Ideas for Kids

June 25, 2018 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Summer. It’s the most wonderful time of the year for playing outside.

We live in the South and it. gets. hot. But that’s never stopped our kids from wanting to be outside playing every game imaginable.

After a while, though, the same old games just don’t do it for them anymore. And that’s why I wanted to find some awesome fun in the sun ideas for outdoor play in summer.

Below, you’ll find 60, count’em, SIXTY different summer outdoor play ideas for kids. And they are awesome! They can make their own bubble wands, create slime that fizzes, build mud kitchens, and much more!

If you try one of these, come back and tell me how the kids liked it! And if you need more ways to make summer fun, check out our list of 40 simple summer crafts kids can make!

60 Awesome Outdoor Play Ideas for Summer

1. DIY Fizzy Slime – Look! We’re Learning!

2. How to Make a Kite – Red Ted Art

3. Driveway Shape Maze – Creative Family Fun

4. Backyard Olympics – Kid World Citizen

5. DIY Rockets for Kids – Frogmom

6. Wet Chalk Color Mixing – School Time Snippets

7. Catapult Splat Painting – There’s Just One Mommy

8. Squirt Gun Painting – Fireflies and Mudpies

9. DIY Mud Kitchen – Megan Zeni

10. Sidewalk Paint Rockets – Gluesticks

11. Recycled Chalk Paint – Rhythms of Play

12. Splash the Alphabet – Days with Grey

13. Ocean Sensory Bin – Frogs and Fairies

14. DIY Obstacle Course for Kids – Buggy and Buddy

15. Outdoor Rainbow Weaving – Where Imagination Grows

16. Summer Paint Sensory Play – Mama Smiles

17. How to Make DIY Bubble Wands and Homemade Bubbles – Natural Beach Living

18. Rainbow Windsock Craft – Kids Craft Room

19. Pool Noodle Boat Racing Game – See Vanessa Craft

20. Bouncy Ball Process Art Painting – School Time Snippets

See more fun in the sun ideas on page 2!

Pages: 1 2 3

7 Ways to Help Kids Prepare for A First Summer Camp

May 31, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Going away to summer camp can be a little scary or intimidating for some children. And it’s not just children who may be a little uneasy. Parents can be too!

Our oldest is going to summer camp for the first time this year. Well, actually, she’s doing three of them this year: tennis camp, STEAM camp, and web development camp. And both she and I are a little nervous.

As homeschoolers, we can get so used to spending time with one another that going to “class” can be a strange experience. Actually, that’s one of the reasons why my husband and I have decided to enroll her in camp in the first place. It’s time to start spreading her wings…just a tiny bit.

So that’s why I wanted to share these seven ways to help prepare your child for a first summer camp. If your child is dreading the day they leave instead of counting down the days, try these tips to help them calm down, look on the bright side, and get excited about what they’ll learn!

Summer camp is a beautiful time for kids to come together and learn and grow, and make lasting memories they will cherish for a lifetime. It’s entirely rational for a child to be scared the first year or two. These tools below can be used to help your child see the possibility of the best summer ever.

Looking for more ways to make summer awesome? Don’t miss our list of super fun, super easy summer crafts for kids!

Images c/o: sernovik & pyotr021 via depositphotos

7 Ways To Prepare Your Child for A First Summer Camp

Personal Experience

Sit down and share your own experience of summer camp from when you were a kid. Let them know what a fun time you had, and the memories that you still have today. Don’t focus on any negatives but let them know how fun it was. You can also share if you were scared at first and how good it turned out for you.

Personally, neither my husband nor I went to summer camp as kids. But we did go to public school and we’ve used those experiences to help prepare our kids for their time away from us. It always seems to help.

It’s OK To Be Nervous

Remind your child it’s okay if they are a little nervous to go. It’s natural to miss home or be a bit anxious to leave your parents. But once they arrive at the camp and settle in, they will start having a great summer.

For our daughter, we went with a first summer camp that is located at a center she’s already familiar with and offered by instructors she already knows. Some of the kids in those classes will also be at the camp, so she’ll have a warm welcome right away.

Let Your Child Have a Say

If you’ve decided that summer camp will be a good experience for your kids, don’t be quick to let them talk you out of it. BUT – it is wise to let them have some input in what kind of camp they’ll attend and where it is located.

In our family, we chose camps that covered topics our daughter was already interested in. So, while she’s a bit nervous for the first day, she’s also looking forward to learning more about topics she knows she likes.

Camping Buddy

Consider talking to your child’s best friend’s parents and see if they are going to camp. If they are you can reassure your child, they will know someone. Or talk to other parents and find a few people your kiddo will know that is planning to go to summer camp. Just like entering anything, you feel safer if you know a few people.

Communication

When your kids come home in the afternoon, stay positive and let them know you’re proud of them and that all is going well. Encourage them to talk about what they’re learning, who they’re meeting, and even the parts of the camp they don’t like.

If your kiddo begins expressing concerns about camp, stop and let him or her speak freely. Truly listen to the fears or stresses about camp to see if you can help alleviate that stress. Be careful not to dismiss their fears.

Build Enthusiasm

If your child is still not really “feeling” the idea of camp, you can build their excitement by letting them find a new outfit to wear on the first day. (This alone is going to do wonders for our teen.)

You can also plan some cute lunches for them to take along or let them get involved in making a special treat to share with their fellow campers and camp leaders.

Walkthrough

Sit down and give your child a walkthrough of what they will experience. How are lunches and snacks served? What if they get hungry and it’s not snack time? What kind of activities can they participate in? How many kids will potentially be there? Try to find out as much out the camp as you can in advance and share this information with your child.

It’s a good idea to visit the center where the first summer camp will be held and let your child get a look at it. Seeing where they will spend their days can do a lot to reduce fear of the unknown and ease their worries.

Just remember to focus on the positives they can take away and listen to their concerns. They won’t know what to expect till they arrive at camp. And who knows? Maybe they’ll come away with a new outlook on learning!

How did you help your kids get ready for their first summer camp? Did things work out well? Share your experiences in the comments!

Need more summer fun for the kids? Check out these ideas!

And, for more summer fun, check out my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

30 Ways to Be a Happier Mom

May 15, 2018 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Parenting. It’s both the sweetest and hardest job in the world.

There isn’t a day when I don’t love my children – all four of them. But there are definitely days when I feel a little burned out on the routine of it.

There is so much giving involved in parenting that you can start to feel all given out, in a way. After all, there are only so many pieces of us moms available.

On days when I’m in need of some parenting pick-me-ups, I like to read suggestions from fellow moms who “get it”. And that’s why I’ve rounded up these 30 ways to be a happier mom to share with those of you who are feeling a little burned out too.

I hope these give you a little parenting inspiration! And, if you’re feeling burned out on homeschooling, read what I do when homeschooling feels like too much.

Images c/o: bst2012 and pixelheadphoto / depositphotos

30 Ways to Be a Happier Mom

1. Five Ways to Show Love to Your Defiant Child – Look! We’re Learning!

2. How to See Beauty in the Mess of Parenting – What’s Up Fagans

3. 11 Tips for Being a Good Mom – Little Sprouts Learning

4. How to Teach Preschoolers to Cooperate – Days with Grey

5. How to Encourage Autonomy in Kids – Mosswood Connections

6. 2 Family Rules to Become a Better Parent – Coffee and Carpools

7. How to Listen to Your Inner Voice As a Mom – Mama Instincts

8. Why You are the Perfect Mom for Your Kids – The Soccer Mom Blog

9. How to Run an Efficient Home – Empowered Single Moms

10. How to Be a More Patient Mom – The Moments at Home

11. What to Do When Your Tween Shuts You Out – Look! We’re Learning!

12. 7 Ways to Be a More Peaceful Mom – Kid Minds

13. 7 Powerful Ways to Turn a Parenting Day Around – Little Sprouts Learning

14. How to Raise Siblings Who Get Along – Mama Smiles

15. 5 Steps to a Positive Bedtime Routine for Kids – Kiddy Charts

16. How to Inspire a Culture of Family Togetherness – Kara Carrero

17. 10 Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Child – Fireflies and Mudpies

18. How to Give Kids Quality Time – Sloely

19. How to Reset When Family Travel Goes Wrong – Bambini Travel

20. How to Overcome Mommy Anger – What’s Up Fagans

21. How to Slow Down Parenting In a Sped-Up World – Look! We’re Learning!

22. How to Reclaim the Joy of Motherhood – Kori at Home

23. How to Manage Time with the Kids – Simple Everyday Mom

24. How to Stop Yelling – Parenting from the Heart

25. 7 Habits of Good Enough Parents – Sloely

26. 15 Ways to Be a Fun Mom When You’re Stressed – The Moments at Home

27. How to Become a Parenting Team – Bambini Travel

28. How to Grow as a Mother – Fireflies and Mudpies

29. Tips for Parenting with Compassion – Kori at Home

30. How to Discipline Without Getting Angry – What’s Up Fagans

Did you like these ways to be a happier mom? Don’t miss these other parenting tips!

Get more parenting pointers on my Parenting with Joy Pinterest board!

20 Fun Family Night Ideas

January 11, 2018 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

How many times have you heard the kids say “I’m bored” over the past month? I couldn’t possibly keep count of how many times my kids have said it. My best estimate is 982. And I think I’m guessing too low.

We are pretty conservative with screen time, so we only allow the kids to play on tablets or individual electronic devices a couple of days a week. Instead, we try to use our evenings to spend time talking about our days. Which is great.

But sometimes you just want to have an entire evening when the family has fun. And that’s why I’ve rounded up these suggestions for family night! These fun family night ideas are perfect for spending the evening together, no matter how old (or young) the kids are! Read through them and see if you can find a new way to spend time as a family!

Are you a board game fan? Be sure to check out this list of fun family games under 20 bucks!

20 Fun Family Night Ideas

1. Head to the driveway to play this Sidewalk Chalk Math Game!

2. Help the kids practice recognizing emotions with this How Am I Feeling? Social Skills Game!

3. Let the kids go “wild” with these Printable Animal Charades!

4. Relive your own childhood with these Classic Backyard Games!

5. Challenge the kids to engineer their own projects with these STEM Minute to Win It Games!

6. Play the classic Flour Game with all the kids!

7. Too cold or wet to play outside? This indoor Ping Pong Toss is simple to set up!

8. Make this Chocolate Popcorn Snack Mix for a sweet and salty treat!

9. Then let the kids make up these DIY Printable Popcorn Boxes to share their snacks!

10. Can’t have popcorn without a good movie! Plan a family Doctor Dolittle Movie Night!

11. Have some simple sensory fun with this stretchy DIY Flubber!

12. Do you have the board game Jenga? Turn it into quality time with this DIY Conversation Jenga idea!

13. The kids will love snacking on these Homemade Corndog Bites as you share a few games!

14. Bake a cake with the children and then let them try this lovely Cake Painting art activity!

15. Combine candy and popcorn in these crunchy M&M Popcorn Brownies!

16. Break out the earmuffs and play this exciting Balloon Stomp Game!

17. These easy peasy Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies are simple enough for the kids to bake!

18. Try a simple Family Storytelling session together!

19. Put together several simple games for a family Minute to Win It Party!

20. This sweet Peanut Butter Popcorn would be perfect for a movie marathon!

Want more ways to have fun with the kids?

See even more ways to spend an evening on our Indoor Play Pinterest board!

Plus, you can get even more family and parenting tips in your inbox when you sign up for our email newsletter!

Slowed Down Parenting in a Sped Up World

October 30, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Did you know that the Earth rotates at a speed of about 1000 miles an hour? I remember learning that in school and thinking “It doesn’t feel like it’s going that fast to me!”

Fast forward 25 years and I think it feels like it’s at least that fast, maybe faster. Maybe I just needed to be an adult to realize it.

Have you noticed that life just moves faster than it used to? We have the privilege of homeschooling our children, which gives us a lot of flexibility regarding our schedule. But even with our own daily routine, it still feels as if the days are just flying by.

Sunday evening is like the climb up a steep drop on a wooden roller coaster and from Monday morning on, it’s like we’re heading down at top speed and I’m just trying to hold on until the end.

That is not the life I intended for my children. I don’t want them flying through the years, only to look back on their childhood as a thrill ride that went by too fast.

So I’m committing to learn how to parent with intention – slowing down our parenting, even though the world is speeding up. Here’s how.

Images c/o: Wavebreakmedia / depositphotos

How to Parent with Intention in a Fast-Paced World

Scale back.

Many of us, homeschooling parents included, are simply doing too much. I’m living with ADD and I tend to take on way too much: too many work assignments, too many interests, too many homeschooling activities. It’s no wonder that I started feeling frazzled a few years into my life as a mom.

Late last year, I decided to see how it felt to scale back. Instead of saying “Yes” to every opportunity that came along, I started saying “No” – just to try it. Guess what? It felt fabulous. I found out that my days with my four children are already pretty full and didn’t need to be crowded with more.

Sit down.

Something else happened when I scaled back. I found that I had more time to sit down with my children. Instead of just overseeing what they did, I starting sitting with them to see what they were learning, how they felt about it, and what it inspired them to do.

I also started sitting down for more relaxed activities with them: reading, playing, drawing, crafting – all things that I thought I was too busy to do before. After the initial disbelief (“Mom? You’re actually doing this with us?), they started talking to me more openly about their interests and feelings. It was like getting to know them on another level.

Stay close.

My oldest daughter is in the throes of tweenhood and she’s feeling apprehensive about entering the next stage of her life. She’s worried about transitioning to high school, choosing a career, navigating her life among her peers, and deciding who she actually wants to be in life.

She’s been a little…difficult during this time. And it’s seemed like she doesn’t want my input, help, or advice as she prepares for this part of life. But I’m learning to stay close, to remain nearby – always available, always supportive, always reassuring. Because of that, she’s opening up to me more, inviting me into her life. If I had been too busy to scale back or sit down, I would have missed the signs of her budding independence and how I needed to adapt to it.

How do you keep your family close, even when life gets busy? Do you have any tips for how to parent with intention? Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments!

Don’t miss these other parenting tips!

And see even more tips for a happy family life on my Parenting with Joy Pinterest board!

What to Do When Your Tween Shuts You Out

September 21, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

You ask your tween “What’s wrong”?” She looks down and away from you. Replies “Nothing.” You say “No, there’s definitely something. You can tell me about it. What’s going on?” She responds “Nothing! Why do you keep asking me about it?” before folding her arms and retreating to her room.

If you’re nodding along as you read this exchange, then congratulations! You’re probably parenting a tween too!

My husband and I have four children, but we are in the midst of parenting our very first-ever tween. And when I say that it is a learning experience, please believe that we are the ones getting the education.

I remember catching an attitude with my mother on a handful of occasions, but she was of a different generation. (The generation that hoped you would call the cops on them.) So her method of handling attitude problems was… different than the one we’re trying with our kids.

As a result, parenting tweens has been a brand new experience for my husband and me. After beating my head against a wall for weeks, we’re finally starting to see some improvement. Which is why I thought I’d share some things I’ve found that work when your tween shuts you out.

Having some issues with a younger child? Don’t miss these tips for how to show love to a defiant child!

Image c/o: duplass / depositphotos

What to Do When Your Tween Shuts You Out

Don’t take it personally.

First, try not to take her attitude personally. She may direct the bulk of her attitude toward you, but a lot of times, you just happen to be nearby at the time. And worse – you’re actively trying to find out how she feels, which may not be a topic she wants to discuss.

I kept thinking “she’s doing this just to bother me” or “she just wants to see me get upset”, but that’s not really true. Very, very few kids are malicious toward their parents. They’re just a little self-centered, which is normal. Before you reach out, try to check your own emotions at the door.

Share their world.

Your tween has plenty on her mind – from schoolwork (a big one) to her favorite movies or songs to the opposite sex (which may be a new and unnerving interest). Try to take an active interest in what she likes, even if she doesn’t talk about it.

For example, if your child is listening to a song, ask about it in a positive way. “Who’s that by?” “That’s a great song. I like it! Does that artist have any other songs you like?” Please, please, please don’t say something like “What’s that junk? That doesn’t sound like music! We had real songs in my day!” Just don’t. If she’s open to sharing more, sit down and listen. If not, give it time and don’t push.

Be patient.

Which brings me to the third thing to remember when your tween shuts you out: be patient. Your tween needs a lot of time to process her feelings and thoughts. Pressuring her to talk about them right away can make her more confused and frustrated. Give her time to decide how she feels and what she wants to share and then be willing to listen to it all, no matter how strange, halting, or uncomfortable it sounds.

Once she starts to open up, be receptive to it all or she may retreat behind her wall of silence again. That’s the last thing we want.

How do you handle it when your tween shuts you out or tries the silent treatment? What do you do to let them know you’re still there for them? Share your expertise in the comments!

Don’t miss these other parenting posts!

Plus, get more tips for thriving as parents on my Parenting with Joy Pinterest board!