by Carrie Spencer | Parenting Blogs
The boundless energy of kids can be lots of fun — but on days with bad weather, it can sometimes be difficult to find exciting and educational ways to direct that energy.
Fortunately, even if you can’t let your kids play outside, there’s plenty you can do to bond with them, keep them entertained, and teach them something new.
Read on for four fun indoor activities that will make the day breeze by, no matter what’s happening outside.
Teach Them to Cook
In addition to simply being fun, Healthy Little Foodies explains there are a huge number of educational benefits found in teaching your kids to cook.
This is one of the amazingly productive and fun indoor activities for kids.
Following a recipe tests reading and comprehension skills, and measuring ingredients can be a great way to teach your kids about the real-life applications of math.
Cooking is also a vital life skill; by cooking with them from a young age, you will help your children live a healthier life. They’ll be more comfortable and adventurous in the kitchen and more inclined to try different foods.
Additionally, spending time together cooking gives you an opportunity to have long conversations with your children, helping you bond and ensuring that they are well-adjusted. And at the end of the day, you’ll have something delicious to eat.
To keep cooking time safe and fun, make sure that you teach your child to wash their hands, and always keep your knife block out of reach.
Kids three and up can begin to safely learn knife skills by chopping herbs or soft vegetables with a butter knife. And don’t be afraid to make a mess — put on an apron and let the flour fly.
Set Up a Scavenger Hunt
If you have a few little ones running around, consider putting together a scavenger hunt for an afternoon of entertainment. Scavenger hunts help to build problem-solving skills, teach teamwork, and give the kids a chance to run around a little bit.
They are also convenient, as your players just need to search for things that already exist — you don’t need to spend all day making clues. Customize your list yourself (or print out a pre-existing one), set up teams and a time limit, and get going!
Scavenger hunts are fun indoor activities for kids that can always be changed, and the kids can even help create the lists.
Make Slime
Slime is all the rage right now, and it’s no wonder why — this fun, brightly colored substance is easy to make at home and customize however you want. Slime also offers a multidimensional learning experience; children can learn about chemical reactions, practice their color-mixing skills, and use math to measure out the ingredients.
Basic slime recipes are easy to make and include ingredients that many people already have at home. Simply mix together glue, borax, and water, kneading together until it becomes the right consistency.
Then, you and your little one can add food coloring, glitter, and anything else you like. This is one of the most fun indoor activities for kids. They will agree.
Don’t Shy Away From Technology
While it’s easy to feel like you should be constantly avoiding technology, you can incorporate screen time in a way that’s entertaining and educational.
It’s simply not feasible to avoid technology all the time, and there’s nothing wrong with spending a little screen time with your child. Try watching educational videos or reading eBooks together, either with a service like Kindle or through your local library’s app.
If you want arts and crafts time without the mess, download a painting app so that your child can finger paint. Or, if you want to get even more educational, ScienceNetLinks notes an app like Science360 can provide both entertainment and fun facts.
However you decide to use your device, making use of a waterproof case can help to avoid damage even in the sometimes-clumsy hands of your little one. Look for a case that offers protection while still giving access to your smartphone’s screen and buttons.
Inclement weather doesn’t have to mean a long, boring day. These fun indoor activities for kids will provide many enjoyable moments.
Liven things up with some good eats, treasure hunting, slime, and reading. By planning out a few activities, you can take advantage of the weather to spend some quality time learning and growing with your kids
The author of this blog, Carrie Spencer, can be found at thespencersadventures.
by KinderMomma | Parenting Blogs, Teaching Blogs
Kindergarten teacher blogs can be a lifesaver for kindergarten teachers and homeschooling parents. Actually, any parent of a pre-school or kindergarten student will find a wealth of information that can help your child with social, emotional, and academic growth.
Need free resources? They have them. Need new fresh motivating ideas? There are plenty.
Do you want someone who understands that five-year-old kids have the attention span of a fruit fly? Read on.
I researched the top kindergarten teacher blogs before starting my own. I looked for the ones that offered the most information and free resources.
These are the five best kindergarten teacher blogs out there. They are in no particular order as they are all No. 1 in my book.
Kindergarten Smorgasboard-
The name alone is brilliant. Kindergarten life is foreign to all who have never taught a lesson with 25 pairs of hands reaching into the air to tell you something completely off topic.
Kindergarten is definitely a smorgasboard of tiny people with so many different thoughts and learning styles.
Greg Smedley Warren, a Kindergarten Rock Star, and his husband, Jason (The Mister) are creative, ingenious and have amazing fashion sense. Honestly, I don’t know which one is cuter.
They have built their brand and blog into a resourceful place where kindergarten teachers find incredible lesson ideas and instructional strategies.
Their amazing bootcamps encompass all content areas with motivating and engaging themes and strategies.
Kindergarten Smorgasboard also provides videos that will demonstrate how a content area is taught. This is extremely helpful.
Check them out. Your students will thank you.
Differentiated Kindergarten
This is another one of the amazing kindergarten teacher blogs that I have found.
Marsha is a teacher-mother who is dedicated to meeting the needs of different learning styles in the classroom.
The Differentiated Kindergarten Blog is full lesson ideas for center activities and Daily 5.
There are task cards for Legos which I absolutely love and so do my students.
There are many resources for developing fine motor skills through fun activities. The use of play dough and the geoboard are extremely motivating for all learners.
The accompanying materials that are found on this site are truly one of a kind. It is differentiation in its finest form.
You can find many task activities and engaging materials here. What more could you ask for?
Mrs. Jump’s Class with Deanna Jump
Deanna Jump is another name that most teachers recognize. She has created curriculum for reading, writing, and math that is used by many teachers.
Her blog contains a wealth of ideas and resources for purchase.
Deanna Jump lets you know exactly how she organizes her classroom and the topics that she teaches.
This is a very helpful site to gather information about new bulletin board ideas and craftivities.
Mrs. Jump is masterful at taking you though each season of a kindergarten curriculum.
Simply Kinder
Next, Simply Kinder is one of the incredible kindergarten teacher blogs that made the top 5 list. Jennifer began this blog to help make the lives of kindergarten teachers easier.
Well, she accomplished her goal.
The resources on Simply Kinder are top notch. They combine hands-on activities with quality teacher-made worksheets.
There are articles on everything from classroom management to outlining the first day of kindergarten (minute by minute)
Kinder Craze
Kinder Craze is a unique kindergarten teacher blog that offers many creative ideas for classroom décor.
In addition, kindergarten teachers often like to make their classrooms very colorful.
There are many low-cost ideas to have a Pinterest-worthy classroom.
Also, Kinder Craze highlights actual pictures of fun activities and ideas that she uses in the classroom with her students.
Honorable Mention
Did I mention that I have a blog? 😊 I like to write and have been published on blogs such as Scary Mommy, We Are Teachers and School Leaders Now.
Well, that lead me to want to start my own blog because it can’t be that hard, right?
Wrong!
It is the most time-consuming idea I have ever had! (with the exception of having kids) These bloggers make it look easy, but it is……..
HARD!!!!
The technical and social media aspect has almost killed me, but you will find lots of freebies that are easy to download on my site.
Thank you to Feedspot and Jotform and Ranked Blogs for giving us some recognition on their blogs.
One day, we will be up there with these best kindergarten teacher blogs.
Academic Skills
