Healthy Kids
Looking for creative ideas to keep busy with your children? From games to healthy snacks to arts and crafts, here are a few fun activities you can try with your kids at home!
Make a homemade bird feeder
What you need: pine cones, peanut butter, suet, bird seed, string or yarn
Here's how:
- Gather pine cones.
- Use spoons to slather peanut butter and suet onto the pine cones.
- Roll the cones in birdseed.
- Tie to a tree branch with a piece of string or yarn.
- Enjoy!
Go on a bug hunt!
- Make a simple checklist of bugs you find around your yard (write big and neat so your child can sound out the words).
- Head outside and tally the number of bugs you find on your list.
- Count up your discoveries together!
What you need: marker, paper, clipboard, magnifying glass (optional), container (if you want to collect the bugs)
Here's how:
Letters, sounds, & words sidewalk chalk
What you need: chalk
Here's how: Write out large letters on your driveway / sidewalk
- Call out letters & have your child find them
- Once they have found them all, call out letter sounds to see if they can find the matching letter
- Call out a letter & ask your child to perform an action that starts with that letter (Hop on "H", Clap on "C")
- Call out a word & ask your child to spell it out by running to the letters (spell "CAT")
**Advance as appropriate for your child's age / development**
Play "Drip Drop Splash"
What you need: cup, water
Here's how:
- Get a cup full of water
- Have kids sit in a circle
- Similar to "Duck, Duck, Gray Duck", the "it" child goes around & drips a little water on each child's head
- The "it" child chooses who they want to chase them by dumping the rest of the water on the "chasers" head
Magazine Treasure Hunt
What you need: magazines, scissors, blank paper (2), pen / marker, glue
Here's how:
- Write a list of items that can be found in magazines (see list of ideas below)
- Read through the list with your child(ren) so they know what is on the treasure hunt list
- Give your child(ren) magazines and scissors
- Have child(ren) search through magazine to look for pictures from the list
- The first child to find everything on the list is the winner (or, to build teamwork, let everyone work together to complete the list)
- Let kids glue pictures on a blank paper to display the hard work and fun they had!
Example of Magazine Treasure Hunt list:
- Recipe
- Bird
- Dog
- Cat
- Shoe
- Piece of fruit
- Water
- Phone number with the number "8" in it
- A ring
- Someone who is smiling
Healthy family-friendly snack ideas!
Strawberry - Lime - Yogurt Popsicles
Makes 10 popsicles, about 3 oz. each
Ingredients:
- 3 cups strawberries, quartered
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1 large lime (2-3 tbsp.)
- 1 1/2 cups yogurt
Here's how:
- In a Ziploc bag, mash sliced strawberries and sugar until mostly liquid.
- Transfer to a bowl and stir in lime juice.
- Add yogurt and mix.
- Taste to see if too tart or too sweet. If too tart, add in sugar. If too sweet, add yogurt.
- Pour mixture into popsicle mold.
- Freeze for about 4 - 5 hours.
- To remove popsicles, run mold under hot water until they loosen.
Ants on a Log
Makes about 10 logs
Ingredients:
- 5 celery stalks
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup raisins
Here's how:
- Cut celery stalks in half.
- Spread peanut butter on stalk.
- Place raisins on peanut butter.
- Enjoy!
They are amazing at Dawn of Discovery. My son never comes home crabby from daycare. He is always doing arts & crafts and sensory stimulation! Highly recommend them!