These past months may be the most abnormal time of our entire lives. Nothing is on our usual schedules and you are most likely at home with your children all day long, every day.
Family time is a gift, for sure, but you may be wondering how to fill the long hours. It’s okay to watch more-than-usual amounts of television or allow more screen time than usual, but as this stay-at-home time drags out, you may want to look for some super-creative ways to spend the time.
Ta da! Mom (and dad) blogs to the rescue. There are hundreds of blogs created by parents that share creative ideas for activities geared to kids from age zero on up to teens. They’re excellent sources for hands-on activities in science, art, literacy and more.
Here are some good ones, but you can do a search to find others. Many of these blogs have added new sections designed specifically to your needs for the coronavirus stay-at-home learning times.
Buggy and Buddy is a fantastic site run by an elementary school teacher. She shares art, science, STEM and STEAM projects for toddlers through teens. The site is user-friendly. You can search by age to find great activities, supply lists and free printables to make setting up projects easy. There is an excellent section on activities based on your child’s favorite book. Try the color walk scavenger hunt, make a balancing robot or do the apple math pattern projects.
The Dad Lab is a bit of a work in progress, but it does have some great kid/parent science projects. It also links to a book by the same title that offers 50 science projects for parents and kids.
Mommy Poppins is a national site with information based on your part of the country. The national portion of the site is filled with activities to do with your kids. It has a section dedicated to our current situation with stay-at-home orders. Get your kids involved with outdoor games, exercises, crafts, science projects and much more.
Cool Mom Picks is run by two ultra-cool moms. Their site is chock full of ideas for food and menu planning (how to make that cool whipped coffee), crafts, ideas for holidays and a huge section on timely topics for living in quarantine. There is also a podcast available. This is a comprehensive site to search for activities of all ages.
No Time for Flash Cards is another site rich in fun ideas for kids of all ages. It focuses on crafts, books and all sorts of educational activities. It is searchable by age. Like most good blogs, it adds articles and suggestions from a wide variety of other moms who love to share their good ideas. If you are doing school at home, there is a section for teachers.
Busy Toddler offers a gazillion ideas for cool activities to do with your toddlers. From sensory play to tasks highlighting fine motor skills, you’ll find simple but creative and educational tasks to do with your young children.
The Activity Mom is a site presented at three levels: baby, toddler and elementary-aged children. It focuses on hands-on activities and offers free printables. Want to make some Moon Sand or create a Hide-and-Seek Bottle for your baby?
Happy Hooligans is filled with hundreds of ideas for arts and crafts, as well as play. Great craft ideas for every holiday and fun hands-on activities for kids of all ages.
There are so many great mom blogs filled with articles, parent musings and practical activities for your kids. Check out the following to find top Mom blogs:
mymommyneedsthat.com/best-mom-blogs-you-can-find/
blogfeed.spot.com/kids_activities_blogs/
Join the Washington Parent Facebook Group. We created a private group to help parents in the DMV survive parenting during the COVID-19 crisis. facebook.com/groups/WashingtonParentSupportGroup
