play Archives | Sleeping Should Be Easy

Why We Need to Encourage Our Children’s Interests—Even when They Seem Strange to Us

Published Apr 16, 2020 Updated Jun 15, 2020

Do your kids have a passion for hobbies? Here's why we should encourage children's interests, no matter how strange or different they may seem to us. "I've had it with fountains," I complained to my husband. What had been a cute quirk—my son's fascination with fountains—was getting out of hand. It even took over an outing at the zoo, where he'd rush to see fountains instead of the bears and monkeys. Still, I bit my tongue. As strange of an interest as it was to have, fountains still held a special place in our son's heart. So we did what we thought would help nurture it even more. We … [Read more...]

How to Encourage Open Ended Play (And Why It’s Important)

How Kids Learn

Published Apr 09, 2020 Updated Apr 09, 2020

The benefits of open-ended play are many. Discover how to encourage open-ended play to boost your child's creativity and imagination. My son opened a carton of Jenga and started building structures. One was a doghouse for his stuffed animal, another was a fountain, and one had double doors that was supposed to open with a push with a button. Of course, Jenga blocks aren't "meant" to be built into structures, much less a doghouse or a fountain. But they helped cultivate my son's creativity and imagination—with no instruction manual needed. What is open-ended play? It's the type of play … [Read more...]

How to Entertain Your Baby

Infant

Published Apr 05, 2020 Updated May 02, 2020

Looking for fun ways to play with your little one when you're at home all day? Discover how to entertain a baby with these simple ways. When my eldest was a newborn, I could get away with laying him on a blanket and shaking a few rattles as entertainment. But then he started staying awake more, and I found myself needing to up the ante: We did tummy time, I placed him in an infant seat, we read. But still, he started to get cranky and bored, tired of the same toys. Even I felt like we were doing the same things over and over. I had to carry him around because setting him down for even … [Read more...]

31 Activities for 1 Year Olds

Activities

Published Feb 05, 2020 Updated Jun 15, 2020

Toddlers aren't babies anymore, but they aren't "big kids" yet either. Whether indoors or outdoors, crafts or educational games, here are fun activities for 1 year olds. One-year-olds are in that "in between" stage. They're not babies anymore, especially as they grow more interested in being mobile and developing motor skills. Their ability to play is more advanced than an infant, plus they won't exactly sit still for a long time. But 1 year olds are also not at the "preschool" stage yet, either. They're still limited with what they can do, especially on their own. They don't follow … [Read more...]

The Best Activities to Do with 2 Year Olds

Activities

Published Nov 18, 2019 Updated Jun 15, 2020

These activities to do with 2 year olds are developmentally appropriate, mess-free, and will keep your toddler busy for long stretches. Like many first-time moms, the toddler stage was a new but exciting time for me and the little guy. I was on the search for possible activities we could do, to fill up the days we had together. After all, it's easy to get stuck in a rut, where your child seems bored at home. Where you find yourself once again clueless for activities geared toward his age. You might be home with him all day and getting bored with your usual routine. Or maybe your 2 … [Read more...]

Sensory Activities for 1 Year Olds: 18 Ideas to Engage the Senses

Activities

Published Oct 03, 2019 Updated Feb 25, 2020

Sensory activities for 1 year olds are so much fun! Boost your child's development through hands-on play with these things to teach your toddler. Every mom has the best intentions... we just don't always have the best follow-through. Because I'd find myself getting excited about a sensory activity with my 1 year old, only to forget about it the next day. Or we'd actually do an activity, but then not do another one for several weeks. It doesn't help when the activities you find online all seem so complicated. "They're just 1 year olds!" I'd cry after scrolling through the photos. As much … [Read more...]

Need Outdoor Activities to Do with Your 1 Year Old? Start Here.

Activities

Published Aug 05, 2019 Updated Jun 13, 2020

Want to take your toddler outside but out of ideas? Check out these outdoor activities for 1 year olds! From places to go, to sensory activities at home, you’ll find your perfect idea right here. Our park boasts huge, grassy lawns, tons of trees, and little knick knacks my then-1 year old loved to play with. In fact, one of his favorite games was "Let's find all the baby pine cones" which he'd collect and gather at one of the bases of the trees. And each time we'd go back to the park, we'd still find his stash exactly where it was. Even when my little ones were really little—as in, … [Read more...]

20 Easy Activities for 3 Year Olds You Can Do Any Day

Activities

Published Jun 25, 2018 Updated Apr 22, 2020

Looking for easy activities for 3 year olds? From crafts to outdoor activities, discover everyday, fun things to do with your child. If you're like me, you've found your child playing with the same toy, day after day. Or perhaps he's even blurted the dreaded, "I'm bored," leaving you wondering what else you can do. As much as I'm a fan of independent play, we can still do plenty to keep our kids engaged during the day. You may have even found yourself getting bored of the same activities or thinking of ways to switch things up. I've compiled my favorite activities for 3 year olds, the … [Read more...]

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