Best Crafts To Do With Kids

Whether you are a parent, a babysitter, or run a daycare, if you interact with children on a regular basis you know that they love to do arts and crafts of all kinds. Not only are crafts a fun experience for the kids, but they can also provide some much-needed quiet time for the adults. Here are some of the best crafts to explore with the kids in your life.

Shaving Cream Painting

One fun way to get creative is to make shaving cream paintings. To do this, simply separate some shaving cream into separate bowls and add food coloring. Then, the kids can make their own creations by spreading the shaving cream over sheets of paper. This is fun to make and creates a unique texture when it dries.

Toilet Paper Roll Creatures

Toilet paper rolls can be a great tool when making crafts with little ones. If you run a childcare center Chicago IL, it might be a good idea to prepare the rolls ahead of time by covering them with construction paper. Providing googly eyes, buttons, pipe cleaners, sequins, markers, and other materials will allow the kids to get creative with how they decorate their creatures.

Slime

Slime has become extremely popular with kids lately. There are kits that you can purchase at the store for making your own slime. If you want to teach kids how to make their own with household items, you can make slime with just water, borax, and glue. It can be fun to add items such as food coloring or glitter to your slime.

Creativity is something that should be encouraged in the younger generations. It promotes problem solving, teamwork, and mindfulness. Crafts help young ones grow as people. So when you are getting crafty with the kids, don't be afraid to get messy!

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Activities To Do With Kids On A Budget

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Finding inexpensive, yet memorable activities for the kids can be a challenge. You'll find activities that will keep your child engaged while also teaching them new skills. From cooking together to exploring nature and local attractions, these are the perfect family-friendly activities. You can have a memorable experience without spending a fortune.

Explore Free Museums and Attractions

There may be many local museums and attractions that are free or very low cost, or allow children for free. Your local library may also have a calendar of events and activities for children of all ages. Your county or city website also may have a list of these attractions and events.

Camp in the Backyard

If you want to stay closer to home, pitch a tent in your backyard and play camp for a few days. Make s’mores or other camp meals over a fire or grill. Tell stories and play outdoor games. You could treat all the activities about your backyard camp like a theme week, which is what a day care center Poway CA would do to create learning connections in children. 

Make Crafts from Nature

Whether or not you choose to make a backyard camp, you can make use of many free craft materials right in your backyard to make easy crafts. Use collected leaves or flowers to make collages on paper. Paint flat rocks and return them to your yard or a local park. Coat pinecones in peanut butter and sunflower seeds to hang for the birds and other small animals. 

When you have kids, it can be hard to find something new to do, especially when most of the options seem expensive or too far away. You don't have to break your budget or spend a lot of time looking for something fun for your family. There may be many activities available around you for free which you and your family can explore.

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How to Encourage Your Kids to Play Outside

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Getting your kids outside in the fresh air and away from their electronics is a challenge many parents face. Although it’s an uphill battle, there are a few things you can do to turn the tide of war in your favor. Start by making “going outside” especially appealing by putting some kid-friendly outdoor toys in your yard.

Trampoline

There is no denying that kids of all ages love trampolines. Little kids can bounce off energy for hours. Older kids will enjoy playing games with balls or practicing summersaults for more sophisticated play. Even moms and dads can do trampoline workouts for a fun break from their usual exercise routine. Trampolines can get use for years and trampoline replacement parts are readily available, making it a good outdoor investment.

Pool

Putting in an inground pool is a serious financial commitment especially when you consider all the continued maintenance, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be worth it if your kids spend endless hours swimming. Above ground pools are a less expensive alternative that are still just as enjoyable and can be disassembled and reassembled if necessary.

Bicycles

Back in the old days, the best present you could receive under the Christmas tree was a shiny new bike with a basket and a horn. Kids don’t ride as much as they used to, but you can change this by buying bikes for the whole family and making daily bike rides a fun family activity. Once your kids get used to riding and know the limits of your street or neighborhood, you can send them out with friends to explore.

Before electronics took over our lives, playing outside used to be the norm. Now it needs to be encouraged. Help nudge your kids out the door with a couple of can’t-miss outdoor activities.

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Top 3 Enrichment Opportunities for Your Children

It is no secret that children benefit from enrichment opportunities outside of school. Participation in these programs encourages children to explore strengths and interests, helps build confidence and can help form strong social bonds with others. There is a wide variety of artistic and athletic programs available to children, but many parents struggle to decide what is best for their child. If you are interested in providing your child such an opportunity, use these ideas to help get you started!

Educational Programs

Children often require additional help to understand complete work assigned in the classroom. There are many enrichment programs that provide tutoring services in addition to general childcare. These after school programs Tampa often hire employees with experience in education who can help students struggling in school subjects such as math, language arts and science. This can provide much-needed support for children who may be struggling with schoolwork.

Athletic Training Programs

Regular exercise is necessary for children to maintain healthy and happy lives. Athletic programs can provide this exercise while also teaching children teamwork and social skills. Some programs provide training for team sports, such as soccer, basketball and football. Others allow children to train for individual sports, like gymnastics, horseback riding and archery. These athletic programs can have a competitive component but can also exist for purely recreational purposes.

Performing Arts and Fine Arts Programs

Art programs encourage children to express thoughts and feelings through creative expression. Programs focused on the arts allow children to express thoughts and feelings creatively with guidance from experienced teachers. Children can also develop organizational skills, fine motor skills and practice higher-level thinking by studying the arts. Fine arts classes can provide lessons in painting, drawing, sculpting and photography. Meanwhile, performing arts classes focus on dance, music and theater performance.

There are many enrichment opportunities available. Use this guide to help you find the best opportunity for your children!

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Creative Ways for Kids to be Responsible at Home

As parents, raising children with the right values are essential for their character. Teaching kids the necessary values in life at a young age can be something that will pay off once they live their own lives, which every parent wants for their child.

Patience and understanding play a huge part in teaching these values to children. Although it is a long process, this is something that will pay off even in the long run. Here are some simple activities and tips on how to teach little ones (or not-so-little ones) with being responsible at home.

Get kids involved in the simple tasks at home

Children are very curious at a young age. This would be a good opportunity to educate them on how the day to day household chores work. For example, let them help sweep in the garden or water the plants in the morning. Another way is to ask for their help in preparing the toast when cooking sandwiches for breakfast. Make sure that appliances are kid-friendly and easy to use so they can easily learn and help out.

Using all-in-one appliances like Samsung Smart Oven can make meal preparation times easier. This appliance functions as a convection oven and a microwave that can be used for baking, grilling, slim frying, defrosting, steaming and even making yogurt, making it the perfect cooking appliance. It also has auto cook functions that can easily be navigated by kids when they want to cook simple snacks like french fries, onion rings, and frozen pan pizza.

Samsung Smart Oven 35-liter with 6-in-1 functions

Creating routines for kids allow them to easily turn basic responsibilities into habits

Creating routines for kids can allow them to easily turn basic responsibilities to be a habit. These habits can make up a child’s character which gives importance to being responsible for one’s self.  For instance, making the bed after waking up, packing their lunch, transferring the leftover food in the refrigerator after dinner, or bringing down laundry hampers from their rooms.

There will always be an instance where one forgets to add last-minute dirty clothes in the washer, but worry not! Samsung Front Load washer has an Add Wash and Eco Bubble technology that lets you add clothes anytime and ensures all is clean with cleansing bubbles that penetrate fabrics faster than concentrated detergent.

Samsung Front Load Washer 7.5 kg with Add Wash and Eco Bubble Technology

Add a fun twist to household chores

Make household chores fun and interesting for children to accomplish! A creative take on this is to create a goal list for children to put fun stickers to after every accomplishment, hamper hoops to encourage kids to not leave the laundry on the floor, or to ask kids to randomly pick popsicle sticks with chores written on them. Since every child is different, feel free to explore different takes that can excite them.

Create a reward system to motivate kids

Incorporating a healthy challenge for children can give them another boost of motivation to be more responsible. For example, if a child finishes his/her homework ahead of time, that can be rewarded accordingly when they request to watch more TV or ask for treats! Another option is to have a tally board to keep track of the children’s conquered challenges. Acknowledging their growth can also be a way to further inspire them to keep being responsible.

Teach your kids to be well-rounded and independent

Everyone has their own way of doing things, and this also applies to children. Teaching your kids different chores (no matter how small) at home will help them develop real-life skills that they can use later on in life. Guiding them with their everyday chores will make your kids feel capable, responsible, and confident. Instilling these values will make them feel part of the team and encourage them to be good citizens.  

Samsung Digital Appliances has innovations that help create space that makes it easy for parents to instill the right values at home.

For more information on the Samsung Digital Appliances, visit https://www.samsung.com/ph/home-appliances/ and like SamsungPH on Facebook.

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How Drumming Helps Kids with Special Needs

Drumming is not just an activity enjoyed by many. Drumming can be a basic musical therapeutic element that will benefit kid with special needs. The kids that find it difficult to express themselves or have problems with their communication skills can benefit from drumming therapy techniques. There are several benefits on how a child with special needs will benefit from this form of therapy and they are as follows:

Note: If your child has special needs it is advisable to get a drum set for him/her. It’s recommended to get a drum set for beginners, since the child as no history playing drums.

Motor skill improvement

One of the benefits is the improvement of the hand to eye coordination of the child. Kids with special needs could find it difficult to develop their motor skills. The Drumming therapy is recommended for the child. It involves giving a child a mallet to use as a tool to develop his/her motor skills. When the child is given more drums, he/ she will develop movement, good motor skills and grasping among other aspect.

Communication and speech

Another benefit of drumming that’s being used as a therapeutic tool, is the improvement of the child’s communication skills. A musical therapist form the company Albert Knapp & Associate called John Mew uses drumming to promote speech through the beat. While using the sounds of the drum, with time the children will learn how to say words phrases and even sentences.

Impulse and control techniques

It is really unhealthy for a kid who doesn’t know how to control their emotions. It could lead to damage of his/herself and others around the child. Drumming can help to calm the mind of the child who has no control over his/her impulses. This techniques is required to be used on short-tempered kids. It’s done in a way such that the impulse/emotions of the child is expressed during the drumming sessions. This literally letting it all out just to calm the mind.

Social skills

Drumming is often a cooperative and interactive activity. While the child learns drumming there will be other kids that are learning too. They will take turns and share between each other if only a drum is in use. The child will begin to feel like a part of a group or social setting. Then from there develop social skills by interacting with their fellow group members.

Improving self-esteem

Drumming is quite a fun activity whereby kids of various ages would love to beat drums. The fact that they are enjoying the activity improves their self-esteem which will lead to more confidence in their day to day life.

Improving decision making

Drumming sessions can have a positive effect on the child’s decision making skill. By developing their attention span and improving their impulse control in order to ultimately give the child the ability to make better decisions.

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