Homemade Halloween Slime Recipes: 4 Homemade Slime Recipes
There is nothing better than homemade slime. It's soft and squishy and stretchy and you get to pick the colors, the texture and the glitter!! If you are thinking of trying a spooky sensory slime recipe this Halloween, you are in luck! Here are our four favorites, they never disappoint! Head to our Instagram page to see more ways to learn & play at home or in the classroom! We love to see you play & share the joy of hands-on crafts & activities at home. Be sure to tag @aplayf
Oct 17
How to Dye Rice for a Halloween Sensory Bin
A little rice, a little color, and a whole lot of scoop-and-pour fun! If you’re looking for an easy Halloween sensory play idea, dyed rice is a great place to start. You only need three ingredients to turn plain white rice into a colorful dry sensory base. Add a few cups and spoons, and you have an invitation to play that you can bring out again and again. For this Halloween mix, we’re making purple, black, orange, and green sensory rice using white vinegar and food coloring.
Oct 5
6 Hands-on, Play-based activities for Kids
A Tray Full of Play: 6 Hands-On Learning Activities for Kids Grab this week’s A Tray Full of Play printable pack for $4 HERE. A little prep. A whole lot of play! Welcome to A Tray Full of Play, a weekly series with six hands-on activities to help your little one explore phonics, math, and motor skills through play. Think scooping, squeezing, counting, matching, building, and making marks. Simple materials, playful invitations, and plenty of opportunities for little hands to g
Oct 3
DIY Outdoor Mud Kitchen for Kids
A Simple Backyard Sensory Play Setup There is something magical about outdoor sensory play. A DIY mud kitchen gives toddlers and preschoolers the chance to scoop, pour, mix, pretend, explore, and create using simple materials you probably already have at home. The best part? It does not need to be fancy or expensive to become a favorite outdoor play space. Mud kitchens encourage imaginative play, fine motor development, creativity, problem-solving, and sensory exploration — a
May 27
30 Simple Summer Activities for Toddlers + Kids (Your BINGO Guide to Easy Fun + Connection over the Summer)
Summer with kids doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful. In fact, the most powerful moments are often the smallest ones, those quick, playful bursts of connection woven into your day. This Summer Activity BINGO Card was designed to give you exactly that: simple summer activities for toddlers and kids that are easy to set up, low pressure, and rooted in what young kids actually need: movement, sensory play, and connection. Because here’s the truth: when toddlers feel
May 26
Multi-Sensory Writing Activities for Preschoolers and Toddlers
Learning to write begins long before a child can form perfect letters on paper. For toddlers and preschoolers, writing is a full-body learning experience! When children can see, touch, move, and explore letters in playful ways, they build stronger connections in the brain and develop the fine motor skills needed for future handwriting success. That is why multi-sensory writing activities are so powerful. Instead of only practicing with a pencil and worksheet, children use the
May 25
Chalk-It-Up: How to Create a DIY Sidewalk Chalk Mosaic for Summer Fun
If you’ve ever handed your kids a bucket of sidewalk chalk and watched them lose interest five minutes later… this one’s for you. Welcome back to our Chalk It Up Series—where we take something simple (hello, chalk!) and turn it into something a little more magical, a little more engaging, and a lot more memorable. Today’s activity? A DIY sidewalk chalk mosaic that feels equal parts art project and sensory play and it’s so easy to set up. Why We Love This Chalk Activity I’m al
Apr 29
Fine Motor Friday: Simple, Playful Activities to Strengthen Your Toddler’s Hands All Year Long
If you’re a toddler mom looking for simple, meaningful ways to support your child’s development at home, you’re in the right place. Fine motor skills play a huge role in early learning—helping toddlers with everything from holding crayons to using scissors to building early writing confidence. That’s why I created Fine Motor Friday, a year‑long series featuring 52 weeks of easy, hands‑on fine motor activities you can do right at home. Each Friday, I share one small, manageabl
Apr 29
DIY Sensory Balloons: How to Make Sensory Balloons for Self-Regulation at Home and at School
In this post, you’ll learn what emotion balloons are, how to make them, how to use them, and why they are such a powerful regulation tool for toddlers and kids of all ages. What Are Sensory Balloons? Sensory balloons are DIY sensory tools made by filling balloons with soft materials like flour or play dough and drawing simple emotion faces on them. Each balloon represents a different feeling, like mad, sad, calm, excited, or worried. They are part of a growing movement in ear
Apr 24
Chalk-It-Up: How to Create an outdoor alphabet learning experience that supports fine motor skills
If your kids are anything like mine, they love anything that involves water… and they especially love being in charge of a spray bottle. So today’s Chalk It Up Series activity takes something simple—practicing the alphabet—and turns it into a movement-filled, happiness-inducing game that keeps them coming back for more. I am a HUGE believer that learning doesn’t have to happen sitting at a table. Kids need to move; it supports learning, regulation and activates both sides of
Apr 22
