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.
6 days ago
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
11 Playful Name Writing Activities for Preschoolers
Looking for name writing activities for preschoolers that feel like play? Start with materials your child can touch, move, build, and explore. A cotton swab, a few blocks, or a ball of play dough can turn name practice into a meaningful invitation to learn. There is something pretty special about learning to write your own name. Those letters belong to YOU! But getting there takes practice, and there are so many playful ways to begin. Bring out the blocks, grab the dot sticke
Oct 2
DIY Halloween Lava Lamps: A Fun Halloween STEM Activity for Kids
If you’re looking for a Halloween activity that is easy to set up, fun to watch, and actually teaches kids something, these DIY Halloween lava lamps are it! They are colorful, bubbly, a little bit spooky, and they give kids the opportunity to explore some really cool STEM concepts using materials you probably already have at home. It looks like play, but there is so much learning happening here. Kids are predicting what will happen, observing changes, asking questions, experi
Sep 26
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
