It's November and my wheels have started to turn when it comes to gift giving and our two boys. We are at the stage where toys aren't making the list as much and I find myself stumped every time someone asks me what my kids want for Christmas.
This brings me to the experience gift! Creating memories as a family is something that will be remembered by you and your kids in the future. The newest action figure or video game won't necessarily come to mind when they think back on family memories. Does this mean to scratch the "stuff" all together? No, not at all. However, getting creative with experience gifts will create memories and fun that will last in everyone's mind!
What are some questions that I ask myself when considering gifting an experience to my kids?
- What is one of their favorite outings?
- Is there a local spot that they have expressed interest in that we can make a weekend of?
- Who do they listen to when it comes to music these days?
- Is there a special restaurant that they like to eat at for special occasions? (My boys love a trip to a fun hibachi grill)
- Does the family have a local museum, zoo, or play place that you frequent?
- Do they have any favorite local sports teams?
- Are there any plays/musicals they would enjoy coming to town?
Here are some ideas for a gifts:
- Concert tickets - We gifted "First Concert" tickets to see the Imagine Dragons last year.
- Annual Membership to local museum or play play. This is also a great gift for grandparents to take as well.
- A special night out to their favorite special occasion restaurant! You could even add on some movie tickets.
- Season passes/tickets to local amusement park
- Tickets to see their favorite sports team play
- Look at local outdoors places. Tickets to zipline, go-kart race, or any popular activities in your area.
- Lessons! Have they been asking to start a new hobby? Gift them some introductory lessons so they can see if it is something they would like to pursue.
- Family gift- You can always do a family gift and take everyone away for a weekend of fun somewhere.
I hope this helps give you some direction if gifting an experience is new to you! Our family has definitely enjoyed incorporating this type of present into our gift-giving over the last couple of years. If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them in the comment section below!
As a mom, packing for a vacation can get those stress levels rising! Not only are we packing for ourselves but we are also responsible for the kids and sometimes, the fur babies. Now that my kids are a little older, I thought it was time to pass some of the pre-vacation responsibilities to my boys.
I needed a system that was simple, straight forward, and easy to read and explain to my kids. This "Pack Your Bags!" free resource, provides written text for readers, pictures for non-readers, and gives them the control of checking things off the list as the get things done.
If there is one thing I have learned from my background in child development, it is that kids love multiple forms of sensory input. This resource provides, visual cues as well as the gratification of a check box using a marker or pencil to mark completion!
This resource provides kids with the opportunity to:
-Work on their counting skills
-Work on identification skills
-Learn the written word for the objects
-Provide a sense of responsibility
-Provide an opportunity to work with colors if you want to get more detailed. My kids need all the help with matching they can get!
You can grab your FREE PRINTABLE HERE!
I can't wait to hear how you use this resource.
This cake has transformed over the years but can always be relied on for a simple, fast, and delicious cold treat! My favorite part about this cake is the fact that you can create your own flavors based on your favorite ice cream, candy, and cookies. Also, the size of it is easy to adjust based on the size of the crowd you are feeding.
We reach for this easy ice cream cake recipe for birthdays! It is just our family of four when it comes to “day of” celebrations and I can create the perfect size just for us.
Let’s get to the “how-to” portion of this blog entry. There is nothing I hate more than having to scroll through a long explanation to get to the recipe I am looking for!
How to create an Ice Cream Dump Cake…
You will need:
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Your favorite ice cream
Hot Fudge, Caramel, or favorite gooey topping
Favorite Whipped Topping
About a cup and a half of your favorite cookie crushed into small pieces
Your favorite candy to top everything off
How to:
Layer 1: Lay out your first layer of ice cream sandwiches.
Layer 2: Spread softened ice cream over the ice cream sandwiches.
Layer 3: Spread whipped topping over the ice cream.
Layer 4: Top whipped topping with crushed cookie and gooey topping.
Next, do it all over again starting with the ice cream sandwiches. As you spread the whipped topping make sure you cover the entire cake. After you have sprinkled the cookie and gooey topping over the top. Start to drop your favorite small candies over top of the cake. This can also be sprinkles or nuts.
This is also a super fun dessert to make with your kiddos!
Enjoy! If you make this, come back to comment with the flavors you used!
Whether it is the busy days of summer or a long school day, you never know when emotions are going to catch up to our kids. Sometimes, as moms, we can see it coming hours before the meltdown occurs or sometimes, it comes out of nowhere and we are left trying to figure out what triggered such a strong response. Either way, we want to do our best to help our kids work through those tough moments.
One thing I have learned through the ups and downs with my own kids is, the time to talk about it is after the emotional moment has passed and things have settled. Otherwise, things we may be saying or suggesting aren’t even being heard because they are working so hard on processing what they are struggling with. In fact, in may cause more stress and frustration for everyone in the moment.
There are three things that have helped my kids in moments of big emotions.
- Personal Space
- Breath work
- Aromatherapy (we associate certain aromas with various feelings)
Today, I want to tell you about a fun tool you can have on hand in those hard moments for our kids.
Feelings Dough
This tool incorporates smell, touch, and sight! I find that tools are more effective when you incorporate the senses. This is a tool you will want to create with your child!
What you will need:
2 cups cornstarch
1 cup lotion (non-scented or lightly scented is best. No fragrance)
Three different essential oils.
One for “happy”- we like an oil blend called “Citrus Fresh”
One for “calm” -we like an oil called “Peace and Calming”
One for “brave”- we like an oil called “Valor”
Food Coloring
Combine the cornstarch, lotion, and oil for “happy”. Ask the child what color they associate with being happy. Add the color to the mixture! When combined, place in a jar with lid and label it “happy”.
Repeat this for the “calm” and “brave” jar.
Explain to the child, when they feel themselves getting frustrated, sad, or discouraged, to grab the desired jar and play with that playdough for a bit. Once, they have settled, they can bring it to you and you can talk through what was bothering the child.
You can also create dough that promotes focus.
This tool is perfect to have on hand in a classroom, playroom, or therapy bag!
Okay! The kids are home, and you are looking for simple yet entertaining fun.
The feeding therapist in me LOVES this game. My kids and I have played a version of this but of course, I prefer my way.
Who is this game for? ANYONE! I will give tips below for working with more sensitive and picky kiddos.
THE FOOD COLOR CHALLENGE-
What you will need:
A game spinner that you can find at the link below
2-3 foods that correspond with each color on the spinner (you may need to get creative for some)
Dry Erase Marker
How to play:
With your dry erase marker, write numbers on the different colors. This will correspond with the # of bites the person has to take of that food.
Decide who will go first. Youngest to oldest always seems to work best in our house. Get your spinner ready. Next, that first player will spin the game spinner. They will land on a color and will need to choose which food they will eat from the foods offered for that color. Once a food is consumed, it is removed from the options corresponding to that color.
Then the next player goes.
If a player refuses to eat their corresponding bites/color, they are out.
The first player to eat something from each color, wins!
Tips & Tricks:
-If you have picky eaters, put two likes and one challenging food per color.
-If your child is sensitive to textures or certain flavors, you can change the # of bites to them tolerating touching it, smelling it, or simply bringing it to their lips.
This game isn’t intended to be traumatic for those who struggle with different foods.
-You can also use various textures of the same food. For instance, if you are creating the yellow plate. Rather than have three different yellow foods, you can pick one item and present it in different textures.
For example, you can present a whole banana that they take a bite from. You can present mashed banana they can eat with a spoon, or you can cut up some bite size pieces for them to eat with a fork.
I know my boys absolutely challenging each other in games like this, so if you think your kids can handle it, allow them to help with the food options on the plate!
Who thinks their kids will have fun with this one?! I can’t wait to hear if you try it.
