Searching for "creative play"

Exploring Mickey’s Magical Arts World with Preschool Kids #DisneyImagicademy


Exploring Mickey's Magical Arts World with Preschool Kids from Disney Imagicademy AppWe are so excited to tell you about the new Mickey’s Magical Arts World app from Disney’s Imagicademy because we are BIG Disney fans and love apps that allow kids to be creative while learning rather than just entertained. The new apps from Disney Imagicademy combine favorite characters with a curriculum designed to meet early learning needs and encourage creativity. The kids and I explored the app together, and were instantly enthralled. Mickey welcomes kids in to a world of creative arts where they can draw, design, create, and make music, all with the help of their favorite Disney characters. Best of all, the app is FREE to download, and has corresponding apps for learning math skills and for parents.

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Five Free Field Trips for Kids Under 5 + Fabulously Frugal

5 fun free field trips for kids under 5Sometimes you just need to get the kids out of the house, right?! With 2 little ones, cabin fever set in with this winter weather and our usual neighborhood walks and nature hikes become slightly less appealing. We have to get creative to get the kids out and doing something fun without the budget taking a hit. Here are five of our favorite free field trips for kids under 5 to give you some inspiration and get you out of the house. Bonus: If you are a blogger, link up your latest frugal post to the Fabulously Frugal Link Party at the bottom of this page. You can find more of our frugal living ideas here, and our fun for preschool kids here.

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Taste Safe Chocolate Cinnamon Scented Sensory Dough

Taste Safe Chocolate Cinnamon Scented Sensory DoughWe love sensory play at our house, and we’ve been experimenting with new ideas for sensory dough. My daughter puts everything she plays with in her mouth, so I love making taste safe sensory dough so I don’t have to worry about her. Today I’m sharing a fun recipe for taste safe chocolate cinnamon scented sensory dough perfect for toddlers and up to engage your kids’ senses. This recipe is perfect for pretend play and sensory exploration. Find more fabulous Sensory Dough ideas at 12 Months of Sensory Dough.

Making Pretend Cupcakes with Taste Safe Chocolate Cinnamon Scented Sensory Dough

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Real Home Inspiration: DIY + Vintage Finds + A Bicycle Themed Nursery at the Hansen Home

real home inspiration diy vintage bicycle themed nursery

This summer we traveled across the southern U.S. staying with friends and family along the way. At every home we visited I found something inspiring, as I often do visiting the homes of friends here in Dallas. I asked several of them if it would be ok to share a peek at their real homes and creative touches for a new series here at Bare Feet on the Dashboard. No staging, no faking it, I’ll just share real homes to inspire you. To kick off my Real Home Inspiration series, I’m bringing you the Hansen Family’s DIY touches, vintage finds, and super fun bicycle themed nursery. I hope you love it as much as I do. Thanks to the Hansens for sharing their home with us!

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The Best Kid Activities of 2014 ~ Crafts, Education, & Parenting

best-kid-blogger-posts-2014
With the new year fresh and full of possibility, I like to take a minute to reflect on the one just ended. This little blog has grown like crazy and I am constantly blown away by how many of you visit, read, share, and pin. I am so thankful for each one of you and for the way your support enables me to be home with my kids and have this creative outlet. Thank you. I am also so thankful to be part of a fabulous network of kid bloggers – moms, dads, grandparents, and education professionals – who partner to make each of blogs better together. We’ve joined forces once again to share the very best of our work from 2014. Each blogger has added their BEST post from the past year in one of the three categories below – crafts, education, and parenting.

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Three Ways to Celebrate Epiphany with Preschool Kids

Three Ways to Celebrate Epiphany with Preschool Kids

I’ve always loved the way Epiphany (the coming of the 3 kings/wise men) is celebrated in Spanish culture. Most Americans don’t make a big deal out of the January 6th holiday that is the traditional end of the 12 days of Christmas. I studied abroad in Spain in college and fell in love with the culture, and was *this close* to moving there in my mid 20s. I thought it would be fun this year to celebrate Epiphany with my kids and teach them about the holiday. This post is a part of the Christmas Around the World Series hosted by my friends over at Multicultural Kid Blogs. Visit the main page here and the Pinterest board here.

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20+ Ideas for Preschool and Toddler Christmas Fun

20+ Ideas for Preschool and Toddler Christmas Fun

The most wonderful time of the year is here and we are so ready to create special Christmas memories with our family. With a toddler and a preschooler in our house, the wonder and magic of the season is in full effect. I’ve spend time gathering the best ideas for preschool and toddler Christmas fun to share with you and your wee ones. Pick a few ideas and spread holiday cheer in your home. Don’t forget to enter to win one of 4 $500 CASH prizes we’re giving away at the bottom of this post to make your holiday extra special. If you’re looking for gift ideas for your favorite toddler, you’ll find our gift guide for 1-3 year olds here.

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Ten Fun & Festive Family Christmas Traditions

Ten Fun and Festive Family Christmas Traditions to start with your family.

Holiday traditions can be full of joy and meaning, and are different for every family. You may bring in traditions from your own childhood as well as from your spouse’s family of origin, and combine them to make new ones for your own children. As I shared in this post about Ways to Simplify the Holiday Season, we make a list of all the things we want to experience during the holidays at the beginning so we make sure to prioritize and not get caught up in the busyness. Today I’m sharing ten of our favorite Christmas traditions with you, and I’d love to hear about your own in the comments section. Don’t forget to check out the links at the bottom of this post to find more Festive Family Fun ideas from the Festive Family bloggers. Our MASSIVE Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway ends tonight (11/17) at midnight, so be sure to enter at the bottom of this post. (more…)

Gifts for Toddlers ~ Educational, Active, & Fun Ideas

The Best Gifts for Toddlers Educational Active Fun Ideas

Toddlers are fun all year round, but especially during the holidays. They can be a handful, but fill my heart with joy as well. Their eyes aglow with wonder at the lights on the tree, singing carols with the words all wrong, throwing a fit during that visit with Santa, caring more about the gift wrap than the present itself… all of it makes for a special holiday season. If you are looking to be strategic with your toddler gift giving this year by choosing gifts that will grow with your child and benefit them throughout the year, I’ve got the list for the best gifts for toddlers with options for every budget. With an 18 month old and 3 year old in our house, we are not looking to pile a bunch of stuff under the tree, but want to give our kids meaningful, useful gifts they’ll love. At this age you get to choose the gifts you want them to have rather than the latest toy they’re obsessed with, because they don’t really know any better. Read on to find our ideas and share your own in the comments section.

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