Sugar-Free Valentine Treats

Finding a stocking filled with small surprises is one of the most exciting parts of the holidays! To help parents make the most of these tiny treasures, Experts at Play at Educational Insights are here with 10 small gift ideas guaranteed to bring big smiles, spark lasting joy, and keep kids’ interest well into the new year.

Playfoam Pals Holiday Ornaments – Give the gift of holiday spirit with this 2-in-1 craft set! Kids decorate the ornaments with the included stickers and hang them on the tree, then sculpt the Playfoam inside into the perfect pretend play props for the Snowy Pals figurine hidden in the Playfoam! When they’re done, squish the Playfoam flat and begin again—Playfoam never dries out, so the fun never ends!

Playfoam Build-a-Snowman – Kids can squish and squash these packs of Playfoam into their very own no-melt snowmen, then accessorize them with the included hat, scarf, carrot nose, arm branches, eyes, and buttons. This set of three kits is perfect for spreading across sibling stockings, too!

Playfoam Putty 4 Pack – Stimulate sensory play all season long with Playfoam Putty! A uniquely textured putty is perfect for squishing, squashing, and sculpting, and makes a crackle sound with every squeeze! Perfect for screen-free ASMR play. Plus, all that squeezing and squashing builds fine motor skills.

Playfoam Pals Snowy Friends – Inspire hours of pretend-play fun! Each special-edition snow globe pod contains a snowy mix of Playfoam perfect for sculpting a squishy, squashy, play world, and a hidden mystery Pal to play in it! Kids will want to collect them all!

Playfoam Shape & Learn 4 Pack – Slip some learning into their stockings! This pack contains four sets of sculptable Playfoam, each with a set of shape, letter, number, or counting cards. Kids shape the Playfoam to match the object on each card, practicing critical preschool skills the creative way!

PaperCraft Doll Fashion Party – Encourage creativity with this set of four PaperCraft booklets, each featuring extra-large, stick-on (and off, and on again) dolls and fashions for endless mix and match outfits and hours of creative play. And with four sets you can spread them across other sibling’s stockings or give as small gifts to other friends and family.

GeoSafari Jr. Dino Discovery – Turn Christmas day into a prehistoric party with a real dino dig packed with surprises! Kids scoop and dig in the reusable dino dirt to find and excavate Triceratops or T-Rex bones, then assemble the bones to create a complete skeleton. Kits also include fossil molds and a volcano carry case!

GeoSafari Jr. Kidnoculars – Kids can scope out everything from Santa’s sleigh to the first buds of spring with this set of focus-free binoculars featuring 2x magnification and extra-large eyepieces! Perfect for nature walks, sky gazing, and more.

Design & Drill Robot – Tis’ the season for STEM learning and this DIY robot is the perfect introduction for preschoolers! Kids snap the pieces together, then use the included screwdriver and colorful bolts to decorate their rockin’ robot pal. When they’re done, it’s time for robot-themed pretend play

Make the most of your stocking stuffers! The right small gifts for the holidays can surprise and delight kids for months to come.

Valentine’s Day is upon us, a time for snuggles, love, and… learning! Celebrate the day – and build key early learning skills – with seven sweet (and free!) Valentine’s activities, including pre-made, printable Valentine’s cards:

Counting Love Bugs Valentine’s Day Worksheet

Download this four-page Valentine’s counting activity for FREE, courtesy of Spark More Play! Simply download, print, and then use Playfoam, dough, or any other non-toxic molding compound to practice counting and numbers, build fine motor skills, and encourage creativity.

Valentine’s Day Cookies Activity

Download and print this tasty activity to practice fine motor skills, shape and color learning, and more! Simply use Playfoam, dough, or any other non-toxic molding compound to decorate each shaped cookie.

Playfoam Valentine’s Day Cards

Kids can create a custom, three-dimensional Valentine’s Day card, complete with envelope, using this free template! Just squish, squash, squeeze and smash Playfoam or any other molding compound onto the paper to make a one-of-a-kind Valentine’s masterpiece, then share with friends and family!

Sorting Hearts with Sneaky, the Snacky Squirrel Valentine’s Day Worksheet

Download and print this sweet candy hearts worksheet to help little ones practice sorting and matching – critical pre-math skills – as well as counting and addition! When you’re done, celebrate with some sweet Valentine’s treats of your own.

Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Nuts About You Color-In Valentine

If your little one loves The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game, they’ll go nuts for this sweet coloring sheet that does double duty as a super-cute Valentine! Click to download and print this sheet.

Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco Color-In Valentine

Have some fun with everyone’s favorite feline, Frankie! Download this adorable coloring page and let your little one get creative – coloring is a great way to build fine motor strength and coordination as well as creativity and imagination!

Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco Valentine’s Cards

Skip the store and download four fun Frankie Valentines for your child to hand out instead! Simply download, print, complete the to and from.

We’ve got Valentine’s Day covered with worksheets, coloring pages, cards, and crafts perfect for celebrating the love and slipping in some heart-shaped learning. Happy Valentine’s Day to YOU!

I love making memories with my family, so scheduling time to come together is essential. One of my favorite family traditions is our weekly family game night. It’s something fun we all look forward to every week. As a homeschool mom, I make sure we play educational games all through the week. But for family game nights, I like to step it up and add a few special touches. I have realized that adding things like snacks, fun prizes, and even a trophy will bring everyone to the table every week. Also, it is a wonderful way to get everyone off their electronic devices!

A regular family game night has a long list of benefits for you and your family, including:

• Reducing stress

• Increasing confidence

• Practicing problem-solving

• Enhancing vocabulary development

• Bonding family members

• Encouraging the use of imagination

• Reinforcing reading, writing and computation skills

• Improving communication skills

• Refining social skills

• Improving the brain’s ability to focus

• Applying life skills and good sportsmanship

• Adding positive memories through shared experiences

• Making more laughter, which has multiple emotional and physical benefits

Whenever we can combine learning with playing board games, I am all for it! That’s why I love using Educational Insights games in our homeschool as well as during our weekend family game nights. Your kids will not even realize that they’re learning at the same time. That’s a win-win in my book. We recently found three new games that incorporate learning with some of our favorite things like drawing, dice games, and word games. In this blog post, I have some fun and creative games to share that will have you and your family laughing, giggling, and enjoying the best time together. To add a little more excitement to the night, I created some fun snacks that correspond with each game. I cannot tell you how important it is to always have snacks at your family game nights. We will talk about that more later in the post.

The first game we played was Spindoodle™. I am always looking for games we can all play together and that is exactly what I found with Spindoodle! There were lots of laughs and excited screams while playing this game. To begin, the artist must roll the die to determine their drawing category. Then they draw a card and find the matching category item to draw. Next, they get to choose the speed setting for the spinning board. Bonus, the higher the speed setting, the more points the artist wins! Your team tries to guess what you’re doodling for points. The first team to earn 20 points and fill in their scorecard wins the game. Trying to draw while your surface is moving, and the timer is running out is more difficult than it sounds. I can see us playing this game at all our big family gatherings as well.

Reading the instructions and setting up this game are super easy. You just need 3 AA batteries, and you are good to go! It is a game for 4 or more players but can be adapted for fewer players if you choose. Storing this game is also simple, as everything fits easily back into the box after play.

I wanted to keep the spinning theme going, so I filled a spinning tray with tons of snacks I knew everyone would love. I started by adding our favorite hummus and pita bread, carrots, peppers, and almonds on one half of the tray. The other half I filled with licorice, popcorn, and chocolate candies. You could create a theme for your snack tray like a certain color food or different types of cookies or fruits. Whatever you do, just make sure you don’t overthink it. This should be fun and easy for you or the kids to throw together on game day!

The next game on our list was Dice of Fury™. This fast-paced game is math craziness – but in a good way! Each player must quickly complete each math challenge with their dice set and grab Steve (a large die with a face) first to win the round. There were lots of giggles and screams on this one. We all loved it!

To accompany this game, we snacked on a fun cheese and cracker tray. I cut cheese into cubes and added dots with a food marker to make them look like dice. They looked so good! I also added crackers, grapes, apple slices, and cookies. It took me only a few minutes to put this together with items we already had on hand.

The final game, and my favorite, is Wordical™. If you have word game lovers in your family, they will really enjoy this game. Each player receives five cards. Then you roll the vowel dice. You have to come up with a word using the vowels from the dice to try to score the biggest word. Player with the highest point word wins the round! The setup for this game takes seconds and will have you playing before the snacks hit the table. Wordical is a simple game, but once you start playing it is definitely addicting to keep going and making bigger words. I love that my kids are practicing their spelling, learning new words, and having fun all at the same time. We will definitely be adding this game to our weekday game-schooling line up.

For this game I made an Alphabet mix. I chose my kids favorite letter cookies, added chocolate-covered raisins, marshmallows, mini peanut butter cups, chocolate cereal squares, peanuts, and chocolate chips. Serve these in individual cups or bowls to make it easy to snack while playing. I try to grab cute baking cups from my local home-goods store to serve some of our treats in for game night or even a regular Tuesday afternoon for fun.

To help you get started with creating your own fabulous game nights, here are a few planning tips:

Make It a Priority

Get everyone excited with a digital or paper invitation. I like to leave ours on the kitchen table the morning of. Family night is valuable, but sometimes it can be difficult to get everyone to the table.

Set the Rules Before the Game

Games can bring out the best or worst in people. Create a few rules everyone can agree on and display them during the game. Help younger ones understand the importance of taking turns and being a good sport.

Let Everyone Participate

Plan on playing only one or two games. You don’t want the evening to become dull for anyone. We want all ages and levels to be able to participate every week.

Always Have Snacks

Have something ready or order from your favorite restaurant. When you stop playing to eat dinner or grab a snack, you can easily transition to the next game.

Give Away Some Prizes

I always try to have a few fun prizes or treats on hand for the winners and losers. Try to grab a few things the next time you’re at your local discount or dollar store. Gift cards, a favorite candy, or small toy can be good options for different age groups.

Always Plan Ahead

Make a list of board games, made-up games, and even video games so you always have ideas ready for your next family game night. Give each member of the family a turn to pick the game or games for the following week. You can also create a fun way to determine what game to play next.

Family game night creates lasting memories because it fosters a sense of belonging. In the busy hubbub of life, it is so nice to have tech-free, face-to-face time with your kids. Creating a family game night tradition won’t be something you’ll regret because the years you have with your kids at home go by in a flash. Laughing together strengthens the bonds. I am sure that once you start a regular family game night and incorporate the tips mentioned above, your kids will be asking you when the next one is!

Meet the Author

Diona lives in Ohio with her husband and three beautiful kids. She has homeschooled for 11 years so far and enjoys the freedom and creativity it allows her family to enjoy together. She enjoys crafting, dance parties in the kitchen, coffee, and winning on family game nights!

Website : www.alldayeverydaymom.com

Instagram : @alldayeverydaymom