Tagged with 'Games'

This pandemic has touched every corner of our lives, from work to school to home – and now it’s messing with some of our most favorite holidays! Since many cities across the country may not be allowing trick-or-treating, we’re sharing some spooky ideas (six to be exact) for celebrating Halloween at home. Whether you’re gathering your small, COVID-careful pod of people together to party in your backyard or keeping the fun to family only, check out these ghoulishly great activities and make this Halloween one to remember!1. Carve A Pumpkin (or just decorate it)!Nothing says Halloween quite like carving a pumpkin. Younger kids can paint a spooky face using non-toxic tempera or acrylic paint or try a totally awesome drip design using glow-in-the-dark paint!  Older kids and grown-ups can use stencils, cookie cutters, lemon zesters, and pumpkin carving knives to carefully carve their own creepy creations. Need some inspiration? Check out these ideas for no-carve pumpkins or carving pumpkins– extra points if your pumpkin is wearing a mask!2. Bake Some Scary Snacks!Your kids may not be bringing home pillowcases of candy, but you can still make the day super sweet with Halloween-themed nummies including voodoo doll cookies, cupcake witches, Halloween candy bark, and more! We especially love these simple chocolate chip spider cookies ???? For more fun, check out these delicious Halloween spooky snack ideas on our Pinterest board.Photo credit: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/3. Play Some Ghoulish Games!Have an in-home scavenger hunt (find free, printable clues on PlayPartyPlan.com!), set up your own spider-and-straw races, and make a Witch Pitch out of goodies from the Dollar Store, and get gaming! Find tons of great Halloween-themed games to make and play at home, on our Pinterest board.Photo credit: onecrazyhouse.com4. Make Some Creepy Crafts!Crafts are perfect for a Halloween party! Set up a table with construction paper and paint and make handprint vampires and witches, make vanishing ghosts out of biodegradable packing peanuts, or construct your own haunted house out of toilet paper tubes. Or, for a less messy but totally tactile Halloween activity that doubles as a great guest gift, grab a 24-pack of Playfoam® Pals™ Surprise Party or a case of 64 Playfoam^® pods from educationalinsights.com. Order now and SAVE 50% for a limited time! WOW!  Each pod includes squishy, squashy Playfoam – perfect for sculpting everything from pumpkins to black cats, as well as a surprise, neon-colored Pal, and mystery party backdrop.Click to shop & SAVE 50%!5. Take It on Parade!Just because you’re not trick-or-treating doesn’t mean you can’t get out and about. Spread the word in your neighborhood that the kids are going to be on parade, dress them up as their favorite celeb or superhero (you can find some super fun DIY costume ideas on our blog and some fun make-your-own mask printables on our Pinterest board!), wait till dusk, then hit the sidewalk! Keep a socially distant six feet between families and leave an adult at home to wave and holler as the parade goes by.Photo credit: gigglesgalore.net6. Watch Some (Not-So) Scary Movies!Wrap up your Halloween-at-Home with some not-so-scary movies (and Halloween popcorn balls, of course!). Toddlers will love Room on the Broom; Toy Story of Terror and Goosebumps are good scary fun for little ones, while in-betweeners might be ready for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark or The House With a Clock in Its Walls. Click for Good Housekeeping’s list of 40 Halloween Movies That Won’t Keep Them Up All Night.

[caption id="attachment_6158" align="alignnone" width="1024"] 5 Tips to Help Your Child Make New Friends - Scholastic.com[/caption]In part one of our friendship series we shared the many and compelling ways that making and playing with friends supports your child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, along with some simple things you can do at home to help your child learn to be a good friend.Now it’s time to talk about helping your child make a new friend! For some kids, making new friends is as easy to sitting down next to a small stranger in the sandbox. For others, making friends is a little bit harder. Whether your little one is outgoing or reserved, the suggestions below will help make their first forays into friendship a smashing success!1. Provide Limited Options – Having a friend over? Put your child’s special toys away, leaving just two choices out – say Playfoam® and Legos – and let the kids choose what to do. If they can’t agree, you may need to intervene with “Let’s let our guest pick first this time, and you’ll choose first next time.” (Talking about how we treat guests in our home before a friend comes over can make this solution go smoother.) Or let them each play what they want, side by side. They may choose to engage as they play or not – either way is okay![caption id="attachment_6150" align="alignnone" width="600"] Playfoam® - photo credit: @playingwithchanel[/caption]2. Keep It Short – Limit the amount of time the toddlers and preschoolers play with one activity to roughly 10 minutes. Unless they both seem really engaged, offer another set of activities to choose from, checking in on that one after another 10 minutes. And keep the play date short, too. Better to end it while the kids are having fun than to wait until someone melts down! An hour together is a good goal for toddlers and two hours is plenty of time for preschoolers.3. Serve Snacks – If the fun starts to stall or things start to get sticky, offer a snack! Snack time is a good distraction and gives the kids a chance to regroup and start fresh when they’re done. Check out our School Lunches and Snacks for Kids Pinterest boards for some super snack and awesome meal ideas! Odds are your child’s friend’s caregiver will stay while the kids play, but if not be sure to ask about any food allergies when they drop off.[caption id="attachment_6151" align="alignnone" width="486"] Photo credit: Kristine's Kitchen[/caption]4. Go Outside – The park, playground, or backyard are perfect places to play – and to burn off some of that endless kid energy! Pack buckets and shovels for sandbox time. When the kids are ready to move on from that, offer outdoor exploration tools like the GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars®, Walkie Talkies, or My First Telescope.5. Stay Close – In some cases you may need to join in the fun to keep things rolling. Play a game like 1-2-3 Froggies™ or My First Game: Bears in Pairs with your kiddo and their pal or doodle along side them as they color in some of their favorite EI characters and scenes using free, downloadable EI coloring pages. Even if you don’t engage directly, stay within earshot so you can quickly intervene if the kids hit a speed bump.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="680"] Unicorn Magic, Sprinkle & Twinkle Coloring Sheet[/caption][caption id="attachment_6156" align="alignnone" width="680"] Dino-mite Crown Activity[/caption]Like anything, making friends takes a bit of practice, but with a little prep and guidance, your kiddo will find just the right friends to share in their adventures! Looking for a bit more perspective? Check out some friendship reflections from the mom of a 10-year-old, in our past blog!

[caption id="attachment_6113" align="alignnone" width="830"] Photo credit: PBS.org -  Helping Young Children Learn To Make Friends[/caption]Grandma wisdom says, “In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips.” As your toddler tootles toward preschool, they’re also headed toward the first of many childhood friendships. And although it feels like a family’s love is all a child needs, these friendships are a positive and necessary milestone in your child’s natural development. They’re the chocolate chips!Baking  delicious cookies is a fool-proof way make a special friend's day! Here's the famous DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie recipe to help! Enjoy baking time with the kiddos while teaching them the spirit of giving and sharing. They will love the warm fuzzy feeling when surprising their friends with a special homemade treat. Adding a little note with Grandma's words of wisdom will add the perfect personal touch.[caption id="attachment_6108" align="alignnone" width="1021"] The infamous DoubleTree by Hilton chocolate chip cookies.[/caption]Building and sustaining friendships develops a child’s confidence and self-esteem. Navigating friendships helps kids understand the concept of loyalty and teaches them about acceptance. Playtime with friends promotes patience, builds decision making skills, enhances communication and language skills, and provides an outlet for imagination, creativity, and energy. Disagreements provide practice with compromise and conflict resolution. Spending time at friends’ homes gives kids a glimpse into other lifestyles and family units, broadening their perspective. And, of course, later on, friends provide a peer group to provide support and encouragement when you are not around.Those are some pretty compelling reasons to nurture your child’s friendships. So how do you go about helping your little one make good friends? The first step is learning how to BE a good friend – and that starts at home. Here's a great kid's book that can help start the conversation. Below are some of our best tips and tricks for modeling and practicing being a good friend:• Talk and Listen – Ask your child a question and really listen to their response. Then ask more questions about what they’ve said, or restate what you heard them say, to show that you are listening and that what they have to say is important to you.• Observe – See something, say something. When you see your child exhibiting positive and friendly behaviors say something out loud! “I love that you let Grampa pick tonight’s story!” or “It was great that you and your brother found something you both wanted to play!”.• Practice – Game play is a great way to practice choosing an activity, deciding who goes first, taking turns, and winning and losing gracefully. Ask your kiddo if they’d like to play a game (you’re modeling how to invite a friend to participate in an activity). Then set out a few favorites, like The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game® or Pancake Pileup!™ Relay Game. Tell your little one that they can either choose the game or go first, but not both, then follow their lead.[caption id="attachment_6109" align="alignnone" width="680"] Photo credit: @my_sensorium[/caption][caption id="attachment_6110" align="alignnone" width="680"] Photo credit: @preferredtherapytoys[/caption]• Keep Things Light – Whether you’ve been sent down the long slide playing Chutes and Ladders or your block tower tumbles, laugh it off and try again. Teaching your child to roll with the punches and be a good sport will make them even more fun to play with.With a little practice and a lot of support, your kiddo will be ready for their first play date in no time! Be on the lookout for part two of this piece, Teaching Your Child to MAKE a Good Friend, including five of our favorite tips for hosting a successful play date.Check out this great article from Popsugar: How to Help Your Child Become a Good Friend for more helpful hints.

We’d love your feedback on a new product we’re developing for 2016! Help us create something YOUR kids would love.Imagine yourself in a toy store checkout line. You see a themed novelty toy good for ages 3+ and under $10 hanging by the checkout. Which themed packaging for our mysterious & affordable novelty toy do you think would be most appealing to your children?1. Sports2. Dinos3. Vehicles4. Princess5. Under the Sea6 Fairy GardenAlso: is there a theme not mentioned above that you’d like to see?In your response, please tell us the age(s) of your child or children and if they’re a boy or girl.Your help and insights will help us create the best toys possible. Looking forward to your feedback!

Dinosaur toys never go out of style. Most children go through that phase where they absolutely need the newest and coolest toys based on their favorite prehistoric creatures. Plus, dinosaur toys aren’t just awesome, they’re educational! What’s not to love? It’s no surprise that there’s a wide variety of these toys available for kids and the young at heart.We have a roar-some list of dinosaur toy ideas that can be used for either the home or the classroom. Our dinosaur toys are fun and educational, encouraging creative thinking and positive communication. With these amazing, prehistoric-inspired toys, your little ones will spend hours learning, and more importantly, having fun!Dinosaur Puppet-On-A-Stick™, Set of 3Join Crusher, Stomper, and Buster in prehistoric puppet playtime! These adorable dinosaur toys make for great addition in either the home or the classroom. Kids will love making up stories and telling tales using the easy-to-manipulate and colorful puppets. Teachers and parents love that kids are able to stay entertained, practice creative expression, and further develop their communication skills. The puppets also travel well and clean up easy, making playtime convenient and fun! Dino CheckersThe classic game of Checkers is back and with a Tyrannosaurus twist! Battle with your partner in this prehistoric throwdown, as Stegosaurus and Brontosaurus fight for squares of lava. Captured dinosaurs are held captive in the “tar pits,” and the dinos transform into T. Rex’s when kinged. This game provides fun for kids, as well as teaching logical thinking skills, strategy, positive communication, and problem solving. Add this dinosaur toy to your collection! GeoSafari® Dino Digs VelociraptorsWatch kids find their inner scientist as they enjoy the amazing Dino Dig Velociraptor from Geosafari®. This awesome toy allows students to discover, excavate, and assemble two complete velociraptor skeletons that come from faux fossilized rocks. Perfect for dinosaur units, this kit provides hand-on activity and encourages communication between children. The kit comes fully prepared, offering excavation tools, dust brushes, wax adhesives, and activity guides. Watch your little archaeologists work together to find the hidden secrets of the Jurassic Era with this amazing toy! Dino Construction Company™–Wrecker the T-Rex Skid Loader This awesome titan will inspire imagination and keep kids busy for hours. Not only is it a fun combination of dinosaurs and construction equipment, but Wrecker the T-Rex Skid Loader also promotes outdoor play and helps to fine-tune children’s motor skills. It’s designed to last, and it’s perfect for kids of multiple ages. This makes for a great learning toy for younger children in earlier grades, and can be enjoyed at home or on the playground. For more information on our dinosaur toys and brands, visit educationalinsights.com. Our goal is to provide fun and creative toys that provide an enriching learning experience. With amazing dinosaurs toys and more, we offer everything a parent or teacher needs to build a fun and educational environment.

What the heck is Lekotek? “Lek” is Swedish for play and “tek” means library. Hence the name, Lekotek.Lekotek is a team of national play experts with over 30 years of helping children of all abilities. They’ve recommended unique ways to use some of our top products for learning development. Here are some of their top picks:[gallery ids="2061,2063,2069"]Robot Face Race™: Pre-readers relish this fast-paced game that calls on players to visually process and race to place the right face. Kids power up their matching skills, boost their concentration and build recognition skills as they search for a robot face match. The fast tempo of the game has been known to invent some silly social interactions ideal for all ages!Marco’s Polos™: Marco’s Polos is an expedition of discovery to a land of turn-taking and good sportsmanship. Players are prompted to visually focus, mentally process and physically play this fast-action matching game promoting concentration and attention to detail. Color recognition is the master of this trunk load of social engagement!The GeoSafari Jr. Underwater Explorer Boat lets imaginations float to undiscovered worlds where water rules. Scientific concepts like magnification, gravity, and the power of observation are all pouring in while little faces stay dry. No risk of losing this vessel with the handy wristlet! As voyagers learn to focus visually through the portal they pilot through a sensory exploration of uncharted waters. See more top toys to support special needs in Lekotek's expert hub.

To enter our giveaway, click either one of the entry buttons below. We’ll add you to our random drawing and include you in our mailing list!a Rafflecopter giveawayGet a serving of action-packed nutritious fun with our NEW cereal inspired game, Crazy Cereal Game™! It’s a fast-paced color-matching game where two players compete for the most play cereal pieces. Since we're all in the crunchy-sweet spirit, we’re giving away three (3) games. Ages 4+.It’s a showdown in a bowl! Grab a spoon and watch as it magically changes color. Then, dig into the cereal-serving bowl and scoop up pieces of that color. Cross your fingers for a color flash free-for-all and collect two pieces at a time. During this all-play game, quickly collect the most cereal pieces to win! If you’d like to order a Crazy Cereal Game™ game visit our online store. Shipping is always free on orders of $50 or more.Giveaway ends Saturday night at 11:59 p.m. PST.

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