Disclosure: Items mentioned in this post were sent for review purposes only. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. :)
Bring back playtime, all the time! Dive into a bubbling swamp world. Drum on an Outdoor Sound Wall. Explore the gooeyness of Glowing Slime.
With the one-of=a-kind projects in 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids, your family will rediscover the spirit of imaginative play! These fun activities help develop your child’s creativity and skills- all without a screen in sight. Featuring step-by-step instructions and beautiful photographs, each budget-friendly project will keep your child entertained, engaged, and learning all day long. Best of all, no one will complain about turning off the TV or computer with such entertaining activities!
- Natural Dye Fingerpaints
- Taste-Safe, Gluten-Free Playdough
- Erupting Volcano Dinosaur World
- Fizzy Rainbow Slush
- Taste-Safe Glow Water
Complete with dozens of exercises for babies, toddlers, and school-aged children,
150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids will help your family step away from your devices and step into endless afternoons of playtime fun!
My kids get to watch TV and play games at times, but I limit the time on it. There are tons of educational games and shows, but kids these days need to do MORE and watch LESS. The cold weather keeps us from playing outside as much, so this book is perfect for the colder months.
This is a definite must-have for any parent, teacher, or grandparent. This book is filled with ideas and projects to get the kids excited. It’s split into chapters about making Slime, dough, paint, small worlds, sensory activities, and DIY Toys.
The first chapter is dedicated to explaining how to use the book. Asia explains “I know activity books can seem overwhelming- there are so many choices and perhaps you don’t have all the materials yet. So my challenge to you is just try one thing. Everyone has water, so check out Chapter 6: Simple Sensory Activities, and look at my water play activities.”
That’s what I love about this book! There are so many activities to try, yet most don’t require a ton of supplies. She even has all the supplies you need listed at the very beginning so you could get it all in one or two trips to Walmart or Dollar Tree. Nothing on the list costs very much, containing items like cornstarch, flour, baking soda, vinegar…
The memories that come from crafting and creating with my kids is what I love best. I want them to be able to look back and remember the things we did and the things they learned. We have craft night every Saturday (or every other depending).. but my kids LOVE it.
Chapter 2-Slimes
Slimes stretch, ooze, and goop and can be made in a variety of ways. I love that I can play guessing games with my kids before they use the different slimes they made. I can ask them questions like how far can it stretch, can it be cut with scissors, or if it can be rolled into a ball and bounced.
The slimes will usually last a week or more if sealed in a plastic bag. There are 11 different types of slime to DIY from this book. There is the simple two-ingredient slime, the polka dot slime, and even a glowing slime. They are all non-toxic and dye free, so most are even safe for babies. It tells on the page which ages can use each slime recipe.
Chapter 3-Doughs
There are an assortment of dough recipes, all of them can be stored in airtight containers to keep them from drying out. Playdough isn’t only fun, it helps with fine motor skills as well. Depending on your kids age she gives amazing ideas for learning/playing with the dough. Making or building different things or if your child is small- they can squish, pull, and roll it.
The classic playdough recipe in this book is cheap and lasts 4-6 months when stored at room temperature. Instead of paying money for plastic kid tools, use items you already have laying around you house. Keys, marker tops, toys, or kitchen gadgets (rolling pin, etc)
There are recipes including foam dough,salt dough, moon sand, play clay and so many more. There’s absolutely no dyes or chemicals in these recipes, so they are perfect for kids allergic to gluten, eggs, soy, and nuts!
Chapter 4-Paints
My kids love to paint, so I was glad to see a chapter dedicated to making our own. There are plenty of different paints, which are even safe for babies to fingerpaint with. Gel paints, glitter paints, puffy paints, sidewalk paints and even glowing paints! Love it!
Chapter 5-Small Worlds
My kids love imagination play and this is a cool way to boost their imagination. This chapter focuses on helping your child build small worlds to interact with. This included instructions on frog world, dinosaur rescue world, dragon world, ocean world,swamp world, insect world, and so many more!
These different little worlds are absolutely amazing and so cute. There’s nothing better to a kid to have their own little world where they can play and discover. Some of these do require stuff like water, dirt, and rocks—so you need a plastic see-through bin to create the worlds.
Chapter 6- Simple Sensory Activities
Simple sensory activities will help develop your child, their senses, and fine/gross motor skills. Sensory play includes a lot of pouring and scooping, filling different sized containers, and moving/selecting large and small bits of materials.
These activities do include senses such as touch, smell, and sight. They get to play in a variety of items such as colored water, colored pasta, colored beans, soap foam, colored salt, coffee grounds, shaving cream, flour, or sugar. This lets them touch and play with materials that all have a different texture when touched.
Chapter 7-DIY Toys
These toys are amazing for smaller kids and toddlers as well as babies. Making DIY toys with your children will be so much fun for them. This chapter features awesome stuff like DIY Cardboard Butterfly Wings, Foam Reusable Bath Sets, and a Recycled Car City. For babies they have PomPom Straw Push Toy, discovery bottles, and sensory boards.
We are in love with this book. I love how Asia (the author) doesn’t just help give me fun ideas to share with my kids, the materials are cheap and easy to find as well. The items can be found at Dollar Tree or WalMart and don’t cost an arm and a leg like some craft books for kids.
What are some of your favorite kid craft books?
About the Author>
Asia Citro, MEd, creator of the popular blog, Fun at Home with Kids, has a strong science and education background, and is an experienced teacher and mother of two. Fun at Home with Kids launched in 2013 and has been featured on Babble, Red Tricycle, Disney Baby, Apartment Therapy, and MSN.com, among others.
She lives near Seattle with her wonderful husband, two awesome children, and two destructive cats. She started writing Fun at Home with Kids in February of 2013 and has since spent many late nights experimenting with new play recipes and sensory materials.
150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids: the best and easiest playtime activities from FunAtHomeWithKids.com is her first book and is jokingly referred to by family members as her third child. To read about her most recent late night discoveries or to see more photos of her adorable kids at play, visit www.funathomewithkids.com.
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