Keep Preschool, Toddler Children Busy With Free Activities

 As a 10-year homeschooling mom of four, I know about multitasking with kids. The hardest age of child to keep productively occupied is toddler. Maybe I should rephrase "productive" to "occupied in parent-approved ways." Our kids were always productively employed, at least in their minds. From a parent's view it looked like mess-making. And during the holidays it only gets worse. More work, antsy kids, abnormal schedules, added events make it more challenging to keep a toddler in check. Here are parent-friendly, child-minder holiday activities. For free printables to occupy kids, click the "printables" keyword on this blog or check out my link blogs. You'll find enough printable games, crafts, cut and paste toys and educational activities to keep an army of kids busy! Toddler Child-minder Activities for Busy Parents

Free Printable 2013 Calendars for Parents, Kids

One of the best ways to teach a child to be organized is to help them follow a daily calendar or schedule. Here are free printable 2013 monthly and weekly calendars, personal organizers and schedules for kids. Many are coloring page calendars, too. Free printable coloring page calendars make great math and time lesson plans for elementary and special needs students. Keep preschoolers busy when older siblings aren't in school with these printables. You might even use these free printable coloring page calendars are birthday or holiday gifts for family and friends.  Read more

Free Printable Advent Countdown to Christmas Activities

Advent begins on Sunday late in November or early in December. For the next 25 days we will prepare our hearts for the coming (Advent) of Jesus. Here are free printable Advent coloring, puzzles, crafts, calendars, wreaths and activities to celebrate the season. These activities will help kids anxious kids occupied (so mom and can work) till Christmas. I have been exploring and testing links for free printable Advent activities to keep children busy productive and happy as they prepare for Christmas.  read more

Ways Kids Can Help with Holiday Preparations

Let's be honest, in holiday party preparation, children may be more of a hindrance than a help. Parents may find Christmas not so merry and Thanksgiving not so thankful, if they're juggling shopping, cooking, party planning, housecleaning and childcare. Here are easy ways kids can help with holiday party planning (and keep them out of your hair!) Making Kids Thanksgiving Helpers (not Hindrances!)

Mealtime cheats, shortcuts for crazy-busy parents

With two of my four kids out of the house, life has slowed down a little. But when everyone was home and I was homeschooling, our lives were crazy-busy, 24-7. To stay (relatively) sane, I rely on several corner-cutting tricks. One the biggest drains on time is meal preparation. Here are my best mealtime cheats and food preparation shortcuts. Though these may not sound like money-savers, in the long run they can be if with an eye to saving.  Mealtime cheats, shortcuts for crazy-busy parents

How I Set Work-at-Home Boundaries for Myself and Family

I've been a WAHM (work-at-home-mom) since 2005. Initially, it was part-time. Then in 2010, I became a full-time WAHM. There are advantages to working at home. I see more of my family, I'm readily available. I don't have to go out to work every day. Oddly, those advantages are closely related to the disadvantages. Work-at-home perks caused many problems before I learned to set boundaries. Here's how. How I Set Work-at-Home Boundaries for Myself and Family

Free Printable Halloween Trick-or-Treat Countdown Calendar

Oh the agony waiting can be, especially for little ones looking forward to Halloween. And for the busy mom, a restless child can be a real productivity killer. About a million times a day, they ask "When is (fill in special event)????" Till you want to shriek "If you ask me one more time, NEVER!" Why not turn kids' anticipation into a fun learning experience? Here is a free printable Halloween trick-or-treat countdown calendar. Using this countdown to Halloween, children can mark the days themselves. It's a counting lesson, telling time activity, comprehension builder and personal organizer all in one! And making the countdown calendar will keep fidgety kids out of your hair, erhm, I mean happily busy. And you won't have to worry about what mischief the bored child is finding to occupy herself with! At 3, my youngest once "made a cake" (which included paring an apple, cracking NINE EGGS and scooping out half a jar of peanut butter) all in the space it took me to go to the bathroom! We did salvage it, but I wish I'd had these free printables....! Free Printable Halloween Trick-or-Treat Countdown Calendar 

Montessori mom: At-home preschool practical life learning center

I'm a certified special needs teacher and a former home school parent. I also taught in a Montessori school. Both Montessori and special education follow a learning center-based classroom model. Learning centers (also called areas or stations), engage children in hands-on, multisensory tasks. Each center focuses on different activities: reading, math, science, building, gross motor, art, dramatic play and practical life. When I taught our kids at home, I brought the learning center concept into our home. If you've got preschool kids or are a home school parent, why not try the learning center approach? Here's how this Montessori mom set up a practical life learning area.  At-home preschool practical life learning center 

Montessori mom: At-home preschool dramatic play learning center

 As a special needs and former Montessori teacher, my classrooms have always been organized on the learning center principle. Learning centers are rotational play areas were children perform tasks related to specific content areas: math, reading, science, art, practical life, dramatic play. When I had children, I imported the learning center philosophy into my home. The play room was set up like a modified preschool classroom. Got toddler or preschool age kids? I highly recommend setting up learning centers. If you're homeschooling, learning centers are a must. Here's how this Montessori mom designed an at-home dramatic play area.  Montessori mom: At-home preschool dramatic play learning center 

Recycled Halloween, Fall Crafts for Preschoolers

With older kids going back to school, little ones get bored. And bored preschoolers means parents must entertain or face consequences. Here are fall and Halloween-themed preschool crafts to occupy preschool children. These are great for a Halloween party, too. Easy, inexpensive crafts using recycled materials. Eco-Friendly Recycled Halloween and Autumn Harvest Craft Ideas 

Best Back to School Personal Calendar, Online Planner, Organizer Apps

Okay, I admit it--I am an organizer-ophile. I find it therapeutic to wander the planner aisle in Barnes & Noble. When I get a new cellphone, the first thing I play with is the calendar function. But I am also a tightwad--I will not pay for online organizers apps or calendar software. And I don't have to, nor do you, when there are so many free personal planner apps available online. Here are best free calendar, personal organizer apps. Personal Calendar, Planner, Organizer Apps

Ways Save Money on Back to School Shopping, Get Free Haircuts

As summer winds down, parents and kids are gearing up to go back to school. For parents, kids returning to school means back-to-school shopping. In 2012, the Detroit News reported that families will spend an average $688 per child on back-to-school purchases. Detroiters, if you’re looking to save money on back-to-school purchases, here are places in the metro area to do it. Here are ways to get free haircuts, free school supplies and save money in any city. Read on Ways Save Money on Back to School Shopping

Best Free Online Spelling, Vocabulary Games for Busy Moms

Need to keep an energetic kid busy while you work? Maybe you need some rainy day fun activities? Here's an idea--educational video games. I have a confession to make--I love online word games. For all the articles I write warning parents and kids about the dangers of obsessive game playing, I admit that there are advantages. Playing word games helps boost my visual tracking, perceptual acuity and typing skills (or so I tell myself). Mostly, I use them as a brain break from writing and research.  Best Free Online Spelling, Vocabulary Games to Boost Reading Skills 

How to balance family summer schedules with sleep-late teens

Summer vacation means different things for kids than it does for parents. Older kids and teens look forward to staying up late and sleeping late. Mom and dad, unfortunately, don't have that luxury. We still have that four-letter word (work) to look forward to. Here are tips to balance family life with late-blooming teens (---and cats!) and early rising parenting.  Balancing family summer schedules with sleep-late teens 

Strategies for Coping with Holiday Stress-Induced Relationship Problems

Strategies for Coping with Holiday Stress-Induced Relationship Problems It's one of life's enigmas; the winter holiday season, which is supposed to bring the greatest joy, sometimes causes more feelings of depression and anxiety. Relationships and marriages , says family therapist Rachel Sussman, often suffer holiday-related setbacks. Here's a look at holiday relationship issues, with some first-hand advice about ways to cope. Read more

How to Balance Family, Work, Play, Relationships and Life!

How do you balance work and family? How do you keep up with kids, relationships, love life, career, household finances and still remain relatively sane? I've held down a job, homeschooled four kids and survived to tell the tale. Here are some tips that work for me. Read more...

How to Keep from Going Nuts When Guests Stay Overnight

The holidays represent different things for different people. For many people, the holidays mean parties, entertaining and house guests, which means extra work and preparation. Can you be a good hostess and set boundaries for house guests? Absolutely. Use this guide anytime you have house guests. Read on...

Free Printable Calendars, Organizers, Planners for Kids

One of the best ways to teach a child to be organized is to help them follow a daily calendar or schedule. Here are free printable 2012 monthly and weekly One of the best ways to teach a child to be organized is to help them follow a daily calendar or schedule. Here are free printable 2012 monthly and weekly calendars, personal organizers and schedules for kids. Many are coloring page calendars, too. Free printable coloring page calendars make great math and time lesson plans for elementary and special needs students. Click here.

Free Printable Calendars, Personalized Color Your Own

Do you keep a personal or family calendar? If you're like me, you have several calendars. Here is a tool to personalize, customize and design your calendars. Make coloring page calendars with animal, Bible, holiday, fantasy and cartoon character calendars. Read more...

Printable Thanksgiving Calendar, Craft Activity

Countdown calendars are a great math teaching tool for children to help them learning to organize, count and measure time. Here's a free printable countdown to Thanksgiving calendar. Fun craft activity keeps children productively occupied as the countdown the days to the Thanksgiving holiday. Read more