Family Life | Blog Category Archives | Meraki Lane

9 Amigurumi Tutorials for Beginners and Beyond | If you're looking for step by step tutorials to teach you how to crochet and knit cute little stuffed animals, dolls, foods, etc., this post is for you! We're sharing everything you need to know - amigurumi basics, how to get started, tools and essentials to invest in, crocheting tips and hacks for beautiful designs, and lots of tutorials that include free patterns and instructions so you can make simple designs that are oh so adorable.

9 Step-by-Step Amigurumi Tutorials for Beginners (10 Free Patterns!)

How to Teach Time Management to Kids | If your child struggles with planning, organizing, and staying on task, this post has lots of great tips and ideas to help you teach time management skills. Whether you're trying to create high level daily schedules to teach your kids independence, or you specifically need to create a homework routine so your evenings run more smoothly, these tips will improve your child's executive functioning skills so they can manage their time better!

How to Teach Time Management to Kids: 9 Tips & Ideas for Parents

How to Build a Healthy Parent Child Relationship | If you're looking for tips and activities to help improve your relationship with your son and/or daughter, this post has lots of great ideas to help. From learning how to spend quality time with your kids, to improving communication and reducing power struggles, to enforcing logical consequences and teaching your kids independence, these tips have the added benefit of teaching kids self-regulation and improving social skills!

How to Build a Healthy Parent Child Relationship: 8 Tips for Parents

21 LEGO Challenges for Kids of All Ages | Before I became a mom, I didn't appreciate just how much you can do with LEGO outside of building houses and cars. The internet is FULL of ideas for kids in preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and even high school! Whether you're looking for something simple to build at home with your kids, or you're on the hunt for LEGO stem challenges and activities for the classroom, this post has lots of free ideas to inspire you!

Learning Through Play: 21 LEGO Challenges for Kids of All Ages

7 Easy Card Games for Kids | If you're looking for simple and fun family game night ideas, playing cards is always a great option. There are so many games you can play with a deck of cards, with single player, 2 player, and multiple player options for all levels. If you have kids in preschool or kindergarten, you've probably already tried the basics like memory, matching, and Uno. This post is a step above, and includes the best family card games for 2 or more players!

Family Game Night: 7 Easy Card Games for Kids

21 Duct Tape Crafts for Kids | From simple bookmarks and lanyards, to arm bands, bracelets, and belts, to hair bows and headbands, to wallets, purses, iPhone cases, and iPad covers, these duck tape crafts for kids are the perfect mix of cute, fun, and cool! If you're looking for easy DIY crafts kids can make, these easy creative ideas will not disappoint! These step by step instructions and tutorials will teach your kids how to make awesome things to give as gifts - and to sell - in minutes!

Crafting With Children: 21 Duct Tape Crafts for Kids

11 Logical Consequences for Teens | If you're looking for creative and effective ways to discipline teenage boys and girls that don't involve power struggles, grounding, or yelling, this post is for you! It touches on the basics - creating family rules and using consequences over punishment - with lots of good ideas on how to create logical consequences to match the behavior you're trying to change. Whether your teen is disrespectful, prone to lying, forgetful, or lazy, these really work!

How To Discipline Teenagers: 11 Logical Consequences for Teens

28 Parent Child Activities | If you're looking for simple and easy ways to spend quality time with your kids at home, this post has tons of fun ideas to help! Whether you've got toddlers in preschool, or older kids in kindergarten or elementary schools, these ideas are (mostly) mess free and are perfect if you're on a budget. With indoor and outdoor options for spring, summer, fall, and winter, you can enjoy many of these on Zoom too!

28 Parent Child Activities to Help You Spent Quality Time with Your Kids

33 Among Us Birthday Party Ideas for Kids | Who is the imposter?! If you want to know how to plan the best Among Us party for boys or for girls, you're in luck! From Among Us theme decorations, party favors, and loot bags, to Among Us games, crafts, and activities, to easy Among Us cake ideas, cookies, snacks, and tons of other food related treats, this post is full of fabulous ideas. We've including a mix of fun DIY games and easy store bought baking and decorating ideas to help!

SUS: 33 Fun and Easy Among Us Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

14 Washi Tape Crafts for Kids | If you're looking for simple and easy DIY projects you can do with your kids after school and on weekends, these washi tape ideas will NOT disappoint! We've included tons of fun crafts for boys and girls, including personalized back to school supplies and notebooks, wall decoration inspiration and room decor ideas, art journals and scrapbooks, and tons of art projects that make great Christmas gifts and keepsakes for family and friends!

Craftiness is Happiness: 14 Washi Tape Crafts for Kids

21 Teacher Appreciation Week Gifts | If you're looking for a list of creative and meaningful ways to express your gratitude to an extra special teacher, this post has lots of fantastic ideas! Whether you're looking for DIY cards in which your child can write a message for their teacher, or a list of gifts kids can make themselves, we've got lots of crafts and activities to choose from. And if your child is learning remotely, we've included virtual teacher appreciation gift ideas as well!

21 Teacher Appreciation Week Gifts For Virtual & In-Person Learning

18 Step-By-Step Crochet Tutorials For Beginners | If you're looking for beginner crochet projects, this post is for you! We're sharing everything you need to get started, including crochet essentials and step-by-step video tutorials to teach you how to make simple items like blankets, scarves, and baskets, as well as simple animal patterns. Learning how to crochet is easy with these crochet projects, and we've included ideas for kids to boot!

18 Step-By-Step Crochet Tutorials For Beginners And Beyond

13 Pencil Shaving Art Projects | If you're looking for craft ideas you can do on your own or with kids, pencil shaving art is perfect for both beginner and advanced artists. Recycled crafts are cheap and fit for any budget, and many of these can be turned into greeting cards and homemade gifts for family and friends. And if drawing isn't one of your skills, you can use printable coloring pages! From flowers and fish, to peacocks and a dancing princesses, these upcycling art ideas are beautiful!

Creative Crafting: 13 Pencil Shaving Art Projects We Love

45 Babymoon Ideas For Soon-To-Be Parents | If you're looking for a list of the best babymoon destinations and staycations, this post is for you! From inexpensive weekend getaways, to simple beach vacations, to romantic winter spots that don't require you to ski, to extravagant international babymoon ideas, to a list of things you can do at home to help you spend quality time with your partner, this post has a mix of cheap and affordable ideas and lavish, once-in-a-lifetime destinations.

The Calm Before The Storm: 45 Babymoon Ideas For Soon-To-Be Parents

21 Earth Day Activities and Crafts for Kids | Perfect for toddlers, for preschoolers, for kindergarten, and for kids in elementary and middle school, we've curated tons of easy Earth Day projects you can enjoy with your kids and students both at home and in the classroom. With a mix of art projects, crafts, science experiments, and outdoor activities, these ideas make teaching kids about climate change, global warming, and environmental protection fun and interesting!

Save the Planet: 21 Earth Day Activities and Crafts for Kids

9 Bottle Painting Projects for Beginners | If you're looking for simple, easy, and beautiful bottle painting ideas, grab your empty wine, beer, and water bottles plus your acrylics and give these DIY designs a try! We've included tips and techniques for beginners to help you get started, with bottle painting designs for both glass and plastic bottles. These make beautiful homemade gifts, and many of these are suitable for kids to do!

Crafting At Home: 9 Gorgeous Bottle Painting Projects To Try

9 Conduct Disorder Tips and Strategies for Parents | Parenting, caring for, and teaching a child with conduct disorder can be very overwhelming, especially if the child has other conditions like autism, ADHD, or mood disorders. This post provides insight on warning signs and symptoms, plus treatment options and behavioural management strategies to help kids with conduct disorder at home and in the classroom.

9 Conduct Disorder Tips and Strategies for Parents and Caregivers

15 Finger Print Art Projects For Kids | If you're on the hunt for easy crafts for kids of all ages, these fingerprint art ideas will inspire you! Whether you're crafting with toddlers or looking for homemade gifts kids can make, these easy kids activities will not disappoint. From thumbprint dandelions, to alphabet art, to flowers and butterflies, to autumn trees and more, this list of fingerprint crafts for kids has something for every age and stage.

Crafting with Kids: 15 Finger Print Art Projects We Love

11 April Fool's Day Pranks for Kids | If you're looking for fun and easy practical jokes to play on your kids or students - or for your kids or students to play on their parents, siblings, friends, or teachers - this post has lots of great ideas to inspire you! Most of these work as last minute pranks, and they offer a bit of light-hearted humor without being mean-spirited. We have options for groups and for families, and you may even use some of these for work - they are really funny!

Gotcha! 11 Fun and Easy April Fool’s Day Pranks for Kids

17 Outdoor Education Activities For Kids Of All Ages | This collection of outdoor learning activities is perfect for teachers looking for outdoor activities to include in their daily lesson plans, and parents who are assisting with teaching their kids virtually and/or on the hunt for learning activities they can enjoy after school or on weekends. Whether you need ideas for kids in preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, or for older kids, these ideas are simple, fun, and easy to setup!

Get Outside! 17 Outdoor Education Activities For All Ages

18 Easy 5-Minute School Hairstyles for Kids | Whether your child has short, shoulder length, medium, or long hair, one thing is for certain: you need no fuss, quick hairstyles to simplify your morning routine! If you're constantly running late (like us!), don't stress. We've curated tons of cute hairstyles for school, with step-by-step tutorials and videos that are simple and easy to follow. Choose from braided hairstyles, half up half down looks, upgraded ponytails, messy buns, and more!

Rise and Shine! 18 Easy 5-Minute School Hairstyles for Kids