Kids & Family | Blog Category Archives | Meraki Lane

7 Interoception Activities for Kids | What is interoception? If you've ever wondered about the 8th sense and how it impacts kids with autism and sensory processing challenges, this post is a great place to start. With sensory activities and occupational therapy resources for teaching kids internal body awareness both in the classroom and at home, the ideas in this post will help you develop a sensory diet for increased self-regulation, problem-solving, flexibility, and social thinking skills!

The 8th Sense Explained: 7 Interoception Activities for Kids

16 Things to Do At Home with Kids | If you're looking for ways to keep kids busy at home, we've got 16 easy ideas to help get your creative juices flowing! Whether you're looking for DIY indoor crafts for rainy days, outdoor activities that burn energy on hot summer days, or games to play as a family, these ideas are easy to setup and perfect for families to enjoy together when social distancing prevents you from organizing playdates and backyard barbeques with family and friends.

Summer Camp Cancelled? 16 Things to Do At Home with Kids

12 Zoom Games for Kids | If you're looking for easy games and activities your kids can play online with their friends, we've got 12 ideas to inspire you! These ideas are perfect for virtual kids birthday parties, playdates, and classroom group Zoom calls. From interactive scavenger hunts, to silly 'would you rather' games, and so much more, these online games for kids are easy to setup, free, and fun!

Zoom Games for Kids: 12 Online Activity Ideas to Keep Kids Connected

16 Sidewalk Chalk Art Activities | If you're looking for simple ways to keep your kids entertained outside, sidewalk chalk is where it's at! From decorating driveways, to creating sidewalk birthday messages, to making mosaic designs on a fence, we've curated cute and easy ideas for toddlers, creative drawings for kids, and cool ideas for teens! Perfect for spring, summer, and fall, these sidewalk chalk art projects are the perfect way to add a little positive energy to your home!

16 Sidewalk Chalk Activities and Obstacle Courses for Kids

11 Nature Activities for Kids | If you'e looking for fun indoor and outdoor nature activities you can enjoy with your little ones year-round, we've got 11 ideas to inspire you! Whether you're going on a nature walk or spending time in the backyard, we've included ideas for spring, summer, fall, and winter. Perfect for teaching STEM and science lessons while also getting some vitamin D and burning energy, these activities compliment classroom lesson plans and make great family activities too!

Nature Activities for Kids: 11 Ways to Have Fun Outside All Year

14 Indoor Activities for Kids that Burn Energy | If you're stuck at home and need fun and easy games and activities to reduce boredom, keep your kids entertained, and help them burn off steam, these ideas are easy to setup, and you probably already have a lot of the materials you need to recreate them on hand. Perfect for toddlers, kids in elementary school, and older kids, these simple and creative ideas develop gross motor, balance, coordination, proprioception, and problem solving skills!

Stuck Inside? 14 Indoor Activities for Kids that Burn Energy

10 Educational Apps for Kids in Elementary School | If you're looking for the best educational websites you can access on your tablet to keep your little ones engaged and learning outside of the classroom, there are tons of great ones available for free (or for a small fee). From math and literacy games, to puzzles and brain teasers, to science, coding, and STEM learning, we've curated the best free learning apps for kids, with paid options for teachers and for parents who want more.

Learning Made Fun: 10 Educational Apps for Kids in Elementary School

19 Backyard Activities for Kids | If you're looking for fun DIY yard games you can enjoy outdoors with your kids year-round, we've got 19 ideas to inspire you! Whether you have toddlers or kids in kindergarten or elementary school, we've got easy (and cheap!) ideas you can enjoy in spring, summer, fall, and winter. From obstacle courses, to water games, to old school birthday party games, to outdoor scavenger hunt ideas, there are so many things to do to burn energy when cabin fever sets in!

19 Backyard Activities for Kids to Help Burn Energy

17 Independent Activities for Kids Who Are Stuck at Home | If you're looking for fun and engaging quiet activities your children can do by themselves on sick days, school holidays, and/or during an extended school closure, we're sharing 17 ideas that require little to no prep! Most of these are indoor activities for kids, but we've included some outdoor options for spring, summer, and fall! If you're trying to figure out how to work from home with kids, these ideas are perfect!

17 Independent Activities for Kids Who Are Stuck at Home

24 Easter Crafts for Kids of All Ages and Stages | Whether you're looking for simple Easter crafts for toddles and preschoolers, or easy fun projects for kids in elementary school that require a little more planning and creativity, this post will inspire you. From handprint chick crafts, to upcycled bunny crafts, to DIY Easter baskets and more, we've even included our favorite Easter traditions for kids to make the holiday extra special this year!

Easter Crafts for Kids: 24 Fun Ideas For All Ages and Stages

13 Autism Awareness Crafts for Kids | April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, and if you're looking for crafts, projects, and activities you can use in your classroom to teach your students about autism, this post is a great place to start. From door signs, to puzzle piece crafts and jigsaw jewelry, to art projects that can be used as bulletin boards throughout the month of April, these ideas will inspire you to find unique ways to celebrate neurodiversity and promote inclusion!

Different, Not Less: 13 Meaningful Autism Awareness Crafts for Kids

49 Story Starters for Kids | If you're looking for creative writing prompts for kids, we're sharing 49 classroom ideas and activities to inspire you! Perfect for kids in elementary and middle school, we've included a mix of different narrative ideas, including journal prompts, personal essay prompts, and fun fiction writing prompts. We've also included tips to get kids excited about writing, and how to keep the momentum going!

How to Get Kids Excited About Creative Writing: 49 Story Starters for Kids

How to Make Hair Scrunchies with Your Kids | If you're looking for simple tutorials to teach you how to make 80s-inspired retro ponytail holders, we're sharing 5 step-by-step videos that are equal parts easy and stylish! Whether you use a sewing machine, sew by hand, or opt for the no sew options, there's a DIY scrunchie here for everyone! #scrunchie #scrunchies #DIYscrunchies

Retro Ponytail Holders: How to Make Hair Scrunchies with Your Kids

8 Social Filter Activities for Kids | If you're looking for social skills activities that help teach children how to filter their thoughts and learn whether they should think it or say it out loud, we're sharing 8 ideas that can be used for elementary school, for middle school, for high school, and for kids with special needs like autism and ADHD. These are great team building exercises and will help develop friendship and conversation skills. #socialskills #socialfilter #socialskillsactivities

Think It Or Say It Out Loud: 8 Social Filter Activities for Kids

22 Snow Day Activities for Kids | If you're looking for fun and easy activities for toddlers, for preschoolers and kindergarteners, or for kids in elementary school that will get them physically moving while also keeping their brains busy when cabin fever strikes, this is a great list of things to do! From indoor activities designed to burn energy, to independent art projects that will allow you a little time to decompress, these are great boredom busters! #snowday #snowdayactivities #boredkids

22 Indoor Snow Day Activities for Kids to Keep Your Children Entertained

27 DIY Googly Eye Crafts for Kids | If you’re looking for simple, easy, and fun ways to get creative with your kids, these awesome googly eye activities will NOT disappoint! We’ve included ideas for all ages - toddlers, kids in preschool and kindergarten, and elementary school aged children. From creepy spiders and googly eyed monsters that are perfect for Halloween, to peacocks, bumblebees, lions, and an adorable hippopotamus, these make great keepsakes! #googlyeyes #kidscrafts

Fun and Awesome: 27 Googly Eye Crafts for Kids They’ll Absolutely Love!

25 Construction Paper Crafts for Kids | If you’re looking for easy art projects for toddlers, kids in preschool and kindergarten, and elementary aged children, these kids activities develop fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, scissor skills, and more. With fall, winter, spring, and summer crafts, as well as holiday inspiration for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter, there are tons of fun step by step DIY projects here for every age and stage! #constructionpapercrafts

Fun At Home: 25 Construction Paper Crafts for Kids We Love

26 Paper Plate Crafts for Kids | If you’re looking for easy art projects for toddlers, kids in preschool and kindergarten, and elementary aged children, these crafts develop fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, scissor skills, and more. With fall, winter, spring, and summer crafts, as well as holiday inspiration for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter, there are tons of art projects here for every age and stage! #paperplatecrafts #upcyclecrafts

Upcycle Projects We Love: 26 Paper Plate Crafts for Kids

24 Screen Free Activities for Kids | If you’re looking for indoor activities for kids to get your children off their electronics, we’ve got ideas for kids in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school! Perfect for warding off cabin fever on cold winter, rainy spring, or stinking hot summer days, these no screen activities will prove that parenting without screens IS possible. Going screen free for a week may be just the challenge your kids need! #screenfreeactivities #noscreenactivities

Fun Without Electronics: 24 Screen Free Activities For Kids

13 Stress Relief Activities for Kids | If your little one suffers from feelings of overwhelm, stress, and/or anxiety and you’re looking for coping skills you can teach him or her, we’re sharing 13 simple yet effective activities that help calm the mind and body. From mindful breathing and yoga, to coloring, art therapy, and journaling, these ideas work for all ages and stages and offer a great way to spend quality time with your kids to boot! #calmingactivities #calmingactivitiesforkids

Calm and Collected: 13 Stress Relief Activities for Kids

24 Marble Activities for Kids | If you’re looking for boredom busters that also help develop a child’s fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills, these marble activities will not disappoint! With fun and easy DIY marble run and marble maze ideas for kids in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school, these STEM challenges will keep your little ones entertained for hours using simple materials like cardboard, paper plates, paper towel rolls, and pool noodles. #marblerun #marblemaze

Fun at Home: 24 Marble Activities For Kids To Beat Cabin Fever