Kids & Family | Blog Category Archives | Meraki Lane

13 Balance Activities for Kids | If you’re looking for ways to develop your child’s gross motor skills at home, in the classroom, in occupational therapy, and beyond, this collection of fun games and activities are just what you need. Perfect for parents, teachers, and therapists, these core strengthening ideas will help build your child’s static and dynamic balance, while also helping with bilateral coordination. #balanceactivities #coordinationactivities #grossmotoractivities

Gross Motor Skills: 13 Core Strengthening Balance Activities for Kids

Language Arts Games & Activities for Kids | A collection of 37 fun ways to teach language & literature to kids in kindergarten, elementary, & middle school! The ideas are perfect for independent work & literacy centers, as well as for kids working in small groups. Includes letters, beginning sounds, guided reading, grammar, parts of speech, sentence building, spelling, vocabulary, word work, writing prompts, & more! #languagearts #literacy #literacycenters #grammar #partsofspeech

Language and Literature: 37 Language Arts Games for Kids

26 Dollar Store Crafts for Kids | Buttons, popsicle sticks, pony beads, drinking straws, and pool noodles, oh my! If you’re looking for EASY crafts to do with your kids at home, these dollar store activities are for you! Whether you’re the parent of busy toddlers with short attention spans, or older children who can sit still longer, these fun projects will inspire you. Perfect for cold winter weekends, hot summer vacations, and everything in between! #dollarstorecrafts #kidscrafts #easycrafts

Crafting on a budget: 26 super fun dollar store crafts for kids

18 Spelling Activities and Games | Learning spelling has never been easier – or more fun! – than with this collection of teaching strategies, activities, and games. With ideas for first grade (and 2nd and 3rd), for middle school, and for upper elementary, these hands-on activities for kids can be used with any spelling list for meaningful learning that lasts. #teachingspelling #spellingactivities #spellinggames

Learning Made Fun: 18 Spelling Activities for Every Age and Stage

26 Montessori Science Experiments | Botany, biology, physics, astrology, and chemistry, oh my! These hands-on Montessori activities offer the perfect balance between sensory play and classroom instruction, and go above and beyond science experiments for kids that are focused on chemical reactions with baking soda and vinegar. These fun activities are just what you need to make learning about science FUN! #montessori #montessoriactivities #montessoriscience #scienceforkids

Hands On Learning: 26 Super Fun Montessori Science Experiments

27 Science Experiments for Kids | Whether you’re looking for sensory science experiments for kids to do at home, or science project ideas for kids in elementary school to teach kids about the scientific method and chemical reactions, this collection of simple, easy, and fun STEM activities and ideas will inspire you! #sensoryscience #scienceexperimentskids #scienceexperimentsforkids #stemactivities

Fun with Science: 27 Sensory Science Experiments for Kids

41 STEM Projects for Kids of All Ages | Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, oh my! From elementary school to middle school to high school, we've rounded up 41 simple and easy to re-create STEM activities, experiments, and projects for kids and for teens! #stemeducation #stemactivities #steamactivities #steameducation"

Hands On Fun: 41 STEM Projects for Kids of All Ages

27 Play-Doh Games or Kids | Play-doh mats are a great way to teach kids their numbers, letters, and shapes, and there are so many free printables for different themes, like the weather, the seasons, and various holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. They also help develop a child’s fine motor skills! Check out our favorite play-doh activities for fun in the classroom and at home. #playdoh #playdohactivities #playdough #playdoughrecipe #playdoughactivities #finemotoractivities

27 Play-Doh Games & Activities to Develop Fine Motor Skills [& More!]

Best Family Board Games | If you’re the mom (or dad) of young kids and need family game night ideas to help you spend quality time together on weekends and holidays, this collection of educational ideas are equal parts awesome and hilarious. Perfect for children (and teens!) of all ages, these ideas make great gifts the whole family will love and double as fantastic party ideas for any occasion. #familygamenight #boardgames #boardgamesforkids #kidsgames #educationaltoys

Family Game Night! 16 Best Family Board Games to Invest In

8 Ways to Keep Kids Active this Winter | If you want to know how to keep kids active during the winter months, we’re sharing 8 family-friendly ideas they’ll love. From scavenger hunts and snow painting, to winter science experiments and the perfect recipe for frozen bubbles, these ideas are the perfect way to beat cabin fever! #WinterActivities #SnowActivities #KidsActivities #OutdoorActivities #OutdoorActivitiesForKids

Baby It’s Cold Outside: 8 Ways to Keep Kids Active this Winter

18 Grammar Games for Kids | Looking for grammar lessons to use in elementary school, middle school, and/or high school students to help improve their vocabulary and language skills? This collection of simple yet fun ideas for 3rd grade and beyond will take the yawn out of teaching verbs, nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, verb tenses, and the different parts of speech. Who said language arts has to be boring?! #grammargames #partsofspeech #languagearts #vocabularyactivities #teachinggrammar

18 Grammar Games for Kids to Improve Vocabulary and Language Skills

Best Christmas Gifts for Kids | Whether you’re shopping on a budget and need inexpensive gift ideas, or want creative and unique ideas for kids who have everything, this list has it all! With 33 of the best Christmas toys for boys and girls, this list has the most popular kids toys of the season for super cool Christmas gifts kids want to see under the tree! #christmastoys #toyguide #besttoys2018 #giftguideforkids #giftguideforgirls #giftguideforboys #besttoysforboys #besttoysforgirls

33 Best Christmas Gifts for Kids: What Your Child Really Wants This Year!

How to Teach Kids About Germs | If you’re looking for FUN ideas to teach your students and/or children about the different kinds of germs and why proper handwashing is so important during cold and flu season (and beyond), this collection of germ activities for kids will not disappoint. From classroom lesson plans, to hands-on learning activities, to super cool science experiments, teaching has never been so fun! #germs #coldandflu #immunesystem #kidsactivities #healthyhabits #scienceexperiments

How to Teach Kids About Germs: 11 Super Fun Activities We Love!

How to Develop a Growth Mindset for Kids | If you’re looking tips to change your child’s fixed mindset or need growth mindset activities for kids to use in the classroom, we’ve got 7 learning tips, 9 fun activities, and 4 growth mindset books to help your children and/or students. Perfect for parents and teachers, these learning ideas are simple yet powerful! #growthmindset #education #teacher #teaching #parenting #education #learning #mindset #backtoschool #teacherspayteachers #homeschooling

How to Foster a Growth Mindset for Kids: 20 Tips and Activities

30 Journal Prompts for Kids | Looking for daily creative writing ideas for kids in first grade and beyond? Perfect for students in a classroom setting, as part of ongoing therapy, or as an after school or summer activity, these ideas will help teach kids gratitude, boost your child’s self-esteem, and teach them how to work through their feelings and emotions in a positive way.

Creative Writing for Children: 30 Journal Prompts for Kids

Mindfulness Activities for Kids | 17 simple and fun ways to teach kids the art of mindfulness to help them focus on classroom assignments, calm down and manage feelings of anxiety, exercise proper anger management, and regulate their emotions. These ideas are great on their own or as part of other therapy and treatment options for ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism.

Mindfulness Activities for Kids: 17 Ways to Raise Mindful Children

Learning to Tell Time Activities for Kids | If you’re looking for fun games, activities, worksheets, free printables, and anchor charts to help teach your child how to tell time, we’re rounded up 8 hands on ideas for kids in preschool and kindergarten, and through grades 1 and 2 that make teaching kids to tell time fun instead of scary!

Learning to Tell Time: 8 Activities & Games Kids Love

Teaching Times Tables | If you’re looking for times tables tricks and games for kids, we’ve got 15 ideas to make teaching multiplication FUN. With tons of free printables to choose from, these multiplication games and activities are perfect for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade learning, and can be used both in the classroom and at home. We’ve included free math worksheets and loads of family games to encourage learning everyday!

Teaching Times Tables: 15 Fun Ways to Teach Kids Multiplication

Breathing Techniques for Anxiety in Children | If you’re looking for simple relaxation techniques and breathing exercises for kids that work at home and in the classroom, we’ve got 10 ideas to help. These calming activities are perfect for anxiety and stress as well as anger management, and help teach healthy coping skills so kids can calm down on their own when big emotions strike.

Breathing Techniques for Anxiety: 10 Calming Activities for Kids

How to Get Kids to Listen | Looking for simple parenting tips to get your kids to listen the first time without yelling and nagging? Whether you’re the mom of toddlers who needs practical tips to use at home, or a teacher who needs effective strategies that work at school in a classroom setting, we’ve got 7 tips and listening activities for kids.

How to Get Kids to Listen: 7 Tips & Listening Activities for Kids

55 Super Fun Things to do with Kids | Looking for fun things for kids to do at home on weekends, bad weather days, school holidays, and during the summer months when they’re bored? Whether you’re looking for free crafts you can do indoors or ways to help your boys to burn off steam outdoors in the fall and winter, we’ve got 55 fun ideas the whole family will love!

Got Cabin Fever? 55 Super Fun Things for Kids to Do at Home