The Many Little Joys

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Fun and (mostly) free indoor places to take kids on a rainy day

Cold winter weather and rainy spring days are a recipe for stir-crazy kids (and moms). Next time you need to get out of the house, try visiting one of these fun and (mostly) free indoor places to take kids when the weather is bad.

Cold winter weather and rainy spring days are a recipe for stir-crazy kids (and moms). Next time you need to get out of the house, try visiting one of these fun and (mostly) free indoor places to take kids when the weather is bad.

Winter is coming. It’s been raining and hailing here today, which means we’ll be going on fewer hikes and bike rides in the coming months. But my boys still have just as much energy as ever, and we all get a bit stir-crazy (and sometimes ornery) if we don’t get out of the house regularly.

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Printable Christmas Bingo Game

This classic Christmas bingo game is a simple way to entertain kids at holiday parties or for a fun family game night. Just print, cut, and play!

Note: This post includes affiliate links that I recommend, but as always, feel free to shop around for the best deals. See my disclosure to learn more.

Are your kids going bonkers for Christmas right now? Mine certainly are. We have lots of festive activities planned for the next few weeks, so hopefully the time will fly by quickly for them.

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Safety Skills: Critical fire safety tips for families (+ a FUN scavenger hunt)

Teach your kids critical fire safety tips with this free printable fire safety scavenger hunt. Have fun with your kids and get peace of mind, too!Teach your kids essential fire safety tips with this free printable fire safety scavenger hunt. Have fun with your kids and get peace of mind, too!

NOTE: THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I HAVE USED AND LOVED, BUT AS ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEALS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.

Does your family have a clear plan of what to do if your house were ever to catch fire?

It’s been just over a year since we moved into a new house. All the boxes were unpacked ages ago, and we’re slowly working through the process of furnishing and decorating the space. However, one thing we hadn’t done until this week was to make a fire safety plan.

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How to make classical music fun for kids

Too often kids think that classical music is BORING, but you can change that! With a few creative activities and the ultimate playlist of kid-friendly classical music, your kids will be rocking out to Beethoven in no time!close-up of piano keyboard

NOTE: THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I HAVE USED AND LOVED, BUT AS ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEALS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.

I love classical music–and it didn’t happen by accident. It was a part of our family’s culture, woven into our weekly routine. You see, every Sunday of my childhood, after we got home from church, we would load up our 5-disc CD player (remember the days before digital music?) with the best of Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin.

For the rest of the afternoon, the sounds of famous orchestral arrangements floated on the air. As I perused the Sunday comics and clipped coupons from the weekly ads (my frugal streak started young), I hummed along to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcraker Suite.

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Library scavenger hunt for kids…make library trips an adventure!

Do your kids ever get bored with going to the library? Make summer reading into an adventure this year with these free printable library scavenger hunt bookmarks.Do your kids ever get bored with going to the library? Make summer reading into an adventure this year with these free printable library scavenger hunt bookmarks. Are your kids out of school for the summer, or do you still have a few weeks left? For us, this week is the END of the school year. CRAZY!…

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My absolute favorite children’s picture books of all time

If you love kid lit, these 16 favorite children’s picture books are absolute must-haves. They are the ones I could (and have) read hundreds of times and never get tired of them. If you love kid lit, these 16 favorite children's picture books are absolute must-haves. They are the ones I could (and have) read hundreds of times and never get tired of them. 

NOTE: THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS. AS ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEALS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.

I’m pretty sure I came out of the womb reading a book…which worked out well because I was born into a family where bookcases decorated every room of the house. As a child, I spent countless hours poring over the pages of gorgeous books. So many worlds waited to be discovered every time I opened the cover of a new book. My version of heaven.

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Super-sized word search: a learning game for all ages

This giant search-and-find learning game is super low prep, and can be used to teach kids just about anything: letters, numbers, sight words, and more! This giant search-and-find learning game is super low prep, and can be used to teach kids just about anything: letters, numbers, sight words, and more!      I know the last learning activity I shared was a scavenger hunt, but I can’t be stopped! My boys just love to hunt for things. Technically, we named this one a word “search”, but let’s be honest…it’s pretty much a scavenger hunt. But it was also TOO FUN not to share.
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Museum Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

Make your next trip to a museum an exciting challenge with this free printable alphabet scavenger hunt. Whether it’s your first visit or you 50th, this activity is a great way to liven up learning time.Make your next trip to a museum an exciting challenge with this free printable alphabet scavenger hunt. Whether it's your first visit or you 50th, this activity is a great way to liven up learning time.

I’m not really a stay-at-home kind of stay-at-home mom. I’m more of a let’s-get-out-of-the-house-and-have-adventures-so-I-don’t-have-to-do-the-dishes kind of mom. In fact, I go a little crazy when my kids get sick and we’re forced to stay home for days at a time. That’s one of the reasons we have several museum and aquarium passes…because I NEED a place to take the kids to get out of the house.

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Kid-friendly songs for your next family dance party (that will get adults rocking out, too!)

If you love listening to music with your kids, but you can’t stand the thought of hearing Wheels on the Bus one more time, this playlist is for you. It’s packed with kid-friendly songs that won’t drive adults crazy…perfect for your next family dance party.old school boom box

NOTE: THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I HAVE USED AND LOVED, BUT AS ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEALS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.

Music is powerful. When I’m having a rough day, cranking up the tunes is one of my key strategies for beating a bad mood. As the mama in the house, I know my mood sets the tone for everyone else at home, and I’ve learned that playing music keeps everyone happier.

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Free Printable Alphabet Flashcards (upper and lowercase)

Make learning the ABCs fun with these free printable alphabet flashcards. This set includes separate cards for uppercase and lowercase letters, giving you endless possibilities for how to learn with your child.

Make learning the ABCs fun with these free printable alphabet flashcards. This set includes separate cards for uppercase and lowercase letters, giving you endless possibilities for how to learn with your child.

Last year, I was looking for ways to help my preschooler practice the alphabet. Specifically, I wanted to help him match upper and lowercase letters. I found lots of adorable printable flash cards online, however none of them were exactly what I was looking for.

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