As we near Easter here in New Zealand, it’s easy to get caught up in lockdown and forget that kids absolutely love this time of the year. So I’ve trawled the internet and found some great activities for kids to do at home. I’ve made sure these activities are easy to set up, or easy to do – because there’s nothing worse than a complicated activity and a parent who really can’t be bothered (that’s me haha). Be sure to check out my Pinterest page for Easter Activities for Kids. PRINTABLES ..read more

Everything you need in one place to help you survive the school holidays. This is just a list that links to other parts of my website – making it easier for you to access it. Plus my website is going through a lot of changes so it’s hard to find stuff … ACTIVITIES: 101 Things To Do With Kids – FREE PRINTABLE Free Printable Activities – FREE DOWNLOAD Play Dough Coloured Rice Coloured Pasta Magic Coloured Milk Cheerio Stackers Ocean Themed Activity Mess Free Finger Painting BAKING: Cheese Biscuits Puff Pastry Jam Tarts Melting Moments Apricot Balls Oat & Raisin Biscuits Lolly Cake Crazy O ..read more

I’ve put together a couple of printable files that I got for my kids to help us get through rainy days / school holidays / anytime I’m going insane. Click on the image below to download the file (PDF file) and save to your computer. Or just simply print direct! ————————————- COLOUR BY NUMBERS / TRACING PRINTABLES (10 pages) —————— CUT & PASTE PRINTABLES (8 Pages) —————— FIND THE IMAGES / SPOT THE DIFFERENCE PRINTABLES (9 Pages) —————— MAZES / MATCHING / BOARD GAME PRINTABLES (10 Pages) ————————————- Be sure to check out my School Holidays Bundle page for more activities / ideas on ..read more

These school holidays don’t have to be a bore for you OR your kids.  Check out these top 12 things to do during the school holidays in Auckland. Now I do apologise to the rest of New Zealand, but as I live in Auckland, it is easier for me to list the things to do. —————————————- 1.  Ambury Farm If the weather is good, head out to Mangere Bridge and let the kids walk around this farm.  Sheep, cows, horses, chickens, goats, pigs and MORE!  We LOVE this farm.  Take a picnic and make a day out of it.  There are also a couple of neat playgrounds down by the water in Ma ..read more

I have never been the biggest fan of “role playing” games with my kids – mainly because I feel so useless at them. Lego and Duplo are one of the few I really do love, because I can just do whatever I want while the kids muck around. So I decided to make a Fidget Spinner out of Lego. I’d seen something on the internet floating around but it looked far too hard for me, so here’s my super simple, you-only-need-10-pieces, set of instructions on how to make a Lego Fidget Spinner. Basically you want a round disc in the middle, with pieces on either side stopping it from coming off (when you spin). T ..read more

Are you looking for something to do with your children in Auckland? Especially younger children? Look no further! I asked my Facebook Team what they thought were the best things in Auckland to do with children, and this is the list we came up with (check out West Auckland for the strawberry picking places!): ————————— NORTH AUCKLANDTakapuna Beach – Takapuna Parakai Springs – Parakai Devonport Beach – Devonport Mt Victoria Tunnels – Devonport Long Bay Beach – Long Bay Onepoto Domain – Onewa Road Sheep World – Warkworth Whangaparoa Railway – Whangaparoa Jump – Mairangi Bay Inflatable World ..read more

As much as I want to say I love Messy Play, there really is nothing worse than thinking of a kid getting all mucky and me having to clean them up. Truth be told, I avoid activities like painting, and playing in the mud, for that very reason. But after a little research, which I’ll share with you below, I’ve come to realise that messy play is ok, and with a little help along the way, we can all learn to embrace it. ———————————– All About Messy Play … Firstly, when I think of messy play, I think of an untidy, disorganised mess, which inevitably I’ll have to clean up. In the house AND on the ..read more

This type of activity is great for sensory play. Sensory play helps kids to develop, and improve, their gross and fine motor skills, co-ordination and concentration. It also provides an opportunity to use all their senses to discover and explore their environment, develop their imagination and creative thinking. Once set up the kids can have a lot of fun mucking in and getting their hands “dirty”. Because the spaghetti is cooked, it doesn’t matter if the kids munch on it while they’re playing. Often I get asked what age is appropriate for kids to play with this type of activity – it reall ..read more

In a world where it’s very easy to feel like we have to provide entertainment to our kids 24/7, I want you to know that it’s ok for kids to be bored. I’m the biggest enabler of my kids’ need to be entertained. I obviously have a website full of activities and ideas; and they’ve all been tried and tested on my kids. Each morning I wake up thinking “Ok what am I going to give my kids to do today?”. I look at my own website, and if I can’t find something, will trawl through Pinterest. I can’t remember what my parents did, but obviously they didn’t have access to the internet and the millions ..read more

That’s right, I have put together a list of 101 things to do with your kids. Whether it’s a rainy day, school holidays, or simply the weekend; this list has you covered if you’re ever struggling for things to do. Feel free to screen shot this, pin it to your Pinterest, or print it out: that’s what it’s for! This is downloadable, so click to open it: Here are some links to the activities listed above: Things to do in Auckland Kid-Friendly Cafes in Auckland 12 Things To Do in Auckland During The School Holidays Play Dough Coloured Rice Coloured Pasta Magic Coloured Milk Cheerio Stackers Ocea ..read more