95 Things to do with Kids Under Five

Have toddlers? A preschooler or two? And are you looking for simple things to do?

Today I'm listing some favorite activities to do with those kids under five. Those days when you have little ones in your home are certainly some of the most busy years but also some of the sweetest years as they have an exuberance and joy about them.

All the pictures are from my instagram feed - find me there at finding_joy. :)

1. Blow bubbles.

2. Invest in a good go-to book of ideas. I love the series Five in a Row. Highly recommended.

3. Crayons and paper.

4. Markers and paper for those of you who love to live a bit boldly.

5. Paint and paper for those of you ready to practically ready to bungee jump through the day.

6. Let them help you bake. 

7. Teach them to crack an egg. Expect a mess, but a joy filled preschooler.

8. Teach them how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

9. Make hopscotch in your kitchen.

10. Go for a walk.

11. Chase shadows.

12. Go for a walk, chase shadows, blow bubbles, and have a race.

13. Go on a nature hunt.

14. Work on reading. I totally recommend and LOVE All About Reading. {affiliate link}

15. Work on reading and painting.

16. Teach the letters of the alphabet.

17. Work on writing the letters of the alphabet.

18. Make a treasure hunt.

19. Institute nap time. Or at least rest time.

20. Have a friend come over.

21. Read books.

22. Read more books.

23. Have them "read" the books to you back.

24. Act out the books.

25. Go swinging.

26. Rest in the grass, on a non-rainy day, and look at the clouds.

27. Listen to music.

28. Dance in your living room.

29. Listen to their stories.

30. Let them pick out lunch. 

31. Take them to the bookstore.

32. Take them to the library.

33. Sort through your toys.

34. Play with blocks.

35. Make patterns with the matchbox cars.

36. Practice counting. Use simple things.

37. Practice adding. It's just like counting, just make them add the two groups together.

38. Let them wash dishes in the sink.

39. Let them help fold towels.

40. Take them for a drive.

41. Take them for a drive while you go to get coffee.

42. Take them for a drive while you go to get coffee and let them get a kid's temp cocoa or apple juice.

43. Go to the garden center.

44. Let them push the cart when you shop.

45. Play dress up.

46. Let them use glue. And if you're bold get out the glitter.

47. If you use glitter have them shake it in a pan so the glitter doesn't get everywhere.

48. Do simple science experiments with them.

49. Plant a garden.

50. Talk about the seasons.

51. Trace their hands and write down things they say in them.

52. Watch a movie. Media is okay. Freedom. 

53. Fill a bird feeder.

54. Get a bird feeder kit and make a bird feeder.

55. Run, or at least let them run.

56. Have a no smiling contest.

57. Teach them to fold socks.

58. Teach them how to put away the silverware. No sharp knives, of course.

59. Take funny pictures with them.

60. Take funny videos. 

61. Make maps.

62. Learn about clouds.

63. Make model clouds.

64. Play legos.

65. Tell a story with legos.
66. Let them help you dust.
67. Teach them how to say I love you in different languages.

68. Look for red (choose any color) things in your home.
69. Play catch.
70. Tape their name on paper and have them color around it.

71. Pick flowers. 

72. Pick flowers and give some to your neighbors.

73. If you can't pick them, go to Trader Joe's and buy some for $3.99. {love that store}

74. Count to 100.
75. Teach counting by twos.
76. Let them help you wash the walls.
77. Teach them to tie their shoes.
78. Teach them how to set the table.
79. Make a fort.
80. Let them play with flashlights.

81. Make shadow puppets on the wall.
82. Bring a stack of books in the living room and read them all.
83. Let them take a bubble bath.
84. Go to Target {if you're feeling brave}.
85. Play with chalk outside.
86. Draw chalk roads and a town for them to play in.
87. Play hide and seek.
88. Let them play with the pots and pans and measuring cups.
89. Play Memory.

90. Act out different animals.
91. Get out the playdough.{which for us is gluten free}
92. Have them tell you their favorite things.
93. Hold them.
94. Simply sit and watch them. They grow.

95. Give yourself a gold star. Kids under five take work. :)

What activities would you add?

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Images and original content are sole property of Rachel Martin and may not be used, copied or transmitted without prior written consent.

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For those of you who blog, I've added the Friday Favorite Things link up below. And for those of you who don't - this is a great way to check out other sites. :) A new button will be coming in the weeks to come as well as some exciting news about this link up.Please feel free to share your favorite post from the week. Thanks!

six {simple} ways to teach children intentional living

Last year I wrote a Ten Day Series on Intentional Parenting {link} and in that series I shared some practical ways to be more intentional in our parenting journey. Today I'm sharing six simple ways to teach the idea of living with an intentional heart for kids. It's easy to get distracted in this saturated world of noise and to move through life lulled asleep putting off things to do today until tomorrow. Intentional living, to me, simply means having an awareness that the time we are given is truly a gift - it's a letting go of the mistakes while learning from them, pulling up our bootstraps and trying, and celebrating the small moments nestled in the fabric of a normal life.

Here are just six {simple} ways to teach intentional living to kids. These are more mindset types of goals versus the goals of listening, helping others, and scheduling one's day. These mindset, life goals, help those other goals found in intentional living happen. Here they are:

They need time alone.
In freedom, there is often learning, and especially creativity. Watch little ones when they are able to just play, to explore, and to invent - often they don't follow the rules, the instructions, but instead are able to simply create, to understand life, and to develop independence. It's quite easy to overstructure our children - providing them with things to do every minute - but we can bless them with the gift of simply being, of playing, in the midst of their days by creating space that is unstructured within their days. They need those moments - those imaginative moments in childhood - as those times teach them to be out of the box thinkers as adults. We need more of those in this culture - people who are willing to dream big, to create, to imagine and then implement and follow through on those big dreams.



Goals, rules, and expectations.
Coupled with space within the day to create there also needs to be a framework of goals and expectations. I like to say that often I've given my kids space - like a "fenced in area" that they are free to explore in - but if you break the ultimate rule {the boundary} then there is a consequence that has to be dealt with. Lack of rules leads to a lack of respect for others and authority. Children need boundaries. Work with your children to figure out goals and then work with them to achieve goals. Sometimes in the process of working after goals we find that they need to be revised, changed, or even let go. That's okay. It's the target and the constant effort to move towards a goal that matters - it's that journey to the destinations that matters most.

Not every moment is a moment to be savored.
Several months ago I wrote about the myth of the perfect day {link} and why that simply isn't a reality. Here's the deal, when one lives life with an intentional heart sometimes people think that every moment must not be wasted. Certainly it means looking at life with eyes that are aware and awake, but it also does not mean that every single moment things have to be done, used, finished, celebrated, etc... that would not only be exhausting, but would also be incredibly discouraging as life is often far from perfect. There is a good deal of worth in resting and chilling out. That needs to happen and we can bless our children with the knowledge of cultivating this space within their days. Sometimes those tough moments in life are the greatest teachers for our kids. We want to protect them, but they also need to learn how to deal with times that aren't perfect.

Thoughts matter.
Your thoughts matter, your children's thoughts matter - thoughts matter. Do you pay attention to the constant dialogue of thoughts that run through your mind? If not - you must. In Dear Mom Who Thinks that She is a Terrible Mom Sometimes {link} I share how you absolutely must pay attention to the thoughts that run through your mind. Teach this to your children as well. You see, you are not your emotion. Your emotions - frustration, joy, anxiety, etc - they all teach us things. But, they don't define us. Reframe your words from I'm frustrated to I'm feeling frustrated. There is great power in stepping back and restructuring the thoughts that run through your head. For kids it is important to recognize that the emotions that they feel - those worries, not measuring up, anxiety, etc... are not definers of who they are at the core. The emotion can lead us to a solution. For instance, overwhelm is an alert that something isn't working, there is too much on the plate, etc... when overwhelm hits it's a sign to step back and re-evaluate. Mindset, to me, is a great part of living intentional. Mindset matters.

Embrace the Gift of Today.
Don't put off the things that you can do today for tomorrow. Teach this to your children.  Sometimes normal can simply be lost, as we've seen again this week withe devastation in Oklahoma, and with that we realize again the absolute gift of normal. Start to live today with an attitude of gratitude for today and work with your children to adopt this as well. It can be simple things - going around the table at night and listing things that you were thankful for - those things begin to force one to look, to seek, to find joy in the normal. Your children watch you, observe you, and learn from you. Teach them to embrace today. But, of course, remember - the not every moment will matter point - it's not about trying to love every moment. It's about seeking moments in the midst of life that you are thankful for.



Live boldly.
I want my children to be changers in this world. To me, a changer is someone who is willing to speak their mind, is strong in their convictions, and is willing to give of themselves for others at times. Teach them to hold the door, look at others when they speak, express gratitude, and fight for what is important. There is power in raising a generation of people who are willing to live boldly. Living boldly doesn't mean being arrogant, but honestly, to me, means seeing others in this world beyond oneself and living for the dreams that one is gifted with- to go after your dreams, use your talents, care for others. You as a parent have the awesome gift to be the one to hear them express those dreams, those goals, and expectations. Listen to them, support them, and encourage them - and you'll often find that their energy and zeal for life inspires your own outlook. Teach your kids, and remind yourself, to believe in those dreams and live a life of boldness

Six simple things that embrace the intentional mindset. It's not about pursuing a life of perfection, but rather is about living a life grateful for today, with hope for the future, recognizing that there are so many moments where life is about pulling up the bootstraps and trying again, and yet underneath it all being willing to live with a deep posture of gratitude for joy and good nestled within the normal.

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to you, the brave mother

We love stories of bravery - they are the stories we gather our children together to share, they are the ones that we pass on to our friends, and they're the ones we reference when we're in those moments of life where we feel like we're in the pit of helplessness. Bravery is contagious. It inspires, motivates, encourages, and provides hope in a world that at times feels like too much to bare.

Often the bravery comes from those we least expect it to come from.

Sometimes bravery develops in the simplest of ways, the humblest of times - in moments of giving of self and in believing in a future that really doesn't match with the present. And at other times, bravery is this jolt of adrenaline - the lift the car off the person, cover up the kids with your own body and keep them from the tornado - kind of bravery. And sometimes, sometimes, bravery isn't seen. It's those times when the resolve has almost trickled away, when the knock at the door means money needs to be paid, when the kids are sick and the hope is dim, and when the fatigue of life wears away at resolve.

Those pull up your bootstraps days are brave.

There are those of you right now, on this very moment, who need to hear how brave you are today. You need to hear that those times where you looked at a child that tested every single button or is rebelling or is defiant and you looked at them and fought for them. Loved them, even though your heart was worn. That is brave. There are of you standing at the kitchen sink, staring out the window, listening to the noise in the home, and wondering how you are going to get to five pm because you are so worn. And yet, day after day after day after day, you do. That is brave. There are you with kids struggling, relationships in a wreck, with piles of bills to be paid, with kids that are sick, with kids that rebelling, with kids that are just being kids, with vehicle problems, with washing machines that are broke, with a colicky newborn, with a mothering heart that is just worn. And yet, yet, right now, you keep fighting. Keep pushing through.

That is brave.

What if you and I and the next mother on the corner became a culture of woman who embraced the bravery found in each other? What if the competition was less about needing to be better than the next and instead a joint collaboration in being the best we can be? What if instead of racing by all those we see that we slow down and look someone in the eye and say hello?

I know you right now know of someone in your life that is being incredibly brave. Maybe it's you. It's your sister. A friend. The mom at church with the toddler that shrieks every time she leaves him for class and yet you see her come again and again and again. Maybe it's the gal at work with you who you see brush tears away throughout the day. Maybe it's your neighbor. Maybe it's your dear friend moving across the country leaving all she knows behind. Maybe it's the cashier at the grocery store. Maybe it's the mother at preschool with the newborn and toddler. Maybe. But, they are in your life.

Do you tell them how thankful you are for them? How amazing a job they are doing? That you see?

Imagine the strength that we as women could develop if we broke down those walls of comparison, fears of failing and not measuring up, and worry about what others would think, and if we could become the woman that pulls another one up, links arms, and celebrates the bravery that we as mothers demonstrate every single day.

Today. Who can you bless? What can you do today? Where are you being brave?

I know you are. I think of you when I write. I wonder about your stories, your lives, your moments of bravery. I know you have them - and I imagine the tapestry of bravery, courage, and beauty that our stories would bring. We are not a generation of women who are content to sit in wishing things would be different - we are strong. Bold. Brave. Loving our families even when we are worn. We rise up in the morning and go to bed exhausted. We fight, give, pray, hope, and weep. We keep going.

All of that is amazing. You are amazing.

Spread that message. Celebrate the bravery of mothers.

It's one note, one facebook message, one share, one phone call after another. Those things make a difference. A life difference. To you, I want to be a voice that tells you how brave I think you are. I read your emails, notes, and messages to me. I read how you keep going even when you are tired. I read about how you want to see the good in life. I read about how you worry about failing. I read about how never thought motherhood would be so hard. I read. And to you, to you, brave mother, I say onward. One step forward. Holding your head high.

A brave mother.

It's not about being perfect, having every duck in a row, and not falling down - it's about the resolve and tenacity in every step taken. In faces wiped, hugs given, fights broken up at nine am over matchbox cars, sandwiches cut, buckles snapped into place, dropping kids off at class, cleaning the kitchen, waiting up till midnight, standing in a kitchen counting to ten kind of brave. That matters.

Onward brave mother.

Today, today I encourage you to share this message of bravery with someone in your life. It's this breaking down of walls of competition and comparison and is instead celebrating mothers in the midst of lives that are so often not perfect. Thank you for all you do. From me, a brave mother, to you another brave mother. 

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Images and original content are sole property of Rachel Martin and may not be used, copied or transmitted without prior written consent.

a mile of perspective

Perspective is humbling.

Yesterday, as the news of the Moore Tornado flooded my stream, the gift of life, the gift of the every day normal perspective returned with force and conviction. Lives devastated in seconds.

Yet, that very night after watching CNN's live coverage, as I tucked my very sweet three year old Samuel into his bed with the John Deere blanket pulled up to his chin and the Backyardigan pillow under his head I quickly replied not now to reading him a bedtime story.

Several times, that sweet boy asked me to read him just one book. And several times I told him no. I wish I could figure out a  reason, but really, it was just because I had things to do, dishes to wash, and a living room to bring back to order. And then, then as I pulled the room darkening shades and picked up the matchbox cars strewn about his room I remembered again how those moments with a three year old asking for his momma to read him a book at night are actually gifts tucked into the fabric of time. It was as if the flood of perspective rushed over me - reading a book at bedtime is normal - that normal is so beautiful - and so missed by those who have to endure with having it removed forcefully from them.

It's so easily forgotten in a world of expectations, to-do lists, and every day stuff.

A couple of years ago my kids were playing outside with neighbor friends just after a wicked storm passed through our city. As they ran in the sun, with umbrellas just in case, it started to hail. Now, I realize, in hindsight that hail falling in bright sun with black clouds all around was a clue to severe weather that hadn't left. And then, as I scanned the sky over my neighbor's home, I saw a funnel cloud forming and dropping down. Despite the kids exclaiming that it was sunny and great out now, I yelled for all the kids to get in their homes as quick as possible. Within minutes of my kids rushing down the stairs to the corner in the basement the sirens began to sound - a sound that pierces the heart and jolts perspective into place. It was a tiny tornado - an f1 - that cut a path through the farms to the west of us and destroyed a house about a mile from me.

Perspective: the width of the tornado yesterday was the distance from my house to that house that was damaged several years ago on that sunny post storm afternoon. And at points it was doubled. Two miles.

I think of that sometimes and it humbles me greatly. I look at my neighborhood - with our manicured yards, petunias hanging from the porches, Little Tike toys out in the backyard, trees with buds - and I think about how I so quickly lose perspective and gratitude for it all being simply normal. And then days like yesterday happen. Or the Boston Marathon. Or that horrible school shooting last December that reminded my why vacuuming should always be beautiful. And with those harsh wake up cries perspective returns to me, the mom that gets to busy with life, and sometimes forgets to see the little things, the little moments, that are gifts.

And when perspective returns, when it rips the blinders of the stability of often forgotten peace of normal, then those moments in the bedroom with my three year old all of a sudden become more poignant, more important, and something to embrace.

Yes, Samuel, lets read a story.

Two, momma?

So we read. Me resting on a pillow next to him, reading books about winter with animals gathering sticks and coal to build a snowman, and then about spring with it's glorious sounds and sights, and him sighing content as the words left my mouth. It was normal, that beautiful normal, the simple moments tucked in a world that has so many devastating things that could happen. You and I and the next person have this challenge - this battle cry - to keep perspective on normal and it's beauty and to embrace living a life that at its core has a profound gratitude for the simple, often forgotten, little things and moments.

One mile wide. Drive a mile today. Walk a mile. Get perspective on a mile. Double that.

And then, then when you walk back into your life, and into your mothering journey, bring that perspective back into your everyday. Slow down just for a bit, hug on your children, tell them you love them, call a friend and thank them for being in your life, say no to the not urgents and yes to your kids, take that walk, and cut time out of your busy and needed things to do, to do those extra things. Read the book. Hold them longer in the rocking chair. What are you putting off for tomorrow that you should simply do today? Appreciate the normal beauty in your life. Gratitude changes perspective.

My heart goes out to Oklahoma. Please join me in praying for them.

~Rachel

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the little things that make a mom

A glimpse at the brave, and very real, mother.

She understands that staying up late holding her toddler doesn't mean that she'll get to sleep in late and yet she does it anyways.

She knows that despite being very busy that those children racing around the store, jumping down the stairs, throwing all the clothes out of the drawer that were just folded while they look for the one shirt that they love,  are truly blessings.

She's a fighter for her children - an advocate, a dreamer for them, and is not afraid to make sure that they are safe. She'll stop traffic for them, will scan a crowd for them, and will not be afraid to keep the rules in place for them.

She wipes up spill after spill and wipes face after face and wipes away the tears and still manages to kiss them all goodnight and whisper words of love. She'll walk into their room at night and watch them sleep while wondering why in the world they were so trying during the day when they look like an angel while they sleep.

She can grocery shop in stealth mode with a toddler in the gigantic cart with the blue police truck in front, a baby in her sling, and a preschooler finding all sorts of favorite new things to try.



She is able to read the same book over and over and over again as well as provide entertaining voices for each of the characters. And she artfully knows the skill of skipping some long paragraphs for those nights when bedtime needs to arrive just a bit earlier.

She has the phone numbers for the doctor, dentist, soccer coach, and pizza place programmed on her phone. She also has the phone number for her dear friend who can remind her of everything she's doing right memorized.

She understands that phrases like I hate you and you're a horrible mom and this dinner is awful don't define her. She works hard to brush them off and to keep loving and fighting for those ones who are pushing her buttons.

She makes mistakes. She owns her mistakes. And then she brushes off the mistakes and tries again.

She laughs. She laughs at the simplest things - the preschooler and their funny sayings. Sometimes she remembers to write them down. And sometimes she is thankful for facebook because she shared them there and thus wrote them down at least somewhere.

She tries to say yes more to her kids - even if it's just playing trains, running in the backyard, or reading one more book at bedtime. And yes to herself - often that yes is really a no to more things to do and yes to her family or for time off.



She works hard. Sometimes she works out of the home or in the home or a combination of both. But, no matter what, the brave mother works. And often she doesn't get much credit for that work, but she keeps on doing it.

She's learning to compare less.

She has mastered the yoga pants look and pony tail in the hair. She also knows that if she runs to the store really quick with the hopes that she doesn't run into anyone that she almost certainly will run into someone.

She understands that fears of failure, not measuring up, overwhelm, and all of that are normal. They don't define her. In fact, she's learning that those things that she worries about are the very things that make her stronger.

She has sometimes learned the art of the whisper. When they get loud - she whispers. And if she forgot this one now she'll remember.

She can store a month's worth of dates and appointments in a calendar in her head. Most of the time. For the other times she's thankful for her phone.

She understands that time keeps moving and tries really hard to embrace the days that she is given. And sometimes, on those days that are just plain hard, she's truly grateful that time does keep moving.



She knows when to put down her phone and shut the computer screen but she's not afraid to use them or to give herself a break or to pull out her camera to take a picture.

She can remove toys from their packaging in record time and can assemble toys just as fast. And she knows where batteries might possibly be for those needed toys or which toys to take them out of so that the new toy can have them.

She tapes artwork on the fridge, wipes handprints off the wall, sweeps dirt from the floor, rescues baseball gloves from the grass, puts books back on the shelf, cheers from the sidelines, gives up her coat, and pours hundreds of glasses of water all the while remembering that it is just a season, a window of time, in life.

She may be weary and deep down need sweet reminders of worth. Like you matter. You're amazing. You make a difference. You can do this. You are mom - a hero. Stuff like that.

She is a mom. A brave, empowered, go-getter, fighter, beautiful, trying to remember the little things, stepping out in faith, tucking them into bed at night and being grateful, mom.

It's the little ordinary it's just a mom things that make a mom.

What little thing do you love about being a mom?

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Need encouragement? 21 of my Dear Mom Letters are now together - they are the letters about why you are not failing, why you matter, and what to do on those overwhelming motherhood days.
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