Toddler Activities

Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin- Sensory Rice

January 28, 2021 by firstcomesfamily Leave a Comment

We are tickled pink for all things Valentine’s Day lately! I made my own sensory rice for a Valentine’s themed sensory bin! Sensory bins are great for inhibiting cognitive development and fine motor skills. Vivian loved it and loved throwing the rice all over even more. It’s really awesome to see her mind working as she was playing with the rice.

What You Need:

-2.5 cups of Rice per color (any kind works, white rice is best)

-Food Coloring (10 drops per 2.5 cups of rice)

-1 tsp vinegar or rubbing alcohol per color

-Gallon Sized Ziploc bags

-Cookie Sheet

-Paper Towels

-Large container or Bin

Directions:

Place 2.5 cups of rice into a gallon Ziploc bag. You can do as many colors as you’d like.
Squirt 5-10 drops of food coloring in each bag. More drops = richer the color.
Pour 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol or vinegar into the baggie. Rubbing alcohol tends to dry quicker.
Zip bag and shake it up!
Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Place the rice on paper towels and let dry. It should only take 15 minutes if placed in the sun.
Put the dry rice into a bin (I used a large Tupperware container). Add any random object for pouring or playing in the bin!

*I totally recommend placing this on a sheet or doing this outside because the rice gets EVERYWHERE. You could also buy a cheap small inflatable pool to place it in!

Enjoy your Valentine Sensory Bin! Tag me on Instagram if you try it @firstcomesfamily.mama !

First Birthday Gift Ideas

July 23, 2020 by firstcomesfamily Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you choose to make a purchase using my link. It’s okay – I love all of these companies anyways, and you will too!

Time literally is flying this year. I actually forgot that my girl turned one almost 3 months ago! *cue tears* There seems to be an endless amount of toys for kids these das. Recently, I asked one of the Facebook mom groups I’m apart of what their most haves were and they did not dissappoint! Since our girl’s birthday was in the middle of a quarantine and a pandemic, we wanted toys that were interactive to help get any energy out.

SoftPlay Toddler Climber

Ever since our girl started walking, she has loved to climb things! This is a lifesaver. It’s soft and helps challenge heights for them. It’s not very high so if she does end up falling its not nearly as bas as it would be from the couch. This is 100% worth it and actually my top pick!

B. toys Toy Drum Set

Music has so many benefits for babies such as language development, understanding emotions, sensory enhancement, and brain activation. From the moment we put this out, she hasn’t stopped playing with it! I’s fun watching her understand the different sounds and volumes.

Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll ‘N Trike

This thing is awesome because it grows with your child from 9 months old-5 years old! I love a toy that will go through multiple stages. The shade is important because it helps keep the shade out. We also love the cup holder for a drink during our cruises.

Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube

This sorting cube helps for with cognitive and motor skills. It’ll take some practice getting the right shape in each spot but it’s a winner once they get it. This can also be used as they get older to teach shapes and colors.

Melissa & Doug Rainbow Stacker Wooden Ring Educational Toy

Stacking toys help hand-eye coordination, cause and effect learning, as well as problem solving skills. We received this when she was 11 months old and by the time she was 12 months, she LOVED taking this apart and stacking them. She also loved that the rings were hard so we could clank them together.

Birthdays remain my favorite although now I feel like so much research goes into what things are appropriate for each age. These toys have been LIFE SAVERS and keep my little girl busy for endless time. Hoping your kiddo’s birthday is extra special with one of these gifts!

3 DIY Activities for Babies

April 16, 2020 by firstcomesfamily Leave a Comment

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I’ve been posting the DIY activities I’ve been doing with our 11 month old girl. With the influx of lockdowns in states across the country, we are home with our babies A LOT more. Now is the time to do all of those activities with your babies that you pinned months ago. Here are my 3 activities that we gave a go in the past week! These activities get their neurons firing and senses overloaded.

Keep in mind, the attention span is 3 to 5 minutes per year of age. So don’t be surprised if your little one only finds joy in these for a minute or so.

Mess Free Painting

You will need:

-Paper

-Gallon Baggies

-Paint (preferably washable)

-Packing tape (a strong tape)

Take a sheet of a paper and put dabs of paint all over it. Carefully place in a gallon bag and zip. Tape bag down flat on a high chair, table or the floor. Then let your babe “finger paint”, moving the colors around, feeling the texture and explaining each color. When finished, take out the paper of the bag and let dry!

Sensory Spagetti

Things you’ll need:

-1/2 box Spaghetti or any pasta

-Pot (for boiling spaghetti)

-Strainer

-Food Coloring

-Baggies

-Oil (vegetable/olive)

Okay, this has been our favorite. Cook spaghetti as you normally would but leave it a little more al dente so that it doesn’t mush. Strain pasta and let dry a little. Separate the pasta into baggies (as many colors as you’d like) and place 10-20 drops of food coloring with a 1/2 tbsp of oil into each bag and shake up! Once coloring is even on pasta, rinse and strain so theres no excess coloring on it. Lay on a pan with paper towels to dry and soak additional colorings. Then place in a tub/container and play! It’s fun to point out colors and let them feel the textures. Warning: they will probably eat it!!

Colored Bag Hanging

Things You’ll Need:

-Gallon Baggies

-Water

-Food Coloring

-Strong Tape (I used packing tape)

Fill each bag with about 3 cups of water. Place 5-10 drops of food coloring in each bag (as many colors as you’d like). Zip bags up and tape to a glass door or even the stove window! Babies will love squeezing and seeing the colors shine. Our girl loved this and we kept it up for a few days!

Sensory activities are a great way to introduce new things to your child. They help stimulate the brain and create nueron pathways to improve sensory processing. It may take a bit for time to gather these activities but I’m sure they’ll be a hit to keep our crazy kiddos busy!