She Buildeth Her House

kid activities

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A Easy Nighttime Game You AND Your Kids Will Like!

So, one night a couple years ago my kids and I went for a walk on the beach with a spotlight to look for crabs for fun.

The kids started chasing the light at some point and somehow it became one of their favorite nighttime games!

So if it’s nighttime, you’re in need of a break, and your kids have too much energy, take a spotlight outside and a comfy chair and let them chase the light around the yard, or wherever you are.

Maybe my kids are just weird.

Or maybe this is totally a mom hack.

Either way, try it and let me know if it works for you!

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A Quick Easy Way to Reinforce Learning the Alphabet

Sometimes we as moms can make things so complicated. I know I do.

So I thought I’d share this fun way to bring learning into play with your child who is learning their ABCs

Take whatever they are playing with and have them make a letter out of the objects!

If it’s dinosaurs or dolls, challenge them to make a “D” or a “d.” If it’s cups or cars, go for a “C.” Or a “b” for bugs like we did. And so on!

So quick and easy that it’s kind of embarrassing to write about, but hey, that’s what this blog is for! Teaching our children at home doesn’t have to be hard!

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A SUPER Simple Idea for Improving Your Relationship Your Child (WARNING: May Improve Writing & Reading Skills…NO Nagging Required!)

Sometimes life is crazy.

And in the crazy we can forget how much our little people NEED us to actually pay attention to them. To hear them. To affirm them. To answer their questions. To treat them like HUMANS and not just little annoyances.

Not just be in the room with them while they watch a cartoon.

Not take them to the park while we are on our phone.

Ouch.

But to be present. To listen. To ENGAGE .

Ever thought about how hard it would be to be a kid in this crazy time?? Or how it would feel if every time you try to figure something out, someone fusses at you or hushes you or ignores you? Not very pleasant.

And I fully understand how hard it can be to be present.

But friend, that doesn’t negate our responsibility as parents to give our children that attention. If they don’t get it from you, they’ll get it from someone… and that someone will have their heart instead of you. And I don’t think you want that anymore than I do.

So, if you’d like to do something to meet the need your child has of feeling connected to you…let me share something I recently started with my daughter.

A journal. A mother-daughter journal. It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t expensive. Just a composition book with a cute little kitten on it (her current favorite thing ever).

I presented it to her in the form of a treasure hunt that involved completing “challenges” (which were actually homeschool lessons in disguise!) but do whatever works for you.

The concept is simple. Just take turns writing notes to each other! It can be anything from random fun questions to something that you wanted to share in the day but got too busy and couldn’t. It could be a prayer request. A secret. Something scary that they faced that day. Maybe something they’d like to talk to you about more in depth. Some genuine heartfelt encouragement from you to them…or them to you. Use your imagination to engage with them.

The goal is for your child to know that this is a way to share their HEART with you and it won’t get lost or overlooked.

You could hide it for them to find. Or just give it to them. Ever how you do it, just make it fun.

I’m hoping this will be something that we can continue into her teen years and even adulthood. Can you imagine the treasure it will be? Reading about the first time we saw a dolphin together or how hard she worked to learn to do a cartwheel?

And the bonus…improved writing and reading skills with no nagging!

Happy journaling!

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Fun Activity to Give Mommy a Minute to Rest!

So I had read about this idea online. And yet I never did it. Sometimes all the ideas just blur together…they seem fun, but too much work. This idea is NOT like that.

My sweet girl has been on an archeologist kick lately. And so it seemed like a good time to try it.

I don’t know what to call it. Maybe a dino dig. Maybe ice digging. But whatever you want to call it, your kids will love it!

Just find some random little toys.

Trucks.

Rings.

Dinosaurs.

Even coins would work!

Then put them in ice trays or Tupperware containers or both and add a drop or two of food coloring if you really want to go all out 😉

Freeze it.

Collect a couple paint brushes, salt, and maybe a cup of warm water. Tell then they are archeologists and have to dig out the artifacts. You can even google facts about archeologists and read them while they are doing it if you’re feeling really motivated.

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Even my two year old who WON’T sit still was mesmerized. Like it bought me at least 30 min or more of time not having to chase him around the yard.

With older kids, you could use money and they get to keep it!

They are begging to do it again.

You’re welcome.

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3 Ways to Make the Most of Social Distancing

This is a strange time in our country. If you’d have asked me a month ago if the nation of America could be brought to her knees in such a short period of time, my answer would have been an emphatic NO. WAY.

And yet here we are.

So in this time of uncertainty, we as wives and mothers have a very unique opportunity to help determine what our families will remember about this historic event.

We have the ability to create fear in our family and amongst our children, or to have open conversations about all that’s going on and stir up faith. We can make it a time of irritation and frustration, or of togetherness and fun! Here are three quick tips that have helped me in making this time count.

  1. Determine to make PRAYER a priority. Don’t tune me out here. This suggestion is becoming white noise these days, but I really can’t overemphasize how important this is. Do something now to make regular prayer time a reality in your life and family if it isn’t. Make and display a simple prayer list to pray for at a set time each day with your family. Let the kids add their own requests! (We are currently praying for things as “small” as a pet and as “big” as making abortion illegal!) I hung our list inside my cabinet so I’ll see it when I’m setting table for breakfast and not forget! VISUAL REMINDERS ARE KEY! (Also, you have my permission…not that you need it…for it not to be fancy or perfect! Maybe its just me who has issues like that and subsequently procrastinates…but if it’s not just me, here’s your permission! Grab a piece of paper and do it now!)

    I would also challenge you to make the requests MEASURABLE so you can see if God is answering, and how. Instead of praying for God to bless someone, or work in a situation, be specific about how! It makes it easier to see how God is working in your life amidst all the chaos. Then you can be encouraged and put a smiley face beside the ones He answers!!
  2. Turn off your phone and stop endlessly watching the news. And tune into your family instead. No, I’m serious. During this time, your family needs you more than ever. If you want to check updates, set a timer for 10 minutes or so once or twice each day to do this. Otherwise, put it down! We got a phone jail as a gag gift for Christmas and I love it! It is a visual reminder to STAY AWAY FROM THE PHONE. We shouldn’t have our head in the sand concerning what’s going on, but watching depressing news and Facebook feeds all day isn’t helping anyone be more like Jesus, I promise! So I challenge you to do this today!! You won’t believe the difference it will make. IT WILL BE HARD, but that’s ok! YOU CAN DO IT!! Your family will thank you!

  3. Make a list of plans. I made a list of household projects as well as of fun things to do together with the kiddos and as a family and hung it on the fridge and it has helped so much! Little things. Big things. Just write them down and have them waiting for those moments of time when everyone needs a diversion. MY SECRET IS TO CHOOSE A “PROJECT” first (which is code for a chore that I’d like to do) THEN CHOOSE A FUN ACTIVITY! It makes everyone work faster and have something to look forward to. There’s a ton of ideas out there. Here’s a few ideas to get you started!
    • Listen to FREE AUDIBLE STORIES (The subscription fee has been waved on children’s stories while kids are out of school!!)
    • START GEOCACHING! It’s like a real life “treasure hunt.” I didn’t know what it was either, so read about it and then go do it!
    • LEARN A NEW SKILL TOGETHER. It could be survival skills, sewing, or anything in between. YouTube is awesome for stuff like this. (And yes, it’s ok to get your phone out if you’re doing it together and for a limited time lol)
    • PLAY! It could be hide and seek, play doh, board games, legos or a million other ideas. Ask your kids. Or play things you played when you were their age. Or if all else fails, get a cardboard box and the possibilities are endless…
    • DOCUMENT THIS HISTORIC TIME. This is an unprecentented event, so keep track of it! It will be fun to look back on. Lay a notebook on the table (again, visual reminders are so helpful!) and write a sentence or two every day of what you did, what’s going on.

      Or better yet do a photo journal as suggested by my friend Jessica Sauck. She suggests setting an alarm to go off every hour for an entire day, and taking a photo of whatever is going on. I did this challenge and LOVED IT!! It makes a mundane day seem more special somehow, looking for photographable moments.

The media makes everything look so hopeless but they don’t know Jesus! He is still good, even amidst all the chaos and suffering. I hope these ideas help you keep your focus on your blessings, and on our Savior and all He has done for us in this unique time in our history. God hasn’t forgotten us! Do your part in helping your family remember that!


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A Kid and Mommy Approved Clean Up Game

Photo by Kristin Brown on Unsplash

Do you ever feel like your house SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTS when you have your back turned? (Oh wait…is that just me???)

I have a one year old and a five year old, and try as I may, when we are home, especially if there’s been lots of fun going on, it gets a liiiiiiittle CRAZY sometimes.

One day, as I could feel the overwhelmed feeling creeping up in my chest, the Lord put a game in my mind for us to try. It’s super easy because I’m into super easy around here! (The only stipulation is your kid has to be old enough to count for it to work well.) Here’s what you do.



1. Choose a prize/incentive. In our house, the winner gets to choose a 10-15 min activity to do with the family either immediately after the game or at bedtime. Immediately after is best in my opinion because then you don’t forget! You could suggest reading a story aloud to them, do play doh together, blow bubbles outside, play hide n seek, get out a board game, water paint. You know your kids, so use whatever motivates them! And really, the key here is do something TOGETHER whenever possible. (Kids crave one-on-one quality time with you, whether you realize it or not.)

2. Set the timer for 5-10 minutes (I have used longer times if needed but I’ve found shorter times work best so we stay on task!)


3. Everyone (including you!) start cleaning, and for every item you pick up, or quick task you do, you earn one point. Be sure to emphasize the importance of putting things IN THEIR HOME, not shoving them under the bed 🙂

One piece of trash into the trash can=1 point
Wiping the table off=1 point
Putting three pieces of dirty laundry into the hamper=3 points
Putting 10 legos into the bin=10 points

You get the idea.


4. Count out loud to build the suspense, keep everyone honest, and to get more done quicker! (If you’re like us and forget which number you’re on, just pick one close to where you think you are and go with it. Remember the point is to pick up, not really being ridiculously exact on the numbers.)

5. Declare a winner and celebrate!! Who doesn’t love being encouraged!? And remember, if mommy wins, she can choose 15 minutes of quiet time!!! (Ok, if you want to be the fun mom I wouldn’t suggest this, but I have considered it!!!)



This activity serves so many purposes. Like…

>a relatively clean house

>everyone cleans together so mommy doesn’t feel like a martyr and kids learn responsibility and teamwork

>counting practice

> quality time with your kids

>opportunity to teach kids how to lose graciously

BONUS TIPS:
*Sometimes if there’s something with lots of pieces, it may seem kind of unfair because one person gets like 50 points at once, but really….who cares if you don’t have to pick them up!?

*If you don’t get it all done, celebrate what you did get done! And keep your word to play with them afterwards.

*This game helps ME because sometimes I see so many items that its overwhelming of where to start, and I get distracted very easily, but honestly, sometimes 5-10 minutes of super-speed cleaning andeverything is mostly back in order!!

*This works MUCH better if you do it a few times a day instead of waiting til bedtime when everyone is tired and grouchy to try to do the whole house. We aim for before meals and/or before we leave for an outing.

*Don’t keep extending the time. No one likes to clean when there’s not an end in sight! (Right??!!) Be fair and if you tell them 10 minutes, do 10 minutes and then go play with your kids!!

Try it and let me know if it works for you!!