For Creativity and Learning

If you’re looking for ways to help develop your children’s creativity while occupying them for hours…here are some awesome activities for any kids, and especially little girls.

What I love about all these activities is that you can play them with your child, they can play with friends or siblings, or they can even do any of these themselves.

When my girls were small, they spent literally hours on end playing, pretending and using their imaginations with these incredibly fun past times. I’d say they’re age appropriate starting at like 3-4 years old and maybe up to 10-11 years?

 If your little ones are home during holiday breaks or summers and YOU need a break, consider setting up these activities and letting them go!

1. COOKING and WAITRESS/RESTAURANT. This is adorable. I talked about this in my post Cooking with Kids of All Ages.

Check out how much fun my youngest daughter is having making some bread!

It’s really fun to get this kind of kids’ cookbook and let them pick out some recipes!

Working through the steps in a recipe is actually very good for children who need work with reading comprehension (I was told this by a teacher.), so it’s educational AND fun.

Let your children open their own restaurant and put together the menu. Give them a little apron and pen and pad to take orders.

2. BABIES/ MOMMIES. My girls all time favorite.

It used to make me laugh so hard when they made schedules for their babies’ eating and sleeping that they would actually post on the wall. They took being a mommy very seriously! We had little high chairs, strollers, and basinets for the babies, and the girls used the kitchen (above) to prepare the meals. We even took the babies in the stroller to the local playground and put them on the swings!

And even on vacation to the beach! 😜

3. SCHOOL. For kids in pre-school or elementary school, they (hopefully) have developed a love for it and their teachers too. Anything that lets them be a grownup gives them confidence and is so much fun for pretending.

Get a big chalkboard, lots of chalk, notebooks, pencils and pens.

4. STORE/CASHIER. This is great fun and another learning activity as kids understand the value of money and how to make change using math. Give them a bunch of coins, monopoly money, and even an old checkbook! You can so easily set up a store, letting them handle the money and bag up your goods!

5. DRESS UPS. When I was a little girl, my friend had two older sisters and her mom kept their old clothes up in her attic in a big chest. We used to love dressing up and pretending we were two roommates living in a big city.

We even used some of their old checks. My friend actually sent me one of the checks a few years ago for my birthday as a hilarious surprise. I wish this check she made out to me for $450,000,000 was real, that’s for sure!

6. BALLET. There was something popular when my girls were young called “Bella Dancearella”. You could buy the tape which also came with truly the most adorable child-size, pink ballet barre, as well as ballet slippers. I’m sure they have lots of dance routines designed for children out there on Youtube or wherever these days, so check them out!

Play the video and let them go to town. It’s great exercise, and helps with balance and coordination too!

7. PAINTING. In my post, Painting with Kids, I have so many great ideas for engaging your children in painting activities that really inspire their creativity. My girls are STILL (at 21, 24 and 29) doing oil paintings on canvases and using adult coloring books.

There is something very calming about painting, which is why I highly recommend it for all children, especially when they’re small and could use some peaceful energy. Over the years we have done finger painting, water colors, paint by numbers, murals…they have even painted on my wall, which is, to this day, such a special thing to see every day, especially now that they’re grown and moved away.

8. GARDENING and LAWNCARE.

You can find the most adorable child-sized tools like shovels, hoes, lawnmowers, and rakes. When I planted my garden in the summer, I would make a small patch for my daughters to have their own garden. Give them some seeds, a little watering can…they love this. And in the fall, let them help you rake the leaves with their own miniature sized rake. Make some big leaf piles for them to jump in too!

9. DOLL HOUSE. This is an activity near and dear to me, because I played for hours with this actual dollhouse. I still have it and am hoping my grandchildren will play with it one day!

My daughters had something a bit more modern but had so much fun playing make-believe families.

10. PLAY DOUGH. This was always a go to for me when I needed the girls to calm down a bit. Lots of colors of play dough, cookie cutters, and maybe some of the cute little molds and machines they sell to make pretend foods and stuff.

Spread everything out on a big table- cover it with paper if you want, although play dough cleans up pretty well. This is especially great in the summertime if you have a nice outside picnic table. They can make some pretend foods for their kitchen/menu or their babies! Several of the activities tied into one.

If you aren’t aware, you can make your own play dough really easily. Here’s the recipe:

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• Food coloring

Directions:

• Combine all dry ingredients
• Pour in oil and boiling water
• Cook the mixture over medium heat until it thickens and forms a ball
• Let cool, then knead on a floured surface until smooth and no longer sticky
• Add food coloring to desired color (it can also be added to the water)

This makes about as much as two play dough cans you might buy at the store. Make as many batches and colors as you’d like, and store them in an air tight container or sealed plastic bag. It stays fresh for about 1-2 weeks. My sister, an artist, used to make huge batches of home-made play dough for her sons, and they loved to make big herds of dinosaurs!

I hope that your children enjoy these wonderful activities, and that you enjoy seeing their creativity and imagination at work. If there are any creative make-believe games and activities your children love, feel free to share!