Kids Activity Blog

I don’t know about you, but I am always on the look-out for simple, portable kids activities to keep my little ones occupied while we’re out and about. Sometimes a pad of paper and some crayons just won’t cut it, and I’m left with a couple of over-excited, under-stimulated banshees hell-bent on relieving their boredom by any means possible. This usually involves screaming and/or making a mess, which isn’t something you want to be dealing with while waiting to see a doctor or trying to get the grocery shopping done.

We all want our children to be avid readers. Readings helps expand your child’s vocabulary and ability to communicate, stimulates their curiosity, and improves their comprehension and concentration skills. Unfortunately, with a growing list of technological gadgets competing for your child’s attention, it can be hard to convince your little one to sit down with a humble book.

Last weekend our family decided to take the ferry over to Taronga Zoo. There was a nice little reprieve in Sydney’s icy winter weather, and the girls wanted to make the most of it and get outdoors. We packed a nice lunch, rugged up in some wet-weather gear (you can never be sure this time of year!) and headed over to this iconic Sydney landmark.

Our household is big on arts and craft activities. Painting, jewellery making, pottery... we’ve done it all! But lately my eldest daughter, Bee, has started to express her creativity in another way: through her clothes. Bee just adores dressing up and mimicking her favourite characters from television and movies.

Lots of parents (mums, in particular) can be made to feel guilty about returning to work before their child starts school. I was recently faced with making this tough decision, and I thought I would write a post about it to help any other parents out there who are struggling with the prospect of putting their little one into day care.

The other day we went to visit my brother and his growing family. My children love visiting their cousins. As soon as we walk through my brother’s front door, the girls disappear upstairs to explore their cousins’ bedrooms, toy boxes, and wardrobes. This time I was pleased to hear the kids excitedly discussing a great new initiative that has been started at their cousins’ school.

Do you ever get the feeling kids these days are expected to spend every waking hour either at school, playing sport, learning a musical instrument, or otherwise taking part in some other extra-curricular activity? Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond delighted when my daughters show a passion for a new hobby. And of course I am more than happy to spend money helping them realise their goals and potential. But sometimes I think there is too much pressure on parents to spend money “outsourcing” their kids activities.

I have a confession to make: I hate it when my girls insist on “helping” when I cook dinner. Maybe I’m lucky they have taken an interest in this domestic chore (couldn’t they clean the bathroom instead?), but honestly I would much rather get the cooking done in peace.

We all want our kids to be happy and successful, but it’s easy to forget that as parents we also have a responsibility to raise socially aware children who know how to do their bit for the community. With Earth Day coming up on the 22nd April, there are countless kids activities that will instil valuable lessons in our little ones to make sure they grow up with a robust social conscience.

I try to make sure my girls are out and about as much as possible; enjoying the outdoors, exercising, and socialising with other little ones. One of the difficulties with outdoor kids activities, however, is finding nutritious food. With the foodie movement on the rise, it amazes me that sports centres, play parks, and swimming pools don’t do more to provide healthy, interesting meal options at their canteens.

Every parent wants their child to be happy at school, and a major contributor to schoolyard happiness is a healthy social life. Unfortunately, many parents focus too much energy on improving their child’s academic abilities, rather than teaching them how to foster healthy friendships.

Are you ever left with the feeling that our little ones don’t get to make the most of their mini-break by being parked in front of the television with the candy bowl in their lap?

As a housewife and Mum, I try to make sure that every moment I spend with my kids is quality time that lasts. That is why I never fail to be with them during special occasions. I also realized one way which I could bond with my children during my free time: Face painting!

As you know I am a big advocate for kids health & fitness. After all our bodies have been designed to move., not to sit around playing computer and TV games. All of us need exercise especially kids.

Do you know about the Schoolkids Bonus? It is a new cash payment to help eligible families and students with the costs of primary and secondary school studies. Around 1.2 million families have already benefitted from the first wave of payments in January 2013 – have you?