Baby school was in session this week, and these two cuties spent the time in class “ice painting.” Ice painting is a simple activity you can do at home with your baby (or older kiddo), to create beautiful pieces of art. At a little over three-months-old, these girls are soaking up everything in their environment. This ice painting activity is an excellent way for your child to experience colors, different sensations (COLD!), and cause and effect (the ice melts to create beautiful art). Materials Needed: Ice cubes with two drops of food coloring in each cube; paper (preferably porous paper to absorb the water); gallon-size freezer bags; and cookie sheets. Set Up:…

I was searching Pinterest again for a simple way to entertain my baby and found another winner from CanDo Kiddo. This balloon kicking activity is so much fun and a wonderful learning opportunity for your little one. The activity hones your child’s ability to recognize cause and effect, and gross motor skills. This activity is recommended for babies one-month-old to five-months-old. Considering all babies reach developmental milestones at different times, it should be noted this activity is recommended for those babies who are not yet truly mobile and grasping/mouthing objects. If you have a crawler on your hands, this activity isn’t for her. It is important to supervise your baby while doing this activity. Do not leave…

I love Pinterest almost as much as I love Instagram. With Pinterest, I can type any of my thoughts into the search engine and inevitably someone, somewhere has come up with an activity or craft that matches my thoughts! Recently, I was trying to find ideas on how to use a cardboard box to entertain babies (strange, I know) and came across CanDo Kiddo’s stargazing box. This is so simple to make, yet so entertaining for the little ones. Supplies: A cardboard box, Christmas lights, a knife, and packing tape (if your box isn’t already put together). Steps: Put the box together and place it on it’s side, cut “X”s…

With the newest addition to our family, I have been thinking a lot about the best types of books to read to babies and young children. Reading aloud to babies and young children well before they are of speaking age is an important bonding experience because it encourages vocabulary development and improves communication skills. If you head to your local bookstore, you’ll find entire sections devoted to children’s literacy and language development. To help you save time sifting through the shelves, I’ve made a list of my four favorite (and effective) types of language development books for children. High Contrast Books High contrast books are great way to introduce infants…