Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in kansas city, KS

What would you do for an ice cream bar?

by Jenny Meade

July 14, 2009

Preschoolers often love to please, but they want to get their way, too.  They love to learn new tricks and games, but even better, they love to watch mommy or daddy get excited when they've completed a special new task.

Kids as young as three and four can even start doing small chores around the house, and it's never too early to start habits like these. As long as you make it fun and give lots of praise and throw in small rewards, they'll catch on pretty fast. 

Here are some ideas for little ones to help out around the house:

• Feed the dog/cat. Scooping dry dog food from the bin and pouring it into the bowl is a great motor skill application.
• Pick up toys. You don't have to sing the Barney clean up song, but sometimes it helps.
• Water the plants. If you have a small watering container, fill it up and let your little gardener water the pots. But maybe start with the ones outside on the patio so it doesn't matter if they spill water all over the place.
• Lay out clothes for tomorrow. You can really shave time off your morning routine if you don't have to spend time trying to find THAT shirt or barrette.
• Set the table for dinner. Forks go on the left, spoons and knives on the right. Hard to remember without prompting, but very satisfying for Mommy's little helper to complete, especially when dessert comes around.

Reflections: fun with photos.

by Jenny Meade

January 13, 2009

Recently my boys willingly disengaged themselves from the Wii and came downstairs to see what I was doing on the laptop. (Don't get too impressed, it was dinnertime, they were hungry...) What I was doing was flipping through old file folders of digital photos looking for a specific shot of my oldest when he was a preschooler. They crowded around my shoulders as I tapped each photo and said, "Who  Read more...

Christmas light shows to wow the kids (from the warmth of your car)

by Jenny Meade

December 10, 2008

Every year as a child my parents would stuff my brother and I into our jammies and put us in the car for a late night of driving around neighborhoods looking at Chrismas lights on houses. It's become a much more sophisticated deal these days, with the availability of landscape companies who, for a small portion of your paycheck, will come to your house and string lights all across your rooftops,  Read more...

A book is a good way to talk through tough subjects.

by Jenny Meade

November 20, 2008

One of the things that happens soon after your little one heads off to preschool is the coming home of the dreaded incident note. The "your child bit someone today" or "Your child hit someone today" or "Your child pulled out his junk and peed down the slide in front of all his friends today". It hurts, as a parent, to know that your baby is acting inappropriately, probably out of an inability  Read more...

Arts and Events around KC - November 20-23rd

by Jenny Meade

November 19, 2008

As we head closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, Kansas City literally lights up with wonderful winter things to see and do with your family. Here's a few favorites kicking off just this weekend. The Legends 4th annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony , Saturday Nov. 22nd Suessical the Musical at the Coterie Theatre , Crown Center Holiday Village miniature train display , Crown  Read more...

Bedtime Stories

by Jenny Meade

November 17, 2008

When my oldest son was born, someone gave us a copy of a book called Love You Forever . It's supposed to be a sweet story about a mom who loves her little boy so much and she sings this special lullaby to him every night when putting him to bed. She sings this song to him even as he becomes too old for rocking and lullabies, sneaking into his bedroom after he's sleeping and whispering it  Read more...