Parent Child Activities |8 Efficiency Activities for Kids

I don’t know about you, but I am all about efficiency! The struggle with that is that kids are, by nature, anything BUT efficient. How many times have you finally got them to help you put away all of their toys before you clean just for you to turn your back for two seconds and have the toy box somehow explode all over the living room again? It honestly feels like each day becomes a game of “pick up” and then you have NO time to do anything else. It is so challenging to get the things that you want to get done while also making sure that they are engaged in educational activities rather than a media outlet. Quality family time and parent child activities are important to me. However, I want them to be fun activities for kids as well as useful activities for us moms!

Before I decided to be a stay-at-home-mom I was an activity coordinator for an adult daycare. My job was to come up with a schedule of activities each day that kept my population of around 40 seniors with varying levels of dementia engaged and interactive. Dementia is a disorder that causes abnormal brain changes and impacts the cognitive functions of inflicted adults. Among other things, this results in memory loss, reduced ability to problem solve and difficulty with coordination. Some of these seniors were cognitively similar to my two-year-old daughter. So the activities that I developed for their days at the center were activities that my child could also do but that were not too “babyish” as to not offend the adults doing the activities. However, I also tried them out with my daughter (some I made some minor tweaks to) and she too loves them! The best part is that all of these parent child activities are beneficial to me as well as to my toddler! It’s a win-win in the efficiency world!

So here are my top 8 go-to, parent child activities that allow me to get things done with a pre-schooler:

1. Homemade Centerpieces:

This can be a two-birds-with-one-stone activity. First, you can convince your child to go on a walk with you by telling them that you guys need to go searching for rocks and pinecones to paint (and so that you can get some exercise in). After you find the rocks and pinecones on your walk it is time to paint! Make sure to cover your table/surface you are painting on and then supply them with a paint brush and a paper plate full of drops of different colored paints (I use acrylic paints). Have your child start by painting the rocks with the brush and then set them on wax paper or a wire rack to dry. Then take the pinecones and roll them around in the remaining paint smearing the colors together and adding colorful tips to the pinecone scales. Place these with the rocks for drying. Once dry, place the rocks in the bottom of a large glass vase and then add the pinecones on top. Walla! You have a beautiful new centerpiece, you both got in a little exercise, your child got to engage their creative brain and used their fine motor skills!

2. Coffee Can Flower Pots:

For this activity you will need: an empty coffee can, glue, twine, potting soil and a pack of seeds (your choice). For this craft you will first need to have your child remove the label from the coffee can. Then apply glue all over the outside of the can. Next, have them take the twine and wrap it around the can over and over again until the whole can is covered in twine. Allow to dry. Finally, add the potting soil and plant your seeds according to the directions! What you get out of this activity: a beautiful DIY flower pot and a plant of your choice. What you child gets out of this project: Finger dexterity skills, hand-eye coordination, responsibility (having to water the plant each day), and learning about plants and gardening (can talk about photosynthesis, seed sprouting, etc…).

Toddler Things | Why Cooking Should be One of Them

3. Wax Paper Arrangements:

This is another decorative activity. For this project you will need leaves/flower petals, wax paper, a towel and an iron. Have your child go exploring to find fallen leaves or flower petals (can use this as another opportunity to take a walk). Then arrange them on a piece of wax paper. Cover them with another piece of wax paper and then with a towel. Press on the towel with a warm iron for 2-4 minutes to seal the wax paper together. After that the possibilities are endless! You can: have your child cut out the leaves and use them to make a wreath, frame the arrangement/ make your own frame out of sticks and twine, or hang the arrangement on the window as a suncatcher.

4. Homemade Bath Paints:

This one I obviously did not do with the seniors at the adult day care! However, this one is a definite keeper as one of the best parent child activities! This is especially true if bath time is a struggle for you and your little one! To make homemade bath paints all you need is: Kid Soap , Cornstarch and Food Dye! Just mix the soap and cornstarch in a 2:1 ratio and then add a drop of color and stir! Then hand your child a paint brush (I give my daughter the sponge brushes , they seem to work better) and let them go to town body painting themselves! This activity not only gets kids to WANT to take a bath but then they even wash themselves! And don’t worry, mamas, it is super easy to just wipe off your tile with water!

5. Scavenger Hunt Walks:

Getting exercise in each day is highly important to me. However, getting to the gym is not always feasible and trying to work out at home usually results in kids climbing over me! So I have found that walking has become my go-to exercise. Most of the time my daughter is fine with going for a couple walks a day with me, but there are times when she would rather just stay home. However, if I make the walk more of a game she jumps right on board! So I come up with a list of things that are fairly common to find outside (i.e. sticks, leaves, flowers, etc..) but also add some “maybe finds” (i.e. planes, school bus, animal families, something [insert color here], etc..) and then we go out “on an adventure” (just a walk in your neighborhood or a hike in a park) to find everything on the list! These have quickly become one our favorite outdoor family activities!

6. Homemade Sand:

This one is SO fun! All you need is flour and oil! Just mix 8 cups of flour with 1 cup of oil (I used baby oil so it smelled good but if you think your child might eat it you may want to use any kind of cooking oil). This is my go-to activity when I am cooking and want my daughter to stay in one place! I just put her in a high chair (usually with a sheet under it for easier clean up) and give her the “sand” and some sandbox toys (you can also use cookie cutters, Tupperware, or playdough toys) and she has a BLAST!

7. Baby Shark Zumba (probably the most fun(ny) of all these parent child activities):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH25vbkjBRA Think you need a personal trainer for motivation to workout? This activity can turn your toddler into your trainer! At our house, when we allow our daughter to have the TV on we put it on You Tube. That way we can make a playlist of educational shows for her to watch. However, You Tube also offers SO many kid exercise videos too! You can add a few of these into the mix (we are on Baby Shark Zumba kick right now but there are SO many others out there!). If your kids are like mine, you’ll do these dances once with them and they won’t let the song play again without your participation!

**Check out my Workout Anytime | Ultimate No Excuses Fitness Plan for more ways to incorporate workouts into your busy schedule!

8. Sock Matching Activity:

Need to do the laundry but every time you go to fold a load of clean clothes your toddler throws them all over the dirty floor? Try making it a game for her. Give your toddler all of the socks and have them try to match them into pairs. This not only keeps them busy so you can get the rest of the load folded, but it is also a great Montessori activity for your child!

Hope you all have a blast with these parent child activities! Please share pictures of your crafts and sand castles, ideas for scavenger hunts and links to your favorite dance videos in the comments!