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Valentine’s Day Relay Race with Hearts

OneMommy — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 22:09:38 +0000

Are you planning a kids Valentine’s Day party this February?

There are so many fun Valentine’s Day crafts for kids, many of which can be done in the classroom or at a Scouting event.

And while crafts are fun, the party really gets exciting when there’s a fun game to play.

Kids love to race, which was the inspiration for this heart relay race.

Valentine’s Day Relay Games like this one are perfect for that group party or to play at home as a family.

Looking for more Valentine’s Day party ideas?

Make sparkly Valentine’s Day slime or have fun with this melting frozen hearts activity.

You may also like these fun games for kids.

Valentine Relay Races

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Materials Needed:

Plastic Drinking Straw for Each Participant
Foam Heart Stickers
Paper Cup for Each Team

Divide children into teams.

Teams of 5-6 kids work great, but you can easily do this activity with a smaller group.

We did it with a Girl Scout troop of 5, and had one team with 2 and another with 3 girls. And later I did it with just my 2 at home. Both times it was lots of fun!

Give each team 10 foam heart stickers. (Heart stickers are also perfect for this cute Love Tree craft.)

Have them line the stickers up on a table placed at the starting area.

Give each player a plastic drinking straw.

Have the kids practice using the straw to pick up the stickers.

They will do this by placing one end of the straw in their mouth and the other end on a sticker. When they suck in through the straw, the sticker will get suctioned onto the straw’s end.

As long as they maintain the suction, the sticker will remain on the straw.

Valentine’s Day Relay Game

Once the kids are familiar with how to pick up the sticker hearts, it’s time to begin the game.

Have teams line up next to the table where you have placed the stickers.

Place the plastic cups on another table at the other side of the room.

Since we played in the school cafeteria, we were able to place our cups 30 feet away from our starting area.

This is a relay race. That means the players on each team will take turns transporting the hearts.

The first person in line goes first.

Once they get their heart sticker into the cup, they will race back and tag the hand of next person in line. Then that player will use their straw to carry a second sticker to the cup.

If a player drops a sticker, they must pick it up and go back to the starting point.

The goal is to be the first team to transport all 10 of the team’s heart stickers from the starting table to the plastic cup.

The first team with all 10 hearts in the cup wins!

Valentine’s Day Relay Games like this one are always fun at parties.

If you are planning a party, you may also like the following ideas.

Valentine’s Day Ideas for Boys — Make your own bow and arrows. Build a Valentine’s Day robot. The holiday doesn’t have to be all hearts and flowers. In this post you’ll find activities and homemade cards that even boys will enjoy.
Heart Crafts for Kids — Find tons of craft ideas that are perfect for kids of all ages.
Fizzy Valentine’s Day Science — Everyone will enjoy this sweet-smelling, bubbling science experiment.

More Valentine’s Day Games

Originally published January 23, 2019.

The post Valentine’s Day Relay Race with Hearts first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Halloween Party Games for Kids

OneMommy — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 03:23:10 +0000

With the global pandemic going on, there are many parents and kids wondering what Halloween will look like this year.

Whether or not trick-or-treating takes place, you can still make the holiday fun this year with a few simple Halloween Party Games for Kids.

These games can be played at home with just your family, or shared with a few friends in the backyard. Add a few fun treats and some of these other kids Halloween Party ideas and make it a day they’ll remember.

Looking for ways to make this Halloween extra special for the kids?

Check out these Halloween STEM Activities for some fun ideas to get kids experimenting and having fun this October.

Kids Halloween Party Game Supplies

Start preparing now and be ready to celebrate with fun games all month long.

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Plastic Ping Pong Ball Eyes — This silly ping pong balls can be used in so many fun games. You can also use them in this spooky & fizzy Halloween science experiment.
Lollipops — These are perfect for making cute candy ghosts for kids to hunt. They can also serve as a sweet prize for winners of the games.
Orange Balloons — Turn them into Jack-o-lanterns by drawing faces on them with permanent marker. Then use them to decorate and to play Pop the Pumpkin.
Candy Pumpkins — These mini pumpkins are perfect for catapulting. You can also use them in this candy STEM activity.
Spider Rings — Use these for the spider races below, or make your own life-size a spider web maze and decorate it with them.

Halloween Party Games for Kids

DIY Halloween Games — Recycle an empty box into a Feed the Monster Game. Create your own Spider Web Maze. Learn how to play Pop the Pumpkin and more in this collection of fun DIY party games for Halloween.

Catapulting Pumpkins — Turn this Halloween STEM activity into a fun party game. Who can get the most candy pumpkins into the bucket? How many can you get in the bucket in just one minutes?

Halloween Games with Plastic Eyeballs — If you’ve been shopping in October, you’ve probably seen those silly looking ping pong balls that are decorated to look like eyeballs. Discover 10 fun games, including relay races and scavenger hunts, that use those plastic eyeballs.

Candy Ghost Hunt — Kids of all ages will have fun with this Halloween scavenger hunt idea. This game is lots of fun when played outside, but can also be done indoors.

Truth or Scare — Remember playing Truth or Dare as a kid? This Halloween version makes it super easy — just pick a Truth or Scare card. And don’t worry, the ideas are all clean and kid-friendly questions and Halloween-inspired dares, like dancing the Monster Mash.

Spider Races — Turn those plastic spider rings into a fun game with some drinking straws and a lot of giggles.

Pumpkin Ring Toss — Create your very own ring toss game with a few glow necklaces and pumpkins. Afterwards the kids can have the necklaces to wear like a prize.

Mummy Races — Turn your party-goers into mummy’s with something you already have at home. Then unleash the giggles as they hop towards the finish line.

Halloween Minute-to-Win-It Games — From pumpkin bowling to stacking ghosts these quick games are guaranteed to get the kids giggling.

Halloween-Themed Charades — Have fun acting out different Halloween items using the free printable cards as inspiration. This game can be adapted to any age, making it perfect for families to play together.

These Halloween party games for kids are perfect for making the holiday extra special for the kids this year.

Nerf Gun Game Ideas

OneMommy — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 20:29:17 +0000

Games aren’t just a way to keep kids entertained. They are perfect for connecting with your child and even teaching important skills.

These awesome Nerf gun game ideas are guaranteed to be a huge hit with all the kids in your life.

Looking for educational games? Your child will have fun using foam dart guns to work on spelling and math skills.

Family game night? Create your own targets for some friendly family competition. Or use the games for a Nerf birthday party.

These foam dart gun games just may become some of your family’s favorite games for kids.

Affiliate links have been used below. See my full disclosure for more details.

Foam dart guns are popular with both boys and girls of all ages.

There is a huge selection to choose from, from tiny guns that fit in your pocket, to massive ones that look like they came from a comic book.

Here are a few of our favorites when it comes to playing games with Nerf guns:

Elite Firestrike — This one has a “laser sight” to help with accuracy, making it perfect for precision shooting games.
Elite Jolt Blaster — Although it’s tiny enought to fit in a pocket, it packs quite a punch. This one is perfect for knocking over cups and using in the target prize game.
Mega Cyclone Shock Blaster — My son loves that this one holds 6 darts and doesn’t jam up on him like the smaller revolver-style ones do.

Nerf Gun Games

Sight Word Shoot — Have an early reader at home? Check out this fun idea for working on sight words with Nerf guns at home. It’s one of our favorite sight word games.

Army Guy Shootout— Turn an ordinary cardboard box into your very own plastic army guy shooting gallery for Nerf guns!

Star Wars Themed Games — These foam dart games are perfect for any Star Wars fan. They’d be perfect for a Star Wars birthday party or for solo play.

Nerf Gun Math Game — Looking for fun ways to practice math facts at home? This game makes flash cards way more fun.

Target Prize Game — This target game is perfect for parties! Kids will love this target game with hidden prizes.

DIY Spinning Targets — Kids will have fun making their very own dart gun targets that spin when they are shot. They’d be perfect for playing alone or as a party game.

Shoot & Add — Grab some plastic cups and set up this fun game to work on adding.

Dart Gun Classic Games — Discover how to use those foam dart guns to give classic games, like freeze tag and capture the flag, a fun new twist.

Next time the kids want to play a game, grab the darts and try out a few of these fun Nerf gun games.

Fun DIY Lego Games Kids Love

OneMommy — Thu, 14 May 2020 00:16:10 +0000

Sometimes we all need some new tricks for entertaining the kids at home.

If your kids love Legos, and you are looking for some fun new games for kids, then I have just the trick for you.

Turn those colorful blocks into a new game with some of these DIY Lego Games for kids.

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Building with blocks is a fun way for kids to work on problem solving as well as fine motor skills.

You can use those bricks to make learning more fun, too, like we did with our Lego Sentences activity.

The games below give a new twist to everyone’s favorite blocks.

DIY Lego Games

DIY Lego Board Game — Create your very own colorful Lego game to play with the kids. Kids will have fun collecting bricks as their mini figures make their way through the spaces.

Lego Charades — Looking for a new game for family game night? Use those bricks you already have to play this fun version of charades.

Hexbug Lego Maze — Hexbugs are so fun to play with! Challenge your child to engineer a colorful maze for it out of those bricks. This low-prep STEM activity will keep them busy for hours.

Lego Challenge Card Game — Grab your bricks and a timer and get ready to play this printable brick building challenges game.

Lego Checkers — Want to teach your kids the classic game of checkers? Build your very own board and make it even more fun.

Lego Tic-Tac-Toe — Make that tic-tac-toe game more fun with this colorful twist.

Lego Marble Maze — Start with a simple maze, for your child to try. Then have your child design one with more twists and turns.

Duplo Geoboard — Discover how to turn that base plate into a DIY geoboard.

Pom-Pom Maze — Can your child blow the pom-pom through the maze? Take turns making maze to challenge each other.

Lego Party Games — Thinking of a Lego themed party in the future? These party games for kids using Legos would be perfect!

Looking for even more ways to play with those bricks?

Lego Board Games

Minotaurus — This is one of our favorites! Step into mythology and meet the mighty Minotaur, who protects a secret temple hidden deep inside a labyrinth. Be the first to lead your heroes to the temple, avoiding the Minotaur and cleverly placing walls to block your opponents.

Harry Potter Hogwarts Game — Another of our favorites, and so much fun for Harry Potter fans! Build your own mini Hogwarts, complete with moving staircases. Collect your school items before your opponents.

Lego Pirate Code Game — Who is the most sneaky pirate of them all? Can you guess the other players’ secret codes before they discover yours? Kids will have fun with this game of logic and luck.

Ludo Game — Build your own version of this classic game, including 16 mini-figure players and a colorful play area with 4 team bases. Plus, there’s a a buildable number spinner.

Magma Monster — Be the first to build a path over the molten lava. Then battle the monster and take the ancient golden treasure as your own in this fun game.

Banana Balance — Picking the best bananas is tricky work. Try to collect the most fruit, without tipping the tree over. This cute balancing game has plenty of fun monkeying around.

Lego Race — A fun and simple car racing game for 2-4 players.

These DIY Lego games are a fun way to play with those bricks and are sure to inspire your kids to create their own games in the future.

Fun Ways to Practice Sight Words at Home

OneMommy — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 17:47:02 +0000

If you have a beginning reader, you know that sight words are a big part of the early reading process.

Sight words help children gain confidence as they read, and increase a child’s reading speed and comprehension.

Kids learn better when they’re having fun, which is why we love adding different games for kids into our homeschool routine.

Help get your child excited about reading with these fun ways to practice sight words at home.

Sight word games are a fun way to work on early reading skills.

If you have an early reader, chances are they are learning math facts as well. Check out these fun ways to practice math facts for more learning games you can do at home.

Fun Ways to Practice Sight Words

Dr. Seuss Sight Word Activities — Mix reading practice with activities inspired by a favorite author of early readers.

Read to the Top — Get your child up and moving with this super simple idea that takes just minutes to set up.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Printable Game — Edit this colorful game with your child’s words for a printable, low-prep game featuring one of the most loved early reading books.

Reading Farm — Mix up some cloud dough and add toy tractors sight words to create a small world setting that encourages reading.

Blast Off Sight Word Game — Outer space fans will be thrilled with this reading game for kids you can make at home.

Dr. Seuss Inspired Reading Game — Dr. Seuss books are always popular with early readers. This game, inspired by his books, is easy to make and fun to play.

Drive to the Sight Word — Get your little vehicle enthusiast excited about reading with this simple idea.

Cup Crash — Mix sight words with all the fun of knocking things over in this simple sight word activity.

Bottle Cap Sight Word Game — Recycle plastic bottle caps for this fun DIY sight word game. Start with just a few bottle caps and continue to add words to your collection as your child progresses.

Sight Word Black Out — Print out one or all 30 pre-made game boards to practice the most common sight words.

Sight Word Tic-Tac-Toe — Young children love playing tic-tac-toe. Turn that favorite game into a sight word activity.

Sight Word Sensory Bin — Mix sensory play and learning with this simple activity. Early readers will have fun building words with plastic letters they find in the colorful bin.

Sidewalk Chalk Reading Game — Take the learning outside! Grab the sidewalk chalk and practice those words in the driveway or on the sidewalk.

Sight Word Bang — Discover how you can use noise makers in a simple sight word game outside.

Activity Mats — Kids will have fun bending play dough into the letters to form the words on these high frequency word mats.

Sight Word Smack — Get your child up and moving while they work on their reading skills.

Sight Words in Sand — Incorporate different sensory materials, like sand or shaving cream into learning.

Contractions with Plastic Eggs — Those plastic Easter eggs can do more than just hold candy. Use a few to practice reading contractions.

Snowy Sight Words — Mix sensory play and learning together in this activity. This one is perfect for winter time.

Nerf Gun Sight Word Shoot — Have Nerf guns at home? Use them to get your child laughing and learning for hours.

Sight Word Pop. — No one can resist popping bubble wrap! Save those over-sized packing bubbles to make learning to read more fun.

What is the Purpose of Sight Words

Sight words are sometimes referred to as high frequency words. These words make up a large portion of the words used in children’s early literature.

There are two main word lists that are often used in schools.

The Dolch sight words are words that appear most often in reading material for students in kindergarten through second grade.
The Fry words list is based on words ranked by how often they occur in materials for grades 3 – 9, with the first 100 words being the most often used words in the English language.

Learning to identify sight words is critical for early readers.

One reason for this is that many of the words are ones that can’t easily be sounded out or illustrated. For example, think of the words the, are, & said.

Being familiar with the sight words also helps children build confidence and fluidity as they learn to read.

Help your child become a better reader by trying out a few of these fun ways to practice sight words at home this week.

Dr. Seuss File Folder Games

OneMommy — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 21:31:53 +0000

Every March we have fun celebrating reading with some of our favorite books.

Over the years we have done numerous Dr. Seuss Crafts & Activities.

These Dr Seuss File Folder Games are fun to play and are easy to store to use year after year.

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Kids learn best when they are having fun. We love incorporating educational games for kids into our homeschool routine.

These Seuss games for kids are perfect for preschoolers and kindergartners. Older kids will love these Dr. Seuss activities for older kids.

If you wish to use these games in the classroom, or with several students for homeschool, you may want to use a laminator to help protect the pieces. The games take up almost no room, and can be stored in their file folders in a cabinet or crate, making them easy to access.

Dr Seuss File Folder Games

Pets & Their Homes — This is fun activity to go with the book What Pet Should I Get. Kids will learn about 6 different types of pets and what kinds of cages/homes they are usually kept in.

Dr. Seuss Sight Word Game — While not a true file folder game, this simple DIY game can fit easily in a file for storage.

Seuss Land— A colorful game for young kids, played like the classic Candy Land game.

Lorax Math Game — This is perfect for kids who are working on adding or subtracting skills.

One Fish Two Fish Counting Game — Young kids will have fun placing the colorful fish into the fish bowl and then counting to see how many fish there are.

Cause & Effect with The Lorax — Read The Lorax and then use the matching game to talk about what happened in the story.

Seuss Tic-Tac-Toe — This printable tic-tac-toe game is a fun way to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

10 Apples up on Top File Folder Game — Toddlers and preschoolers will have fun placing the correct number of apples on each animal’s head in this printable game.

These file folder games for Dr. Seuss books will have young kids smiling and learning with some of their favorite characters.

Continue the fun with a few Dr. Seuss STEM Activities. You may also want to check out these funtastic Dr. Seuss math activities.

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