Kids are very aware and affected by the emotions of others. I recently heard about a study that showed that very young children can sense the differences in the emotional tone of a situation. I’m no scientist, and I see this everyday in my son. When I laugh, he laughs; when I’m sad, he’s sad; … Read more
Guided Play: Obstacle Course, Find the Ball, Give & Take Today’s guided play activity was pouring. This game is great for babies 9 months to toddler/preschool age because it helps kids practice some fine motor skills that are important for development. And babies/toddlers like to put things in, take them out, and make noise! We … Read more
I have started doing “guided play” with Joel for a few minutes after lunch each day. Play is a very important part of learning and cognitive development for babies, and I want him to be learning all the things his brain is ready to learn at this stage. So I’m going to start sharing our … Read more
If you haven’t been on a swing set in a while, take your kids to the park and hop on a swing. Doing things you used to do as a kid is a very happy thing. I think 5 minutes on a swing every day would help me be a better mother with more patience … Read more
Paper is one of the best toys for babies 9-18 months and even older. You have to make sure they don’t eat it, but little kids love to tear paper! When we are in the car and Joel is miserable, all I have to do is give him a piece of paper, and he’ll be … Read more
We LOVE dessert at our house. We pretty much have dessert every night – is that weird? I don’t think it’s normal. My family had dessert every night growing up – usually M&Ms (counted out so each person got exactly the same number. This is what you have to do with 6 kids!) or ice … Read more
Isn’t bath time supposed to be fun? It used to be. Around the time that Joel turned 1 he started to hate bath time. I couldn’t figure it out! He never really did like to get his hair washed, but being in the water didn’t bother him until one day he screamed and cried through … Read more
Last weekend we went rock hunting (or hounding) with my husband’s family. I had never heard of rock hunting either, so you’re not alone in your wonderment. Rock hunting is…well, hunting for rocks – every kid’s dream! We trekked over to the west side of Utah lake to find shell fossils first. The 14 cousins … Read more
Hello everyone. This is Boyd, Kelsey’s husband and this is my 2nd attempt at writing a post on Vanillajoy.com. Just thought you should know it was me and not Kelsey. Every parent should learn how to do one thing—kids face painting. Why? Because it is the only activity that every single kid enjoys (if truth … Read more
A happy memory from my childhood is going on birthday outings with my Grandma. She would take me to lunch at a restaurant of my choice and then shopping to pick out a birthday gift. The birthday I remember best I chose to eat at RAX (which I haven’t seen in years – did they … Read more