8 Colorful Hands On Activities for Kids
If your kids are anything like mine, they are very hands-on. They love to do whatever I’m doing, whether it’s gardening, baking, crafting, building, etc. This is why I try to come up with activities that they can do most, or all of it, by themselves. It’s exciting for them to create something and it builds autonomy which is an important skill as they get older and need to figure out problems for themselves. Over the last couple of years since my kids were old enough to appreciate and enjoy it, I’ve done a handful of really fun and colorful activities. These are tried and true and my kids ask to do them over and over again.
Elephant Toothpaste
We did this activity last summer and my kids went crazy over it! The reaction is pretty amazing and we’ll definitely be doing it again soon.
Color Explosions
This activity is super simple and you probably already have the ingredients on hand! You can do this one over and over again for really inexpensive.
Glow in the Dark Bath Paint
This is a great activity to do with your kids once your sure they won’t try and eat everything they can get their hands on. A black light and glow in the dark paint make this activity great for those days when you’re stuck inside.
Dancing Rice
Using basic ingredients, you can do a little science experiment with your kids and show them how air bubbles carry the rice up to the top of a glass, making them look like they’re dancing.
Homemade Gak
Gak is one of those really fun things to play with no matter your age! We did this one as a family activity one night and everyone got in on it.
Homemade Bouncy Ball
This activity was one of the first posts I did on my blog and I still get people coming back to it. It makes for a fun afternoon activity at home or preschool activity.
Water Beads
If you’ve never heard of water beads, you are missing out! We pull these out once every few months or so and the kids will play with them forever. They are really inexpensive and you get hours of fun!
3 Ways to Paint with a Toddler or Preschooler
One of my most popular kid activities post! If you have toddlers or preschoolers, this one is for you. I’ve included 3 different ways you can let your preschooler or toddler paint (adult supervision still required of course).
And there you have it! I hope you have fun trying these activities out with your kids!
Hi! I’m Shani,
A stay-at-home mom of 4 and wife. I love sharing easy to follow craft tutorials, kid activities, family-friendly recipes, organization, travel and motherhood. I hope you’ll feel uplifted and empowered by each post, regardless of what kind it is. Join me as I raise my little munchkins and share the sunshine in this beautiful, crazy thing called life! Read more...
Same here! They think it's pretty cool too.
Thanks for stopping by Vanessa!
Thanks Sarah! I hope you have fun trying some of these out with your boys!
My kids feel so cool when they do something that causes a reaction. 😉
We go the the park a lot and always have a cold drink its hot in Florida.
These look so fun. Perfect activities for summer!
These are all so fun! I’ll definitely remember this next time I’m nannying!
I’m sure the kids you nanny will love them!
So many fun activities that my girls would love.
They are so much fun! My kids love all of these activities.
So fun! I know my kids would have a blast with these. We might have to do one over the weekend.
I’m so glad you like them! You’ll have to let me know if/when you do one and how it goes.
These are all such fun ideas! I love the water beads…I enjoy playing with them as an adult 🙂
So do I! There’s something that’s so calming about them.
Slime/gak has been banned in my house due to too many disasters, but the glow in the dark bath paint looks awesome!
We don’t do the Gak very often for that very reason, but every once in a while, it’s a lot of fun! The glow in the dark paint is definitely a must do though.