The following list contains many early childhood blogs that stand out above the rest. They are suitable for both parents and child care providers. Be sure to click on the links to check out the blogs and the many high quality, play-based activities they offer.

A rainbow colored rock with markers in the background

HANDS ON as we grow

Jamie, a mom of 3 young boys, created this blog to share simple, hands-on activities to do with kids. Many of the activities can be done with items that are already in your home. One of the most popular posts on the blog is 35 things to do with CRAYONS – pinned by 276,000 people. Jamie searches the internet to find the best activities and brings them together on this well-organized website.

The Imagination Tree

Anna, a mom of 4, early childhood teacher and play enthusiast is the creator of this site filled with over 700 ideas and activities for young children. She has fun recipes such as Homemade Moon SandThe Best Ever No-Cook Play DoughEdible Finger Paint, and many others. Why reinvent the wheel when someone like Anna offers so many great ideas on her blog?

A yellow shovel holding a ball of bright pink colored sand
Valentine's Day Heart Magnetic Clips

RED TED Art

RED TED Art was named the top Early Childhood Education Blog in both 2016 and 2017. The ratings were measured by how many site visits, site references and the growth in the number of visits to each site. Maggy, the creator, is the mom of two young children and loves all things crafty. There are a ton of ideas on the site in many different categories. One of the newest activities on the blog is Valentine’s Day Magnetic Clips which would be great to make with children to give as gifts to their parents this Valentine’s Day.

Kidsactivites.com

Holly’s blog has more than 62,900 members! She not only has many different creative activities to do with kids, she also offers quick and easy recipes and printables. Some of the newest printables include Valentine’s templates such as slime valentines, a winter paper doll template and printable play money. This site has a wealth of resources for anyone who spends time with young children.

Colored paper cut outs of clothes to put onto a paper doll
A toddler reaches into a bucket while playing outside

Happy Hooligans

Jackie is a mom and a family child care provider. She works to help children explore their world through arts, crafts and good, old-fashioned play. Her blog has arts, crafts, activities, outdoor fun and more. One article that may be especially helpful for those on a budget is 70 {Awesome} Homemade Toys You Can Make for Your Kids.

Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

Sheryl has been a toddler/preschool teacher for over 19 years. She has a passion for young children and her blog focuses on activities, themed units and resources for teachers. These resources include helpful topics such as preschool classroom designdealing with big emotions in the classroom and tips for kids that can’t sit still at circle time.

A close up of a striped sock toy with googly eyes on a kids lap
Preschool boys in a science class pour water into different funnels connected to a network of PVC pipes

Teach Preschool

Deborah is a preschool teacher who regularly shares ideas from her own classroom. She has information about literacy, art, sensory play, motor skills and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). She provides some unique ideas for how to incorporate STEM into the preschool classroom including: how to explore energy with energetic kidsexploring robots inside and outa crazy cool DIY water and play stand and raindrop graphing on the flannel board.

Growing a Jeweled Rose

Crystal strongly believes in the importance of play as the core of early learning and her website focuses on fun and educational activities for kids. Take a look at: glowing snow paint (We all know that kids love things that glow in the dark!), how to make snow rockets and winter science experiments.

These blogs are just a few of the many resources on the web for parents and child care providers. Take some time to explore them-the young children in your life will surely benefit!

A glow in the dark snowman