If you have kids under the age of 7, you’re going to love this episode! I’ve invited Kelsey Cook, founder of Learning with Kelsey, to share easy ways to entertain little kids.

You’ll Learn:

• Why you don’t have to be involved in everything your kid does
• How to feel more playful and fun as a mom
• 4 ways to encourage play (and make it easy)
• My hide-and-seek hack for when you need a quiet moment🤫

We’re talking about how to get into a playful mentality as a parent and how to entertain your kids in a way that feels easy and good to you.

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These are the kinds of activities you want to have in your toolbox to keep your kids occupied (and happy!) when you’re taking care of a baby, getting up early, making lunches - or when you just need a break.

Kelsey Cook is a certified teacher, entrepreneur, mom, and advocate for early childhood learning. With a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, she spent six years teaching before launching Learning with Kelsey, a subscription box company designed to help parents engage their young children in meaningful, hands-on learning.

As a mother of four, Kelsey understands the challenges of early education at home and created her boxes to simplify the process while strengthening parent-child connections. Kelsey says, “The years before kindergarten are so hard and so special because you are your kid's teacher. You're with them. But then also you feel this pressure of, ‘how can I get them ready [to start school], because there's nobody else getting them ready?’”

What started as a small passion project has grown into a nationwide resource, helping families in all 50 states prepare their children for lifelong learning.

These activities are super fast and easy, and they’re created for KIDS, so it’s not totally necessary for you to be right there doing it with them. As much as they are about engagement and learning for your child, they’re also a coping strategy for you. Parenting little kids is exhausting. It’s very physical and takes a ton of energy.

Think about one of those mornings when your kid wakes up early. You still just want a little time to get dressed and have a cup of coffee, but your kiddo needs engagement. They are ready to go!

As moms, it’s easy to feel guilt about pretty much everything. Simple activities like the ones Kelsey creates allow your kids to learn while being entertained (without screens), so you don’t have to feel guilty about taking a moment for yourself. It’s a total win-win!

One of my favorite ideas Kelsey shared is creating “morning starts” for her kids. These are simple activities that she sets up the night before (in just a couple of minutes) so that they have something to do when they get up in the morning. She recommends using an activity that kids have done before so they can do it independently.

Of course, these activities also provide an opportunity to connect with your child when you want to. And connection breeds compliance. Spending that one-on-one time and giving them your attention leads to better behavior. Your kid behaves better when they feel really loved, seen, and supported by you.

Plus, they get a little dopamine kick when they succeed at a challenge or solve a problem.

Kelsey and I agree that any activity Mom can lead from the couch is a winner! Here are some of our favorites:

• Freeze Dance - Put on some music and let your kid show off their moves. When the music stops, they freeze in place!
• Statue - Challenge your kid to pose like statue of different animals or objects that you call out
• Easter egg hunt...