Men in general have fewer social and emotional support systems and these generally involve the sort of social activities that are Covid-19 has currently curtailed, such as meeting…
In association with professional midwife experts at birthEd, find out everything you need to know about pregnancy at 14 weeks, including how your baby is growing, changes to…
In association with professional midwife experts at birthEd, find out everything you need to know about pregnancy at 3 weeks, including how your baby is growing, changes to…
In association with professional midwife experts at birthEd, find out everything you need to know about pregnancy at 2 weeks, including how your baby is growing, changes to…
I just love using driftwood for art and craft activities. It can be used for so many different projects and has the added benefit of getting to spend…
Can you spend just 15 minutes a day doing whatever your kids want? It’s a Magic Number that means the world to them, and is a great commitment…
These Paper Spinner Toys are great fun to make and once your kids know how to make them they will enjoy experimenting with different patterns and designs.
Making a paper plate dinosaur with your little ones is a fun and easy rainy-day activity. Little ones love playing with paint and they love painting on anything…
Looking for ideas to keep the kids entertained and occupied? HP New Zealand has launched Print, Play and Learn, a free online resource to support families across New…
Mother’s Day is right around the corner so here are two different ways to make a Mother’s Day card that your kids will love. These would also make…
Egg Cartons are great for crafting. Kids can make so many fun and simple crafts with them. I love the simplicity of this egg carton flower idea. And…
With Easter just around the corner I thought I would take the kids through a step by step drawing of an Easter bunny popping out of an egg.…
If you’ve ever tried painting with a 12 month old baby, or younger, you’ll know that rather than painting on the paper, most of the paint ends up…
Cruise ships have typically been seen as more of a senior citizen’s-type holiday, but they can also offer affordable and hassle-free overseas holidays for families. You’ll get to see lots…
This air dry clay hand dish makes a great gift for Christmas, Mother’s day or even birthdays. You can make it using your child’s hands, as a keepsake. And teens…
Terracotta clay pots are my new favourite material to work with. There are soooo many craft ideas using clay pots. Here’s how to make terracotta clay pot Christmas…
Air drying clay has to be one of my favourite materials to use with kids young and old. This Christmas I’m thinking about doing a bit of a…
We recently spent an amazing couple of days in awesome Rotorua, and stayed at the equally awesome Hannah’s Bay Cottage. Find out why this lake-front, family-friendly accommodation just…
Kids love robot crafts! This craft activity is one I run in my art class during the school holidays. Find out how your kids can make their own wooden…
This activity is inspired by a session I ran with my afterschool art class. The kids were aged 8 to 13 and they had a wonderful time exploring…
When it comes to education, especially the early years of your child’s education, quality is key; it’s what helps set the path for your child and develop their…
Paper Mãché Volcanoes are such a fun activity for children of all ages to make. But they’re especially fun for young kids, who’ll love playing with the goop…
I don’t think painting stones and rocks will ever get boring! There’s just something fun about painting on a surface that isn’t paper and is found in nature. These…
With Matariki readying itself to re-enter our skies, I thought it was timely to make some lanterns. These upcycled tin can lanterns with LED lights are easy for…
I’ve been wanting to try out acrylic pours with my kids for a while now. So with Matariki about to enter our skies I thought it would be fun to make…
If you’re looking for good-quality, budget-friendly family accommodation in Nelson, look no further than Tahuna Beach Kiwi Holiday Park and Motel.
Toilet rolls are a crafty way for kids to make a French knitting loom. It’s also a great way to introduce your kids to knitting and getting them…
My daughter has been interested in mermaids lately, so for these school holidays we decided to make a mermaid peg doll. They are super-simple to make and kids…
I’ve started running art classes for kids and decided to give puppet making a go with my 5 – 7 year olds. I was looking for something economical…
Supporting kids isn’t just about cheering from the sidelines, it’s also about making sure they’ve got the right gear to back up their active lifestyles. The sports that…
Today we spotted a fire engine parked up at the supermarket. The kids were so excited we headed over to get a closer look at it and take…
This faux cactus stone garden is a great project to do with your kids, whatever their age. They are just perfect to brighten up an empty windowsill in your home.…
Gear up and get ready for New Zealand’s largest fun run, Ports of Auckland Round the Bays! Now in its 47th year, the iconic and beautiful 8.4km waterfront…
If you’re looking for a super-quirky Christmas decoration project, this one is for you. These candy cane wooden Santa’s are so much fun. You can just rest them…
Over the past few weeks I’ve been creating and making fun Christmas decorations to make my home feel more festive. With the right tools these whimsical wooden Christmas…
Using air drying clay to make Christmas decorations is so easy, and so much fun! It really is an activity the whole family can join in on. Here’s…
This year I decided to starting decorating my home early with Christmas decorations. You see for the past 2 years we haven’t had the tree and decorations up…
Queenstown is known as a winter-wonderland and an adrenalin-junkie’s paradise, but what about a family holiday with kids? Here’s our list of things to do in Queenstown with kids.…
With Halloween just around the corner my mind has been on creating fun and spooky crafts. You’ll love these upcycled Halloween craft ideas.
We love working on Halloween crafts at this time of the year, it really gets us into the festive spirit of it all. Here’s how to make a…
It’s a child’s natural response to protest against our parental demands (on their time, space, behaviour, activities, etc.). But a child’s protests are all part of their development.…
It’s Spring, the flowers are starting to bloom, the birds are singing and the butterflies have begun fluttering! With the welcoming of Spring, I decided to create these…
Well it’s Spring the perfect time to bring the birds into the garden. And what better way than with a bird bath. Here’s how to make one from…
We have LOTS of miniature “ocean animals” toys in our house and I wanted to come up with a creative way for my daughter to play with them.…
Last month I made this amazing painted driftwood mirror, that’s the perfect teen craft activity. I ended up with quite a bit of driftwood leftover from this craft, so…
Holy-quacamole Father’s Day has crept up on me fast this year! I truely feel like it was just yesterday that it was the 1st of August. Time just seems…
Dads have a special and important role in their children’s lives. Children are lucky if they have a dad who is involved in their lives, who knows their…
The kids and I love heading to the beach to go scavenging, and always bring home a bag full of beach treasure. Find out how we turned our floatsome…
I got the inspiration for this great little family craft project from my school, where the kids were making something similar for wood-working. These bright and colourful bird…
In association with professional midwife experts at birthEd, find out everything you need to know about pregnancy at 1 week, including how your baby is growing, changes to…
This little art project is super simple and easy to re-create. Your kids will love making this Matariki and Southern Lights-inspired art piece. You could start this project but…
This recycled bangle pencil holder is a neat little project for your older kids to make. One that not only looks cool, but is super-useful in keeping the study…
The forecast is for tropical cyclones, heavy rain and floods! Surely a bit of rain can’t dampen the spirits when you’re holidaying in the glorious Coromandel? Here’s 7…
The Yoga Babies love to have fun trying new poses. Sometimes life is busy and tricky, but not to worry! Yoga can help everyone chill out.
Having a new baby is exciting, exhausting and time consuming. It can also be a frustrating time for your older child or children.
My 4 year old has just discovered the joys of puppetry. She’s really into it. So I thought what a great idea to create a shoe box theatre for…
I’ve just discovered the joy of making my own DIY bottle necklace. The initial idea to make one was because I was thinking about creating some more craft…
Win 1 of 3 Zingoshi Chronicles ‘Dragonfly’ AR enhanced books An interactive fantasy world for tween and pre-teens, ‘Planet Zingoshi’, designed to help kids become creative leaders is…
If you’re looking for a fun, and easy, Easter craft to do with your kids, try this out. This Easter bunny silhouette craft is suitable for all ages.…
We want to make some cards to give to the Grandparents for Easter this year. We were thinking something Easter egg related, and we came up with this…
As the days get shorter, I begin to wonder how much longer we can sit out on our deck enjoying the sunshine. There’s so much of New Zealand to enjoy before we head…
Teaching your kids money skills from a young age could be the difference between them living on a money treadmill, and living a life of abundance. The spend, save,…
Spotlight’s National Craft Month, the celebration of Kiwis crafting together, is in full swing! Throughout March, Spotlight encourages knitters, crochet groups, DIY diehards and crafty kids to share…
With Easter just around the corner, I thought it was time to focus my attention on some fun and cute Easter crafts. I couldn’t go past this idea…
I don’t know about you but we are always losing my daughters hair clips! So in a vain attempt to create some organisation I decided to make this…
Ah, the toddler… a fully mobile being with virtually no common sense! With the exception of their afternoon siesta, toddlers can be active all day long! Toddlers are…
This is a great little growing experiment that you can do with children of all ages. It’s lots of fun for a rainy day activity, there’s lots of tending…
The shaving cream rain cloud is a great little experiment, that takes no time at all to set up. It’s a simple way to teach kids about clouds…
I thought it was well overdue for my preschooler and I to get on the slime band wagon! I’ve been meaning to make slime for so long. I’ve…
Win a family pass to the Just So Festival Enter to be one of the first families ever to experience the Just So Festival here in New Zealand!…
I’ve always loved making robots with kids. As a school teacher I used to love letting my kids go crazy with a bunch of recycled items to create like…
Both my children love flowers! There isn’t a walk we can go on without them stopping to pick a flower. Anything with an interesting looking leaf, or simply…
Win a copy of Bright Ideas for young minds – 70 step by step activities to do at home with your child Bright ideas for Young Minds is…
The Department of Conservation and Toyota have teamed up to make getting into nature easy and fun with a series of Adventure and Action challenges for your kids.…
Bright ideas for Young Minds is an activity book packed full of 70 step-by-step activities you can do at home with your children for little or no money.…
Here is a really cool project you can do with your kids. The inspiration for this project comes from all the beautiful woven wall hangings you see around…
For a lot of people, the Christmas holidays actually aren’t much fun. There are lots of reasons why, but many of them relate to stress.
The New Zealand Art Activity Book is a book packed with activities to encourage children to see, think and draw like artists. This wonderful book is full of engaging…
I must confess to not really stopping much in Taranaki. Fortunately for us, my parents bought a bach in Opunake and it’s allowed us to really start exploring this gem…
I was having a look on Pinterest the other day to come up with some toilet roll craft ideas, when I saw toilet roll wool wrapped monsters. This inspired…
Here’s a super-simple and effective craft idea. The DIY jewellery hanger on painted driftwood is perfect for your teenager’s, or older kid’s room, to organise all that jewellery…
Let’s talk about SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder. This commonly-recurring mental illness rears its ugly head seasonally, and affects 10% of the New Zealand population.
My daughter has been attending the YMCA Auckland School Holiday Programme at the Massey Leisure Centre and really loves it. She went again in the April school holidays,…
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why at this point, so I won’t get into details of the show’s content. The show certainly has…
Shaving cream is my new, favourite art material, to use with my little ones. It can be used for a number of different sensory and craft activities. Today…
This easy no-cook playdough recipe uses just five basic ingredients and takes about 10 minutes to make. The finished dough is soft, smooth and easy for little hands…
Panicking about what to do with the kids these holidays? You’re not alone. While the kids get excited because school’s out, childcare can become a parent’s nightmare. That’s…
To celebrate the release of the new Children’s picture book Ori the Octopus, by Anne Helen Donnelly, Kiwi Families is running this great competition. Six lucky winners will…
We all know planning a holiday for the family can be stressful and often pricey. Thankfully there are several ways to save some cash, from scoring cheap flights…
I discovered story stones a little while back and decided it was time to share them with the Kiwi Families community. These story stones are inexpensive to make…
W-sitting is a position in which you are sitting on your bottom, with knees bent, legs splayed out to each side, and inside of the foot pressing on…
I’ll remember this conversation for the rest of my life. Some conversations are just like that. It was exactly a week after I made the brave decision to…
Once your child reaches school age there’s a few things they can be doing for themselves. Preparing your child for school early on will help the transition from…
Christmas is a now a distant memory, you’ve rung in the New Year and relaxed yourself silly beside the beach. And now you’re home again with a month…
With school holidays just around the corner (again?!) kids are now looking to take off their shoes and socks, shake off the school year and go wild with…
Hey dads, you make a big difference! By teaching your sons how to respect women you prevent violence. Simple.
I want the best for my children and want them to be the best they can be. I suspect most, if not all, parents want this for their…
Ever find yourself in a situation where your toddler is nearing meltdown mode, hyperventilating, panicking, losing all control? Teaching your toddler deep breathing may be the answer.
Inspired by Halloween I thought what better idea than to create an invitation to play for magic potions this week. My little miss 3 loves mixing, stirring and making things so…
We were so excited when we found our first painted rock. Our 4 year old daughter found one randomly in a park in Whanganui when we were on…