If your kids are itching to get together to play with friends they can always connect with friends online. Little Tikes is taking this idea one step further. The popular children’s brand is adding a virtual twist to their annual day of play with the World’s Biggest Playdate Stay At Home Edition.
On Sat., May 16, Little Tikes will be hosting a global virtual event where parents and kids will take time to play together at home. By participating in the event and sharing it on social media, Little Tikes will show the world just how valuable playtime is while families spend the day playing together in the safety of their own homes.
“For over 50 years Little Tikes has created memories and iconic toys for children worldwide,” said Isaac Larian, CEO and Founder of MGA Entertainment Inc. (MGAE). “Let’s bring laughter, fun and smiles to parents and children and show the strength of humanKIND and what we can accomplish TOGETHER!”
Emma Bing, the Lifestyle Editor from What to Expect When You’re Expecting will host a live stream celebration of the Little Tikes World’s Biggest Playdate on the What to Expect Instagram channel May 16 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. PT.
Activities will include fun games, product features and a chance to win four Little Tikes classic toys during a giveaway.
All families are invited to participate and share their play date on social media. Families should tage Little Tikes on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and use #LittleTikes and #WorldsBiggestPlaydate for a chance to be featured.
The Little Tikes website features everything you need to have a great play date including:
Party Supplies – The Little Tikes website has numerous assets that can be printed, colored and then hung to add some party fun to the event.
A Sweepstakes – Five lucky winners will receive a grand prize pack of over $1,000 in Little Tikes toys.
Digital Backdrops – Find Little Tikes Cozy Coupe digital backdrops for any play dates available on Zoom or GoToMeeting.
Social Media Filters – Capture the moment of the World’s Biggest Playdate by sharing your fun on social media using the new Little Tikes Cozy Coupe filter. Available on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, there are two different scenes to choose from.
Instagram GIFs – The Cozy Coupe is the newest GIF to join the Instagram stories offering. Search for Little Tikes and you will find the red and yellow coupe and more.
Cinco de Mayo celebrations will happen a little differently this year. At a time when we are all practicing social distancing, Tostitos is reminding us not to forget the good stuff. The brand will aid COVID-19 relief efforts while still providing a small break and moment of levity May 5 is traditionally known for.
Tostitos is hosting “Salsa for Cinco,” a free online salsa dancing class for the entire country, directed by dance aficionados Mario and Courtney Lopez, to raise money for the Hispanic community. Tostitos and the Lopez family have partnered with UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, to raise awareness about the impact coronavirus is having on the Latino community.
“The entire world is in need of moments of levity and reminders to savor those little moments of joy during these trying times,” said Mario Lopez, a former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant and salsa dance enthusiast who often partners with his wife, Courtney Lopez, a classically trained Broadway dancer and actress. “At the same time, we need to raise awareness about the Hispanic population who has been hit incredibly hard during this crisis. This serves as a great opportunity to do both.”
The salsa dance is slated for 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, May 5, on Mario Lopez’s Instagram Live page. No preparation or previous experience needed. Participants just need to bring their enthusiasm and optimism to dance for an important cause.
“Tostitos and Frito-Lay are all about encouraging people to get together and smile, so to be able to do that in any small way possible, and more importantly while shining a light on the inequities in the Latino community — that’s what this event stands for,” said Marissa Solis, SVP of marketing and a leader among Frito-Lay North America’s Hispanic outreach efforts. “I look forward to America tuning in to help the cause.”
“UnidosUS is excited to partner with Tostitos and our dear friend Mario Lopez to raise awareness of the devastating impact COVID-19 has on the Latino community, and commit valuable resources for families in need,” said Zandra Zuno Baermann, SVP of Communications and Marketing at UnidosUS. “Salsa for Cinco gives us a moment to move and connect with community while remaining at home and staying safe for our families, our neighbors, and our country.”
Ahead of the event, Mario shared his family’s favorite recipe that he’ll be cooking up this Cinco de Mayo – the Tostitos Kickoff Dip. The fast and easy recipe has a flavorful blend of salsa, beans, jalapenos, sour cream and cheese, and is a go to his family especially loves to make around football season.
Since you can’t get together with friends, some companies are coming up with ways to bring your favorite games to life digitally. Wizards of the Coast today announced that it will distribute 2,000 free digital enrichment kits with Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering resources to educators and librarians. The kits, including a “Legendary Bundle” to D&D Beyond that unlocks all current rules and adventure content and 30 Magic: The Gathering Arena digital codes which can be redeemed for three Ikoria booster packs, were designed to engage communities with virtual play while many are practicing social distancing.
Each kit will include a Legendary Bundle for D&D Beyond that unlocks access to all current rules and adventure content for D&D as well as a 15% discount on future D&D Beyond purchases and 30 Magic: The Gathering Arena digital codes, which can be redeemed for three Ikoria booster packs. The kits will also feature tips to help teachers and librarians engage their audiences in a virtual play environment.
Kits will be available upon request through the Wizards of the Coast customer service request portal to organizers over the age of 18 who are employed by or official volunteers at enrichment organizations, such as schools, libraries, community centers and scout troops, and represent the organization’s gaming programming.
D&D Beyond is a web tool and online repository for all officially published fifth edition D&D rules and adventures that provides players access to their characters and rules right at their fingertips. Magic: The Gathering Arena is the free-to-play digital version of Magic, and an exciting, feature-rich experience for anyone with a PC including tutorials to onboard players into the game and free starter decks.
“Right now, play, imagination and connection with the people you care about are more important than ever,” said Nathan Stewart, VP of the Dungeons & Dungeons Franchise. “With these resources, we want to give back to communities and make it as easy as possible for as many people to roll with advantage during this difficult time.”
Dungeons & Dragons offers additional resources on the Stay at Home, Play at Home portal, including new, free content released on a daily basis at 5p.m. PT, as well as tips and tricks for families and children to master remote play. Even more content is available on the DM’s Guild, a PDF web store containing thousands of D&D adventures and supplements for all editions of D&D, and the home to all official organized play content for the D&D Adventurers League.
Gone for now are the days of traditional playdates, team sports, and even school recess. Who knew playing at the playground would be something we’d take for granted. We all have had to come to grips with this new normal, but as an adult, it’s easier to stay connected to your friends. But it’s important to remember that kids need to keep in touch just as much, if not more than we do. And they can continue to work on their playdate social skills.
There are many ways to keep your young one social and active with friends while on lockdown. And you can even keep working on those social skills strategies that you’ve been building on over the last several months.
Before you jump right in, there are a few things to remember to make sure your virtual playdate is a success. Ask yourself what your child tends to struggle with during play, such as joining in, sharing, managing emotions, becoming overly excited with a friend, being too bossy, or being too grumpy.
Then work on that skill and make it clear to your child that her mission for the virtual playdate is to practice that skill. For example, work on how your child talks with other children, review what you might say and what to do, role-play, and practice how a conversation might go if done virtually. Practice with family members first, and then when it comes time, help her join in with her friends.
This is the time to pick a playmate whose temperament will allow your child a chance to play better in a virtual environment and to practice using the social behaviors you are working on. Compatibility does not necessarily mean putting two like-minded children together. For example, two overly bossy, rule-oriented children might argue and a domineering child might overshadow a shy child.
Think about what games might work well in a virtual environment for your child. What activities can you try in an effort to stay connected? Younger kids may not have the vocabulary or the ability to hold a long conversation, but interactive activities can be just the right mix of fun and entertainment.
Plan a game together. Kids can get together on Zoom, Skype, Facetime, Facebook Messanger video, or any other online platform.
Plan a scavenger hunt. Have the group gather online and then agree on a list of things they can hunt for while on a daily walk with their parents or siblings. Right now, there are many neighborhoods putting rainbows, bears, and other creative items in their windows. Have them find and take a picture of someone’s chalk art drawn on the sidewalk. Maybe they can hunt for a certain type of leaf or bug. They can count how many butterflies cross their path. The options are endless. When the hunt is over, the kids can regroup and compare notes on their next interactive virtual playdate.
What about a fun game of HedBanz, Pictionary or Charades? These are games that can easily be played virtually.
Have younger kids pick out a favorite storybook. Have them take turns reading to a friend. Kids can talk about when they got the book and why it is their favorite. Make it more interactive with Caribu. The app is free right now and you can choose a book from their extensive library.
For the craft-minded kids, pull out the supplies and set up your virtual playdate at the dining room table. Kids can talk and draw together. Have a show and tell at the end of the playdate.
If your child is reluctant to get online with other kids, have them become a pen pal. How fun would it be to stay connected by sending a friend a handwritten letter? Make it fun by including a drawing or adding one of your favorite stickers to share.
Debriefs are important. After any virtual playdate, debrief with your child. Children learn by reflecting on what they are doing and how it impacts others. The more you engage with your child, talk about the virtual playdate in a nonjudgmental way and after the playdate is over, spend some time chatting with your child about what they did well and celebrate their effort saying I heard you telling Julie what to do and what game to play. Ask your child to consider the feelings of her playmate, asking her what do you think Julie felt when you told her what to choose? What choices did Julie get to make? What choices did you get to make? Let’s look at whether or not that was fair together. Then also ask your child what they struggled with and make a plan and practice for the future.
Kids can learn that even though they have to distance themselves right now, they don’t have to forget about the ties they have to their friends.
A personal coach, author, teacher, and speaker whose work has inspired conversations about social skills at schools and in homes all across the county, Caroline Maguire believes all children can shine. Her work is critical to parents who support children with executive function challenges struggling to show their best selves.
“I’m so scared to have teenagers!” or “I want my kids to stay little forever!” I’ve literally heard these and other similar quotes from so many friends and acquaintances when talking about parenting teenage kids.
When our son was entering the teenage years my husband and I decided our motto for these years would be, “Laugh our way through it.” Because we realized very quickly laughter replaces tears, shock, confusion, and fear that comes with parenting this age. If we don’t laugh, we will just spend our time wondering if the adolescents in our care will end up with full-ride academic and athletic scholarships to a top-rated school or flunking out of high school, forgetting their entire upbringing and becoming psycho drug-addicted killers. We all know those are the only two rational choices of course.
Our oldest three children (there are five total), are aged 12, 13 and 14. When they were younger, I remember thinking about how much I loved the little stage. I was so fearful of having teenagers, thinking I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with creatures of that age. They seemed so dark, confused, self-absorbed, weird. Would they want anything to do with me? Would they push back against all we tried to instill in them? Would they still want hugs, heart-shaped food on Valentine’s day and family time? The answer to these questions is yes, yes and yes!! I am seeing now they still need and want all of those things. It just looks a little different.
I tell anyone and everyone that I love the teenage stage so far. I think I love it much more than even those precious little years (although I loved that too). Teens are hilarious, smart and dumb at the same time, curious and self-reflective. They are figuring out what they like, who they are, what they like to do best. They make some choices that make you so proud to be their parent and others that make you want to hide under a rock, but didn’t we all?
One of my favorite ways to spend some quality time (in short bursts because that’s all they will give you), is in the car. Driving here or there with one kid is the perfect time to laugh with them or at them, talk about the hard things in life or their dreams and hopes for tomorrow. While it feels like torture for them to set their lifeline down (phone) and communicate with you for a few minutes, they’ll do it!
Laugh! All the time. Daily. Laugh with your teens and for sure laugh at them. They do the absolute dumbest things that are hysterical. Write them down to use in your speech at their graduation party or wedding. Embarrass them. I promise they actually kind of like it. Drive them right up to school in your work car with the lights flashing, video them after wisdom tooth surgery, do the floss dance in front of their friends (just random examples of course never attempted in our house)! You need laughter and funny stories to carry everyone through these years. Funny memories to reminisce about when the hard moments and pain threaten to drown everything else out.
Find some funny people. Friends, family, parents of other teenagers. You need a community of people to get together and laugh about how dumb and funny the teenagers around you are.
And, for the love, get a family motto. Feel free to use ours. Parenting is the absolute hardest and the best job out there. Laughter is truly the best medicine out there. So enjoy the little stages and enjoy the teens too! Step out of fear having teenagers and into the joy and laughter it can bring! LOL!
I am a part-time teacher, CHP wife, mom to 5 kids biological and adopted, ranging in ages from 14-5. I love friends, trailering, fun dinner parties, booze, exercising ( because booze) and being with my family. In my spare time....ha ha ha ha!
Last fall I took a long overdue girls’ trip to San Antonio with my girlfriends of 30 plus years. There were six of us and between us, we have 19 children, a fact my friend Leslie took great pleasure in telling every Uber driver we encountered that weekend. A few of my friends have literally been in the childbearing mode for the past decade.
Needless to say, when I pitched the idea for a girls’ getaway every single one yelled an emphatic “I’M IN!!!” I kid you not, less than 24 hours later we had picked our destination, booked flights and rented an Airbnb, which is saying a lot for my friends who have 4, 5 and 6 kids. I mean, they literally had to assemble an entire team of staff to cover their job as a mom for this trip.
October finally rolled around and the whole gang reunited in sunny San Antonio. A few of us hadn’t seen each other in over 10 years and it’s not like we have time to catch up over the phone. After high school, we went to separate colleges, moved to different cities, started families, chased careers, and so on and so forth. You know the story. But I kid you not—when we hooked up for that glorious weekend together—none of that mattered.
While San Antonio has plenty of sightseeing to do, we literally did none of it! We spent a whole day lounging at a fancy rooftop pool with a cooler of beer we had snuck in (because we are classy like that) and otherwise hung out at our Airbnb, snacking and catching up for hours on the couch. We listened to our favorite throwbacks, tried on each other’s clothes, swapped shoes, and primped in front of the mirror to get ready for our nights out. We danced at a few dive bars to our old-school rap jams from the ’90s and even got cut off at a restaurant. We could not have been more proud of ourselves. We crammed into Uber rides and laughed so hard our faces hurt. A few of us might have peed our pants. We could have been in any city in the world and our weekend would have looked the same.
I arrived back in Portland late Sunday night and hit the road running Monday morning. I was exhausted and behind on so many things, but I was elated. That weekend left me so high with endorphins for the next two weeks that I was able to take things in stride and at times I would find myself smiling or laughing out loud. How could a quick trip with girlfriends make me feel so happy? I knew there must be something on a deeper level to explain this, so I did a little digging about the power of women friendships, and my instincts were right.
When women friends get together not only do we have a damn good time, but our bodies actually produce the hormones oxytocin and estrogen. This explains why a good girlfriend sesh leaves you feeling like your cup has been refilled. Activist and actress Jane Fonda said, “Friendship between women is different than friendship between men. We talk about different things. We delve deep. We go under, even if we haven’t seen each other for years. There are hormones that are released from women to other women that are healthy and do away with the stress hormones. It’s my women friends that keep starch in my spine and without them, I don’t know where I would be. We have to just hang together and help each other.” Amen, sister.
Women are also natural, empathetic beings. We are the pillars of our families and the glue that holds it all together. We love and support not only our immediate family but also our extended family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We intuitively know when a loved one is in need of help, like when a friend calls and you can hear it in her voice that she needs to talk. Kristen Fuller, MD wrote an article in Psychology Today in which she wrote, “Girlfriends have a distinctive way of reading emotions and intuitively recognizing what needs to be done then acting on it. We understand each other, we validate each other, we give marriage and breakup advice to each other, we share some of the deepest darkest secrets with each other, we share the honest truth with each other, we share intimate family details with each other, we share beauty products with each other, we tell each other when we have food in our teeth or when our shirt is on backward, and we share lasting memories with each other.” While we women take great pride in being the ‘glue’ it can also be extremely draining if we don’t make sure to show ourselves the same level of care we show others.
The takeaway from all this is super simple. Make the time for the women in your life. These are the relationships that will sustain you through life’s ups and downs. On our girls’ trip I can’t tell you how many countless strangers stopped to ask us who was getting married, as if a group of giddy, grown women only get together when a bachelorette party is happening. So despite our busy careers, families and responsibilities, we need to place great importance on our friendships, because not only are they good for our souls, but they benefit our health too, just like exercising or a prescription that needs to be refilled. So phone a friend and set up a coffee date, happy hour or a quick getaway and make new memories with old friends.
I'm an outdoor enthusiast, travel junkie, exercise nerd and co-founder of AVYN. After having my son 4 years ago, I saw a need on the market for athletic-style nursing bras. AVYN Bras allow women to do "all the things" while still being stylish enough for happy hour. You can find us at shopAVYN.com.
Forget about baking sweet holiday treats. Walmart has sugar cookie flavored popcorn—and it’s everything you need for a Christmas-time snack!
Walmart’s Great Value Holiday Sugar Cookie Popcorn is the perfect treat to go with your Grinch/Elf/A Christmas Story at-home mini movie marathon. Pop a bowl for the fam to share, make a batch for your next holiday get together or snag some and spoil yourself.
While this isn’t exactly the only sugar cookie flavored popcorn (Cracker Jack makes a version and Boomchickapop has a Frosted Sugar Cookie Kettle Corn), the Great Value version isn’t pre-popped. Walmart’s Christmas-y treat is microwavable magic that you can buy in packs of six. That means you can get the sweet smell of cookies baking, minus the measuring, mixing or the oven.
This limited-time treat is reportedly available in many Walmart stores across the country for just under two dollars. So go ahead, and grab a box before they’re all gone.
It’s August and the end of overnight camp is just a few days away. For all those times over the summer you thought your camper would be homesick, the reality is, your child will be coming home absolutely camp sick, the feeling of missing camp so much that it hurts! Your child will miss camp so much that they may even experience extreme campression! Try not to take it personally—summer camp is your child’s summer home where she gained independence, made lifelong friends and became part of a community of her own. Consoling her will be one of your greatest parenting challenges. Here are a few tips to help your child ease back into home life after an amazing summer at camp.
Give Your Child Some Independence. Your child has been away for a few weeks and has been making decisions on her own. When possible, give your child the opportunity to make some more choices at home. Allow your child to practice that newfound independence gained at camp.
Don’t Overbook. From swimming to soccer to archery to hiking, along with special event days and evening activities, your child has been very busy having fun! But having so much fun can be exhausting. Give your child a few days to just relax. Don’t make big plans or sign your child up for another summer program once home. Your child needs to unwind and just be on her own schedule.
Talk About Camp. Your child has been immersed in her camp world and it’s all she has thought of for weeks. Make sure to talk about camp at home and ask questions but while you are dying to know every detail about camp, but don’t push. Allow your child to talk about camp on her own time. Let her tell you what she wants to share.
Make Plans with Camp Friends. Your child has lived with her best friends for weeks and now she is home, miles or states away. Arrange a get together for the fall or winter so your child has something on the calendar to look forward to. Remember to invite everyone in the bunk—leaving a few children out creates hurt feelings and can cause tension for next summer.
Spend Time Together. You’ve missed your child so much, even though you know she was having the time of her life at camp. Once your child relaxes a bit, make some family plans and enjoy the last few weeks of summer together!
Jess Michaels is the Director of Communications for the American Camp Association, NY and NJ, a not for profit organization dedicated to enhancing the summer camp experience. She loves everything summer camp and frequently writes about her favorite topic for various parenting publications, websites and blogs.
If you’re in search of a fun way to celebrate your baby’s upcoming big day, you’re going to want to check out these celebrity first birthday parties. Whether it’s over the top decor or understated elegance, these party ideas are first birthday-worthy for anyone!
As usual, the Kardashian-West family threw quite the soiree. The Alice in Wonderland theme for Chicago’s first birthday had all the accoutrements––themed food, characters walking around the party, amazing decorations and of course, tons of celeb guests.
Molly Sims and husband Scott Stuber celebrated the first birthday of their third child, Grey, with an adorable camp theme. They roasted marshmallows, hung out in teepees and had fun with a scavenger hunt!
Can you tell me how to get to Luna Street? Chrissy Teigen and John Legend threw an adorable Sesame Street-themed party for Luna’s first birthday, and can we have a slice of that cake, please?
Baby shark do, do, do, do, do, do…oh, sorry! Can’t help ourselves. Michael Phelps and wife Nicole hosted a shark-themed party to celebrate their first son’s birthday, complete with a jaws-ome cake!
Ciara and husband Russel Wilson threw a dainty and feminine party for their daughter, Sierra. Gorgeous flowers, a whimsical basket of balloons and a beautiful cake make this a party fit for a princess.
Adam Levine and wife Behati hosted a colorful and magical party for their first daughter, Dusty Rose. We love the bright balloons and would you look at these unicorns?!
Of course Nicky Hilton Rothschild’s daughter Julia would have a glamorous party! The pink and doll-themed get together put the cake centerstage for baby girl’s first birthday.
We love the simple and childlike decor for baby Sonny’s first birthday. The Hills alum Whitney Port celebrated the big day with husband Tim, and lots of perfectly coordinated party accessories.
E! host and mama to Duke, Guliana and her husband Bill celebrated their son’s first birthday ranch-style. The family dressed in farm garb and had quite the massive cake spread that makes us jealous!
We will always take a page from Lauren Conrad’s design book! Conrad and hubby, William Tell celebrated baby Liam’s first birthday with a sweet and simple party, with lots of whites and metallics.
Whether you hate the monotony of running on a treadmill, or you would rather spend your precious free time doing absolutely nothing, it can be hard to motivate yourself to exercise. New research suggests, however, that you can learn to love it. It’s all about how you approach working out.
A new study published in BMC Public Health has found that people can learn to enjoy exercise and even look forward to it simply by adjusting their perspective on it. In the study of 40 women, the participants were asked about their goals and values, as well as, their feelings and experiences with being physically active. Researchers found that whether the women exercised regularly or not they all had similar things that made them happy: connecting with others, being of service to others, participating in leisure activities and hobbies and feeling relaxed and free from daily pressures.
They also found that the women who were less physically active associated exercise with negative feelings, like dread, pressure and selfishness, as it was viewed as taking away from family time. The study’s lead author Michelle Segar, director of the University of Michigan’s Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center, told Time, “These women feel alienated by exercise, or feel that they’ve failed when they tried it in the past. They have a very narrow definition of what exercise should look like.”
In order to erase the idea that exercise is an alternative to enjoying free time or socializing with friends, it needs to be reimagined as a method to those same things, “Women need to give themselves permission to use physical activity as a way to relax—to get together with friends or loved ones and take a leisurely stroll, simply because being active and outdoors boosts their mood and makes them feel good.”
Exercise doesn’t need to be a solitary, tedious activity. Any physical activity is better than none. Segar says, “Play tag with your kids, take a dance class or even just climb the stairs a few extra times while you’re doing chores around the house.”
What creative ways do you use to make exercise fun? Share in the comments below.
