Whether you have one child or five, there are undoubtedly a few times a week when you have time to fill or kids that are asking to do something fun or it is "witching hour" and you need them to be occupied so that you can make dinner.
There are several things you could do in those situations... including turning on TV/tablets, banishing everyone to the backyard, or pulling out some sort of craft or activity. My favorite thing to keep on hand for these times are my Ivy Kits.
This post is sponsored by Ivy Kids.
What is an Ivy Kit?
An Ivy Kit is a monthly children's subscription box for kids ages 3-8. We've shared about our love for Ivy Kits before. The goal of the box is to help you make every moment with your child "quality time." The reason I like the kits are because they offer a plan for me to follow. This is especially helpful on busy days when my creative energy is zapped! All I have to do is follow along and have fun creating and playing with my kids! The kits have clear directions and everything you need inside to have an awesome afternoon! Many of the activities they can do alone or with minimal help.
What is included in an Ivy Kids Kit?
- Each Ivy Kit features a classic children’s book
- Over 10 activities related to the book of the month such as:
- Bookmark reading guide
- Materials to retell the story
- Science booklet
- Science experiment
- Art projects
- Math Manipulatives
- Board games
- Fine motor exercises
- Literacy activities
- Detailed instructions to structure learning
- A personalized item for your child (with a 6 month subscription)
Inside the lid of each box you'll find an overview of what is included in the box. My kids love that it has a brief description along with a photo. The photo guide helps make it easy for them to point out which activities they want to do first.
My kids also love that each month there is an activity that is personalized with their names.
Why would I need a subscription kit like Ivy Kids?
Here are a few reasons why we've used Ivy Kids Kits at our house:
- Easy activity to pull out during a playdate
- Superb After school enrichment activities for school aged kids
- Supplemental activities to include in a homeschool curriculum
- Sanity saver during evening "witching hour" when you are trying to make dinner
- Fun weekend family activities to do together
- Great way to explore new books/authors/topics
- They provide simple ways to develop fine and gross motor muscles, build math and literacy skills, encourage reading comprehension, and promote scientific thinking.
- Desire to have more meaningful learning experiences with my kids.
Who can use an Ivy Kids Kit?
Ivy Kids Kits are designed for kids ages 3-8. Several of the activities can be adapted for younger toddlers if you are supervising them or older kids. My youngest daughter has been playing with our Ivy Kids Kits since she was 18 months. My oldest son (age 10) also loves joining in when we pull out our kits.
What are some examples of themes/activities in the kits?
Taseea at Ivy Kids sent us three kits to try out! The three themes were Rainbows, Safari, and Rainforest.
With over thirty activities to try, we picked a few favorites to share with you!
For the SAFARI theme, the kids got Safari hats and little animals and did sensory play with them and went on a hunt! They even got special binoculars. My toddler was obsessed with her Safari hat too and needed to wear it everywhere! Next we need to paint our binoculars!
The kids also created a grassland using grass seeds and these cool soil pods. They loved watering their grass and watching it grow all month. Next up, they'll be adding animals to it for some small world play.
For the RAINFOREST theme, their favorite things included painting a snake and exploring the kapok seed pods. These were pretty much the coolest things we've ever touched. The texture was amazing and the kids loved breaking them open, feeling the softness inside, and then putting the seeds into a terrarium.
Along with the activities, the reading bookmark with reading tips and comprehension questions that comes with the books is invaluable! This is such a great resource for busy parents that need help coming up with a variety of questions to ask kids while reading. I often get stuck asking the same questions again and again.
The third theme we explored was RAINBOWS. My toddler is now obsessed with looking for rainbows with her glasses. She and her big sister loved painting a rainbow piggy bank and making a rainbow windchime.
The rainbow water walking activity is another favorite.
Why spend money on a kit that I could probably put together myself?
Great question! If I had a dozen extra hours, I could probably make my own kits. Unfortunately, life gets in the way too often. I love having fun, hands-on, educational options like Ivy Kids Kits to help me provide cool experiences for my kids without me having to do the extra work that I don't have time for. I also love that the kits are created by certified early childhood teachers with children of their own.
So basically, I am paying for a certified teacher to plan out our afternoon enrichment activities and then send me all the the materials and a book each month. It is pretty amazing.
How can I sign up for a Ivy Kids monthly membership?
You can simply sign up for a monthly subscription here and a fun-filled kit will arrive on your doorstep each month. You will be billed $38.95 monthly and you can cancel any time after the first kit ships. Shipping is free.
What about siblings? Are there enough materials that kids can share a box?
The book in each Ivy Kit can be enjoyed by all the children in the family. Also, each Ivy Kit contains a generous number of materials. Most games and activities can be played by 2 or 3 children at a time. However, some projects only have enough materials for one child.
If you want to make sure there are enough materials for siblings, you can choose the sibling add-on at sign-up for the low cost price of $5.95 a month. Then they will include the extra consumable materials (paints, brushes, craft projects, etc.) for a sibling to be able to fully participate in all the projects and activities in the Kit. A "sibling add-on" does not double everything in the kit, some items are designed to be shared.
Are there any special Ivy Kids Kit promotions happening right now?
Yes!! Here are two.
Buy any 3 past kits and save $10 plus free shipping with code 10OFF
Or Subscribe and get 20% off your first kit with code IVY20
Have any other questions about Ivy Kids Kits? Ask away in the comments! I would love to answer them and help you.
These kits have been lifesavers at our house, so I love sharing about them!
This post is sponsored by Ivy Kids. I was compensated to review the kits, photograph our experience, and share about them. All opinions shared are my own.
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