First Post

I used to plan crafts, learning activities, and science experiments like it was my job. (Okay, technically, it was my job for a little while.) Sometimes I’d even pair a themed snack with the activity!

For 3 years while my boys were young, all my spare brain power and energy went into setting up educational activities for my kids after homeschool lessons were completed. I mostly just wanted to burn their energy while sneaking in some academics, but it wasn’t just for fun - I had a goal. I wanted to grow my social media and monetize what I was already doing, and it worked! I didn’t become a mega influencer, but I made enough to finally hire out something I truly needed: a cleaning service.

My house at that time was swimming in tiny toy pieces everywhere. I’d clean up the puzzles, magnetic tiles, plastic animals, action figure accessories… and then I’d be too drained to tackle the actual cleaning! It was so overwhelming and I was losing the battle. Being brave enough to post and actually getting that cleaning service changed everything. 

A lot has changed since then. We’ve moved states, had career changes, and now my kids go to public school. The activities slowed down, the camera stayed off, and my social media engagement reflected that. This year I want to jumpstart my social media again and flex my creative muscles with a project. A totally doable, easy win type project. 

So, in 2026, I’m challenging myself to one activity a week. Something fun to bring us together, spark a little creativity, and give us something to look forward to. I’ll be posting a new activity every Wednesday, and I am so excited! Each week I’ll share an EASY, low prep idea from keepsake crafts, to STEM activities, to art and sensory activities. There are so many built-in benefits to these activities, even for big kids, and I can’t wait to dive in! 

My boys are 7 and 8 now, and they’re very into video games...which isn’t always a bad thing, but I want to show them that life away from the screens can be just as rewarding, if not more. I know intentional time together brings families closer, and the research backs this up. One study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that the more leisure time parents spend with their kids, the more emotionally secure and connected those kids feel. Another study in 2023 showed that simple parent-child activities, like crafts or games, can boost kids’ emotional regulation and resilience (I love me some sources so I listed some at the end of this blog that you can check out if you’re curious!).

I can’t wait to make these memories with my kids and I’m hoping that one a week is a sustainable pace for me. This project is about proving to myself that I can commit to something joyful, creative, and consistent, so here’s to one simple thing, once a week! If you’re a parent craving more connection and creativity (without the burnout) I’d love for you to follow along or even try the activities yourself. 

And since the time is now, I’m not just going to wait till January - I’m going to practice getting the rhythm down in December! Here are the activities coming up this month:

Shrinky Dink Ornaments First up I have some shrinky dink plastic I’ve been meaning to use so we’re going to decorate and miniaturize a few ornaments!  

Gingerbread Salt Dough Ornaments I loooove a keepsake ornament! I have gingerbread man cookie cutters and I am going to put my boys’ pictures from this year as the faces.

Holiday STEM: Marshmallow & Toothpick Engineering All you need is mini marshmallows and toothpicks for this one! I’m going to challenge them to build an igloo unless they have other ideas!  

Hot Cocoa Puffy Paint Literally just hot cocoa powder mixed into a puffy paint recipe. Since the paint will be brown I think it would be fun to paint and decorate gingerbread cookies!

With love, Laynah

Yang, Y., & Zhao, H. (2023). Parent–Child Time and Children’s Subjective Well-Being in China: The Role of Leisure Activities. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1125112 

Fung, J. M., & Chan, R. C. (2023). Parent–Child Co-Activity and Psychosocial Outcomes: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010192 

Hammons, A. J., & Fiese, B. H. (2011). Is Frequency of Shared Family Meals Related to the Nutritional Health of Children and Adolescents? Pediatrics, 127(6), e1565–e1574. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-1440 

Musick, K., Meier, A., & Flood, S. (2020). How Parents Fare: Mothers’ and Fathers’ Subjective Well‐Being in Time with Children. American Sociological Review, 81(5), 1069–1095. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122416663917