Is searching for Halloween costumes next on your to-do list? With the ghoulish holiday approaching, it is time to start prepping for the day by finding the right costume for your little tot and your family. No matter if you decide to go with themed costumes for the family, or if you let everyone choose their own persona, deciding on a Halloween costume is no small feat.

We've done the legwork, so you can avoid spending hours scrolling through websites looking for the right costume. Here are 16 toddler Halloween costume ideas that will help you check costume shopping off your to-do list.

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This past year has been about stepping up the parenting game, and it is now time to celebrate those dads on Father’s Day who went above and beyond!

But instead of making this Father’s Day about purchasing that perfect gift for dad, let it be a celebration of the messy — and sometimes chaotic — fun that echoes the year we just had. Make Father’s Day crafts with your toddler. Open those drawers and cabinets in your home that store paper, paints and scissors, and have your toddler craft a meaningful and easy Father’s Day gift for Dad.

Here are nine easy and inexpensive Father’s Day crafts for toddlers to make for — and with — Dad.

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Shortly after Valentine’s Day, advertisements and commercials inundate our inboxes and interrupt our television shows, touting all of the sales and discounts to be had in the days leading up to President’s Day. The holiday, which commemorates both Abraham Lincoln’s and George Washington’s birthdays, finds many of us — with young children home from school that day — looking for President’s Day activities for kids.

Initially designated to commemorate George Washington’s birthday on February 22nd, President’s Day became a legal holiday in 1879 but was moved to the third Monday of February once Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1971. The initiative was designed to promote family connection and thus the nation was rewarded with four long weekends per year. Read on for some fun activities for you and your preschooler during the long President’s Day weekend.

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You interact with your toddler throughout the day, from early morning visits to your bed to the last kiss goodnight. But on long, stressful days, getting in quality time with your little munchkin can be a challenge. Aim to schedule at least one toddler activity each week that is just for the two of you. This offers you both a chance to slow down, share an experience and appreciate all the things you love about one another.

Here are five toddler activities that allow any grown-up to join in on the fun — whether that's a grandparent, Dad, guardian, or caregiver — the point is, you'll both have fun spending time together!

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Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift or a need to keep your own toddler entertained at home, you can’t go wrong with an educational toy. Learning and play at the same time? Yes, please!

To help you navigate the many choices out there, we’ve compiled a list of the best educational toys for toddlers. Learning toys — toys that are research-based and designed to help kids meet their developmental milestones, are one way to ensure that your toddler stays engaged while reaping all of the educational benefits.

So browse through these toys that will help your kids grow cognitively, emotionally, socially, and physically — but will still fill that fun quotient, too.

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Thanksgiving has historically evoked mixed emotions for the average American. Some of the stressors include cooking, cleaning, traveling, the usual family drama — which causes 71% of Americans to dread this holiday.

But recent research has shown that giving thanks can help quell the anxiety and animosity. “When we give and receive [gratitude], our brain is automatically redirected to pay attention to what we have,” psychiatric counselor Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury wrote for PositivePsychology.com.

So in the midst of the prepping and the tension and the lulls in conversation, choose to practice thankfulness and give some of these Thanksgiving crafts and activities a try. They might feel cheesy, but sometimes a little cheese is necessary to make things stick back together again.

“Remembering, giving thanks, is what puts us back together again in this hurried, broken, fragmented world.” ~ Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts

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If you’re looking for a creative way to celebrate Halloween, pumpkin crafts or other Halloween crafting activities could be a great alternative to trick o’ treating and a tummy full of sugar. Yes, crafts are time-consuming, messy, and I’m not sure how much of an issue this is for other moms, but they can create a lot of clutter and are hard to get rid of without feeling guilty or getting caught!

But according to experts like Laura Phillips, Psy.D, crafting may be worth the trouble. “Arts and crafts play a very big role in developing critical skills for school and social functioning,” Phillips wrote for the Child Mind Institute.

So help your kids build those fine motor, problem solving, and cognitive skills with these quick and easy pumpkin crafts for preschoolers and kindergartners. They are doable for even the un-craftiest of moms! And for the practical or minimalist mom, never fear — most can be eaten, played with, or will rot before you even have to worry about them collecting dust. Enjoy!

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Toddlers are interesting little people. One minute they are independent, and the next they won’t allow you to get a moment alone to handle your personal business. As moms, we know that at some point it’s good for both us and them to have some solo time. Nurturing the independence skill in your child gives them many benefits that they will need when they are older and “bored.”

As an added benefit, a mom’s mental load can rest when she has some quiet space in her day. Sure, this all sounds great, but how do you teach your child to play alone? How can you manage a toddler that has trouble parting from their caregiver? The first step is to start small and try the steps below to work through the separation anxiety you might be experiencing.

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When a local sensory gym in my area closed due to the pandemic, the owner asked if I’d like to purchase a sensory box for my daughter. She was selling them online for $20 as a means of earning money until she could reopen her kiddie gym. Since I have a special needs child, I said yes — and now I’m a sensory bin addict.

Both my daughters love them and no, they’re not just for kids with special needs.

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As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, let's all be reminded that there's always time to find peace. When bad things like racial injustices occur, our children won't always understand what's happening, but we can teach them how the good of people can prevail. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, show your children how Dr. King's vision provided a chance for peace. There are always heroes in our midst who are the voices of reason, compassion, and love.

“Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the perfect time to get the message across that when there’s injustice, we need to stand up to it,” California middle school teacher Steven Friedman told Today. Friedman, a teacher in a school that is mostly white, continued by noting how important it is to discuss Dr. King’s message. “It’s also a chance to share a message about the beauty of diversity — something to remember every day.”

With all of this in mind, sharing a book about Martin Luther King Jr. with our kids can help us through these conversations. Here are seven books that explore Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and his message of equality and respect for human dignity.

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