family activities Archives

Check out these 4 fun games that my older and younger kids like playing together.

For my kids, their siblings have been their only playmates for months. And hey! Now that we’re heading into yet another weekend during Covid, that means finding a few more family activities. Our default is to sit around the table and play card games or board...

These are the 5 fun card games for kids that our family is loving right now. Ready to change things up?

by Kate Etue | Kids, Party Ideas, Toys + Playthings

We’ve all had a lot of (ahem) together time recently, and we’re honestly starting to get a bit bored the same board games. There’s only so many rounds of Apples to Apples I can play before it’s not so funny anymore. So lately, we’ve...

Finding small joys in crazy times: How we’re making memories with our kids | Spawned Ep 197

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast

Real parenting talk: Emotions are up and down in the age of Covid, times are stressful — in fact we both just got the “school is cancelled for the whole year” notices. Sigh. We definitely are not trying to “win” quarantine with 800...

8 board games you can play over FaceTime or Zoom for remote fun with friends

by Kate Etue | Toys + Playthings

We love our game nights with friends, and cancelling those has been a sad part of the quarantine for us. But we’ve found 6 great games you can play over FaceTime or Zoom. It helps make that distance feel not so far at all, and gives you more opportunities to...

Yippee is the safe, ad-free streaming service you don’t have to watch over your kids’ shoulders | Sponsored Message

by Cool Mom Staff | Entertainment + Media, Tech CMP-Style

This is a sponsored message from Yippee Let’s be honest, we’re all spending a lot more time in front of screens these days, and that goes for our kids too. Which is fine. We just all want to make sure they’re safe when they’re scrolling the web...

Stream these 15 terrific, kid-friendly educational documentaries that aren’t necessarily made for kids.

by Kate Etue | Entertainment + Media

As a homeschooling mom, I know how educational documentaries for kids can help fill the days, balance entertainment with education, and even give us longer breaks when we need it. I even included it in my tips for parents who are now homeschooling, while schools are...

Bluey: Hooray for a funny, charming kids’ show that won’t make you insane!

by Cool Mom Staff | Entertainment + Media

This is paid content from BBC Studios It’s so wonderful to find a charming, modern, imagination-building kids’ tv show that adults can appreciate too, and Bluey is all that and more. Critics have even called it “a show kids can watch on repeat...

Joy Cho on encouraging creativity in kids, even if you’re not creative yourself. | Spawned 191

by Liz Gumbinner | Podcast

I have wanted to talk to Joy Cho, the founder and creative director of Oh Joy! for oh…about forever. When I think of creativity, style, and design, she’s one of the people who pops into mind first — and with a half-million Instagram followers and 13...

5 must-read new children’s books about Black history in 2020, so you can keep learning all year long

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids

With the coverage of Black History Month winding down in the news, we actually think this is the perfect time to share some of the new children’s books about Black history that we’ve discovered over the past month. Because all children’s history...

Post-Hamilton Broadway for teens: Editors’ Best of the Year.

by Liz Gumbinner | Editors Best of the Year, Entertainment + Media

It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me or my kids that we are massive Broadway fans. We are so fortunate to live in The Greatest City in the World (name that tune), which allows us to see a lot of musicals. A lot. But my kids are hardly alone in asking for show...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.

Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)

We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).