Summer PLAYcation

What if...

Parents didn't have to work so hard to fill kids' days all summer long?

What if FUN + DISCOVERY, CELEBRATION + CURIOSITY could be...just...easy?

Screen-Free Travel Activities for Kids

Creative ideas to entertain kids while you’re on the road (or in the air…or on a boat…)

Travel tips from Henley Alexa

Schleich toys are great for travel. From the swings to the pool, they are made to last.

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Travel tips from G Collins

Unleashing Jurassic adventures wherever we roam! @SchleichUSA toys are the ultimate travel buddies for my little explorer. From dino-diving in the pool to rock-hunting on the shore, these tiny prehistoric pals keep my son's imagination soaring high!

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Travel tips from Kaysha Oliver

Taking kids on vacation is no easy feat but if you plan ahead, I promise it’ll be a more fulfilling, sustained and fun trip for everyone. Here are some tips I live by:

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Screen-Free Backyard Activities for Kids

Take an expedition to adventure...explore outdoor play ideas that capture the call of the wild.

Outdoor Fun with schleich®!

Schleich® toys are the perfect addition to your outdoor fun this summer. They are so easy to bring on any adventure, and the high quality of the toys means that they can withstand hours of play in the sun.

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Outdoor play ideas from Giustina Miller

Our little one loves being outside and playing. So to help encourage independent play, I laid out a blanket and some of his favorite Schleich toys. Little Roger has so much fun playing with his large Red Barn and animals while I garden near him. He has so much fun opening the doors and windows, moving the animals around, and feeding them.

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Wildlife Safari in the Backyard

Transform your backyard into a captivating wildlife safari! Invite your child to embark on an imaginative journey with their favorite schleich® animal toys. Set up various stations to mimic animal habitats, like a watering hole on the savanna for African animals, a cozy fox den, or a swamp for reptile predators. Encourage your kids to observe and imitate animal behaviors while creating their unique narratives.

Animal Treasure Hunt on the Nature Trail

Take your child's schleich® animal toys on a thrilling treasure hunt in nearby nature trails. Prior to the adventure, create a list of animals they might encounter during their expedition and attach a photo or drawing of each animal to the list. Challenge your child to match the animals they encounter along the trail with those on the list.

Picnic with Animal Friends

Organize a picnic in your local city park and invite your child's toys to join the fun. Encourage your child to set up a special area for their toys, complete with miniature picnic blankets and snacks. Your child and their animal friends can enjoy a delightful outdoor meal while they engage in imaginative play. Encourage your child to create stories as they interact with their animal toys during the picnic.

Create a Kids Party with schleich®!

Throw a party your kids will remember forever...check out these FUNtastic ideas from parents with a gift for party planning.

Mythical Creature Quest Party

Embark on a mythical quest to discover mythical creatures and the treasures they guard! Prepare a treasure hunt with clues that lead children to mythical creature figurines or artifacts. Encourage party guests to come dressed as their favorite mythical character – a knight, a warrior princess, or a unicorn rider, for example – or bring along their own favorite mythological creature toys. Set up craft stations where children can make magical creature masks or design fantastical creature habitats.

Dino-mite Jurassic Expedition Party

Roar into action with a thrilling dinosaur expedition party! Transform your party space into a prehistoric paradise: A sandbox becomes a dinosaur excavation site where kids can unearth hidden toy dinosaurs. Organize a "hunt and gather" activity, where children search for dinosaur eggs. Encourage kids to dress up as paleontologists or bring their favorite dinosaur toys to join the adventure. This party combines education with excitement and fosters a love for the fascinating world of dinosaurs.

Underwater Explorers Party

Dive into an enchanting underwater world with an ocean explorers party! Transform your party space into an oceanic paradise with blue decorations and hanging sea creatures. Create a "marine biologist lab" where little explorers can examine and classify sea shells and underwater specimens. Organize a "treasure hunt" where children search for mermaid-themed treasures. Encourage kids to dress up as their favorite sea creatures or bring along their beloved marine animal toys to join the adventure.

Fun DIY Kids Projects for Learning with Toys

Take a vacation from the classroom! With these play-powered ideas from parents like you, the toys are the teachers and learning is fun.

Toy-based STEM Experiments

Transform playtime into a scientific exploration with toy-based STEM experiments. Encourage your child to use their toys to design and conduct simple experiments. For example, they can build a ramp using their blocks and test how different schleich® toy vehicles – such as this 4x4 adventure vehicle or this animal rescue truck – roll down at various angles. This project introduces concepts like gravity, motion, and cause-and-effect relationships.

Storytelling and Craft Collages

Combine storytelling and creative arts by helping your child create craft collages inspired by their favorite schleich® toy characters. Provide them with a variety of materials, such as construction paper, magazines, scissors, glue, and markers. Encourage them to cut out pictures or draw scenes related to a favorite story or character. As they work on their collages, ask questions that promote narrative skills and creativity.

Toy-inspired DIY Board Games

Unleash your child's inner game designer by creating a DIY board game based on their favorite toy animals or characters. Help them design the game board, create game cards or dice, and define rules and objectives. Encourage your child to think strategically, solve problems, and practice math skills through counting or adding points. This project promotes creativity, critical thinking, social interaction, and enhances their understanding of game mechanics.

Spellbinding Ways Kids Can Use Toys in Magic Tricks

Magic! Worlds of wonder! These parents (and kids!) share fun and simple ideas for an enchanting summer.

The Disappearing Animal Act

Prepare to astound your audience with the mesmerizing disappearing animal act! Choose a toy character like a Shadow Lion or this axolotl toy and place it inside a magic box or hat. Invite your child to say the magic words (“I like schleich®!”) as you wave your wand. With a flourish, open the box or hat, and voila! The toy has vanished into thin air. Leave your audience spellbound as they try to unravel the mystery. This trick is perfect for creating a sense of awe and wonder.

The Magic Teleportation Trick

Astound your audience with the teleporting trick! Take two toy animals, like a llamacorn and a Lava Tiger, and place them in separate cups or boxes. Cover the cups with a cloth, and with a wave of your wand, secretly switch the positions of the toy animals. Remove the cloth to reveal the astonishing switcheroo, leaving your audience gasping in astonishment. This trick is perfect for showcasing your sleight of hand and keeping everyone guessing.

The Multiplying Marvel

Create an enchanting spectacle with the multiplying marvel! Begin with one toy character, such as a hatching baby plant, and place it inside a magical bag or box. Recite the magic words (“Happy Summer PLAYcation!”) and slowly remove the toys from the bag, one by one, as they seemingly multiply before everyone's eyes. Soon, a single toy becomes an entire herd. Watch as jaws drop and applause fills the room. This trick is perfect for creating a sense of excitement and building anticipation.

Toys as Storytelling Aids

Storytelling tips to let kids' imaginations run wild...with a little help from your favorite schleich characters and sets.

Theater Adventures

Bring stories to life by creating a theater with your child's favorite schleich® toys. Create a small stage using a table or cardboard box and decorate it. Have your child pick a few toy characters to become the stars of their story. Using toys, they can act out adventures, dramas, or funny anecdotes. Parents can join in by providing voice-overs or story starter ideas. This interactive storytelling technique allows children to explore character development, dialogue, and plotlines while building confidence and nurturing their communication skills.

Toy Treasure Hunt Tales

Unleash your child's inner adventurer by combining toys and treasure hunts to create exciting storytelling experiences. Design a treasure hunt by creating clues or a map that leads to hidden toy treasures. Encourage your child to follow the clues and use their imagination to imagine the encounters their toy characters face along the way. This storytelling technique helps children develop problem-solving skills, boosts their creativity, and nurtures their ability to construct narratives.

Collaborative Storytelling with Toys

Encourage cooperative storytelling by inviting your child's friends or siblings to participate in a group storytelling activity using their favorite toys. Each child can bring their own toy characters and take turns contributing to the story. Begin by setting the scene or introducing a basic premise, then let the children's imaginations take over as they build upon each other's ideas. As the story evolves, the toys become the central characters, bringing the narrative to life.