Raising Kind Boxes

I just recently discovered that you can follow hashtags on Instagram. I assume it’s been around for a while but I never really got into it! On my blog Instagram account @nextplaywithmrs.j, I recently started following #michiganmama. It’s actually been really neat! I’ve been able to connect with other moms all over the country, but now especially in the state of Michigan. This is how I was able to discover another amazing small business too that I’d love to share about. You definitely do not want to miss out on this one!

How many of you have young kids in pre-school or even school-aged that sometimes you just need to find something NEW to try with them? I think with everyone staying home we’re digging through our craft boxes, “Pinteresting” projects, and trying to come up with new things. We’ve played many silly games while being at home too and Carter loves projects. Anytime I have something fun planned that’s new and he can get his creative juices flowing, he’s so happy! So one day I went on Instagram, and saw this account: Raising Kind Boxes. There was this adorable photo of a mom and daughter holding a box that said “Raising Kind Boxes” and just the first line of the caption said something about helping your kids make a difference or help others even at a young age! I researched a little more and checked out there website which you can find here: https://www.raisingkindboxes.com. I noticed that they had a “Pre-School Joy Box.” I am all about finding new things for Carter to work on and play with! Especially while Payton is napping, I really like to get some fun time in with just him and I. Lately we’ve been playing with our kitchen set, making race tracks, and playing Candy Land, so I thought this would be such a really unique change up! And with this being a small business in Michigan, developed by another Michigan mom, that made it even more special to me.

We decided to open our Raising Kind Box yesterday, and it was wonderful. Very age oriented, great activities included, and overall helps explain such a great message about being kind and spreading joy! I actually expected there to be maybe 1-2 activities but there were so many more! Plus you can do each activity more than once, it’s not like a “one and done.” The joy continues over and over again! I was so impressed by the design, content, and overall message within the box too. It was FULL of several activities and games to play all about JOY. I won’t give too much away because I think the surprise of it was half of the most special part for us in receiving ours!

The “Joy Hunt” was adorable. Inside this activity were ten “Joy Puppets” that you hide around the house, and then use the magnifying glass to find them. Carter was cracking me up searching around for them. It was such a fun activity for a pre-school aged boy like him! After we found each one, we lined them up, counted them, and Carter even wanted to name each one of them!

What I love most too is that each activity has a such a great message behind it. It helps explain such a big and important message in words that Carter would understand, and I loved that! I bet the box that is aimed towards school-aged children is just as awesome as our pre-school one was!

I think as a mom, we hope and pray that we teach our children enough about kindness. We hope and pray that we make a positive impact on our little ones, and that they share that joy with others as well. For me with Carter, we work on our manners, sharing toys, showing kindness to Payton and our friends, and more. When I notice that he catches onto things that we’ve been working on? My heart does a little happy dance. We want to teach them that they have the opportunity to make a big and positive difference in our world as well. This was such a great box full of extra support to help show even more ways to be kind and spread joy!

Now more than ever, I think we need to find joy more often. There is so much worry and anxiety around every corner it seems like, but by relying on God and finding the joy in each day, we can get through this together. That goes along with being kind, and considerate of others. Even when you don’t share the same opinion, respect each other; it goes a long way. This box is a great way to get your kids excited for the holiday season, while also reminding them to be kind and nice to others. I honestly even felt inspired myself to continue spreading love and joy always. We could spend a whole week just opening the one box, you get so many fun activities inside! All while supporting a small business, which you know I love! Check out Raising Kind Boxes! We are already looking forward to our box next month which will be centered around: PEACE!

Lots of love and God Bless,

-Alyssa