Editorial Guidelines

Last updated

Puddles & Play helps busy grown-ups find screen-free activities kids will actually enjoy, with no guesswork about prep, mess or safety. Here's how we make sure every post earns your trust.

The activity card standard

Every activity, craft and learning game must list:

  • Age range: the youngest age it suits, with notes for making it easier or harder
  • Prep time: realistic, not best-case
  • Mess level: 1 (wipe the table), 2 (grab a towel) or 3 (take it outside or into the bath)
  • Supplies: with anything you'd need to buy flagged
  • Safety notes: choking hazards, supervision, allergies, tools and anything else that matters

If a post doesn't have all five, it isn't ready to publish.

Where our ideas and facts come from

  • Development and age guidance: the CDC's developmental milestones, the American Academy of Pediatrics' HealthyChildren.org, and other established early childhood resources.
  • Safety: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (small parts rules, recalls and product warnings), AAP guidance, and manufacturer age labels.
  • Food play: FDA and CDC guidance, for example on raw flour.
  • Activities themselves: classic, widely used play and early learning ideas, adapted and written up by our team.

Unless a post says we've done the activity ourselves, instructions are based on research and established play ideas, not on our own trial runs. Toy, book and supply recommendations are based on research of public product information, age labels, specs and reviews, not hands-on testing, unless stated.

Age guidance

Ages are starting points, not rules. Kids develop at different speeds, and a 4-year-old who still mouths objects needs the same precautions as a toddler. We set the youngest listed age conservatively and always explain why when small parts or tools are involved.

Safety review checklist

Before publishing, our editor checks:

  • every supply against small parts and choking risks for the youngest listed age
  • for water, heat, sharp tools, cords and anything else that needs close supervision
  • food ingredients for common allergens, plus anything that is unsafe to eat raw
  • art materials for age suitability and non-toxic labeling
  • toys and supplies against the CPSC recall list

Things we won't publish: activities using water beads, magnet sets small enough to swallow, button batteries within a child's reach, or uninflated balloons for kids under 8.

Writing, AI and human review

AI tools may help with research, drafts and images (see our AI policy). A human editor reviews and edits every article before it's published, checking steps, ages and safety notes, rewriting what's unclear and cutting anything we can't back up. Every printable is checked by a person for spelling, counting and letter-formation errors. The "Reviewed by" line tells you who signed off.

Updates

Before back-to-school, the holidays and summer break, we review our seasonal and most-used posts. We also update posts when safety guidance changes, a product is recalled or a supply gets hard to find. Real changes get a new "Updated" date.

Corrections

Spot a mistake? Email [email protected] with the page and what's wrong.

  • Small stuff (typos, broken links, a swapped photo) gets fixed without a note.
  • Real errors (a wrong age range, a missing safety note, a counting mistake on a printable) get fixed and noted at the end of the post with the date.
  • Safety problems jump the line. Reports with the subject "Safety" are reviewed first. If an activity turns out to be unsafe, we fix it or take it down right away and explain why.

We aim to review every report within five business days, and safety reports much faster.

Independence

Puddles & Play is independently owned, and no toy, craft or education company has a say in what we publish. We don't take money for positive coverage, sell links, or let brands preview posts. Any sponsored content would be clearly labeled. Our disclosure page explains how we make money.

Kids' privacy and images

We never publish a real child's face or full name. Reader photos of crafts are shared only with permission and with faces and names cropped out. We never create realistic AI images of children.

Inclusion and access

Every family looks different, and so do every family's budget, space and schedule. We avoid labeling activities "for boys" or "for girls," offer cheap or free swaps for supplies, and include easy adaptations for kids with different abilities and sensory needs where we can.

Reviewing this policy

We review these guidelines once a year and any time our process or safety guidance changes. Last updated: October 7, 2026.