Handprint Ducks In A Row

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6+

Okay, I might be a genius for coming up with this one. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how it looks hanging in my kitchen!

To make this craft you will need:

• Yellow paint
• Large sheet of paper (I actually glued several pieces to a large cardboard piece I had)
• 1 mommy (or daddy) hand (or be creative and do both!!!)
• kids hands
• crayons/markers
  

Now, first think it out and make sure all of your ducks are facing the same way. We did ours with the right hand.

Start with your biggest duck first. It is easier to squeeze in smaller "ducks" not so easy to squeeze in bigger ducks.

Stamp your hand down and clean yourself up. Now, take your eldest duck and paint their SAME side hand as you did. Stamp them close to you, but leave a bit of room. Keep going until you have all of your ducks in a row! :)

Once the paint is dry add a few finishing touches like webbed feet and and bills and eyes. I also put our names under the ducks. And, I jazzed it up with some construction paper grass layers.

I think it needs a ribbon frame around it, but other than that I LOVE it.

Paper Hatching Chicks

Toddler, Pre-K, K

This one I thought of myself--and I love how it came out! You cut the shapes and your toddler can do (almost) the rest. If you are working on cutting practice with your preschooler or kindergartner, draw the shapes and have them cut them out.

To make this craft you will need:

• white heavy paper (or glue stick white paper to cardboard)
• yellow construction paper
• brass brad
• scissors
• glue stick
• stickers (optional)
• crayons
• hole punch
  

First cut out (or draw and have your older child cut out) an oval from your white paper. You can use construction paper, but it won't be as sturdy, so be aware it may come apart after a few fun games of "peek-a-boo."

Now, cut out (or draw) a chick head from your yellow construction paper. I just free handed basically a rectangle with a rounded end. You want it to be long, because some will be glued to the egg that won't be shown.

Have your child decorate the egg any way they want. We used stickers and crayons. Now let your child work on his or her chicken. I cut out pieces from construction paper, but they could color the face or however they want it.

While they are coloring the chick, cut a jagged line all the way across the top 1/3 of their finished egg. Punch a hole in the top left hand corner of the largest half of the egg, and the bottom left corner of the small piece of egg. You want to line these up and put the brad through it so it can open and close.

Glue stick your child's chick to the bottom of the egg and let it dry for a moment (if you get them to wait that long).

Now, play peek-a-boo with you new "peep-peep!"

Hand Print Leprechaun

Toddler, Pre-K, K

You know I would have to squeeze in a hand print idea!

To make this craft you will need:

• Orange paint
• Green paint
• Peach/flesh paint
• 1 cute hand :)

Paint your child's palm skin color, his fingers orange. Now wipe those colors off and paint the three long fingers green and stamp them at the top of the "head" on your paper. I painted my son's pointer finger green and attempted to stamp the brim of the hat, but that was tricky.

Once your paint dries add some features with a permanent black marker. And don't forget the date!!

Counting Coins

Toddler, Pre-K, K

What a fun idea this turned out to be for Thomas!

I had the idea to start introducing counting to him. He already knows 1, 2...3! Because it usually means something fun afterward. So, I came up with this idea, and he has been playing with it for days!!

To make this counting craft you will need:

• Pot of Gold pattern
• Black marker
• Gold coins (so MUCH easier)
• or make your own coins:
  
• Cardboard
• Glue stick
• Gold paper (I used a gold gift bag from the 1$ store)

You can find many pot of gold patterns online, pick on you like and print it out. Trace your coins on the pot. I did 10 of them to learn to count to 10. My idea was to hide the coins and let him find them, but he saw what I was making and couldn't wait.

We would place the coins on top of the drawn coins on the pot and count.

Now, in hindsight, I shouldn't have numbered the coins I made (I just cut circles from cardboard and glued on the gold paper). Just number the paper circles. It is less confusing.

And, his favorite part about the idea was that I found a wooden box in the $1 store as well, and this was his treasure box. He LOVED keeping them in there and opening and closing the box and taking out his treasure. And the lesson worked so well! He really is counting out the numbers (not in order yet, but still he is getting there!)

My Dr. Seuss Book

Toddler, Pre-K, K

Well, I couldn't let Gracie have all of the Seuss fun today!

So, Thomas and I made our own Dr. Seuss Book! I thought up my own hand and foot print ideas...with the exception of Thing 1 & Thing 2--which is genius!!!

To make this craft you will need:

• washable paints
• hands & feet & fingers too

Give these hand & foot print ideas a whirl!

Horton's clover; palm of the hand painted pink. Finger painted green, add white to make the speck with your child's pointer finger. Now, you can see mine is purple--it would have worked better on not white paper. You couldn't see the white at all, so I went over it with a darker color.

The Foot Book: self explanatory, choose colors your child likes and make an imprint of their left and right foot.

Red Fish, Blue Fish. Paint hands red and blue and stamp. Add bubbles, fin and mouth for fun!


This was a genius idea! Mine did not come out nearly as well as hers. But, I love ti none the less. I had Gracie make Thing 1 (since she is the oldest), and Thomas is Thing 2. Paint palm of your hand pink/peach/flesh, fingers blue, and wrist red. Stamp! Add facial features.

Valentine's Hand Print Craft

Toddler, Pre-K, K

Isn't this the sweetest! Super easy to do, and whom ever you give it to will surely love it!!

To make this craft you will need:

• Red paint
• Construction paper
• One pair of adorable hands

Simply paint press your child's hand (either one) on the paper at a slight angle. Clean that hand up and paint the other one. Turn the paper so it is easier for you and your child. Line up the fingers with the last set and turn their hand to an angle. Simple heart!

I added a heart outline to mine since his hands are so small and it may not have been apparent that it was a heart. And, I love to add simple rhymes to the paper as well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

**Don't forget that date at the bottom!!**

Heart Animals

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6+

Now that I just told you about DLTK kids, you will see all the fun heart animals you can make!

There are plenty of boy-friendly ones including a snake, dog and this too cute snail!!

Follow the link and the instructions to make your heart-animal!

Boy-Friendly Animals:

Chameleon
Cow
Crab
Dog
Frog
Monkey
Snail
Dinosaur

Squeeze Me!

Toddler, Pre-K, K

Most of us crafty stay at home moms know all about DLTK kids, and if you don't go there now and check out all of their fun things!

Well, they added a new Valentine craft this year--an octopus! Another great boy friendly Valentine idea!

Well, I love the idea, but I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of the octopus. So, I found my own. You are welcome to use it, or the one they have on their site.

To make this craft you will need:

• Octopus printable (mine or theirs)
• Crayons/markers
• Construction paper (scrap will do fine, you just need a little)
• Permanent marker
• Glue stick

If you print out my octopus, you will just need your child to color him/her. I put mine on a piece of blue construction paper to make it look like it was in the ocean--but that is optional. If you use their printout--you will need to assemble your octopus.

Once you have assembled, or colored, cut out 8 small paper hearts. (If you use their template, it is provided in the printout). Write the letters I, L, O, V, E, Y, O, U--one on each heart. There are 8 letters to spell "I Love You" and the octopus has 8 tentacles.

How cute!!

I Love "Ewe"

Toddler, Pre-K, K

This was such a darling idea! And boy friendly too! Plus, mommy is missing her Strasburg Ram home so much--it fit in perfectly.

Now, my toddler was too young to make this by himself, and I am all for printable as a base. So, I found a site that let me use a clip art image of a sheep and add my own text! how cool is that.

To make this craft you will need:

• Printable
• Crayons/markers
• Cotton Balls
• White glue (do not try to use glue stick!)

I had my toddler color his page first, and then we added the glue (he helped--a lot!). I started with whole cotton balls, but quickly realized they were too big. So, I pulled the cotton apart in sections and it came out just as cute and fleecy.

Click to enlarge the printable and save or print or however you best do it.

Love Bugs

Toddler*, Pre-K, K, 6+

***Note: I made mine with my toddler, but I did most of the work. My 6 year old needed a bot of help, but mostly did it alone.***

I know this craft has been done before, but I put a new spin on it. :)

To make this craft you will need:

• Wooden clothespins
• White Glue
• Pom Pom's
• Pipe Cleaners
• Construction paper (optional)
• Googly eyes (optional)
• Magnet strips (optional)

I got my pom poms and clothespins at the Dollar Store. My idea was to alternate between red and pink, but my daughter decided she wanted all sorts of colors. And, then I added in green for my son. So, really let your kids make their own love bugs.

Four small pom poms will fit nicely on the clothespin, but I wanted my bugs to look "fuller" so I squeezed 5 on. If you want your kids to do this alone, tell them 4! You really have to squish and be patient with 5. Spread glue generously over the top of your clothes pin and add the pom poms one by one.

When that dries you can cut a small portion of pipe cleaner and fold it into a "v" shape and glue in between pom poms 1 and 2.

My bugs really need eyes, but I didn't have small googly eyes left, so the next time I head back to the Dollar Store I am going to pick some up and we will finish these little bugs off.

I also added small construction paper hearts to the top of their antennae, and I used magnet strips and glued them to the bottom of the bugs so they could go on the fridge.

These would make great gifts. They just need a note in their pins saying something like "you've been bitten by the love bug." That is still at thought of mine, but right now they are all happy together on the fridge (well, as happy as you can be without eyes :)

Birthday Rhymes & Fingerplays

Toddler, Pre-K, K

I was so thrilled when I found this great list of birthday-themed finger plays and songs!

The Birthday Child
By Rose Fyleman

Everything's been different,
All the day long.
Lovely things have happened,
Nothing has gone wrong.
Nobody has scolded me,
Everyone has smiled.
Isn't it delicious
To be a birthday child?

Happy Birthday

I've got a lot of presents
that I'd like to give to you.
I'll give you all my Brussels sprouts
and all my liver too.

I'll give you all my gym socks
when they really start to stink.
I'll give you all my pens when
they are running out of ink.

I'll give you all my broken toys
and empty jars of paste.
I'll give you all my bubble gum
that's chewed and lost its taste.

I'll give you all the dust balls that
I found beneath my bed.
I'll give you all my batteries
as soon as they are dead.

So have a happy birthday,
you're a special friend indeed,
and please accept this trashcan
full of stuff that I don't need.

Copyright © 1999, Kenn Nesbitt
http://www.Poetry4kids.com/happybirthday.html

The Wish
By Ann Friday

Each birthday wish
I've ever made
Really does come true.
Each year I wish
I'll grow some more
And every year
I DO!

Today
by John Archambault

Glory may
I like today.
Today, today
I like today.
No other day's
quite like today,
Not tomorrow
or yesterday.
I like today
In every way.
Today, today,
Today,
My birthday!

The Birthday Cake

Today is my birthday.
I think I'll make a cake.
Mix and stir, stir and mix,
Then into the oven to bake.

Here's the cake so nice and round,
I'll put icing on so white.
I'll put on all the candles
To make my birthday bright!

Happy birthday to me!

Happy Birthday!

Today's the day
We get to say
We're happy you were born.
Hooray!

The Birthday Cow

Happy Mooday to you,
Happy Mooday to you.
Happy Mooday
Dear Yooday,
Happy Mooday to you!


A Great Birthday Poem/Rhyme for a turning six year old!

When I was one
I had just begun.
When I was two
I was nearly new.
When I was three
I was hardly me.
When I was four
I was not much more.
When I was five
I was just alive.
But now I am six
I'm as clever as clever,
I think I'll stay six
Forever and ever.

A Great Birthday Poem/Rhyme for a turning five year old!

I'm not exactly big,
And I'm not exactly little,
But being Five is best of all
Because it's in the middle.
A person likes to ride his bike
Around the block a lot,
And being Five is big enough
And being Four is not.
And then he likes to settle down
And suck his thumb a bit,
And being Five is small enough,
But when you're Six you quit.
I've thought about it in my mind -
Being Five, I mean -
And why I like it best of all
Is 'cause it's In Between.

Birthday Printables

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6+ Up

I didn't find many, but I really enjoyed the ones I did find. If you would like to use them as well, here's how to get them...





Crayola Birthday Cake
"B" Is For Birthday
Other Coloring Pages
Birthday Cut & Paste Activity
Birthday Crown!

Birthday Prints

Toddler, Pre-K, K

You have the paint out still, so make some prints for a keepsake.

To make this craft you will need:

• Paint
• A Birthday Hand
• A Birthday Foot

Don't forget to add the date and your child's name. And if you are looking for a good way to keep these hand and feet prints, scroll up and see the printable birthday book I created.

Birthday Cake (Cupcake) Hand Print Idea

Toddler, Pre-K, K

Okay, not only were there VERY few birthday printables and craft ideas--I didn't find any hand print ideas--and I love to do things with hand prints.

So, I made one up, and I LOVE it!!

To make this craft you will need:

• Your child's favorite color paint
• White paint OR another favorite color paint
  
• Yellow Paint
• Construction paper

I already had white paper out before I thought about it...so I used a coordinating color blue for my candles. If you think ahead and use a color peice of paper, white would look great for your candles.

Anyway...

Paint the palm of your child's hand their favorite color--DO NOT paint their fingers yet. Now, paint how ever many years they are turning fingers white (or the other favorite color)--leaving the tips of their fingers clean! Now, paint the tips yellow.

Press their hands down at once, don't try to do this in steps or you will likely find a smudged cake.

Ta-da!

I think I get an extra sticker for creativity on this one :)

Groundhog Egg Carton Craft

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6 & Up

I found this idea and thought it was super cute! I made it for my toddler--but I let him paint the egg carton. An older child could do the entire craft themselves, but if you have the supplies your younger one will LOVE opening and closing the groundhog's den.

To make this craft you will need:

• Egg carton
• Brown paint
• Brown or black pom pom
• Glue
• Googly eyes (optional)

You need to portions of the egg carton cut out, one for the top, and one for the bottom. Let your child paint these brown.

When the paint is dry, put some glue on the inside of one of the cups and glue a brown pom pom inside. If you have small pom poms you may want to smash several together to make him big enough to fill the cup bottom.

You can add eyes to him if you would like.

Now, the idea I found said to tape the top to the bottom. Tape did not work for me--but I had clear tape. I bet if you have good masking tape it will work fine. So, I improvised and pierced the top and bottom with a knife and put in a brass brad. It doesn't open very wide with that in place, but it is plenty for my kids to play peek-a-boo with the groundhog.

As you can see I jazzed my groundhogs burrow up a little. Let your child be creative.

Groundhog Hand & Foot Print Craft

Toddler, Pre-K, K

You know, I couldn't find a single hand or foot or even thumb print idea for Groundhog days--and you know I love to do those (my toddler does too!). So, I made up my own, and I think it turned out super cute!

To make this craft you will need:

• Construction paper
• Brown paint
• Green paint
• Permanent marker
  
• 1 cute foot
• 1 cute hand

Paint your child's foot brown and have him stamp it on the paper. After you clean him or her up. Paint one of their hands green and have them stamp several prints along the the bottom of the footprint (at the toes). Now you see the groundhog in the grass.

Once the paint has dried, use a permanent marker to fill in the face and body lines.

Groundhog Peek-A-Boo Cup

Toddler, Pre-K

My toddler thought this craft was super fun. I let him do the coloring, and I did the assembling. Of course, then he got to make the groundhog pop up and down, and that was clearly the most fun part of all!

To make this craft you will need:

• A disposable cup (Styrofoam, paper, etc)
• 1 popscicle stick
• Groundhog template (see below)
  

Now, I got creative and decorated my cup with strips of construction paper to make dirt and grass and such. But you can let your child color or paint the cup, or even leave it plain.

Cut a small a slit in the bottom of your cup, just long enough for your Popsicle stick to poke through. Glue the groundhog head to the top of your stick. I let my child color both pictures (the template has 2 on the same page) and I put on on each side of the stick, so no matter how he was holding it he would see the furry little friend's face.

Click here to get the groundhog face printable.

Click here to get the poem that goes with it (I cut and glued mine on the outside of the cup) This template also has grass that your preschool child can use for cutting practice.

Measuring Up

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6 & Up

Another fun way to talk about growing bodies is to measure them!

I thought of a neat way for every member of our family to record our height, and to let the kids participate and compare each member.

First, I made a sheet of paw prints and I cut them out and taped them to the inside of a door from top to bottom. Then, I created a record sheet and we took turns standing at the door and letting our oldest child count the paw prints for each person. (We even added a space for Thomas' stuffed dog.)

Now, I could share a template for this activity, but your family would be different than mine as far as members, so use my idea and make your own chart. You can use just a plain old measuring tape and record everyone on a sheet of paper, or get elaborate and use a pattern like I did and make your own chart.

My Five Senses

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6 & Up

This is another way to record your child's activity and to help them learn. I wanted to incorporate the Five Senses when talking about our healthy bodies, so I created another fun worksheet. Now, an older child can think of these answers themselves, but you may have fun writing the answers down for your toddler and hanging on to it as a sort of memory page for the week.

Again, feel free to use this sheet to print for your kids. I made one for a girl, and one for a boy.

My Body Can

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6 & Up

My toddler and I are working on identifying body parts, and like most moms I enjoy recording all of the little things he can do at each stage of his life. So, I made up my own fun worksheet for us to do together, and for me to save!

He LOVED showing me what he could do with each of the body parts I called out!

"Thomas, what can you do with your hands?" He claps!


I have no idea how to embed a document into my blog, so I am just going to "snap a picture" of it and post it. You are welcome to use it for yourself and your own growing sprout. Click to enlarge the picture, then "save as" and save to your computer. You can put it in a Word Document and enlarge and print, or if you are better at using the picture printer on your computer--you can do it that way too.

I have included one for girls and one for boys.