Books and Giggles
Seasonal and holiday ideas for kids
Inside: Free printable first day of school crowns and tips on helping children learn to recognize their names. I’m a little late posting this – I know some of you have already had your first day of school. But if you’re still getting ready for the beginning of the new school year I have a…
This printable letter sound matching activity has a lemonade theme that’s perfect for summer! Whether you have preschoolers who are eager to work ahead, or rising kindergartners who need to catch up this summer, this hands-on summer letter sounds activity is a lot of fun. My kids love having a lemonade stand every year, and…
Here’s a quick post just to share my 4th of July worksheets with you. These are more dot marker printables, a little simpler than the letter D worksheets I posted here last week – but I think you’ll like these too! I actually made these a few years ago and sent them out to my…
Inside: You’ll find sun crafts for every kid in this huge organized list. Get your summer crafts started with your favorites. Sun Crafts Summer is heating up, and it’s time to get the kids making some fun sun crafts! I’ve rounded up 25 of my favorites for you here, so that you can pick the…
Last week I posted a cool sensory play sun suncatcher craft, but I still had preschool sun crafts on the brain here! While the suncatchers were more about playing with them once they’re finished, this one is all about the process of creating. No, this isn’t quite process art – that has its own important…
Inside: This sun suncatcher craft for kids has an element of sensory play to it. Plus, it looks bright and pretty in your window! These cute sun crafts are sure to add a little sunshine to your windows. Even better, children can continue to play with them even after they’re on display. To make your…
Inside: this preschool rain craft sneaks in some fine motor work and hand strengthening with a hole punch, plus it looks super cute when you add photos of your kids holding an umbrella. If you’re looking for a fun spring craft that has an element of process art, or just a rainy day craft, look…
Inside: These Earth Day books for kids include picture books, nonfiction, and even board books. You’ll find meaningful choices for teaching and celebrating with children ages 3-12. April 22nd is coming up soon, and it’s time to think about what you’ll do for Earth Day! Whether you’re planning a special “green” activity or an upcycled…
Preschoolers can practice their scissors skills with this fun cotton ball sheep craft. They can even help the sheep “grow” new wool so that they can shear it again! If you’re teaching a farm unit, reading farm books, or setting up a farm animals theme in your classroom, you’re surely want to include sheep. This…
Inside: These Groundhog Day emergent readers are special – you can personalize them with student names! Groundhog Day always sneaks up on me! I start thinking about Valentine’s Day as soon as I see all that candy in stores, but I forget about Phil and his groundhog friends. I should remember it though. It’s the…
Inside: This Valentine’s Day bee craft made with popsicle sticks wants you to “bee mine”! It’s starting to look like we’re going to have a whole collection of craft stick animals! Today I’m sharing this fun, friendly bee craft with you. He’s ready to show you some love… Valentine’s Day Bee Craft There are lots…
Looking for some fun polar bear activities this winter? Start with this huge list of literacy ideas, STEM activities, sensory play setups, and adorable polar bear crafts. These creative, educational ideas will help you hit it out of the ballpark! Alphabet and Literacy Activities First up, here are some ways to work letter recognition, sight…
Inside: This free printable Valentine’s Day sight word spinner activity helps children to learn any sight words in an engaging and enjoyable way. Valentine season is upon us again and in our house, that means candy and baking! My children love to share their love with their friends with a little something sweet. I designed…
Inside: This polar bear sight word activity uses an editable free printable so that you can use your own word list, or even work on just the alphabet. With the winter weather keeping a lot of us indoors, now is a great time to explore some winter-themed activities. This cute polar bear “fishing” game is…
Inside: This free printable winter vs summer sorting activity helps children understand the differences between these seasons, exploring the weather, clothing, and activities for each season. Most of the kids in my life love Summer! Who wouldn’t? The weather is warm, the sun is shining and drinking ice-cold lemonade every day is a must. But…
Inside: this hot chocolate letter sounds activity will warm up your winter literacy centers and small groups! Nothing beats a warm mug of hot cocoa on a cold wintry day… except maybe a mug of cocoa with marshmallows! We’ve been all about hot chocolate here lately. My kids each have a special cocoa mug that…
Inside: a free printable winter letter tracing activity for preschoolers, with three ways to play. If you’ve been teaching your kids about polar bears, they’ll quickly recognize how silly these scarf-wrapped ice skating polar bears are. In fact, these friendly polar bears inspired me to make this winter letter tracing activity to share with you…
Inside: These arctic animal alphabet worksheets for dot markers include fun facts about each animal for grownups to read aloud to little learners. Whether you’re teaching about lots of different arctic animals, or just one in particular, these free arctic animal alphabet worksheets will keep children engaged. What Animals Are Included? This free set of…
Inside: this printable penguin craft for kids features a dad hiding a baby chick in his brood pouch. Kids can cut out and color this fun interactive winter craft. There’s a scene I love in every penguin documentary and movie I’ve ever watched. It’s where a father penguin stands up to reveal a baby chick…
Inside: This preschool snowman craft is made with a surprising ingredient that gives it a fun texture and helps it look extra snowy! We almost never get snow here, but when we do, practically the first thing my kids want to do is build a snowman. It might be my fault. A few years ago,…
Inside: this free printable Christmas name tracing activity motivates children to practice writing their name and letters. What little Santa believer doesn’t want to pretend to help Old St. Nick write out gift tags? Today I’m sharing a quick free printable to help YOU fit in some holiday name tracing practice with your littles. Christmas…
Inside: how to make popsicle stick arctic animal crafts. Make a cute arctic fox, polar bear, or snowy owl using the free printable template. We’ve finally been having some winter weather here, and it makes me want to break out the wintertime crafts! Arctic Animal Crafts Today I have a brand new set of arctic…
Inside: These free printable gingerbread playdough mats provide a playful experience with sequencing, a valuable early literacy skill. Every year at the holidays we make gingerbread playdough here – it’s turned into a tradition here. I made up the batch shown here to try out the two new gingerbread playdough mats I made for you….
Inside: This penguin mitten craft is simple enough for preschoolers and includes a template to make prep super easy for you too. We painted a mitten and turned it into a penguin for this cute paper craft. The thumb makes it look like he’s waving his flipper! This mitten craft would be a sweet choice…