Books and Giggles
Seasonal and holiday ideas for kids
We’ve been busy creating kids’ Valentine crafts! This heart-shaped suncatcher was fun and easy to make. You can brighten up a winter window with it, or make several suncatchers and hang them from a mobile. The method to make this is inspired by the crayon shaving snowflakes we made last week. Just like last…
This winter themed snowflake craft is also a fun science activity. Plus, it’s an opportunity to work on fine motor skills. Preschoolers will enjoy seeing the colors melt together, and older kids will appreciate learning about symmetry as well. Yes, we made these snowflakes using just crayon shavings and waxed paper. Older children love learning to cut snowflakes. If…
Here are some fun rhyming games just right for kindergartners. Each game has a snow theme. Learning to read is so much more exciting when it looks like playing, don’t you think? Rhyming games, besides being fun, help kids learn phonics. So, for winter, I’ve come up with a few simple rhyming games using snowflake cutouts. All you…
Where we live in Texas, it almost never snows. My kids have learned more about wintry weather from Frozen than from being frozen. And they’ve learned more about snow from Frosty the Snowman than from making snowmen. Although… last weekend we went to a local festival. The big draw? A pile of fake snow. My kids…
Today I’m sharing simple Popsicle stick ornaments for kids to make this Christmas, and a story to go with them. You can make the ornaments without the story, or read the story without the ornaments – but they’re fun to do together. The story is Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney (affiliate). It’s about a Mama llama…
Here is a simple way to bring literacy into your home at Christmas time. I’ve put together a free printable mini word wall for your little reader’s room or playroom. Kids who aren’t quite reading may like to look at the holiday words and pictures too. My girls made a stack of shiny Christmas cards last…
My crew had so much fun making their own shiny kids’ Christmas cards recently. They loved decorating and personalizing each holiday card. We now have handmade cards for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a best friend. It was a great rainy day activity. I love that making kids’ Christmas cards isn’t just a craft…
We do a lot of picture book-inspired crafts here, but this Christmas one is special. On one hand, it’s a fun holiday craft for kids. On the other hand, it’s a lesson in art and observation. (Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to…
Planning Advent calendar ideas with activities or treats for every slot can be a big task. Over the past few years, I’ve developed a system that works well for our family. I’ve turned it into a free printable organizer. It will help you plan fun yet easy activities for any Advent calendar. When Liam was…
When you have an active child who needs to move, practicing sight words can be challenging. Santa Claus can help! This activity for kinesthetic learners is a fun way to motivate kids at Christmas time. My son, Liam, needed extra motivation to work on sight words. He isn’t the type of kid who will sit…
If your toddler or young preschooler loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, I have a fun, educational toddler Christmas activity for you. It will help them learn about numbers and one-to-one correspondence. It will also introduce them to Christmas and winter themes. (Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,…
Sometime you need a simple, quick holiday craft for kids. This candy cane ornament is just that. It’s a step up from the traditional twisted candy cane pipe cleaner craft, but not much harder to do. These decorations could also be used as a topper on a wrapped gift. If your child enjoys this little…
Open-ended toys make great gifts! They often can outlast other toys with more bells and whistles. You can’t always tell on Christmas day which toys will be the winners. Sometimes the toys that allow open-ended play are what get played with the most over the long haul. Toys that only do one thing can get boring quickly. That’s because kids…
I’m excited to share another children’s story and craft combo with you. This gingerbread house craft is made with popsicle sticks and decorated with easy-to-find embellishments. Yes, you can leave it up the entire holiday season. You can even save it to put up year after year. And, to make this gingerbread house craft more meaningful, I’ve found…
This cookie cutter ornament is pretty and durable – so you can pull them out again years from now and remember when little hands made them. To make it extra engaging now, I’m also suggesting a picture book to go with the craft. This morning I went shopping near the mall and ran into a whole lot of Christmas….
A book exchange party is a fun activity for kids at the holidays. You can do one as part of a classroom holiday celebration, with a scout troop, or for a play group. You can even throw a Christmas book exchange party at home just for friends. I love the unwritten message of giving books as…
I have one more Thanksgiving book and craft to share with you today. This one is about the pilgrims, and I’ve made simple toilet paper roll pilgrims to go with it. (Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for…
This coffee filter turkey craft wobbles adorably and has a brightly colored tie-dyed look. Add this to your Thanksgiving craft list for sure! (Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to…
Inside: a Thanksgiving placemats craft inspired by the story Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson My children didn’t use to like Thanksgiving. I remember being surprised a few years ago when Liam loudly expressed his disapproval of the holiday. “How could you not like Thanksgiving?” I asked him. “There’s all that yummy food, and we get to…
Halloween is coming up quickly! Wouldn’t it be fun to plan a last-minute kids Halloween party? If you keep your preparations simple, you can do it! I’ve got you covered with simple kids’ activities, easy Halloween food ideas, last-minute decorations, and no-fuss invitations. (Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an…
I’m super-excited about the special Halloween sight word activities I have for you today. If you have a child who needs a little extra motivation to work on sight words, this may do the trick. I had to get pretty inventive to hold Liam’s interest back when he was working through his kindergarten word list,…
Today I’m sharing an easy craft to go with a much-loved picture book. You could also do it as a stand-alone Halloween craft, but it’s more fun with a book, don’t you think? You could even do this at another time of year and use a cat that’s less spooky. The Caldecott winning Kitten’s First…
My twins were too old for a stroller, and too young for any sane mom to take shopping. But there I was, walking in circles in a fabric store, trying to figure out how I was going to make Halloween costumes. Liam wanted to be a firefighter, and so I thought it would be cute…
My day was all planned out. Before lunch, we were going to run out to the toy store and pick up something for a birthday party that afternoon. I’d forgotten to order anything online, and my gift closet was pretty much empty. It all would’ve worked out fine, except I suddenly realized I hadn’t picked up…