Books and Giggles
Seasonal and holiday ideas for kids
This spring flower craft is excellent fine motor work for preschoolers. The materials are simple and cheap, and it’s perfect for a rainy spring day. You can also use it as a book extension craft, or even a mother’s day card. I set out the materials for this simple flower craft, and my girls were curious….
Here’s a way to celebrate spring with a butterfly craft for preschoolers. It uses a simple technique that kids love – painting on coffee filters with watercolors! I’ll share a few tricks for setting this craft up and making it extra fun. If you’re a teacher, you’ll like that this butterfly craft uses inexpensive materials…
Here’s a fun, Easter time activity for learning letters, sight words, spelling words, or math facts. It’s perfect for kids who crave movement. Pretty much all you need are plastic Easter eggs and the free printable in this post. You can have multiple kids play it together, even if they’re working on learning completely different things. If you’re a…
Whether you’re thinking of spring gardening, healthy food, or the Easter Bunny, carrots are a fun craft theme for kids. Plus, working with small stamps is good fine motor skill practice for preschoolers. You can easily cut up a small red potato in the shape of a carrot. Use the rounded edge of the potato…
Here’s an easy and inexpensive Easter wreath for you. Won’t it look adorable a bedroom door, or in a daycare or classroom? I made this one very quickly, and so can you. Your kids may like to watch it come together, and they can help with some parts of it. Plus, you can buy almost…
The notable children’s book If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson is a sweet story that teaches kids about kindness. To go along with the book, you may like to do a special kindness activity. This one is perfect for spring. (Or even late winter.) (Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services…
Nothing brightens up a dreary winter window like a suncatcher. Heart-shaped Valentine suncatchers are even more cheerful, especially when kids help to make them. I’ve rounded up 18 gorgeous examples, made with a variety of methods. There’s something for every age child and every taste. When I created my own Valentine suncatcher, I did a…
Today I’m sharing a Valentine box inspired by favorite children’s book character Pete the Cat. Making it was easier than it looks, and I’ve put together a free printable template for the hardest part. In case you don’t know, Valentine boxes are a fun tradition in U.S. schools. Every child decorates a box for…
Here is a fun little Valentine’s Day game you can play with little kids. You can play it during a classroom party or at home. The idea is to get kids talking about what they LOVE. I tested this game out on my girls, and they adored it. I wish I had a picture of…
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….