Books and Giggles
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…
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…
Today I’m sharing an easy dog craft based on one of our favorite storybook dogs. It’s a simple activity great for preschoolers, but also fun when adapted for toddlers or kindergartners. I counted 8 different Muddypaws books on Amazon. Each is written by a different author, but all are sweetly illustrated by Simon Mendez. (Books and Giggles…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. As…
Today I’m sharing a fun and simple set of fine motor skill activities. You can do it with toddlers, preschoolers, or elementary aged kids. All you really need are dried beans from your pantry. Montessori-Inspired Toddler Activity My kids all attended a Montessori preschool. One of the earliest activities they learned there was spooning beans….
The first year I tried to teach my kids about Thanksgiving didn’t go very well. We did an activity where they took pictures, with my help, of things they were thankful for. The trouble was (and I didn’t realize this until we were done), all the pictures were of toys. Not exactly what I was…
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…
So I went to Target yesterday. You know how this ends. I went in for a couple necessary items and came home with more than I’d planned to buy. But while I was in the dollar spot I found this bulletin board border! Why should teachers have all the fun? I decided it would be fun…
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…
“Mommy, what is this?” I’d been doing a puffy paint pumpkin experiment while the kids were at school. My first attempt was not recognizable as anything to do with Halloween. Instead, it was a sort of weird orange-ish salmon color. The second and third times, the color was better, but the texture was all wrong….
I really must be going crazy. I just spent several days wondering how to make a spacesuit for a toy dog. I’d made a fun Mars rover craft to go with the picture book Max Goes to Mars – and sent it over to Cerys at Rainy Day Mum for a guest post on her blog. (I’d love it if you…
We have three loose teeth here, that I know of. My sweet Twin A has two loose at once, and little Twin B is working hard on wiggling one too. There’s nothing like the increasing waggle of a first loose tooth to get a mom scrambling for tooth fairy pillows! I like to sew every…
Inside: A rocket craft for kids, plus suggested children’s books about rockets. My daughter has been all about space this year. With that in mind, I wanted to think up ideas for a rocket craft she’d love. She loves imagining traveling to the moon in a shiny rocket, and so I thought right away of using foil. Last…
Recently, I realized the power of fairies. Yes, fairies. The Tooth Fairy My girls still have all their baby teeth, but they’re looking forward to their first tooth fairy visit. One night they were delaying brushing their teeth, making funny faces in the mirror instead. I remarked, “You know, the tooth fairy loves clean teeth.”…
Inside: a process art thunderstorm craft for kids After reading stacks of picture books about storms, my kids and I wanted to create a thunderstorm craft to go with the stories. My first thought for making clouds, probably like yours, was cotton balls. I wanted them gray, so we tried painting them. Let me just say…