Little Family Fun

Mother's Day Crafts

2013-05-07T12:50:00.002-05:00

Children's Handprints are so adorable!

Here are 4 fun and easy ways you can use your children's handprints to make cute Mother's Day Cards for Grandmothers, or any special Moms you know!

Click on the pictures below to see that post,

or click HERE to see all these posts.

Kite Theme - Activities for Kids!

2013-04-24T13:05:00.001-05:00

Here are the activities we did with our Kite-theme during out Preschool@Home.

Click a picture below to see that post.

Or click HERE to see all these kite posts at once. :)

Moments That Matter Most

2013-04-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

This video is so inspiring.

I have been feeling, lately, the importance of giving more time and attention to the things that matter most to me --- i.e., my children, my family.

Each moment spent with our loved ones--big and small--matter and are such a blessing.

Spring Crafts & Activities for Kids!

2013-04-18T13:20:00.000-05:00

Here are all the crafts & activities we've done for Spring over the past few years.

Click on a picture below to see that post.

Or click HERE to see all these spring posts!

Easy Kite Craft for Kids!

2013-04-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

Our final Kite-themed activity was making this easy kite craft!

This was a joint effort by LB(3) AND LL(1) and myself.

How to make it:

Out of a piece of white paper, cut out a kite shape.

Let your child paint (we used watercolors) their kite however they desire (this was LB's job)

Get out another piece of white paper and have your child paint it however they desire (this was LL's job, AND her very first time painting! She loved it.)

After the papers have dried, use a hole-punch to make a small hole in the bottom corner of the kite.
Cut a long piece of yarn (however long you want it for the kite string), and tie it through the hole.

Out of the other sheet of painted paper, cut out 3 (or more) bow-shapes. Start at the top of the kite string and tie the yarn around each one, working your way down the string.

There you have it!

HAVE FUN!

Kite Sizes - Activity for Preschoolers

2013-04-15T13:01:00.000-05:00

Here is another quick and easy activity we did with our Kite theme!

This is good to help young children learn about sizes as they sort the kites smallest to biggest.

This was a cinch to make and LB(3) had fun with this one!

Prep Work:

Using a piece of construction paper, cut out 5 rectangles of different sizes.
Fold the rectangles in half, then in half again.
Cut from one corner to the next, unfold and you've instantly got 5 kites! (pictures below):

Draw lines on the kites from corner to corner....to make them look more kite-like. :)
Get out 2 pieces of white paper.
Trace each of the kites from smallest to biggest on the paper.

Draw strings coming off each kite.

How to Play:

Lay out all the kites and the white pieces of paper.
Ask your child to find the smallest kite and put it in it's place on the white paper.

Then the next smallest, and next, etc.

Then you can go backwards, biggest to smallest.

HAVE FUN!

Kite Math - Activity for Kids

2013-04-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here is another activity we tried with our KITE theme. We just "added" a bit to the Kite Counting activity we already made. :)

This is for the more advance preschoolers, and/or older kids. I did a few with LB(3), but he soon lost interest and just wanted to go back to counting.

That's ok. Something for later then. :)

Prep Work:

Create the Kite Counting activity as described in the post shown above.
Then cut out some cloud shapes.

On each shape, write a math problem that equals one of the numbers 1-5.

How to Play:

Place one of the clouds on the paper.
Say the problem with your child and have them place the number of bows on the string as shown in the problem:

Then have them put the kite on with the correct answer:

It was a good way to introduce addition to LB(3), and will come back to it as he gets older. :)

HAVE FUN!

Kite Counting - Math Activity for Preschoolers

2013-04-10T13:04:00.001-05:00

For our Preschool@Home this week our theme is KITES!

LB(3) and I did this fun little activity and it's SO easy to make, check it out!

Prep Work:

Cut 5 kite shapes (diamonds) out of construction paper

Write numbers 1-5 on them.

Trace one of them on the right side of a white piece of paper.

Then draw a string coming off the kite on the paper,
And a cloud in the sky. :)

Cut 5 bow shapes out of construction paper

How to Play:

Sit down with your child and demonstrate how to play.

Put one of the kites on the paper.
Then count out that number of bows as you place them on top of the kite string.

Then have them try!

LB(3) enjoyed playing this game. He is big into counting these days, and while he can easily count past five, this is a useful skill to practice using something tactile to count out.

HAVE FUN!

Paper Plate Umbrellas - Spring Craft for Kids

2013-04-08T13:19:00.000-05:00

We made these cute umbrella crafts at the Library last week and they went along perfectly with our "Spring" theme!

The one on the left was made by LB(3), and LM(6) made the rainbow one. :)

How to Make it:

Cut a paper-plate in half and cut the bottom edge in a little wave-pattern, like the bottom of an umbrella.
Cut out a black shape to be the handle of the umbrella.
Color the paper plate however you want.
Glue on the handle
Punch a hole in the top and put some yarn through so you can hang it up (optional)

Spring Button Craft for Kids!

2013-04-05T12:55:00.000-05:00

Here is a fun craft we made to go along with our "Spring" theme! LM(6), LB(3), and I made this together this week as we talked about the wonders of spring!

Prep Work:

Get out a piece of paper.
Draw and/or have your child draw:

grass
tree trunk and branches
cloud

Then get out a bunch of BUTTONS to make your Spring Scene! (FYI: You can usually find bags of miscellaneous buttons at crafts stores. Just ask where to find them.) :)

TREE

Get out some glue and a bunch of pink buttons. Place dots of glue all over the tree branches and place the buttons on them. Here is your tree of spring blossoms!

RAIN

Get out some big blue buttons, and some small blue buttons.

Glue the big ones inside the cloud shape.
Glue the small ones coming down from the cloud like rain.

FLOWERS

Get out 3-4 big buttons.

Glue these above the grass about 1.5".
Use a green marker and draw stems and leaves. These are your spring flowers!

SUN

Glue a BIG yellow button in the sky.
Draw rays around it with a yellow marker.

And there you have it. A pretty spring scene!

So cute--we may even put ours in a frame!

Tulip Words - Reading Activity for Preschoolers

2013-04-03T13:37:00.000-05:00

This week we're doing a "Spring" theme in our Preschool@Home, and this is our first activity!

I just made this and haven't done it with LB(3) yet, but I know it will be fun for him, and a good way to review letter sounds and to begin teaching him how letters make words. :)

How to Make it:

Get out 4-6 pieces of different colors of construction paper. Draw a tulip shape on one, stack the papers, then cut out the tulips.
Use one of the tulip cutouts to trace the tulip shape onto a white piece of paper or cardstock 3 times.
Choose a word ending (like -at, -am, -in, -an, etc.) and write it in the last 2 tulip shapes on the paper.
Using green paper, cut out stems, leaves and grass for the flowers and glue them on.

Then, on the tulip shapes you cut out, write letters that can be used to make words with that ending:

How to Play:

Sit down with your child and lay out all the tulip shapes. Have them pick a tulip and place it on the first flower. Then help them sound out the word.

Eternal Families

2013-03-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

This video touched me so deeply.

I am grateful for the small glimpses of eternity I receive from my loving Father in Heaven that remind me of what this life is all about, and that there is more to our existence--so much more--than just this life.

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ broke the chains of death forever.

We will all live again!

We will see our loved ones again!

I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who makes it possible for us all to be with our families forever.

I know Death is not the end.

Happy Easter. :)

Easter Egg Crafts & Activities

2013-03-30T14:30:00.003-05:00

Here are all the "Easter Egg" themed crafts & activities we've done!

Click a picture below to see that post. Or click HERE to see all these posts!

Happy Easter!

Easter Bunny Activities for Kids

2013-03-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here are all the activities we've done with a "Bunny" theme.

Click on a picture below to see that post. Or click HERE to see all these posts!

General Conference Ideas

2013-03-28T12:51:00.000-05:00

"General conference is a semiannual gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). During general conference weekend, Church members and others who are interested gather worldwide in a series of two-hour sessions to receive inspiration and instruction from Church leaders."

from: lds.org

Want to watch General Conference on April 6-7?

Click HERE.

I am very excited for Conference! No matter what is going on in my life, the Lord always answers my prayers and gives me guidance for my current needs through the words of His modern-day Prophets and Apostles. I love it!

It can be difficult for little ones to sit still for so long, so here are some ideas we've done that can help:

The first idea is a little activity I made up called the

General Conference Train!

First, I cut out rectangles from some different scrapbook papers. Then I cut out a bunch of small circles out of black paper for the wheels. I printed several pictures of each of 9 topics often discussed in General Conference and glued the wheels and pictures onto the rectangles. And those are the trains!

When the boys hear one mentioned, they get a train car that has that picture on it and put it up on our wall using sticky-tack.

We've done this for the past 2 Conferences, and it has worked very well in getting them to hear what is being said. They certainly don't sit perfectly still and listen to every word, but often while they are playing quietly (and NOT so quietly) they will hear a word that sounds familiar and they get so excited to put a train on the wall!

I figure that's a step in the right direction. :)

They are constantly adding to the train during each session of Conference, and it gets so long that it even starts winding it's way on the wall up our stairs! My boys absolutely LOVE trains--so a constantly expanding train is perfect for them. You could also do leaves on a tree, fish in the sea, stars in the sky, petals on a flower, or whatever your children are interested in. :)

The 9 topics are:

1. Jesus Christ

2. Joseph Smith

3. Temples

4. Baptism

5. Prayer

6. Prophets - Thomas S. Monson

7. Family

8. Scriptures - Bible, Book of Mormon

9. Missionary Work

I've also created several blank trains for when the boys hear another topic they recognize and want to add to the train.

If you'd like a copy of these pictures, I'm happy to forward them at no cost. Just email me:

littlefamilyfun@gmail.com

I have them both in black & white and in color, so I'll send both. Included are 5-6 pictures of each of the 9 topics (note: for the topic: Family, I just used a picture of our family. I'll take that one out so you can add a picture of your own family.) AND all 15 pictures of the Prophet & Apostles, (for the activity bags described below.....)

This next idea is based on one I found on Sugar Doodle:

General Conference Activity Bags!

The Prophet, his 2 Counselors, and the 12 Apostles all speak during General Conference. So, I printed their pictures and put each with one of 15 different activity bags (I used Pencil Pouches). When that Apostle speaks, the boys look to see which one it is and then do the quiet activity in that bag while they listen.

Here are the activities I put in the bags:

1. Lacing Beads

2. Doodle Pros

3. File Folder Games

4. Crayons

5. Stickers

6. Plastic Shapes (to use like this)

7. Shape Fish (from this)

8. Valentines - to put into shoe boxes with slots

9. Magic Paper & Markers

10. Card Game & Flash Cards

11. Self Picture Memory (from this)

12. Foam Shape Stickers

13. Water Color Paints

14. Felt Numbers - to match with flashcard numbers

15. Felt Pictures - to match with felt words

*Note: I made these activity bags for Conference about a year ago, I think. And I have to be honest and say that they didn't work so well for us. :( The boys did love having a variety of activities and loved when they got to get a new activity out, so that part was fun. BUT It was actually really distracting. I was so focused on what bags were coming up next, trying to get my 2 boys to share the activities, getting them cleaned up and put away and the new bag out with each new speaker, etc. etc. etc. I felt like I heard LESS of Conference than ever.

So, the next time Conference rolled around, I just used the Conference Train activity and not the bags. Instead, the boys just played with whatever toys they wanted to while we all watched. Much less hassle and distraction for all of us.

HOWEVER, I'm sure there are infinite ways to tweak this idea so that it works for your own family. So if you want to try it, have at it! :)

And again, if you'd like a copy of the pictures, I'm happy to pass them along!

littlefamilyfun@gmail.com

Enjoy conference!

Easter Egg Buddy

2013-03-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

LB(3) had a lot of fun creating this little Egg Buddy craft to go along with our Easter Egg theme. He loves to paint, so that was the best part of all!

How to Make it:

Cut out an egg shape from a white piece of paper or cardstock.
Get out some watercolors and let your child paint it however they desire. Then let it dry.
Cut out 2 big white circles and 2 smaller black circles for the eyes. Then have your child glue them on.
Give your child a marker and have them draw a smile. :)
Let your child choose out of construction paper what color they want the Egg Buddy's arms, legs, hands & feet to be. Then cut them out and let your child glue them on.

arms & legs: 2 strips of paper each
hands & feet: 2 circles or ovals each

Jumping Eggs!

2013-03-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

Continuing with our "Easter Egg" theme, LB(3) and I played this fun, energetic,

and educational game. It was a HUGE hit!

And better yet.....it took exactly 1 minute to put together. :) Check it out!

Put it Together:

Cut a piece of paper (or craft foam--that's what I used) into small squares.
On each square write a number (I had 11 squares and wrote #'s 10-20 on them).
Gather up a bunch of plastic Easter eggs.
Put a number inside each egg and put them into a basket.

How to Play!

Have your child reach into the basket and choose an egg.
When he opens it, have him tell you what number is inside
Then both of you stand up and JUMP that number of times!! (this is the FUN part, and a GREAT way to get some physical activity for your little one and yourself!)

It was a really fun way to be active and learn at the same time.

And according to my calculations, LB and I jumped exactly 165 times!! No wonder we were both exhausted!

HAPPY EASTER!

Easter Crafts & Activities

2013-03-21T19:47:00.000-05:00

Here are all the EASTER Crafts & Activities we've done so far.

Click on a picture below to see that post.

Or click HERE to see ALL the Easter posts.

Easter Egg Puppets

2013-03-21T13:13:00.000-05:00

Last year I bought some of these small eggs made out of craft foam and we made an

Easter Egg Garland.

I had some leftover so I used a few this year to make these fun and incredibly simple

Easter Egg Puppets!

How to Make:

If you're lucky enough to find some craft foam eggs, use those. Otherwise, you can cut your own egg shapes out of craft foam or construction paper. (The eggs we used were roughly 5" tall and 4" wide.)
Get out some googly eyes and glue them onto the eggs.
Draw smiles with a black marker. LB(3) loved this part.

Get out some craft sticks, or popsicle sticks and tape them to the back of each egg. We just used scotch tape.

Turn them over and meet your new friends!

How to Play:

LB and I put on puppet shows for each other.
Then we just played with them together and had them talk and play.
When LL(1) woke up, we used them to sing some silly songs to her, which she LOVED!!! We sang a silly song to the tune of BINGO:

Eggs love Easter

It's the best.

We love to sing and dance.

Eggs love Easter.

Happy Easter to you

(kiss!)

-that's when the egg would give LL a smooch and she would giggle. :)

Then LB just played on his own with the egg puppets for a while. Who knew they'd provide so much entertainment! Thanks Egg Buddies!

HAPPY EASTER!

Egg Carton Match

2013-03-20T20:32:00.002-05:00

3 years ago, I made this same fun and easy activity for LM (when he was 3). I remember him loving it so much so I decided to create one for LB this year (who is currently 3). This is our first "Egg" Themed activity in our Preschool at Home this week, and it seriously took me less than 5 minutes to put together. Enjoy!

Prep Work:

Save an egg carton after you've used all your eggs. Make sure it's clean. :)
Find a pack of plastic Easter Eggs and pull out 12: two of each color.

Cut out small circles to fit into the bottom of each section of the egg carton -- to match your eggs.

I used sticky-back craft foam. I just cut out the circles, peeled, and stuck them to the bottom.
You could also use construction paper and glue.

How to Play:

Lay out all the eggs on the floor and have your child put them back in the egg carton--matching the egg colors to the colored circles.
Another idea is to hide all the eggs in the room. Give your child the egg carton and have them put the eggs in the correct spaces as they find them! (this one was LB's favorite).

HAPPY EASTER!

Feed the Bunny Game

2013-03-18T20:12:00.000-05:00

After we made our Brown Bag Bunny Puppet a few days ago, I decided to use it for a fun little game!

And it was not only FUN, but also educational. :)

Prep Work:

First, create the Brown Bag Bunny Puppet with your child. (Click HERE to see that post.)
Then cut a piece of white paper into 8 rectangles.
Using an orange marker, draw 8 different shapes on the papers. These will be your carrots! :)

With a green marker draw the leafy part on top of each carrot.
With a thin black marker or pen draw horizontal lines on them to make them look more carroty. Yes. Carroty. :)

Here's how you Play!

Lay out all the carrots and put the bunny puppet on your hand. In a goofy bunny voice, have the bunny ask your child for a certain shape of carrot.

Your child finds that shape and then puts it into the bunny's "mouth" (it doesn't go all the way in, so just chomp on it for a few seconds, then put it in a pile on the side.) Then ask for the next shape!

LB(3) had a lot of fun with this one. We took turns being the bunny, though it was a little hard for him to figure out how to flap the bunny's mouth since his hand is small for the bag, ya know? But we had a fun time!

HAPPY EASTER!

Brown Bag Bunny Puppet

2013-03-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick, easy, and fun little puppet you can make with your kids for Easter!

LB(3) and I had fun putting this together, and even more fun playing with it!

Prep Work:

Get out a brown paper bag (lunch sack)
Cut 2 bunny ears out of piece of white paper. Color pink in the middle of them with a marker or crayon.
Get out 2 googly eyes (or you can draw eyes on if you don't have these).
Get out a pink pom-pom for the nose (or you can cut one out of construction paper, or draw a nose) :)

Here's how you make it:

Let your child glue the bunny ears on the back of the bag.
Then let them glue on the eyes and the nose.
Draw, or have your child draw, the mouth and whiskers with a black marker.

All done!

Now take turns putting your hands in the bag and talking with a funny bunny voice.

You could also make 2 or more and put on a bunny puppet show!

Easter Bunny Countdown!

2013-03-13T19:28:00.000-05:00

With Easter right around the corner, I created this fun little Countdown to go along with our "Bunny" Preschool theme this week! It was so easy to make, and will be a fun way for the kids to anticipate Easter.

Here's how to Make it:

Figure out when you want to start your countdown, and count how many days there will be until Easter (We're starting ours on St. Patrick's Day, so there are 15 days until Easter).
Using 1-2 white pieces of paper or cardstock, cut out 1" strips--for the number of days in your countdown.
Make a paper chain with the strips:

Wrap one around and staple it together to create a loop. Put the next strip through the first loop, then wrap it around and staple it.....and on and on with all the strips (you could also use tape or glue).

With a scrap piece of paper, cut out 2 small bunny ears to fit on your top loop. Color the insides pink and glue them on top.
Then draw a bunny face underneath:

When you are ready to start your countdown, hang up your Bunny-Chain somewhere in your house (I'm going to put ours on our curtain rod) :)
Each day until Easter, have your kids take off one of the loops. When they get to the Bunny, the next day will be Easter! :)

HAPPY EASTER!

Bunny Sticker Memory

2013-03-12T13:14:00.000-05:00

Since Easter is only 3 weeks away, I figure we've got no time to lose! So this week we our theme for Preschool@Home is Bunnies! This activity was a cinch to put together, and LB(3) loves matching games so it was a hopping success! :)

Here's what you do:

Find a pack of Easter Stickers at the store. (I actually found these cute stickers on clearance after Easter last year and saved them for this year)

Cut a piece of cardstock or construction paper into rectangles or squares. However many you want for however many matches you want to play with. I did 8 cards.
Then put the stickers on the papers.

Then lay them face down and play memory with your child! (My bunnies didn't match exactly. But the colors matched, and that's good enough!)

Happy Easter!

Clover Cards

2013-03-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I posted about a Shamrock Garland LB(3) and I made.

We had a little bit of the paper left over, so I decided to use it to make these cute little clover cards to send to our loved ones for St. Patrick's Day!

Here's how it all came about:

I mixed up some green tempera paint and let LB go to town painting 3 pieces of white paper however he wanted to.

After it dried, I traced big shamrock shapes onto it and cut them out for the Shamrock Garland. And with the scraps leftover, I traced smaller shamrocks and cut those out to use for cards!

I simply cut and folded several pieces of white paper for the card. I made sure they were a size that would fit in the envelopes I had on hand.

To give the clover a little bit more dimension, I cut a scrap piece of craft foam and glued it on the card, and glued the clover onto that. This helps it pop out a little bit from the paper.

We're going to write a happy little greeting inside and mail it off to a few loved ones far away!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!