admin on Fun Valentine crafts for young kids

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:57:05 +0000

Valentines Day is about showing other how much we care about and appreciate them. This is such a wonderful holiday for helping kids to think outside of themselves. To consider and show appreciation for the talents, abilities, and importance of others is a difficult but very important skill we all struggle with. Sacrificing time and energy (rather than just mom and dad's money) to create these messages of thankfulness helps children (and adults!) show a spirit of true consideration. Are you scrambling for some fun, low budget ideas for helping your kids make this Valentines Day truly memorable? Well, we've got a few winners for you! Buying Valentines Cards is certainly easy and sometimes affordable. If you're little one is working on writing their name, it can be a great way to practice this skill since they will have to write their name several times over in one sitting. If this is a skill you are working on, it can help if you have fairly large valentines cards so that they will have room to write (early writers rarely have the control and coordination required to write very small). It might also help if you draw a line if one does not already exist so that your little one has a reference as they practice their name writing. Without the guidance of lines, you may find this to be a very unproductive and frustrating practice time. But for those who have mastered their name writing and are looking for a fun alternative to the standard "card", we suggest a "Valentine's Mouse". This little critter requires very little cost for a very fun outcome! The materials you will need are:

colored paper
red/black marker or glitter glue
pipe cleaners
bag of Hershey Kisses
glue/tape

Take the colored paper, fold it in half, and begin cutting half-heart shapes along the fold (this will ensure your finished heart will be symmetrical). These small hearts will be glued to the bottom of the Hershey Kiss to form the "ears" of our mouse. Next, take a pipe cleaner and curl it around a pencil. The will be taped to the bottom of the Hershey Kiss as well and bent to resemble our mouse tail. Next, take the marker and make eyes (using a black marker) and a nose (using the red marker or red glitter glue) for your mouse....and voila! You have your very own valentine critter to deliver! For a fun surprise for a teacher, parent or grandparent...consider giving them a "heart attack"! This is a simple, easy and inexpensive craft that is lots of fun for the giver and truly memorable for the receiver. First cut as many hearts as possible from several different colors of paper (the more sizes and colors, the more fun!). Next, take a marker and write on each heart something you like, admire, or a special memory about the person. If you have children that are not writing, special pictures are also wonderful. Again, the more, the merrier! Take the finished hearts and tape/post them all over the person's bathroom, bedroom, front lawn (be aware of sprinklers!), office or any other space that the person spends a lot of time in. The key to success here is to not get caught posting the hearts! When the person returns, they will be greeted with their "heart attack" of special messages from their children. This is a wonderful way for kids to learn to "count their blessings" and be truly thankful for this special someone by remembering all the things they love about them and writing them down. The best reward is the look on the person's face when they enter the room! Whatever crafts you decide, make sure you take the time to explain why this holiday is so important. Help your kids remember that showing someone you love and appreciate them is truly one of the best ways to not only make their day, but also make your day a little brighter! Do you have some fun crafts that have worked well with your family or classroom? Share 'em! Visit our Teachers Forum under classroom activities!

admin on Hands on Classroom Calendaring

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:47:00 +0000

My daughter had a teacher this year that was simply amazing and I could probably throw out a ton of ideas from her brilliant teaching methods! But one that I thought was really fun was how she allowed her students to draw a picture for each of the calendar days to post in her classroom on a large master calendar. The class would decide on a pattern for the month (like red, brown, green and blue or leperchaun, pot of gold, rainbow and clover). Then each child would draw a picture that matched each of the pattern criteria and turned them into the teacher. The teacher would then number the cards for each day of the month. Then each morning, she would call on a child to post that day's picture and announce who the artist was. It was a new spin on the classroom calendar and a great way to encourage pattern understanding, number sequencing and creativity. It also became a motivator to get kids to finish their seat work since they wouldn't be able to submit pictures unless their classroom work was finished. The kids loved it!

Forum | MyTime Calendars

admin on Fun Valentine crafts for young kids

admin on Hands on Classroom Calendaring