New Year’s Eve Hats

I found these 2024 New Year’s Hats on The Craft Train and Artsy Farts Mama web sites. These free printable 2024 Happy New Year party hats are super quick and easy to create. I may make a small profit when you buy supplies for this project from the links below. You Will Need: Card Stock […]

Cardboard Ornaments

It couldn’t be cheaper or easier than making crafts using the cardboard in the recycling bin at work. The boys and girls I care for at my nanny job, and those I babysit, enjoyed decorating cardboard ornaments with gel markers, paint pens, and markers. You Will Need: Cardboard Scissors X-Acto Knife Paint, Gel Markers, Paint […]

Christmas Sun Catchers

These sun catchers make beautiful Christmas decorations made by children of nearly any age. I found this fun Christmas craft on Fun365 web site. They provide free printables that I used but you can use any simple silhouette pattern you wish. I find it easier to use high quality self-adhesive laminating sheets than contact paper. […]

Thankful Chains and “Thankful” by Elaine Vickers

“Thankful” by Elaine Vickers is the perfect children’s book (and project) to do with children for Thanksgiving or anytime of the year. “Thankful” is a beautiful story of being thankful. Each year, a little girl writes down the things she’s thankful for on strips of paper and links them together. As one idea leads to […]

Turkey Pom Pom Counting and Motor Skills

A toddler I babysit loves this easy Thanksgiving-themed project my other Nanny Kids and I made for her. She carries the turkey jug with her every where she goes and loves putting colorful pom poms in and then pouring them of the bottle. You Will Need: Pom Poms Empty Plastic Bottle Construction Paper Scissors Glue […]

Halloween Haunted Houses

I have been doing this haunted house with window shutters and doors that open and close for Halloween while babysitting and with my Nanny Kids for years. I found this project on the sarahjanestudios web site. This year I printed out some Halloween clip art characters for the children to glue to the windows as […]

Halloween Masks to Print

I found these super quick and easy Halloween masks on the itsalwaysautumn website. Use card stock paper and either staple elastic to the masks for the kids to wear them or paste them to jumbo crafts sticks for the children to hold the masks up to their faces. You Will Need: Card Stock Paper Printer […]

“Stumpkin” and Pumpkin Sun Catchers

One of my favorite children’s books is “Stumpkin” by Lucy Ruth Cummins. It’s the story of a pumpkin without a stem trying to be sold in a store in the city that feels left out. “Stumpkin” has a stump, not a stem. So, no one seems to want to buy a stemless jack-o-lantern for their […]

Autumn Leaf Crowns

During a babysitting job with boys and girls aged 4- to 8-years-old I brought autumn crafts to make with the bunch of little ones. They enjoyed making these easy autumn leaf crowns. I especially loved when the little boy was dancing and singing, “I am Autumn Man,” while wearing his leaf crown. Be sure to […]

3D Autumn Tree Pointillism

In “Meet Georges Seurat,” Seurat the artist describes his unique approach to art. He describes pointillism and how to use math, logic, and lots of dots to make beautiful paintings. I had the children I care for use the idea of pointillism to make autumn leaves for 3D cardboard trees. Also be sure to read […]