Bunny Paper Plate Hat

What kid doesn’t like bunnies — especially when Easter is right around the corner? I found this project at beafunmum.com and a 7-year-old child I care for made these bunny ears hat out of a paper plate all by herself. If you want the hat to be a snug fit for a particular child’s head, […]

Make a Sled after Reading “Snow Day!” By Lester L. Laminack

Going to the library with children weekly is fun. The parents you work for and the children you care for will love doing crafts projects that correspond to the children’s books you borrow from the library. After reading “Snow Day!” by Lester L. Laminack make a sled out of craft sticks with the kids. In […]

Cardboard Winter Wonderland

For last few years I have been cutting out 3-D crafts for the children in my care from cardboard found in their recycling bins. I found this amazing winter wonderland idea from the Mr Printables web site. Although the child who decorated this project only wanted to decorate the trees with green paint, one star […]

Standing Thanksgiving Turkeys

The school-aged children I care for loved decorating these standing 3D sculptures I make from cardboard for them. I just grab cardboard boxes from the recycling bin and cut out characters from cardboard. For this activity they used paint, pastels, and tissue paper squares to decorate their Thanksgiving turkeys. You Will Need: Turkey Template, remove […]

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 […]

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 […]

Favorite Train Tables

Train tables and train sets provide hours of open ended fun for children of all ages. Playing with trains helps children build fine motor skills, problem-solve, and foster their creativity. When choosing a train set and train table first consider the manufacturer’s age recommendation. Next, consider the size of the train table for the space […]

Marbling Paint Kit

One of my Nanny Kids absolutely adores using this Marbling Paint Kit by the Jar Melo Store. She got this crafts kit for her birthday. She made these six marbled papers this week and cannot wait to do more next week. This Marbling Painting Kit for kids comes in a beautiful gift box and makes […]

Does it Fit?

Here’s a simple, yet fun activity to do with toddlers. Use different sized sensory balls and assorted stacking boxes and let the child explore. Let them help you solve the problem of not being able to put a large ball into a small box. You Will Need: Sensory BallsStacking Boxes What to Do: 1. Gather […]