This American flag collage pays tribute to our country and to all the people who have sacrificed so much to give us the freedoms we have. It’s a wonderful kid craft to help celebrate the Fourth of July or Memorial Day. Is our country perfect? Of course not. We have many flaws, but we have so many people, things and foundations to celebrate. While working toward the changes our country… {Read More}
Bunny Ears out of a Paper Bag – Fun Easter Craft
Are you looking for a great craft for Easter? Making bunny ears out of a paper bag – fun Easter craft that is both easy and adorable. They are made from one paper bag (plus a little ribbon and tape), how simple is that? This is a great Easter craft for kids of all ages. Looking for another fun bunny craft? Check out my Q-Tip Rabbit. * Affiliate links provided… {Read More}
Mosaic Cross Craft for Easter
I wanted to come up with an Easter craft that speaks to the true meaning of Easter. This Mosaic Cross Craft for Easter was the result, and it is perfect for kids of all ages. I am not opposed to bunnies, eggs, candy and Easter egg hunts. However, I do want the meaning of Easter to shine through more than that. A part of that is making it an every… {Read More}
Alphabet Phonics Hunt
I am thrilled to be here on Meaningful Mama today to tell you about a really fun activity that I did at home recently with my 4 year old son and a playmate. Both boys are heading to kindergarten in September, and they’re working on learning their letter sounds. This alphabet phonics hunt was the perfect indoor playdate activity – and it could easily be adapted in difficulty for kids… {Read More}
Teaching Respect through Role Playing
Respect, as I mentioned in my last post, comes in lots of different forms. We need to have respect for God’s laws, our elders, our peers, our belongings, this planet, ourselves, etc. One way that children learn is through role playing, so I have tried to incorporate this activity into my character development series in a variety of ways. Teaching respect through role playing is one of the many ways… {Read More}
Beginning Soccer Drills
I say “beginning soccer drills,” but most of these are really “beginning soccer games.” These games will help kids, age 3-6 (or older), build their soccer skills. Kids do well learning through play and imagination. I am currently coaching 4 and 5 year olds in soccer. Now, how I became a coach is kind of a funny story. I had no plans to coach. I felt like I had enough… {Read More}
Letter Grab
Letter Grab is a simple game I came up with to work on letters with my preschool age kids. I am determined to make sure my kids know their letters before they head off to kindergarten. Although I’m not technically homeschooling my kids, I would say that we do a lot of fun preschool activities together. I gauge their enthusiasm and don’t press things too much. My kids are generally… {Read More}
Angelfish Popsicle Stick Craft
Today I’m teaching you how to make an angel fish popsicle stick craft. It is a very simple craft to do. I originally had done this with my kids pre-blogging. I found the idea in a craft book I purchased at a used book store. However, I was recently reminded of it when my kids did it as a craft while we were at the Cannon Beach Conference Center. I… {Read More}
Shape Lotto Teaches Shapes to Kids
Shape Lotto teaches shapes to kids. It is a simple and fun game that you can play with kids who are just learning their shape names and identification. I made a simple printable for you to help make it easy for you to play with your own kids. Some kids are able to pick up on shape names and identification with no trouble. Other kids need a lot of repetition… {Read More}
Polka Dot Vase Craft
This polka dot craft was easy, inexpensive and a lot of fun. If you are looking for a great craft for kids of all ages, look no further. This would be a great gift for Mother’s Day, teachers, grandparents or just fun for you to have in your own home. I love the colorful results, and it was one of those crafts where I could show the kids the process,… {Read More}
Kindness “I Will” Statements – Character Development
Kindness “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32 When I first began my character development series, I had not started doing the “I Will” statements yet. Today, I will add in some “I Will” statements for kindness because that is what we were studying a year ago. We made this cute board to highlight the focus phrases. I got… {Read More}
Joy is Contagious Game – Character Development
This idea utterly failed for us today, but I’m going to make that claim that it isn’t becauseit’s a bad idea. Because I believe it’s a good game I’m going to share it, and then I’ll share why I believe it failed for us today. Joy is Contagious GameAs I was reflecting on the fact that joy can be contagious, I decided I wanted to come up with an idea,… {Read More}
Joy “I Will” Statements – Character Development
Joy “Be joyful always.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16 When I first began my character development series, I had not started doing the “I Will” statements yet. Today, I will add in some “I Will” statements for obedience because that is what we were studying a year ago. We made this cute board to highlight the focus phrases. I got the idea for “I Will” Statements from “Character First,” a character based curriculum. Although… {Read More}
How do we Show Respect to…? An Activity in Teach Respect
Respect “‘Honor your father and mother’ — which is the first commandment with a promise–‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’” – Ephesians 6:2-3 It is respect week at Meaningful Mama. I hope you have caught on to the concept of our character development series. If you are new here, I’ll explain things right now. Last year I committed to 3… {Read More}
“I Will” Statements for Respect – Character Development
Respect “‘Honor your father and mother’ — which is the first commandment with a promise–‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’” – Ephesians 6:2-3 When I first began my character development series, I had not started doing the “I Will” statements yet. Today, I will add in some “I Will” statements for respect since our fifth week of the year… {Read More}
New Years Eve DIY Party Hats with Printables
Happy New Year! Man, this is my last day of my first blog year. That’s 365 days of posting 3 times a day. I’m celebrating that I reached my goal, not missing one day. Woo Whooo! I know my blog numbering is off. It should say day #365 up there. Where did I go wrong? Oh well, I know I went January 1st until December 31st of 2012, and I’m… {Read More}
Hope and a Nativity Craft – Character Development, Week #53
Merry Christmas, Everyone. Today is a day to celebrate hope. Because of this nativity, we have hope. Because the Lord of lords and King of kings decided to enter our world to be able to experience life and all that we go through and yet do it without sin, we have hope. Because Jesus came to die for our salvation despite our own sin, we have hope. Because we know… {Read More}
Angel Paper Plate Christmas Craft
We’ve been into angel crafts using recycled materials this Christmas season. You may have seen the paper towel roll angels or the egg carton angels. Now, it’s on to the cute paper plate angels. The first step is to paint all of the backs of paper plates. We then put some glitter glue around the edges of the circle. With the glitter glue, it needed to dry all night. You then… {Read More}
Candy Cane Craft with Egg Cartons and Candy Cane Symbolism
I hope you have really enjoy doing this candy cane craft using egg cartons. My kids loved it. It is inexpensive, easy to do and fun for kids of all ages. I have also included an explanation of candy cane symbolism so you can make it a more meaningful experience. I love candy cane’s, and I thought it would be fun to do a candy cane craft from egg cartons,… {Read More}
Day #345 – What am I ordering for Christmas? I found answers at Lakeshore Learning.
Trying to think of what to buy for Christmas has been challenging for me. My girls have not gravitated to any particular toys. When I was little, I remember playing with my Little People forever. Then, when I had Barbies, I created entire worlds there and was occupied forever. My kids – not so much. I have decided not to go the Barbie route – mostly because most of the… {Read More}
Day #344 – Hanger Wreath Christmas Craft
We have been sick around here. When I mean sick, I mean sick. I don’t think I’ve felt this under the weather my entire time of being a mother. I was in bed 90% of the day, and that was with my husband gone for the day. Abby made lunches for everyone. Kenzie was crashed out with me as her fever was between 102 and 103. Corban was sick prior… {Read More}
Paper Towel Roll Christmas Angels
This toilet paper roll angel with coffee filter wings was really fun to do. It also helps focus on the meaning behind the season. You can talk to your kids about the Christmas story from the angel’s perspective. What might they have felt witnessing and bringing the joyful news of a Savior?
Handprint Turkey
I love the look of these handprint turkeys. We all have seen handprint turkeys before, but when I saw this design at Room Spot Mom, I loved it and wanted to do it with the kids. All you do is paint their hands your desired colors. Put their hand down on the paper. After it dried, I painted on the gobbler and drew in the legs and eye with a thin Sharpie.… {Read More}
Day #147 Wisdom Scenarios – Character Development, Week #21
Wisdom “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. “Proverbs 2:6 There’s a website called Ministry to Children that inspired this activity. I gave my children a variety of scenarios. If they thought the kid in the story was making a wise choice they would make a W with their fingers. If they thought the choice was unwise, they’d cross their arms and make a buzzer sound.… {Read More}
Day #146 Wisdom in Proverbs – Character Development, Week #21
Wisdom “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. “Proverbs 2:6 I wanted to present to the kids that the best pieces of wisdom they can find are going to be found in the Bible. When thinking of wisdom in the Bible, Proverbs definitely is the first book to come to mind. A fun way for us to get to open the Word today… {Read More}
Day #145 Wisdom in a Tower – Character Development, Week #21
Wisdom “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. “Proverbs 2:6 To teach wisdom, we built a tower. I had the girls try and build a tall tower. Then, I taught them how to build a tower with more stability. I taught them how to have a wide solid foundation and build a stable structure. I then told them that each block represents a… {Read More}
Wisdom with Owls – Character Development, Week #21
Wisdom “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6 Everyone knows that the owl is thought to be wise. Some of the reasons are their big eyes, impeccable hearing and ability to take in a lot of information about their surroundings. We learned about owls and then moved on to our craft. My friend let me borrow her “Character First” curriculum. I… {Read More}
Day #143 Wisdom from Grandparents
Wisdom “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6 We were able to spend time with my parents the last couple of days. They live about an hour away, and we see them often. They are amazing grandparents with 10 grandchildren between me and my sisters. With the word “wisdom” this week it was a perfect time to be with them.… {Read More}
Day #142 Wisdom “I Will” Board – Character Development, Week #21
Wisdom “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6 We have now adopted “I Will” statements for our character development series. We made this cute board to highlight the focus phrases. Our four phrases this week are: 1. I will listen to my parents. 2. I will learn from correction. 3. I will accept consequences for my actions. 4. I will ask, “What… {Read More}
Day #141 Wisdom Word Ring – Character Development, Week #21
Wisdom “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6 Definition: 1) The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise 2) Making practical applications of truth in daily decisions 3) (my own definition for my kids) Making good, smart choices Reason Chosen: Wisdom isn’t quite a word I think of when I consider children. I think… {Read More}
Generosity in Movies – Character Development
Generosity Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7 (littler kids can memorize the underlined portion) Some days are just movies days. We generally have Friday night movie & pizza night around here. Grandma & Grandpa filled in for us tonight so my husband and I could go on a date. These were… {Read More}
Generosity through Rainbow Fish
Generosity Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7 (littler kids can memorize the underlined portion) Are you familiar with the “Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister? It’s a wonderful little story about a beautiful fish (at least in appearance) who has sparkly rainbow scales. Another fish asks if he can have one of the… {Read More}
Generosity from the Older Sister – Character Development
Generosity Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7 (littler kids can memorize the underlined portion) One of the things I’m working on with my oldest is to really care for the younger ones. The philosophy is that we teach the younger ones to have respect and learn to honor their older… {Read More}
Generosity at the Food Bank – Character Development
Generosity Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7 (littler kids can memorize the underlined portion) Today we we focused on giving of our resources. I don’t know if you are familiar with the book “Stone Soup.” It is about a village who doesn’t want to share with some hungry soldiers stopping… {Read More}
Generosity in Books
I think it’s always great to find books related to character development. It’s actually great to find books about anything you’re trying to teach. Kids just relate to books and internalize it much more than just telling them. Here’s the books I found to try and teach generosity. You can find your own at your local book store or library.
Generosity “I Will” Board – Character Development
Generosity Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7 (littler kids can memorize the underlined portion) We have now adopted “I Will” statements for our character development series. We made this cute board to highlight the focus phrases. These are phrases that we will focus on as we teach generosity. They are statements my kids… {Read More}
Generosity Word Ring – Character Development Series for Kids
Generosity Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7 (littler kids can memorize the underlined portion) Definition: liberal in giving or sharing Reason Chosen: We can’t take anything in this life with us when we go. There is so much pain and need in the world. Why should we sit around with… {Read More}
Day #98 Grace through the Prodigal Son – Character Development, Week #14
Grace “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God.” – Ephesians 2:8 One of the wonderful parables Jesus told was the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15. It is the story of a son who decided to turn away from his father. He went and squandered all of the inheritance he… {Read More}
Day #97 The Key is Grace – Character Development, Week #14
Grace “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God.” – Ephesians 2:8 Look at our verse again for this week. Grace is a free gift. We can’t earn salvation by being pretty, smart, funny, strong, having a lot of money or even by being good. We receive salvation through grace that comes through faith. … {Read More}
