Knowing how much fun my kids had doing our DIY marbled paper from shaving cream, I knew a Valentine version would go over well. This marbled Valentine heart with shaving cream was the result. Just like the original version, my kids loved creating these. I know my audience has loved the concept too because this video has been viewed over 6 million times. I hope you enjoy the Valentine’s Day… {Read More}
Tie Dye Coffee Filter Valentine Heart Craft
Looking for a great but simple Valentine’s craft that will be fun for all kids – toddlers and beyond? This tie dye coffee filter Valentine Heart Craft is super easy and very enjoyable. It’s also inexpensive to do, which makes it a complete winner. If you are looking for more ideas, why don’t you try this Valentine Cereal Box holder or these marbled hearts. My sister-in-law gave me a bunch of… {Read More}
Leprechaun Hats
Are you looking for a really fun St. Patrick’s Day craft for kids? These paper leprechaun hats will make sure to delight. Kids will not only enjoy the process of making them, but they will want to wear them atop their heads for the world to see. If you are looking for more St. Patrick’s Day crafts and activities, I hope you’ll check out my St. Patrick’s Day food ideas, four… {Read More}
Thanksgiving Footprint Turkey with Tissue Paper Stained Glass Wings
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. I have wanted to do a Thanksgiving turkey craft with my kids. I finally came up with an idea I was excited to try. This Thanksgiving footprint turkey with tissue paper stained glass wings was built out of the desire to create something new but use techniques with which I am familiar.
We Lure a Leprechaun and He Pees in the Toilet
Do you want to lure leprechauns to your house? I know how, but they are mischievous. I guess it’s not too mischievous to pee in a toilet, but it was really fun for the kids to discover that they had come for a visit. So, what does it take to lure a leprechaun? Why, gold, of course. They also love chocolate. Didn’t know that? Guess how I figured it out…everyone loves… {Read More}
Four Leaf Clover Paper Craft
Earlier this I did a simple four leaf clover paper craft. I wanted to do another that was a bit more unique and intricate. It’s not much more challenging, but it leaves quite a beautiful impact. This clover was inspired by a pumpkin craft I did back in the fall. I figured we could surely take the concept of the pumpkin and turn it into a heart shape, and I was correct. I… {Read More}
Four Leaf Clover Paper Art for St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s day is coming soon! Do you need a simple craft to do with your kids, or do you need a cute decoration for a classroom or party. Here ya go! I have to say that we did two versions of a paper clover. Today, I am presenting the more simple version. The more involved and yet really visually interesting one will be up another day. If you are a… {Read More}
Heart Peacock Craft Teaches True Love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
This week we have been talking about love in our character development series. Most people are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that says, “Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the… {Read More}
“I Will” Statements for Love
Love “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 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 love since our sixth week of the year is a focus on “love.” We made this cute board to… {Read More}
Self Control and the Mischel Psychology Experiment
Self Control “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28 I enjoy psychology. It is fascinating how we humans are designed. I have a degree in education, and I loved taking the classes in child psych as well. One of the experiments I remember learning about in class was the Mischel marshmallow experiment done at Stanford University back in 1972. I have linked… {Read More}
“I Will” Statements for Self Control – Character Development
Self Control “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28 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 self control since our third week of January is a focus on “self control.” We made this cute board to highlight the focus phrases. I got the idea… {Read More}
Valentine Heart Tic-Tac-Toe Craft
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and I want to start giving you some ideas that you can do with our own kids. We had a lot of fun with this one. It is not only a fun and easy craft, but it provides you with a game to play afterward. Tic-Tac-Toe is such a simple game to help kids begin to think about strategy. The first thing I did was… {Read More}
The Patience Game – Character Development Activity
Verse of the Week: “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIVThe first time I played the quiet game with my kids, I was shocked it worked. It was a car ride that seemed way too loud. We played the quiet game and the kids loved it. The patience game is exactly like the quiet… {Read More}
“I Will” Statements for Perseverance
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets theprize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV The first week of January last year we were working on “Perseverance.” That is exactly what we will be working on the first week of January this year. If you are not caught up, I am providing links back… {Read More}
Reindeer Foot Prints for Christmas
These reindeer foot prints were so easy, and the kids absolutely loved getting their feet painted. I love the results too. I was inspired, once again, by Pinterest. This time it led me to the lovely site of Life in Motion Photography. She did a fancier version on an artist matte. We ended up just using a sturdy piece of white stock paper. The first step is to paint their… {Read More}
Thanksgiving Kleenex Box Turkey Kids’ Craft
I made this with my kids after pinning it from I Heart Crafty Things. Thanks for the great idea, Rachel. The first thing I did was wrap the Kleenex box with a brown paper bag. I got creative on how to wrap it on the top. I cut slits on one pair of opposing sides and just tucked and taped. Then, I folded the other two and tucked them in… {Read More}
Fall Leaf Crayon Craft
This fall leaf crayon craft will look beautiful as it becomes a sun catcher in the windows this autumn. After all, we need to catch as much sun as possible as the weather turns darker, right? This colorful fall project is a lot of fun for kids of all ages. Looking for more leaf crafts? Check out my other 50 leaf ideas or these beautiful leaf prints. Toward the beginning… {Read More}
Cotton Ball Bunny
This was a really simple craft that my girls enjoyed. It was easy for them every step of the way. They took a paper plate and used some glue to stick cotton balls everywhere. Once that was done, they glued on the googly eyes. Next, a triangle nose, tag board ears with construction paper center and pipe cleaner whiskers.
Fingerprint Shamrock Canvas
Today we did fingerprint shamrocks on a canvas with green paint. Then, they used a brush to paint on the stem. Because of my faith in God, I’m not a huge believer in luck. I did have the four leaf clover design that I wanted to include. So, I looked around to see if there was any quote fitting. I found this one, and I liked it so moved forward… {Read More}
Hidden Message Valentine
Today I wrote hidden messages on hearts for the kids. I took a white crayon and wrote one thing I love about them on each heart. Then, I hid the hearts around the living room. I hid Abby’s first and then Kenzie’s next. When they found them, they looked like blank hearts. I told them there might be a hidden message on them. We got out the water colors and… {Read More}
Teaching Kids about the Five Love Languages
Love “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 Today I wanted to focus on tangible expressions of love. I wanted the girls to have specific examples of how they could show love. I immediately thought of the “Five Love Languages.” I also just noticed they have the book… {Read More}
Window Tissue Paper Hearts
Today we decided to make window decorations. We made these cute tissue paper hearts. I’m hoping to get a better picture. I was just working with the camera on my phone today. Materials needed: * Stock Paper of Choice * Tissue Paper * Yarn * Glue Stick * Scissors * Hole Punch (not pictured) * Pencil (not pictured) First, you fold two piece of paper (matching and stacked together) in… {Read More}
Love Scavenger Hunt
Love “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 This love Scavenger hunt sends your kids searching all over your home for hearts with scripture. I got this idea off of Ministry to Children. They have many more ideas in their post on teaching love, so I hope you’ll check… {Read More}
Heart Collage
I love doing collages with my girls. Why? It’s easy to do with preschoolers, and I love the way it turns out. We’ve seen in on my blog before with the Time Capsule , Cupcake Liner Art and even (in a way) Making a Letter with Letters. As I’ve been looking at blogs or following along on Pinterest I’ve thought, “There are a lot of clever hearts out there.” I… {Read More}
Word Ring and Scripture That Teaches Love
Love “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 Normally, I like to get my definition from an online reference dictionary, but I found their definition empty (a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection). So, I turned to the Biblical definition. love[luhv] “The Greek language (the language… {Read More}
Heart Paper Chain Teaches About 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 Materials: * Paper Cutter * Pink & Red Paper – cut to 1″x5″ * Pen * Stapler I’ve seen these heart chains on the internet in a few places. … {Read More}
Board Games that Teach Self Control
We are a gaming family. We all love that time together, but as a mom, I love the variety of skills kids learn through game playing. While games teach so much about reading, math, colors, problem solving, and logic, it can also teach important character qualities. Kids learn to take turns, be honest, play fair and more. It is self control week in our character development series, and I thought… {Read More}
Self Control When Faced with Temptation
Teaching kids to have self control is such an important thing in life. Think of all the things that want to grab your child’s attention down the road. From sexual temptation, food issues, drugs, alcohol, lying cheating – the list could go on and on. So how to we teach kids to have self control when faced with temptation? Intentionally! My character development series, focuses on teaching kids 52 different… {Read More}
Teaching Self Control Through Role Play
Self Control “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28 Welcome to my character development series, where today we are teaching self control through role play. I have a number of lessons on self control if this is an attribute you are working on with your kids. I thought of a number of situations where my girls tend to lack… {Read More}
Teaching Kids Self Control Activity
Self Control “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28 Today we focused on understanding and memorizing our Bible Verse. The way we did it is by taking all of our gift boxes and building a wall to create a city for them. After the wall was constructed, I pretended to be the bad guy trying to break into the city. I… {Read More}
Games that Teach Kids Self Control
Self Control “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28 Today we talked about this verse a bit more. We explained how cities used to need walls for for protection. If the walls were broken down it meant that the city could be in danger. In the same way, if we lack self control, we can be putting ourselves in danger.… {Read More}
Teaching Kids Self Control – Word Ring
Self Control “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28 self-con·trol noun control or restraint of oneself or one’s actions, feelings, etc. Reason Chosen: Self control is such an important thing for humans to learn. We have temptations hitting us at every angle. It’s not wrong to have feelings and emotions, it becomes wrong if we decide to make certain choices under… {Read More}
“Be Patient” Song and Play-Doh Snails
Patience “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV When teaching character to kids, I like to use a variety of learning experiences. Today, we really focused on music (building into auditory learning) as well as hands-on experience (accommodating tactile learners). The “Be Patient” Song and Play-Doh Snails helped my kids learn about patience from… {Read More}
Learning Patience through Games
Patience “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV This week’s verse is hard. I think the kids are getting it better than I am. We have been practicing in the car. I can’t tell you how much it helps to hold up four fingers for the four urgings. While I encourage you to… {Read More}
Teaching Kids to Sit Still and Have Patience
Patience “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV One of the times my children struggle with patience is when I am making food for them. Suddenly, they are nipping at my heels. “I’m hungry!” “I want…” are among their many pleas. Today, I decided to teach during that time, and what I did was… {Read More}
Apple Tree Craft and Story Teaches Patience
Patience “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV As we continue on in our lessons on patience, today I created a craft that went along with a cute story I found online about a boy trying to make an apple tree grow. It took patience, time and care to make it… {Read More}
Teaching Kids to be Patient while You are on the Phone
Patience “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV We review our verse and the definition of patience every day. I have told my kids that there are four urgings in this verse, 1) warn those who are idle 2) encourage the timid 3) help the week 4) be patient with everyone. We hold… {Read More}
Teaching Patience on Road Trips
Patience “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV Today we went up to the mountains to go sledding. The car ride is about an hour and a half long. That’s not too long, but it takes patience to not ask, “When are we going to be there?” “Are we there yet?” etc. Teaching… {Read More}
Patience Word Ring
Patience “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV pa·tient [pey-shuhnt] definition – 1. bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint 2. manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain 3. not hasty or impetuous 4. steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity 5. able or willing to bear Reason Chosen: Maybe this one is for… {Read More}
