7 Back to School Traditions to Ease First-Day Jitters

first day jitters

As the school year approaches, excitement and anxiety can overwhelm parents and children. To help ease the back-to-school scaries and first-day jitters, start some special traditions that will motivate your kids for a fresh start and build lasting memories. These fun activities will make the return to school a positive experience and help alleviate school worries.

Start a New Back-to-School Tradition:

1. Super Star Shopping Date

Remember the thrill of picking out new school clothes when you were a kid? Maybe you have a new backpack, lunchbox, or some fresh kicks.  No matter how much or how little was on the shopping list or what’s on your list for your own kids, everyone loves starting the year with something new.

  • Take advantage of pre-fall sales and hit the stores with your child. Arrange to send siblings on a playdate or hire a sitter to take over while you two are on a date.
  • Stock up on school supplies, gear, and clothes for the new year.
  • Keep budgets in check by assessing your child’s closets and drawers and deciding what’s needed. 
  • Make shopping a fun event by including a stop for lunch.  Use this time with your child to discuss the summer’s highlights, plans, and goals for the new year.

2. Meet a New Teacher and Host a New Friend

For a child, walking into a new classroom can be a scary thing. Seeing a familiar face in the room always makes it more accessible.

  • Take advantage of opportunities to meet the new teacher and visit the classroom to build familiarity and calm first-day anxieties. 
  • If you have a class roster, schedule a playdate with a classmate in the same class to make the transition smoother.
  • Make it an annual project to find a new or long-lost friend to meet up with after orientation day. This can significantly reduce the school jitters associated with the first day.

3. Tweak Your Routine and Refresh Your Homework Station or Quiet Time Spot

Being organized feels fantastic, gives everyone in the family a sense of control and preparedness, and reduces back to-school scaries.

  • Hold a family meeting to discuss what could be improved from last year and to share the school routine once school starts.
  • Refresh supplies for homework and organize them in a location that’s easy for kids to access.
  • This is the time to roll out new calendars, introduce new sitters, and ensure kids know what to expect. Many free printables will help you organize expectations. Consider chore charts, weekly planners, or lunchbox planners you can create with your child. Even simple This is Our Morning Routine and This is Our After-School Routine printable charts to help kids stay focused.
  • For younger kids, perk up the quiet time area by adding a few new books or making the space more inviting.

Related: 15 Hilarious First Day of School Memes

back to school scaries

4. Share a Story and a Craft

Get kids excited about school and address concerns and worries by sharing a book about starting school. Picture books can help reassure kids about starting school or going to a new school, and they also serve as catalysts for better communication at home.

5. Make the First Day Extra Special

Create a tradition of great fanfare on the first day of school! This doesn’t mean you must spend hours planning menus and creating DIY decorations. It just means adding extra TLC to the day to make it exciting and memorable. Here are some simple ideas you can do each year:

  • Get up earlier to set a pretty breakfast table with fresh flowers and a favorite breakfast you don’t typically serve on a weekday morning. 
  • Have each child pose for a first-day-of-school photo you can save in a special photo album. Take it up a notch by having your child hold a small sign or chalkboard marked with the date and a personal note.
  • Pack a special lunchbox treat with a note reminding the recipient that you are thinking of them all day.
  • Pick up a special after-school snack, such as these Chocolate Coconut Graham Crackers, which take good ole graham crackers to a new level. Take time out of your day to sit with your child after they get off the school bus to hear the highlights of the big day.

6. First Day Celebration Dinner

Celebrate the successful return to school with a special dinner. This school night tradition can help ease the first-day jitters and provide something for kids to look forward to after their first day.

  • Let your child pick their favorite meal for dinner.
  • Use the time to discuss the highlights and any challenges of the first day.
  • Consider a fun dessert or a family movie night to end the day on a high note.

7. Plan a Back-to-School Family Fun Day

Plan a special family-friendly day before school starts to ease the transition from summer to the new school season.

  • Choose a fun activity that the whole family enjoys, such as a trip to the zoo, a picnic in the park, or a day at an amusement park.
  • Use this day to relax, bond, and make positive memories before the school routine kicks in.
  • This tradition can help reduce anxiety levels and create a sense of excitement for the upcoming school year.

By incorporating these traditions, you can help reduce back-to-school scaries and first-day jitters and make returning to school a positive experience for the whole family.

One more tradition to start (just for mom and dad): The occasional night out! Find a trusted date night babysitter at UrbanSitter.

Related: 6 Ways to Help Your Child Adjust to Preschool

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4 Easy Summer Crafts for Kids

tropical fish craft

When it’s too hot to play outside, bring the kids to the table for some fun, attention-grabbing summer crafts that make the most of rocks, paper and scissors.

Go Fish!

No one is left out on the fun of making little fishies. Big kids can tackle a more involved project like these adorable DIY Japanese Fish and little kids can stick with a quick, instant gratification project like making Tropical Fish from Paper Plates.

j fish

1. Japanese Flying Carp Craft

This is a great summer craft project for kick-starting a discussion about other cultures, leading to a trip to the library, a new ethnic recipe or a new storybook to read at home. The flying fish are a take-off on a Japanese tradition of flying a wind sock – called a koinobori – on a holiday called Boys’ Day. Google the day for lots of colorful, fun photos that make for great inspiration and a bonus learning experience.

Squirrelly Minds provides step-by-step instructions with helpful (and beautiful) photos to go along with them.

For the Japanese Fish (via Squirrelly Minds) you will need:

3 empty toilet paper rolls

Double-sided tape (or a glue gun)

Tissue paper

White paper

A small dowel

Scissors

Twine

tropical fish craft

2. Tropical Fish Craft for Preschoolers

These bright, colorful fish make for a great summer craft for kids on the younger side who can simply paint paper plates and paste on fins, tails and google eyes. It’s a great summer craft for preschoolers or early elementary kids, who can take it a step further by adding more detailed designs and embellishments to their fish.

For the Tropical Fish (via Make and Takes) you will need:

8 miniature paper plates

Brightly colored paints

Paintbrush

4 large wiggle eyes

White craft glue

Glue stick

Scissors

Bigger kids (and parents or sitters who need a hand) can use these printable patterns for creating more realistic, detailed fish (include fins, tails and stripes and spots): pattern 1 and pattern 2.

pet rock monsters craft

3. Pet Rock Monsters Craft

Who among us hasn’t taken on a pet rock or two? Kids love pet rocks and this easy tutorial helps to turn plain ol’ pebbles into googly-eyed, colorful monsters – scary or silly. Let your child’s imagination run wild to create their own creatures. Wouldn’t this make a fun summer craft to tackle after watching the Monsters University movie?

The how-to is simple: Paint them all over and leave them to dry thoroughly. Then paint on details and glue on the goggle eyes to make them come alive.

For the Pet Rock Monsters (via Cocoa Bean) you’ll need:

An assortment of hand-sized rocks or pebbles

Paints

Small paintbrushes

A Sharpie

Glue

Google-eyes

jellyfish craft

4. Jellyfish Craft for Kids

These cute jellyfish would be great to hang from a ceiling in your child’s bedroom or playroom. The instructions are simple:

▪       Paint the outside of two paper bowls.

▪       Trim eyes from cardstock or draw the eyes with markers.

▪       On the inside of the bowl, add liquid adhesive and place the ends of ribbon in it. Place another bowl on top (with the ribbon sticking out) and let it dry.

▪       Poke two small holes in the center of the bowl. Thread fishing line through the bowl so it creates a loop under the bowl.

▪       Tie ribbon and trim to the loop, then tighten the loop to secure the ribbon.

For this Jellyfish summer craft, you will need:

Paper bowls

Watercolor paints

Cardstock (for the eyes. Or simply draw them on with a Sharpee)

Liquid adhesive or glue

Ribbon

Fishing line

Love these fun summer craft ideas, but you just aren’t the crafty type? UrbanSitter has lots of babysitters who’d love to get busy crafting with your kids.

Get Busy with Spring Break Crafts for Kids

Yarn Eggs by Mod Podge Rocks

The kids are home for Spring Break, and chances are you could use a few craft ideas for entertaining them. Here are 5 Spring Break arts and crafts that are sure to keep them busy!

1. Yarn Eggs

Our first Spring Break craft idea from Mod Podge Rocks could pass as an Easter-time craft, but really it works any time of year. It’s a fun project for school-age kids who will love the process and the end result – big, colorful orbs to hang in their rooms. You’ll need thin cotton yarn, balloons, craft glue, newspaper, waxed paper, a clothespin and a hanger. The project involves making a watered-down glue mixture, dipping strands of yarn in it and and wrapping around a balloon. Once dry, you pop and remove the balloon, and you are left with a funky, colorful egg.

2. Spring Blossom Painting

The blogger from Toddler Approved created the idea for this gorgeous painting that is worthy of hanging on a prime spot on your walls. Check out her handy tutorial for a detailed how-to that includes photos of each step. Be assured that it’s a simple project involving materials you likely already have in the house, which is perfect for crafts for Spring Break… watercolor paper, paint and a Sharpie is all you need!

Blossom Painting by Toddler Approved
Blossom Painting by Toddler Approved

3. Chalkboard Flower Pots

We’ve tweaked this Spring Break craft a bit to make it more kid- friendly.  The day before you tackle this project with the kids, paint a few flower pots with chalkboard paint. The ingenious paint now comes in nearly every color of the rainbow.  Once dry, big kids they may enjoy embellishing the pots with trim, ribbon or buttons (similar to the project shown here). Kids of all ages will love using the colorful pots to plant a few fast-growing seeds or actual flowers or plants you’ve picked up from the home improvement store or local nursery, and then decorating their pots with chalk drawings that can be erased at whim.

Chalkboard Flower Pots by Paint Me Plaid
Chalkboard Flower Pots by Paint Me Plaid

4. Button Flowers for Counting

This cute craft helps young kids count and learn to associate numbers. It’s simple, too.  Help kids use green Wikki Stix  (wax covered yarn sticks you can bend and mold to any shape) to make stems and leaves for flowers and attach to a piece of white paper.  Children can then attach a button to the top of the stem (the Wikki Stix will adhere the button so no glue is necessary). Label the stems of the flowers with any numbers the children are working on.  Have the children place the corresponding number of buttons on top of the flowers.

Button Flowers for Counting by Sixty Second Parent
Button Flowers for Counting by Sixty Second Parent

5. Bunny Paper Plate Photo Frame

Here’s a cute Spring Break craft that even the tiniest tots can handle. Simply cut the middle out of a paper plate, paste cotton balls on the remaining circle, and staple two bunny ears made from additional plates and also covered in cotton balls You can either paste it around a photo of your child’s face (like a frame) or tie a string from side-to-side on the back and make a fun mask.

Bunny Love by I Love 1st Grade

Need a break from Spring Break? Find and book babysitters with UrbanSitter. Sign up for free and start searching for babysitters!

7 Reasons to Book a Babysitter This Spring

Why is spring is a great time to book a babysitter? Read on to find out:


1.   Spring cleaning. Think of all you could accomplish without your usual distractions. Not sure where to start? Check out Over 100 Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks from How Does She? and the room-by-room checklist. You’ll have your digs sparkling like never before.

2.  Don’t give up on your new year’s resolution to improve your wellness. Now is the perfect time to try that new workout class.

3.   You don’t need a holiday party as an excuse to get out. Plan a date night or night out with friends. Make it dinner and a movie, take a dance lesson, tackle a tough hike or a long bike ride on an afternoon date that’ll make you feel like your pre-kid self.

4.   Throw open the windows and enjoy your newly cleaned home ALL BY YOURSELF. Remember how nice it is to be home alone? No? We didn’t think so. Send your babysitter and the kids on a fun spring outing while you have the place to yourself.

5.   Saturdays have never been busier. Does your Saturday to-do list look something like this:

  • Carpool to soccer game
  • Pick up dry cleaning
  • Stop at store for weekend necessities
  • Bring snacks to Little League
  • Buy treats and fill 24 plastic Easter eggs for class party
  • Take toddler to swim lessons
  • Drop off at birthday party (don’t forget to pick up a gift on the way)

Wouldn’t it be so much nicer if it read like this, if even just for one Saturday?

  • Hand over the kids to the babysitter on the way to grabbing coffee
  • Yoga
  • Lunch with friends
  • Shoe shopping
  • Cocktails with better half

Hire a babysitter to cover your duties for the day. The kids will enjoy mixing it up a bit, too!

6.   After you’ve cleaned out the closets and stashed the sweaters and boots, it’s likely there are a few holes to fill. We bet you’d rather Shop for Spring with a friend or go it solo – really, it’s unarguably no fun to shop with kids in tow. Better yet, if you’ve never had a shopping date with your oldest child, give it a go. He or she will adore having your undivided attention to pick out some new Spring favorites, and you’ll be feel refreshed after a day with just one child.

7.   Now that the holidays are over and before summer arrives, grab the opportunity to catch up those projects that always fall to the bottom of the list and are always hanging over your head. You know the ones – the baby book, photo album, family blog, school year scrapbook, or maybe you’ve Pinned a DIY project you’d love to try… if only you had the time.  Now you do.

Remember, it’s never been easier to find a babysitter to cover you no matter when or why you need one, whether it be for an hour, a day or even longer. Log onto UrbanSitter and find your new favorite.

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Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

How about arming your babysitter with Valentine’s Day craft ideas and supplies for your kids to create special treats for family and friends? You’ll have happily occupied kids, a grateful babysitter and a few special gifts, too.

Here are five sweet ideas for your little ones to get crafty:

1) Fun Craft for Bigger Kids – Matchbox Valentine Boxes

matchbox valentines by inchmark.squarespace.com

Kids love tiny things, and who can blame them? These tiny packages made out of matchboxes and filled with candy are adorable. (You’ll want one, too!) Easy to create, the boxes can be customized with as much or as little as your crafter likes. Tape a strip of craft paper to cover them [Cut a piece of paper 2″ high (or the height of your matchbox) and about 4″ long (enough to wrap it around)], slap on some stickers, or paint or draw your own decorations… and tie with a bow. Since they are so teeny, a bag of candy is all you’ll need to fill a whole slew of them. M&Ms work well, and you can buy the pink and red ones for VDay.

2) Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards with Crazy Crayons

crazycrayons by innerchildfun.com

We love this crazy cute Valentine, particularly because it includes a kid-approved treat that isn’t candy – Crazy Crayons. Here’s the perfect use of all the bits and pieces of broken crayons you undoubtedly have at the bottom of your arts and crafts box. Crazy Crayons take what’s old and turn it into colorful, useful, Valentine gifts for classmates and friends. Your kids will love the crayon “demo” and the big reveal (once the bits bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then chill in the frig). A heart muffin tin is especially cute to use, and these free printables stapled to the top of a Ziploc bag make the Valentine especially easy to package.

3) The Perfect Project for Preschoolers – Heart Flowers

Photo by Puttisworld

You’ll need red, pink and green construction paper, craft or popsicle sticks, glue, scissors and a couple of markers to create these happy Heart Flowers. Your sitter can help by cutting out four red/pink hearts for the flower and two smaller green hearts for the leaves of each flower. Your child can glue them to the paper, overlapping to form a flower, adding the stick for a stem and leaves, too. Once dry, draw a face and any Valentine’s Day message you choose. Instructions and photos here, thanks to Putti’s World.

4) Get Cooking for a Tasty Snack (or Gift)

Photo by Workathomegal.com

Take it easy on your sitter by leaving her all the trappings for a low-fuss treat she and the kids can bake and decorate. Depending on your child’s age and familiarity with baking, choose either a roll of refrigerated cookie dough, a boxed mix for cupcakes, or the easiest route – premade, undecorated cookies or cupcakes from the bakery or grocery store. Most will agree the best part of baking holiday treats is decorating them, so go all out on decorations. You could include several colors of candy sprinkles or sugars, maraschino cherries, dried coconut, tubes of frosting, chocolate chips, and candy hearts.

5) Homemade Decorations to Cherish Year After Year

Photo by Kaboose

We know, we know, it’s another craft with crayons, but we couldn’t help ourselves. This craft is worth picking up an extra set of crayons so you can tackle it, as well as the melted crayon Valentines. So pretty to hang in a window, these stained glass hearts are a perfect way to brighten dreary winter days. You can make them by melting crayon shavings between waxed paper using an iron set on low. Hang them with a loop of string or ribbon after cutting out hearts. Experiment with different color combinations, and make sure the sitter knows not to take her eyes off the hot iron or melted paper until they have cooled.

Hope you, your kids and your sitter love these Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids as much as we do!

4 Fun Holiday Projects that Make Great Gifts from Kids

sock snowmen

Hopefully you’ve taken advantage of UrbanSitter to score a sitter or two so you can get out to enjoy a holiday party or take care of some shopping without the kids. Why not make it fun for the kids and a little easier on the sitter by leaving them with instructions and supplies for holiday crafts to tackle together?

We’ve selected four crafts that will score big points with kids and are simple enough as to not to stress out the sitter. What’s even better? These crafts make awesome homemade gifts. Your kids will love wrapping their masterpiece and will beam with pride when they deliver it to a lucky recipient this holiday season.

Our top four, fun-to-make, homemade gifts, along with instructions and a handy shopping list for each:

  1. 1. Salt Dough Hand Print Ornament

Those tiny hands, whether they belong to your newborn or your 7-year-old, won’t last for long. These classic handprint ornaments made with salt dough are an adorable, touching way to cement a moment in time.  You’ll cherish them so much, you won’t want to give them away… so have the sitter and your kids make one for you, too.  Click for instructions.

Here’s what you’ll need to leave the sitter:

4 cups of flour

1 cup salt

Food coloring

Large Mixing Bowl

Cookie sheet

Canola oil

Small rolling pin

Drinking straw

Ribbon

Photo by Stephanie Severin
Photo by Stephanie Severin

2. Magnified Magnets

This is a good project for bigger kids who have better focus and dexterity than their younger  siblings. Half the fun of the project is hunting down tiny pictures to fit on the back of glass pebbles. Good places to search for images include: scraps of wrapping paper, Christmas cards, homemade drawings, and thumbprints made with a stamp pad. Simply cut out the image and glue it right side up to the flat side of a glass pebble. Once dry, glue a magnet to the back of it. The blogger gives you more detailed instructions, and lots of photo for inspiration.

You’ll need the following, available from a craft supply store:

3/4 inch circle punch

Glass accent marbles/pebbles

Adhesive

Stamp pad

Craft paper, wrapping paper, cards

¾ inch magnets

3. Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

pretzels
Photo by: food.com/938006

This is a yummy cooking project for kids of various ages.  Everyone can help break up the chocolate; older kids, with the help of a sitter, can dip the pretzels into melted chocolate (candy canes work well for dipping, too); and little ones can sprinkle and/or roll pretzels in crushed candy, sprinkles, nuts or coconut. There is no shortage of recipes for this one, but here’s a favorite of ours.

You’ll need:

Pretzels rods or candy canes

Chocolate chips or melting chips

Candy, sprinkles, nuts, coconut – anything you want to roll them in

Wax paper for cooling pretzels

4. Sock Snowmen

sock snowmanThis adorable craft is perfect for kids and a great way to repurpose those lonely socks missing their match. 🧦 These no-sew snowmen are as fun to make as they are to display, and they make a fantastic holiday gift or decoration.

Simply fill a white sock with rice, tie it off to form the body and head, and then decorate with buttons, fabric scraps, and markers to create a snowman full of personality. It’s a mess-free, kid-friendly craft that doesn’t require glue or advanced crafting skills.

You’ll need:

  • White socks
  • Rice (or stuffing material)
  • Rubber bands
  • Fabric scraps or ribbon
  • Buttons
  • Markers

For full instructions, check out this guide.

Have you found other holiday crafts for kids that your kids are going ga-ga for? We’d love to hear about them. Please share with us!

Cool Summer Activities for Preschoolers on Hot Summer Days

toddler summer activities, preschooler water play

Summer is chock full of opportunities for entertaining and enriching little kids’  development through new experiences and activities. Need some ideas for summer activities for preschoolers? Check out these ideas for summer activities for the 3-5 year-old set. They’ll come in especially handy during the dog days of summer, headed our way. 

1.  No-Stress, No Mess Water Play

Take advantage of a sunny day (or even a rainy one, provided there’s no thunder or lightning) to set your kids loose outdoors and let them burn some energy doing what all kids love to do as a summer activity – play with water. Fear not, city dwellers, simply set a big plastic container filled with water on whatever outside space you have and arm your tikes with any of the following, all which make for great water play for little hands:

Summer Activities for Keeping Preschoolers
Ice Cube Boat via Alpha Mom
  • Small plastic fish or animals
  • Barbie or Polly Pockets dolls
  • Sponges and a wash cloths
  • Small paint brushes for “painting” the sidewalk
  • Matchbox cars for washing
  • Boats – make your own Ice Cube Boats with nothing more than an ice cube molded in a plastic cup set with a drinking straw and flag for a sail.  These boats are adorable, and perfect for hot days.
  • Plastic cups for pouring and filling
  • A watering can for watering plants
  • A garden hose
  • Pull out the inflatable pool and let them splash for hours.

2. Easy DIY Crafts Just for Kids

Every kid needs a creative outlet, not to mention a quiet, inside activity once in awhile. We’ve found loads of great summer crafts for kids of all ages, some that can be made in minutes and others that will occupy a preschooler for the full duration of his baby sibling’s nap. Check out our Summer Crafts for Kids Pinterest board for ideas, including these adorable and easy-to-make Flowers.

3. Explore a Good Book

Be sure to save time in your summer schedule for the simple pleasure of reading with and teaching your preschooler skills that will help him learn to read.  You can encourage preschoolers to spend time with books by having them join older siblings in a summer reading program, whether it be one from a local library, Scholastic or a homemade incentive program. Encourage any form of reading, including pre-reading activities, like tracing or practicing their ABCs; “reading” to you or a sibling; or having a summer ritual of reading  together as a family, perhaps a chapter of an endearing family-friendly favorite like Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey, before bed. Scholastic has a helpful list of book recommendations for kids of all ages, including good picks for 3-5 year olds.

4. Get Your Groove On!

Another good hot summer activity is getting your groove on. Turn a playdate into a musical instrument making extravaganza (hint, hint, call in a babysitter to help!) and create the neighborhood’s next musical sensation. Check out Meaningful Mama’s fantastic list of 20 DIY Musical Instruments for Kids and see how simple and easy it can be to make anything from a bottle-cap tambourine to a full-on drum set.

Summer Activities for Keeping Preschoolers
DIY Musical Instruments via Meaningful Mama

5. Master a New Skill (and give Mom and Dad a helping hand!)

Teaching kids new skills helps develop their independence and shows them that they are an important, contributing member of their family… and eventually of the bigger world. Early childhood education experts recommend building skills by assigning chores, and believe that most preschoolers are capable of any of the following simple “taking care of myself and my house” chores:

  • Setting and clearing their place at the table
  • Making their bed
  • Sorting their clothes from the dryer
  • Picking up and putting away toys and art supplies.

See our handy guide to age-appropriate chores for kids for more ideas.

After all the fun with these summer activities for preschoolers you might need a parents night out. Book an UrbanSitter and leave the entertaining to the sitter!

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids

With kids spending a lot more time indoors during the dreary winter months, be sure to arm yourself and your sitter or nanny with a few fun DIY art projects to keep them occupied and entertained. Check out these five creative projects that are sure to keep everyone happy.

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids

1. Better than Play Doh
Why not whip up a batch of new play dough or goop for your kids to knead, mold and shape to their hearts’ content? Take your pick from one of these cool sensory play recipes that are sure to please. Whether it’s peppermint play doh, gold glitter goop or snowflake slime, you can’t go wrong. The recipes are quick and easy and truly can be rainy day lifesavers.

Play Doh via Raechel Myers
via Raechel Myers

2. Easy Stitch Cards
Try this not too easy, not too hard sewing project that works well for 4-9 year olds. It’s a budget-friendly craft that you can create with materials you likely have on hand or can easily find at any craft store. Thanks to Mini eco for proving the instructions AND free printable cards. Download the cards and print on colored card stock. She used orange, pink and yellow, but feel free to use your child’s favorites.

To make your sewing cards you’ll also need a hole punch, yarn, a blunt needle and a button or bead to tie at the end of the yarn as a stopper. Instructions via the blogger:

1) Simply print pdfs and cut out. Pinking shears can be used for extra flare.
2) Punch holes out (as pictured)
3) Have you child lace the yarn through the holes.

Sewing Cards via Mini Eco
via Mini Eco

3. Shimmery Snow Paint
Kids love a new art material and this one doubles as a fantastic sensory material. Plus, it’s perfect for winter. There are lots of recipes out there for paint that looks like snow, but this one tops the list for the most shimmery, realistic looking flurries. For the best results, refrigerate the shaving cream and glue overnight then let it warm up for about 10 minutes the counter before using.

Recipe via Growing a Jeweled Rose. You’ll need the following materials: shaving cream, white school glue, peppermint extract, and iridescent glitter.

Mix equal parts of glue and shaving cream in a bowl – you can eyeball the amounts. Sprinkle in as much glitter or buffalo snow as you like. Add a few drops of peppermint extract and mix. You can add more glitter, if need be.

It’s fun for kids to use their new paint to create wintery scenes filled with snowmen. Colored construction paper works well as a background.

Shivery Snow Paint via Growing a Jeweled Rose
via Growing a Jeweled Rose

4. Paper House
This really cute paper house puts all of those cardboard shipping boxes that pile up after holiday shopping to creative use. With the holidays just past, you’re sure to have a few lying around, too.

Choose a box that’s a good size and shape for a house, a barn, a school, or any other structure your child would like to create, and follow these kid-friendly instructions. All you’ll need is paper, glue, scissors and a pen. Rainbow shingles add a charming touch!

Cardboard House via Say Yes to Hoboken
via Say Yes to Hoboken

5. Bottle Cap Stamps
Create your own stamps with the bottle caps from water or juice bottles and small foam stickers. Keep kids entertained by merely visiting the recycling bin for bottle caps and the dollar store for a handful of stickers. Simply glue stickers to the tops of the caps and use either a stamp pad or paint for the ink. Kids, little and big, will have a ball creating all sorts of project with their stamps – posters, cards, signs, etc.

Bottle Cap Stamps via Vanessa's Values
via Vanessa’s Values

Search for crafty babysitters at UrbanSitter.

The Best Christmas Crafts for Kids: Top 5 Picks

Christmas crafts for kids

There’s no better way to add a sprinkle of festive joy to your home than with Christmas crafts for kids. If you’re searching for easy and delightful holiday crafts for kids, Christmas paper crafts, or preschool Christmas crafts, you’re in the right place. These projects will not only keep your little ones entertained but also add a dash of seasonal cheer to your home. 

holiday crafts for kids

 

1. Felt Christmas Ornaments

Let your child’s creativity shine with felt Christmas tree decorations. Cut out various shapes and let your kids design ornaments using felt, buttons, sequins, and ribbon. Hang them on the tree or give them as personalized gifts to family and friends.

For this easy felt ornament (via One Creative Mommy), you’ll need the following:

  • Assorted colored felt sheets
  • Jute, twine, or ribbon
  • Small sticks
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Buttons, sequins, and ribbon
festive paper plate wreath

2. Festive Paper Plate Wreath

Gather some green paper plates, colored paper, and glue. Cut holly leaves, berries, and a bowtie from the colored paper. Then, have your child glue them onto the paper plate. Hang it up on your door to welcome guests with a warm, festive greeting. Kinder Craze has step-by-step instructions and photos to lead you through this craft. 

For these festive paper plate wreaths, you’ll need:

  • Paper plates
  • Green tissue paper
  • Scissors
  • Red Pom Poms
  • Red Cardstock Paper
  • Glue
  • Marker/Pencil
  • Stapler
cardboard tube snowmen

3. Cardboard Tube Snowman

Don’t throw away those cardboard tubes! They can be transformed into these adorable snowmen Christmas crafts for kids. Paint the tubes white and decorate with buttons, construction paper, and a tiny scarf. These little snowmen are a great way to upcycle and craft the perfect holiday project for kids.

For these cardboard snowmen crafts (via Emma Owl), you’ll need:

  • Cardboard tubes
  • White wool, string, or twine
  • Googly eyes
  • Orange foam or cardboard
  • Buttons 
  • Marker 
  • Sticks
  • Pipe cleaner and pom-poms.
  • Glue 
preschool christmas crafts

4.Santa’s Reindeer Handprint

In search of fun preschool Christmas crafts? Look no further. Help your child paint their hand with brown paint and stamp it on paper. Add a red nose and googly eyes, and you’ve got a cute reindeer. It’s a fun way to create holiday memories with your little ones.

For the hand-print reindeer (via Simple Everyday Mom) you’ll need:

christmas paper crafts

5. Sparkling Snowflakes

Create your own winter wonderland with these sparkling snowflake Christmas crafts for kids. All you need are some white pipe cleaners, beads, and a little imagination. Have your child thread the beads onto the pipe cleaners, shape them into snowflakes, and voilà, you’ve got some beautiful Christmas paper crafts!

For this snowflake craft (via Toddler Approved) you’ll need:

  • Popsicle sticks
  • Hot glue gun
  • White glue
  • Sequins, buttons, glitter, or jewels
  • Dot Markers

Looking for more ways to celebrate the holidays with your children? Check out our post on Festive Kids’ Crafts That Are Good Enough to Eat. Now, roll up your sleeves, gather your craft supplies, and let the holiday fun begin!

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Fun Craft Trio for Winter

seed ornament craft for kids

Looking for a creative way to keep the kids entertained on a rainy or snowy winter day? We’ve found a trio of adorable crafts for kids that celebrate the season and may entertain you (or your sitter) as much as they do the kids.

DIY Cut Leaf Cars

Before the last leaf falls, grab your chance to create a fun afternoon with your child. Take a walk to enjoy the fall foliage and select your favorite fallen treasures. After a warm lunch or cup of cocoa following your walk, tackle this simple craft that’s just right for practicing scissor skills. Draw a simple car outline on a leaf and have your child cut the lines to create a car. You’ll want to do the windows, as an XActo will work best. Via The Art Room Plant.

via The Art Room Plant
via The Art Room Plant

Recycled Egg Carton Owl

The creative minds at Art and Soul Preschool came up with this ingenious use of an egg carton after observing that pieces of the carton looked amazingly like owls. And they do! See their site for step-by-step instructions, or simply use the photo as inspiration, cut sections for eyes and bodies, and let kids “build” an owl from the pieces. It’s best to paint the sections first, and glue them together once dry.

via Art and Soul Preschool
via Art and Soul Preschool

Cookie Cutter Bird Feeders

Help keep feathered friends fed through the winter with these easy bird feeder ornaments. You can hang them on a tree in your backyard or at the park. This recipe doesn’t require peanut butter, like many others do, so it’s also great for taking to your child’s classroom for a fun, fall party project. Recipe provided by Prudent Baby.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup birdseed (seed for small birds works best)
1/4 cup water
1 small envelope of Knox gelatin
Twine or string
Cookie cutters, molds or mason jar lids
Wax paper

Instructions:

Mix together the envelope of gelatin with 1/4 cup of water and bring to a simmer while stirring. Continue stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Stir in the 3/4 cup birdseed, adding a little more if there is liquid in the bottom of the pan. Lay cookie cutters out on wax paper and fill halfway with the birdseed mixture. Cut twine, knot the end and push the knot down into the birdseed. Continue filling with birdseed, covering the end of twine and knot.
Push the birdseed evenly into the cookie cutter until it’s full. Allow to dry overnight. Turning them over every now and then.
Remove from the cookie cutters and hang them in a tree.

via Prudent Baby
via Prudent Baby

Remember, if crafting is not your thing, these creative projects are perfect for passing along to your sitter to tackle with the kids while you’re away.