Creative Family Fun

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Terri Thompson

Panda Reading Pointer Craft

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A reading pointer is a great tool for beginning readers. It helps them track the words on a page and trains the eyes to follow along.

You can grab any sort of reading pointer, but if you’ve got a kid that loves animals, they’re going to definitely love this fun panda reading pointer.

Use a craft stick to make this simple panda reading pointer for kids. It's a fun tool for beginning readers and animal lovers!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Also, CraftProjectIdeas.com sent me some of the supplies used on this project. All ideas are my own.

Supplies needed for your panda reading pointer

Jumbo craft stick
White craft paint
Black craft paint
Black felt
Glue
Small googly eyes

How to make your panda bear reading pointer

First, paint the entire front and back of your craft stick with white paint. Allow it to dry completely.

While your paint is drying, cut two small circles from your black felt to use as your ears.

Once your white paint is dry, add your details with the black craft paint. Add too ovals for the eyes and a small circles underneath for the nose. Draw your simple mouth details. Finally, add two half circles under your face for your paws. Let all your black paint dry.

If you need something to do while your waiting for paint to dry, read a great book about pandas! Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim is a fun choice. It’s a Chinese American retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

After your paint is dry, glue your felt ears to the back of the top of your craft stick.

Attach your googly eyes on your eye ovals. I found that using self-sticking googly eyes made this step really easy!

Once your glue is dry, your reading pointer is ready to use! Let this cute panda help your child practice reading.

Make this simple panda bear reading pointer for your beginning readers.
Yield: 1 Reading Pointer

Panda Reading Pointer

Panda Reading Pointer
Make this simple panda reading pointer out of a craft stick. It's a great tool for your beginning reader.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost Under $5 (depending on the supplies you already have on hand)

Materials

Tools

Instructions

  1. Paint your entire craft stick with the white paint. Let dry.
  2. While your paint dries, cut two small circles out of your black felt for your panda's ears.
  3. Once the paint is dry, add details with your black paint. Add two ovals for your eyes and a small circle for the nose. Add a simple mouth and two half circles for your paws. Let dry.
  4. Once your black paint is dry. Glue your two ears to the back of the craft stick at the top.
  5. Add your two small eyes to the black ovals.

Notes

If you don't have any black felt you can use craft foam or black card stock instead.

Recommended Products

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© Terri Thompson
Project Type: reading pointer / Category: Crafts
Use a craft stick to make this simple panda reading pointer for kids. It's a fun tool for beginning readers and animal lovers!

You may also like one of these animal crafts

Cardboard Tube Panda Craft

Arctic Fox Camouflage Craft

Koala Bear Bookmark Craft

The Cutest Panda Crafts for Kids

Panda Corner Bookmark at Red Ted Art

Use a craft stick to make this simple panda reading pointer for kids. It's a fun tool for beginning readers and animal lovers!

Use your panda bear reading pointer with one of these great books:

It would be so much fun to use your new reading pointer with a great book about pandas.

For nonfiction, try National Geographic Readers – Level 2: Pandas by Anne Schreiber.

Or, if you’re up to chapter books, try Magic Treehouse: A Perfect Time for Pandas by Mary Pope Osborne.

Here are some other books you may like:

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Spring Family Fun Ideas to Do in May

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I don’t know about you, but it can be quite difficult to come up with simple family fun ideas, especially ideas that are inexpensive (or even free).

My mind always goes to ideas like a trip to the movies, or to bowling, or dinner at a restaurant. They’re all fun ideas but can end up costing a lot of money. You can’t do these all the time, so you end up skipping family time.

So what can you do? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a list of inexpensive and simple family fun ideas that could be done any time? I think so.

Luckily, I’ve got just the list for you – some Spring Family Fun Ideas you’ll love!

Enjoy some simple and fun quality time with your family this May with these Spring Family Fun Ideas. Print off the list and go have some fun together!

Here are some ideas for the month of May. The weather is warmer and daylight lasts longer so you can spend time together outside. These ideas are perfect for springtime and May, but many can be done at anytime of the year.

So, print out your list, hang it up, and plan some family fun time.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Spend some time with your family this spring with these simple family fun ideas for the month of May. Print out the idea list and have some fun!

Spring Family Fun Ideas for May

Go bird watching

Grab a bird book and go on a bird-watching hike. Choose a park or a nice hiking trail. Watch, observe, and listen. If you don’t already have a bird guide, you can borrow one from your local library for your hike. You can find some more family bird-watching tips at this post, Family Bird Watching Club.

If you’re looking to add a great bird field guide to your family library, I’d recommend either the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America or The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region or Western Region.

Have a favorite food dinner

Have a dinner consisting of each person’s favorite food. Don’t worry if they don’t exactly make up your ideal meal. That’s part of the fun! Pizza, peas, and ice cream sound perfect.

If your kids are old enough, let each person in the family prepare their favorite. You can have fun in the kitchen and at the dinner table!

Clouds against a blue sky

Look at the clouds

Lie on your backs and find pictures in the clouds. What do you see? Can you make up stories about the pictures you find?

Turn this simple cloud watching time into story time and bring along a copy of Little Cloud by Eric Carle to read.

Create a family mural

Tape a large piece of paper to the wall and create a family mural.

You can cut off a large piece from a roll of paper to make a large enough mural the whole family can work on together.

Draw separate images or work together to make one larger image.

Play with balloons

Have a balloon party!

Play “keep it in the air”, where everyone works together to keep the balloon from falling on the ground, or play a game of living room volleyball.

You can also rub the balloons in your hair to try and get them to stick to the wall or ceiling. Warning: this activity can cause a lot of laughter!

Child on slide

Take a picnic to the park

Have a picnic at the park and spend the evening playing together on the playground.

If you enjoy picnics with the family, invest in some tools like a nice personalized picnic blanket and an insulated picnic basket so it’s easy to head out anytime you want.

Bake cookies

Bake cookies as a family. Make a family favorite recipe or try something new like these Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies at Kitchen Counter Chronicles.

If you make too many, package some up to deliver to friends or neighbors!

Go on a twilight walk

Go on a walk at twilight.

Look and listen. Do you hear different sounds at this time of day than you do in the middle of the day?

Pay attention to the sky and watch the change from daytime to nighttime.

Take silly pictures

Get out a camera or a smart phone and take silly pictures of each other.

You never know, you may find a new masterpiece that need to be printed and framed.

You could even make some of these simple Craft Stick Picture Frames to display your fun picture.

Have a dance party

Crank up the music and have a living room dance party!

It’s a great way to get moving, blow off steam, and have a lot of fun together.

Spend some time with your family this spring with these simple family fun ideas for the month of May. Print out the idea list and have some fun!

Print out your spring family fun ideas and have some fun.

In order to make things easy for you, I’ve put all of these ideas in a simple printable list.. Print it out, stick it to the front of your fridge with magnets, and use it for family fun ideas all month long.

Get your printable May Family Adventures here.

Schedule your spring family fun time.

In order to make sure that we fit in some family time each month, I’ve found that it can help to schedule a couple of activities for the month. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, but if you plan on going on a bird-watching hike on Saturday, scribble it on the calendar and let the whole family know. They’ll look forward to it and so will you, which makes it less likely that you will skip it.

Which of these ideas are you going to add to your calendar this month?

Enjoy some simple and fun quality time with your family this May with these Spring Family Fun Ideas. Print off the list and go have some fun together!

You may also like one of these family fun ideas:

June Simple Family Fun Ideas

10 Ways to Make a Walk More Fun

Discover a New Playground for Outdoor Family Fun

Spring Muffin Tin Scavenger Hunt at Mama Papa Bubba

Family fun activities I recommend

It’s so easy to have some family fun if you keep a few outdoor games around. Grab one and head outside for simple fun!

Here’s some fun ideas:

Ladder Toss Game

Ring Toss

Lawn Darts

Or one of these other ideas below.

Join our community for even more family activities

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Easy Word Family Match Game

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Word families are one of the building blocks for learning to read.

If you have a good grasp on word families, you’ll be well on your way to decoding words. And, the more words you can decode, the better you can read.

Word families are that important.

This simple word family match game is easy to make and a fun way for your child to practice recognizing and reading word families.

Practice reading and rhyming with this simple word family match game for kids. It's easy to make and can be used for any set of word families.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Word Families, sometimes known as phonograms, are the one syllable endings of a group of words. For example, the -at family would contain the words hat, cat, chat, that, sat, etc.

This game supports any group of word families. Select the ones that your child is working on in class or any that you see your child struggling with. I do like this list to use for reference. You can find the most common word families and many examples of each at this link.

Supplies Needed

2 different colors of construction paper
Ruler
Scissors
Black marker

How to make your word family match game

Begin by cutting off enough extra paper from each sheet of construction paper to turn it into a large square. My squares were 9 inches by 9 inches. Divide each large square into 16 equal-sized smaller squares (2-1/4 inches each). You’ll have 32 total squares. (I know, that’s a lot!)

Next, choose your words. You will need eight different sets of word families, each set will have four words. Use two squares of one color and two squares of your second color for each set.

For example, in the above picture, I used the -en family: den, men, when, then.

Put words on each of your squares.

How to play this word family match game

Mix up all your word family and spread them out.

Challenge your child to create eight different four squares of words by sorting the squares into word families.

This words best as a single-player game. But, two kids can play together. Just have them take turns putting together their four squares.

When you’re done, you’ll have eight different larger squares for each word family. If you put them all together, you’ll have a larger word quilt.

Practice reading and rhyming with this simple word family match game for kids. It's easy to make and can be used for any set of word families.

Extend the fun with some more versions of this game

Practice reading the words out loud after you create a four square.

Can you name even more words for each word family? After your child makes a four square, challenge them to name two more words for each word family.

Choose one of the word family squares and see if you can find more examples in a favorite book.

How would you add to the fun?

Practice reading and rhyming with this simple word family match game for kids. It's easy to make and can be used for any set of word families.

If you liked this word family match game, you may also like one of these reading games:

Stacking Rhyming Words

AD Word Family Activity: Highlighter Words

Word Family Slam

Sight Word Tallies

LEGO Word Family Sorting at This Reading Mama

More games to make reading fun

In addition to this fun word family game, here are some other fun options to help your child practice their reading skills.

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Discover a New Playground for Outdoor Family Fun

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Are you often trying to find ideas for outdoor family fun?

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with this all the time.

I check out community resources and think about some of our favorite locations and other family fun ideas we’ve done in the past… that is, IF I’m actually thinking of things ahead of time.

Normally, though, the weekend sneaks up on me. Almost every single week. I have nothing planned and we end up spending all weekend at home. Sound familiar?

Don’t get me wrong, it can be nice to have a relaxing weekend at home. But, sometimes, we just want to get out and do something fun. That’s when you need a few go-to, easy ideas in your pocket that you can do anytime.

One of those ideas that we’ve done on occasion is to discover a “new to us” park. 

Go on a fun and inexpensive family adventure by discovering a "new to you" park together. You'll be able to get outside and have fun together.

Disclosure: This post is written in support of the 7th Annual Kids to Parks Day from the National Park Trust. All ideas and opinions are my own. There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

What is a “new to us” park?

Basically, a “new to us” park is any park that we’ve never visited. Simple.

It could be a park in your hometown or one in a neighboring city. Just find one you’ve never visited, because part of the adventure is discovering someplace new.

Where can I find a “new to us” park for outdoor family fun?

Luckily, thanks to the internet, it’s easy to find a new park.

To start, you can simple search for “parks in [insert city and state]” and very often you’ll easily find some results. When we moved to a new city last summer, I did this soon after we unpacked. I easily found all of the parks in our new town and we had tons of fun checking them out.

Another way to find new parks is to just pay attention while you drive. Make a mental note or jot locations down on a piece of paper if you pass a fun park. I discovered one on our last road trip in a nearby small town that we’re going to have to check out soon.

You never know what you might discover!

We’ve found some absolute gems by just picking out a random park on a map. We’ve discovered farm theme playgrounds and petting zoos.

Some parks have gone above and beyond with unique playgrounds and open-ended toys. One such playground in a local nature center had a bin full of kid-sized shovels and an open invitation to dig. Awesome!

But, even if you discover a a very typical style playground, you’ll still have tons of outdoor family fun. Explore, play together, laugh, and enjoy your family adventure.

How can you make the most of your outdoor family fun at the park?

There are so many things you can do to make the day even more special.

Pack a picnic lunch and eat together before playing. Many parks have picnic tables you can use, but pack a blanket just in case they don’t. You’ll always find a grassy area to spread your blanket.

Have a scavenger hunt. There are tons of ideas online that you can print, or you can do something simple like this scavenger hunt we went on in our backyard that could be easily adapted for any park.

Bring along some fun outdoor toys. Bring a Frisbee, a football, or a beach ball along. This is especially fun if you happen to find a park with big open grassy areas.

Explore the neighboring areas. If you’re visiting a park in a nearby town, see if there is anything else fun to do. Are there nearby nature trails for a walk? Or maybe there’s a fun ice cream shop for a treat? Explore and have fun.

And, most important of all, relax and realize that no matter how good or bad the park is, the most important thing is time together with the family. (If the park is truly terrible, just pack up and find another park. You can always go to a tried-and-true favorite.)

Have fun exploring a “new to you” park together? It’s great fun, inexpensive, and the best part is that you can go on this family adventure again and again any time you want some outdoor family fun.

Have some outdoor family fun and adventure by discovering a new park together. Get outside with this fun and free family activity!

You may also like one of these family fun ideas:

Volunteer as a Family: Support Your Local Food Bank

Family Bird Watching Club

10 Reasons to Visit a State Park this Weekend (Or Any Weekend)

July Simple Family Fun Ideas

Spend Quality Time Together as a Family in Summer at Rainy Day Mum

Fun Toys to Bring to the Park

If you want to add to the fun on your family adventure, you can bring a simple toy to play with while you’re there. Here are a few fun ideas:

Do you want to do more activities with your family?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Panda Bookmark Craft for Kids

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What do you like to use to save your place in your current book?

Do you just grab a scrap of paper or do you prefer a cute bookmark?

At our house, we love a cute bookmark, like this simple panda bookmark craft. It’s so cute and so much fun!

Save your spot in your current book with this easy panda bookmark craft for kids using this simple drawing tutorial and a few supplies.

Let’s grab a few supplies and get ready to create. You’ll have a new, fun bookmark to use in just a little bit of time.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies needed for your panda bookmark craft

White cardstock
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Black marker
Craft knife

How to make your panda bookmark

Start with drawing a circle for your head at the top of your piece of cardstock. If you want to use a template, a milk carton lid is about the right size.

Next draw two parallel lines coming down from your head, approximately 5 inches long. Make sure they are wide enough apart to give your bookmark some support, about 1-3/4 inches apart.

Join the two parallel lines with a straight line across the bottom.

Add two rounded ears at the top of your head.

Next, add your paws underneath the head. Make a simple u-shape.

Now, it’s time to add our facial features.

For your eyes, add two large ovals with smaller circles inside.

Add a small circle nose and a simple mouth.

After you’re satisfied with your drawing, trace all the lines with the black marker.

Use the marker to color in your paws, ears, nose, and larger ovals around your eyes.

Use the scissors to cut out your bookmark.

Save your spot in your current book with this easy panda bookmark craft for kids using this simple drawing tutorial and a few supplies.

Finally, use your craft knife to cut around the paws. Leave your paws connected at the top so that you can slide it over your pages.

Note: I have this ceramic craft knife that I love to use. It’s easier to hold, stays sharper, and is much safer than a retractable craft knife. If you are ready to let your child use a tool like this, this is a great choice. If not, have an adult do this step.

Your panda bookmark is ready to save your place in your current book! Let’s get reading!

Save your spot in your current book with this easy panda bookmark craft for kids using this simple drawing tutorial and a few supplies.

You may also like one of these animal crafts

Koala Bookmark Craft

Cardboard Tube Panda Craft

The Cutest Bear Crafts for Kids

Fork Print Panda Bear Craft

Use your bookmark to save your place in one of these great books!

Are your looking for a great book for your new panda bookmark? Here are some fun choices that I would recommend.

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.