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Terri Thompson

Perfect Puzzles for the Family to Enjoy This Holiday Season

December 18, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Puzzles are a great way to spend that quiet, still time between Christmas and the New Year.

It helps bring everyone together for memorable and quality family time, while building on family teamwork.

No matter the age of the parents or kids, puzzles are literally a connecting piece to enjoy around the holidays. 

Here are some fun puzzles for the family to enjoy between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Enjoy the quality time the holidays bring by introducing a family jigsaw puzzle tradition. Find a list and assortment of great puzzles for the family here!

Holiday Family Puzzle tradition for kids of all ages

An easy way to make sure that the time is spent less on screens and more with hot cocoa and conversations is to put a puzzle in front of everyone. It’s a holiday tradition that any family can enjoy, even those with little kids and can be continued with teens and grown children.

Simply wrap up a puzzle that everyone opens up on the 26th and enjoy putting it together all day or throughout that down time before the New Year begins!

Puzzles for the family to enjoy this holiday season

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.

Sometimes it is hard to judge a good puzzle; you have to decide if it’s going to be one that’s challenging enough that it worth it, not so challenging it never gets finished, and simply one that will be enjoyable. Especially with younger kids around, it feels like there always has to be a happy medium in choosing a good puzzle for the family.

Related: Ten things to do when you’re stuck inside

Enjoy the quality time the holidays bring by introducing a family jigsaw puzzle tradition. Find a list and assortment of great puzzles for the family here!

Ceaco Puzzles by Jane Wooster Scott

Many of the scenes come in your option of size meaning that each age group in the family could actually work on the same puzzle but independently or in small groups and it could actually be a competition to see which team wins. So if you have a wide age range like kids ages 3-18, pick out a three hundred piece puzzle for the 3-8 year olds to team up on and the same design in a thousand pieces for the 9-18 years olds to work on.

The other thing to note about these puzzles is that they are very thoughtfully drawn. Most typically, there will be similar patterns or people in different parts of the puzzle that aren’t the same, but forces kids to have a discriminating eye. Like a woman wearing a yellow dress with brown polka dots versus a picnic blanket on the other side of the puzzle board that’s yellow with red dots.

Even the boxes typically are thoughtfully made with the picture on the back being high enough to fit above the box lid so it can be propped up without hiding the whole puzzle picture.

Find an assortment of these puzzles here:

A Picture Perfect Day

Circus Pandemonium

Waterfront Artistry

More From Jane Wooster Scott

Enjoy the quality time the holidays bring by introducing a family jigsaw puzzle tradition. Find a list and assortment of great puzzles for the family here!

Family puzzles with multiple piece sizes

One of the best ways to incorporate puzzles into the family routine or to do as you cozy up during the holidays are multi-size puzzle piece puzzles. They’re most typically called “family puzzles” and come with pieces in three different sizes so that they can be divvied up by age and let every complete the same puzzle together on their own skill and development level.

A few examples of recommended family puzzles:

Wild Savanna by Springbok Puzzles

Disney Christmas family puzzle by Ceaco

Frosty Friend by Cobble Hill Puzzles

A few notes about family puzzles. Many times they come in four hundred piece sets, but this can vary. Sometimes companies like Cobble Hill call them “multi” puzzles and sometimes there are only 2 sizes instead of three.

Related: Indoor Winter Activities for Preschoolers

Get the family excited with a unique jigsaw puzzle

Especially as kids get older, finding a unique puzzle for the family is a way to get everyone more excited about completing it together. Choosing a glow in the dark puzzle and doing it under a blacklight or finding a really unique 3D puzzle based on what the kids are currently learning are just a few unique puzzle ideas.

Check out these cool puzzle options:

Unicorns by MasterPieces Glow in the Dark Hidden Images Puzzles.

St. Basil’s Cathedral by CubicFun

Disney Castle by Ravensburger

Wooden Mechanical Locomotive by Robotime 3D

Related: How puzzles boost kids’ brain development

Enjoy the quality time the holidays bring by introducing a family jigsaw puzzle tradition. Find a list and assortment of great puzzles for the family here!

Choose a puzzle based on your goals or dreams for the coming year

It can be big trip your family is taking visiting all the states, some place with a notable destination, or something else. In general there are so many types of puzzles, find one that fits with that theme! Not only will it be quality time spent together, but also something to get your family dreaming together.

You may also like one of these family activities:

Family Friendly Movies for Family Movie Night

10 Fun Walk Ideas for Families

Easy to Play Card Games for Family Game Night

Gratitude Conversation Starters

Are you looking for more kids 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.

Stained Glass Star Suncatcher

December 7, 2018 By Terri Thompson

We just love to make stained glass projects! 

We’ve made them for almost every holiday and now for Christmas, it’s time for a Stained Glass Star Suncatcher.

Make a Stained Glass Star Suncatcher to decorate your windows for Christmas or any time of the year. This easy craft is perfect for kids of all ages.

The process to make this Stained Glass Star Suncatcher is easy and is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and even elementary-aged kids.

It’s not too messy and it’s a great quick craft for when you only have a small amount of time.

Disclosure: CraftProjectIdeas.com provided some the supplies for this post. All ideas are my own. This post also contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed

Clear Contact Paper
Blue and yellow construction paper
Glitter in shaker bottles
Yellow tissue paper

How to make a Stained Glass Star Suncatcher

Use your blue and yellow construction paper to cut out star outlines.

I folded the paper in half before we drew the stars so we could get two stars from each piece of paper. Feel free to make these even bigger if you’d like!

Each girl made two stars, one yellow and one blue.

Cut 2 pieces of Contact Paper for each project, according to the size of your stars. Peel the backing off of one piece of Contact Paper and place it sticky side up on your table. Tape the corners down so that it doesn’t go sliding all over the place.

Make a Stained Glass Star Suncatcher to decorate your windows for Christmas or any time of the year. This easy craft is perfect for kids of all ages.

Place your star outlines on the Contact Paper. Try not to get too close to the edge, you’ll need a little bit of on overlap.

Use your glitter shakers to add a bit of sparkle to the inside of your stars. Use a little or a lot!

You’ll notice that we are working on top of an old sheet. I highly recommend this to help catch any extra glitter and make clean up easier.

After the stars are all glittered, Tear pieces of your tissue paper and layer it over the glitter. Try to keep all of the tissue paper inside the star outlines.

Add the second piece of Contact Paper over top, smoothing out all wrinkles as you go. I usually do this step myself because it can get tricky.

Cut out your stars leaving a bit of Contact Paper around the edge so that it doesn’t start unpeeling.

Hang your stained glass star in the window and let the sun shine through.

I love the final look! Don’t you?

It’s such a fun decoration on our big windows.

Make a Stained Glass Star Suncatcher to decorate your windows for Christmas or any time of the year. This easy craft is perfect for kids of all ages.

You may also like one of these Christmas activities:

Stained Glass Window Ornament

Scented Gingerbread Man Ornament

Paper Plate Christmas Tree

Salt Dough Candy Cane Ornament

Fingerprint Nutcracker Keepsake Ornament at Rainy Day Mum

Hands-On Perimeter Activity: Perimeter Lab

December 6, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Measurement is more than just grabbing a ruler and measuring the length of an object. There’s width, weight, circumference, area, perimeter, and more, so much more.

I love measurement activities because they’re so often hands-on activities, and this idea is no exception.

This perimeter activity is a fun invitation you can quickly set-up so your child can practice measuring and calculating.

Explore measurement with this simple hands-on perimeter activity for kids, a Perimeter Lab math invitation. They'll measure, calculate, and have fun.

So, grab a few items and let’s create a Perimeter Lab.

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.

Explore measurement with this simple hands-on perimeter activity for kids, a Perimeter Lab math invitation. The'll measure, calculate, and have fun.

Set-up your perimeter activity

Set-up is so easy!

First, you’ll need some measurement tools: a ruler, pencil, and your perimeter lab recording sheet.

Click this link to download your perimeter lab recording sheet.

You’ll also need a variety of things to measure. Choose items of various sizes that are rectangular or square. Look for books, boxes, board or card games. You could also cut pieces of paper into different sized squares or rectangles.

Explore measurement with this simple hands-on perimeter activity for kids, a Perimeter Lab math invitation. The'll measure, calculate, and have fun.

Does your child already know how to find the perimeter or are they just learning?

If they already know, set them loose with this math invitation for a fun way to review perimeter.

They can use the recording sheet to walk through the process and find the perimeter of the different objects that you’ve set out.

But, if they don’t know, you can use the recording sheet to walk them through the process.

How do you find the perimeter of an object?

First, grab the ruler. You’ll want to measure side A, side B, side C, and side D of your rectangular object. (See the picture above for reference.)

After you’ve recorded all the measurements, add all the sides together to find the perimeter of the object.

Explore measurement with this simple hands-on perimeter activity for kids, a Perimeter Lab math invitation. The'll measure, calculate, and have fun.

Variations of this perimeter activity

Since we’re just grabbing random objects to measure, you may want to alter this perimeter activity just a bit to fit with your child’s ability.

Depending on your child’s ability, you may want to have them round their measurements to the nearest inch or half-inch. If they’re comfortable with fractions or decimals, they can use more specific measurements.

If all you want to do is get comfortable with calculating perimeter, then getting exact measurements isn’t necessary.

Explore measurement with this simple hands-on perimeter activity for kids, a Perimeter Lab math invitation. The'll measure, calculate, and have fun.

Check your work.

There’s no answer key to this project. You can pre-measure all the items (if you really want to) to create an answer key. Or, just look over the process and the answers to see if your child is correctly figuring perimeter. You can also have your child double-check their work.

Correct answers are important in math, but so is learning the process. Know the process first and then focus on finding the correct measurement later.

A Perimeter Lab is a fun way to learn the process behind calculating perimeter. You’re doing real-life measurements and not just looking at a drawing on a piece of paper. It’s fun, it’s hands-on, and it’s a great way to extend learning at home.

Explore measurement with this simple hands-on perimeter activity for kids, a Perimeter Lab math invitation. They'll measure, calculate, and have fun.

You may also like one of these math activities:

Math Paper Plate Games

Measuring with Hearts

Number Line Secret Codes

Architecture STEM: Area and Perimeter City at Teach Beside Me

Fun hands-on math resources

When we practice math at home, we love to play games. These games are so much fun and a great hands-on activity. Plus, it’s a great way to combine a family activity with learning. Check out some of these awesome math games below:

Are you looking for more kids 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.

Christmas Science Experiments for Kids

December 5, 2018 By Terri Thompson

You can learn and have fun this holiday season with these fun Christmas science experiments for kids.

These ideas are fun for kids of all ages and will teach them some fun science concepts. Explore physics, chemistry, and more.

You can grow crystals to make pretty ornaments for your tree. Or try a little chemistry while you enjoy a warm cup of cocoa.

Learn and have fun this holiday season with these fun Christmas science experiments for kids. Try new ideas or fun twists on classic experiments.

Check out the fun ideas below, grab some supplies, and have fun learning!

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.

Christmas Science Activities

Learn and have fun with these Christmas science experiments for kids.

Grow the Grinch's Heart Science Experiment

Can you make the Grinch's heart grow? You can with this fun twist on a classic science experiment.

Hot Chocolate Science Experiment

Experiment with temperature when you try this fun science experiment based on a favorite Christmas drink.

Dissolving Candy Canes Science

Photo Credit: lemonlimeadventures.com

Experiment with dissolving candy canes in different liquids with this fun science project.

Christmas Magic Milk Science Experiment

Photo Credit: funlearningforkids.com

Try a Christmas version of the classic magic milk experiment.

Reindeer and Snowman Lava Lamps

Photo Credit: www.science-sparks.com

Make fun Christmas lava lamps with this fun science project.

The Amazing Scents of Christmas: A Sensory Activity for Kids

Photo Credit: www.kcedventures.com

Explore your sense of smell with this fun sensory activity.

Gingerbread Man Salt Crystals Science Activity

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Grow salt crystals and make a fun gingerbread man Christmas ornament at the same time.

Crystallized Icicle Ornaments with Borax

Photo Credit: happyhooligans.ca

Experiment with Borax crystals to make these fun icicle ornaments.

Magnetic Ornaments Christmas Science Activity

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Explore magnets with this fun Christmas science activity.

Rudolph Races Christmas Games

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Explore physics with some fun Rudolph races.

Science Experiment: Bend Your Candy Cane!!

Photo Credit: preschoolpowolpackets.blogspot.com

Can you bend a candy cane? Try this fun Christmas science experiment to find out.

Christmas Science: How Much Water Does a Christmas Tree Drink?

Photo Credit: www.mamasmiles.com

Experiment and observe to find out how much water a Christmas tree drinks.

Grow your own Christmas tree sponge

Photo Credit: www.giftofcuriosity.com

Grow your own Christmas tree on a sponge with this fun activity.

Static Electricity for Kids: Magic Clinging Tinsel Bow

Photo Credit: www.schoolingamonkey.com

Explore static electricity with this fun magic clinging tinsel bow activity.

Christmas Science: An Oil and Water Experiment

Photo Credit: inspirationlaboratories.com

Try a Christmas version of the classic oil and water experiment.

Which of these fun Christmas science experiments are you going to try with your kids?

Learn and have fun this holiday season with these fun Christmas science experiments for kids. Try new ideas or fun twists on classic experiments.

More fun science activities to try:

Fun Popcorn Science Experiments for Kids

Hockey Science Experiment

Jack Be Nimble Science Experiment

Fun Winter STEM Projects for Kids

Learn and have fun this holiday season with these fun Christmas science experiments for kids. Try new ideas or fun twists on classic experiments.

My must-have resources for science fun:

If you love to have science and STEM projects on hand, but don’t always have time to prep, why not give a subscription box a chance. I love Green Kid Crafts for this reason. The boxes are packed full of projects that are fun and inviting. You can choose to get a subscription or a one-off box based off of a specific theme.

Here are some of our favorites (you can purchase and  find out more at each link):

Get a monthly subscription.

Kitchen Science Box

Physics Box

Find all their fun STEM boxes here.

Counting to 100 Activities for Kindergarten

December 4, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Before a child can learn to add, subtract, multiply, or any number of math concepts, they need master counting. 

These fun counting to 100 activities are all fun ways to master counting from 1 to 100. Some of these are fun games, others get your kids outside while they learn, and others help with their fine motor skills. 

And, with every single one of these activities, your child will have fun while they learn.

Help your kindergartner with math at home with one of these hands-on counting to 100 activities to help your child with counting by ones and tens.

By the time your child is through with kindergarten, they need to master this skill. 

These counting to 100 activities will help your child master counting both by ones and skip counting by tens.

There are approximately 1 million ways to learn this skill. (Okay, 1 million may be an exaggeration,but there are still a lot of ways!) Choose activities that best suit your child. Try one of these ideas for practice at home.

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.

Help your kindergartner with math at home with one of these hands-on counting to 100 activities to help your child with counting by ones and tens.

Movement Counting by 100 Activities

1,2,3 Counting Maze –Take this preschool activity from Hands-On as We Grow and expand on it for your kindergartner. Make a big maze all the way to 100 or practice chunks that your child may be struggling with (for example 60-80). No matter what, it’s a fun way to learn outside.

Counting Walk –This is another preschool activity that can be adapted to help kindergartners work on counting to 100. Instead of counting mailboxes, try to count the leaves on a tree. You can even count your steps until you reach 100.

Dance to 100 –Get your wiggles out with a fun song. You can find several fun choices on YouTube, like the Count to 100 Song by Kiboomu and Counting to 100 by GPA Learn.

Go on a Counting Scavenger Hunt – Search for all the number from 1 to 100 and put them in order with this fun scavenger hunt, which includes printable numbers, from Creekside Learning.

100 Cup Challenge –Can you make a tower with 100 cups? Knock it down (grab the Nerf guns for this part) and build it up again. Make sure you practice counting to 100 while you’re having fun with this activity from Busy Kids, Happy Mom.

Driveway Hundred Chart –Create a giant hundred chart on your driveway and use it to play some fun counting games.

Help your kindergartner with math at home with one of these hands-on counting to 100 activities to help your child with counting by ones and tens.

Fine Motor Counting to 100 Activities

Paper Clip Math –Use this fun idea with paper clips from Sugar Aunts to practice counting. It’s perfect for kids who need some extra fine motor practice.

Count Small Objects –Choose one of more of these objects and practice counting.For additional fine motor practice, move the items in and out of a container while you’re counting.

100 Puzzle – Make a simple DIY hundred puzzle. It’s easy and a fun way to practice over and over again. Scroll down to the middle of this post from Miss Giraffe’s Class to find out how to make one.

Counting to 100 Activities with a Hundred Chart

The Basics: How to Use a Hundred Chart –Why are we using a hundred chart? Check this post for a primer on the hundred chart. Plus, you can find a printable hundred chart you can use in many activities.

Roll to 100 –Print out a hundred chart to play this fun game from Kitchen Floor Crafts. It’s easy to play and covers both counting to 100 by ones and tens. You can find a printable hundred chart here.

LEGO Hundred Chart Check out this post at Stir the Wonder to find out how to make your own LEGO Hundred Board. During the building process, you’ll learn to put the numbers in order from 1 – 100. The best part is you can use this as a puzzle and build it again and again.

Jingle All the Way to 100 –This fun hundred chart based game at Simple Kinder has a Christmas theme, but you can change out the game pieces and play it anytime.

Help your kindergartner with math at home with one of these hands-on counting to 100 activities to help your child with counting by ones and tens.

Can You Paint 100 Colors? –Combine math and art with this lovely idea from NurtureStore. Create your colorful hundred chard and use it for many activities.

Sticky Hundred Chart Take the hundred chart to another level with this fun idea from Coffee Cups and Crayons. You can use it over and over again.

Rainbow Math Popsicle Stick Hundred Chart –Go to Sugar Aunts to find out how to make this colorful tool that will help you with both counting by ones and by tens.

Wacky Mixed Up Hundred Chart – Can you put the hundred chart back together? Practice your counting skills while you solve this puzzle inspired by the Dr. Seuss book, Wacky Wednesday.

Hundred Chart Missing Number Game – Guess which number is hidden with this simple hundred chart game.

You can find even more fun ideas at this post, Fun Hundred Chart Games and Activities.

Read a Counting Book

I love that there are great books that will reinforce math skills. Here are some fun choices for counting to 100.

100 Snowmen by Jen Arena

I’ll Teach My Dog 100 Words by Michael Frith

100 Days of Cool by Stuart J. Murphy

From One to One Hundred by Teri Sloat

100 School Days by Anne Rockwell

One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinczes

Curious George Learns to Count from 1 to 100 by H.A. Rey

Help your kindergartner with math at home with one of these hands-on counting to 100 activities to help your child with counting by ones and tens.

Skip Counting to 100 Activities

Jump to 100 –Grab the couch cushions and get ready to move with this fun jumping game from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas where you practice counting by 10.

Sidewalk Chalk Skip Counting –Learn to play Skip Counting Hopscotch and Skip Counting Rings at Playdough to Plato. Both can be easily adapted for counting by 10.

Skip Counting Bookmarks –Keep a bookmark handy to review your skip counting by tens facts. 3 Dinosaurs has a printable set of all the skip counting facts and you can easily print out the ones you need.

Skip Counting by 10 with Bottle Caps –Use pony beads and bottle caps to make a visual representative of 100 with this idea. This is a great way to learn skip counting and also works fine motor skills.

Skip Counting Store –Set up a simple pretend play store designed to practice skip counting. All the prices are multiples of 10!

Count to 100 Basketball Game –You can find this fun sports-themed printable game at A Little Pinch of Perfect. You’ll count up to 100 using groups of ten.

Skip Counting with The Cat in the Hat –Practice counting by 10’s with this simple DIY puzzle game.

Super Hero Skip Counting –Super hero fans will have a lot of fun with this simple idea from Sugar Aunts. It can be easily adapted for kindergartners who need to practice counting by tens to 100.

Pick your favorite counting to 100 activities and have fun while you practice at home.

You may also like one of these math activities:

One Fish Two Fish Number Match

Paper Plate Addition

Counting on Card Game

Fun Number Line Activities for Kids

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