Terri Thompson

Halloween Bat Crafts for Kids

September 10, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Bats are such a fun Halloween symbol.

They’re not scary at all, so they’re perfect for little kids.

And, not only are they fun, they’re also super-interesting.

Pair one of these fun Halloween Bat Crafts for Kids with a book about bats. You’ll have great fun and learning!

Awesome bat crafts for kids that are perfect for Halloween. These cute bat crafts are not at all spooky and make a fun Halloween decoration.

You’ll find crafts for all skill levels. Let your young kids help with a fun handprint bat. Your older kids will have fun making pom poms for some cute pom pom bats or turning a pine cone into a super-cute bat.

Check out all the great ideas below.

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.

Bat Crafts for Kids

Check out our cute Cardboard Tube Halloween Bat

Pinecone Bats at Fireflies and Mud Pies

Easy Origami Bat at Red Ted Art

Moveable Bat Paper Doll at Easy Peasy and Fun

Dixie Cup Bobble Head Bat from The Pinterested Parent

Hanging Bat Craft from Buggy & Buddy

Paper Quilled Bat from Artsy Craftsy Mom

Pom Pom Bats at Red Ted Art

Fingerprint Bat Silhouette Craft at Crafty Morning

Halloween Bat Shape Craft from JDaniel4’s Mom

Flying Bat Handprint Craft from Kids Craft Room

Clothespin Button Bats from I Heart Crafty Things

Bat Headband from Fantastic Fun and Learning

Paper Plate Bat from Kids Craft Room

Paper Strips Bat from Easy Peasy and Fun

Egg Carton Bat from Crafty Morning

Simple Accordion Fold Paper Bat from I Heart Crafty Things

Which of these Halloween bat crafts for kids do you want to make?

If you enjoyed these bat crafts, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook or you can save the photo below on Pinterest.

You may also enjoy one of these fun Halloween crafts for kids:

No-Sew Ghost Pencil Topper

Halloween Puppets from Craft Sticks

Candy Corn Craft: Paper Plate Sculpture

Spider Web Wreath Halloween Craft

Ghost Pop-Up Cards

Domino Doubles Math Game

September 9, 2018 By Terri Thompson

I try to be diligent in signing my daughters’ school planners every day. I don’t want to miss anything I need to know.

My girls come home from school, I open their backpacks, and I grab their planners. My girls don’t have a lot of homework, so there’s often not a lot to see. But, there are two sentences that show up every day.

“Read for 30 minutes.” and

“Practice math facts.”

Do you see that too?

The set of math facts changes quite often, but there is always one set we need to work on. Right now, it’s our doubles math facts. Thank goodness for this domino doubles game.

My 2nd grader is doing quite well with her doubles addition facts. But, we want to keep working on them so she knows them without hesitation.

She brought home flash cards to practice with, but I didn’t really want to use those. I don’t want to make math boring.

I created this simple domino doubles math game that she could use to practice these facts. It’s hands-on, fun, and so easy to set up.

Set up your Domino Doubles game

I’d seen many similar versions of domino math on Pinterest and at my daughters’ school, but I’ve created this version to specifically target the doubles addition facts.

You just need to print the game board on a piece of card stock and find all the doubles from your set of dominoes.

I’ve uploaded the game board I created, so it’s easy for you to set up this game. Please click here to print the game board. I printed on card stock for durability, but plain printer paper would work as well.

How to play your Domino Doubles game

To play the game, turn all your dominoes upside down. Have your child choose one and flip it over.

They need to count only one side of the domino, such as 5. Then, they need to figure out the double addition fact, 5+5=10.

Finally, put the domino on the correct spot on the board. This game is self-correcting. They can simply count all the dots to see if they have their domino on the right spot.

Game play is very easy, but it’s more hands-on and definitely more fun than flash cards.

If you don’t have any dominoes, don’t worry, you can still play the game. Just cut 10 rectangles from paper and create paper versions of the dominoes you need.

You can also find printable dominoes by Googling “printable dominoes.” Either way would work just as good as regular dominoes.

I breathe a sigh of relief as I sign off on my daughter’s planner every day.

“Practice math facts.”

Yep. We’ve got it.

Click here for the doubles game board download.

Note: First published on September 17, 2014. Updated and republished September 9, 2018.

Practice your doubles addition facts with this simple, free printable Domino Doubles Game. It's a fun and easy math game for your elementary kids.

More math activities you’ll love

Math Fact Sticks

Plus 1 Minus 1: An Easy Math Card Game

Domino Addition

Car Parking Math Game – Count by 5’s at Inspiration Laboratories

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.

Delicious Apple Snacks for Kids

September 8, 2018 By Terri Thompson

I just love a crisp, juicy apple. Do you?

It’s September, and apples are at that best. So, grab a few and eat them, but be sure to save a couple (or more) for one of these delicious apple snacks for kids.

Yum!

These simple and delicious apple snacks for kids are perfect for after school or between meals. Your kids will love them!

Apple Muffins, Breads, and Bars

Cinnamon pairs deliciously with apples in this simple Apple and Cinnamon Breakfast Muffin Recipe from Rainy Day Mum.

These Apple Crumble Bars from Crafty Morning are a delicious treat.

These Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal Muffins from Kenarry have all the flavor of apple pie in a healthier treat.

This Apple and Cinnamon Loaf Cake from Rainy Day Mum is a great recipe to have the kids help with. It’s a favorite at our house!

Make your own granola bars with this Oatmeal and Apple Granola Bar recipe from Super Healthy Kids.

Enjoy some Iced Apple Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies from Sugar Dish Me.

Other Delicious Apple Snacks for Kids

Kids love applesauce and did you know how easy it is to make your own? Try our simple Slow Cooker Applesauce. It’s so easy.

One of our favorite ways to eat apples is this simple recipe: Baked Apples. It tasted just like the filling of apple pie, without all the sugar.

Our Peanut Butter Honey Apples are crispy, delicious, and so much fun to eat.

Did you know that even apple skins can be delicious? Try these Camelized Apple Skin Crisps from Kitchen Counter Chronicles.

Add some topping to your apples to make these yummy Almost-Good-For-You Apple Cookies from Almost Supermom.

Cover your apples with this yummy Salted Caramel Apple Dip from Fireflies and Mud Pies.

Make your apple snack a little more hearty when you make these Turkey, Apple, and Cheese Crescent Rolls from Mom Endeavors.

This Crunchy Apple Peanut Butter Wrap from Finding Zest is so simple the kids can make it themselves.

Which of these yummy apple snacks for kids do you want to make?

You may also enjoy one of these delicious kids snack ideas:

Delicious Strawberry Snacks for Kids

Peaches and Cream Popsicles

Simple Kid-Friendly Smoothie Recipes

DIY Trail Mix Bar

Fun Shape Toys for Toddlers

September 4, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Toddlers are like sponges, aren’t they?

They’re learning all the time. And, the best way for them to learn is through play.

So, when you’re looking for fun toys, it’s always great to buy a few educational toys that are also fun. These great shape toys for toddlers are all great learning tools and are also tons of fun.

Help your toddler learn while playing with one of these fun shape toys for toddlers. These puzzles and toys are all so much fun to play with.

If you’re looking for a fun toy for a toddler, check out one of these great choices. They’re all high-quality and safe for toddlers.

It’s time to play and learn!

Fun Shape Toys for Toddlers

Sometimes simple is best and this Classic Wooden Shape Sorter from Melissa and Doug is a great way to help toddlers learn shapes.

My daughter had a similar version of this Fisher Price Baby’s First Blocks Playset for her first shape toy. It’s fun and the carrying handle makes it easy to bring on the go.

This Shape Sorter from Green Toys is also a simple choice. I love the way this company always uses 100% recycled plastic in their toys.

Match shapes with these fun Shape Sorting Cupcakes from Learning Resources. This would also be a fun addition to a toy kitchen!

Also, these Shape Matching Cookies from Learning Resources are great for learning and for the toy kitchen.

Kids who love trucks will love this fun Shape Sorting Wooden Dump Truck from Melissa and Doug.

Or, they would also love this great Shape Sorting Concrete Mixer from TOP BRIGHT.

Make music while you learn shapes (and colors and numbers!) with this fun Learning Drum Set from Learning Resources.

Learn shapes and sorting with this Shape & Color Sorter from PlayMonster. Placing the shapes on the pegs is also great for fine motor skills.

This Geometric Shape Stacking Blocks from Revanak is also great for sorting, fine motor, and learning shapes.

The large shapes in this Shape Wooden Block Sorter from Hape is great for little hands and is the perfect simple learning toy.

Shape Puzzles for Toddlers

The knobs on this Shape Puzzle from Melissa and Doug make it easy for little hands and the house shape just makes it fun. This would be a great first puzzle for any child.

This simple shape puzzle from Melissa and Doug also has knobs and features eight different shapes.

These Single Insests shape puzzles are common in Montessori classrooms and would be great for home too.

This fun shape puzzle from Melissa and Doug has pegs instead of knobs which makes it perfect for older toddlers and fine motor skills.

Which of these shape toys for toddlers do you think your kids will like?

School Spirit Washer Necklace

September 3, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Out of all the options for dress-up days at school, School Spirit Day seems like an easy one to pull off.

Right?

Not when you have a child who primarily dresses in one color… pink.

Sigh.

I can’t even think of a school that uses pink for one of its colors. Our current school’s colors are red and black. They’re popular colors… just not pink.

So, the last time we had School Spirit Day, I got out the craft supplies instead of making an emergency trip to the store for new clothes. Now, we have an awesome School Spirit Washer Necklace to wear.

Yay!

Supplies Needed:

Flat Washer (5/8″ is a good size)
Nail polish in school colors
Painter’s tape
Elastic cord for jewelry
Paper towel

Note: We went to our local hardware store for the washers. They often sell them in bins and you can buy them one at a time. Pick out the size you prefer.

Luckily it doesn’t take any special kind of paint to decorate a metal washer. Regular nail polish covers it beautifully. It stays on and doesn’t chip. You don’t need to buy gel polish or even expensive polish. Just get a couple of bottles of the inexpensive stuff.

And, as a bonus, you’ll be able to paint your nails for School Spirit Day too!

How to make your School Spirit Washer Necklace

Before beginning, lay down a paper towel to protect your work surface.

Put your washer down on your paper towel and cover half of it with painter’s tape.

Use your lightest color of nail polish and paint one half of the washer. We found that we only needed one coat of the nail polish.

Let the nail polish dry for a minute or two and then carefully remove the painter’s tape.

Let your first half dry completely before moving on to the other half.

Next, carefully cover your painted half with painter’s tape. You want to make sure your painted half is completely dry before covering it in painter’s tape so you don’t smudge the nail polish.

Paint the second half of your washer with your darker color.

Let dry for one or two minutes, then carefully remove the painter’s tape. Let your washer dry fully and then flip it over and paint the other side if you desire.

Add the finishing touches

Once your school spirit washer necklace is completely dry, you can add the cord.

Take a length of cord about 28-inches to 30-inches. You’ll want to be able to just slip your necklace over your head. Adjust the length so that it’s not too long.

Tie the cord together at the top to make a large circle.

Lay your tied cord down on a table so that it’s in one narrow strip. Place your painted washer on top and pull the looped end through the middle of the washer. String your knotted end through the loop and pull all the way up to secure your washer on the end of the cording.

Your necklace is all ready to wear!

Make a DIY school spirit washer necklace with your school colors for your next School Spirit Day. It's a great craft for tweens and makes a great gift too.

My girls had so much fun wearing their necklaces on School Spirit Day along with their matching nails – of course. Now, it didn’t matter what color our clothes were.

This school spirit washer necklace is so easy to make and kids can do it themselves.

And, while you’re at it, make a couple of extra. They’d be a fun gift for a best friend!