Terri Thompson

Fun Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten

October 30, 2017 By Terri Thompson

The cat put on a hat.

The frog sat on a log.

Let’s rhyme!

Rhyming words are just one of the many building blocks for early literacy success. Which means it’s one of the many things you may need to work on at home with your kids.

There are so many fun rhyming games that you can try. There’s no need to print out a worksheet, when you can try one of these Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten.

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Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten

Play Rhyming Dominoes. With just a few simple supplies, you can turn a set of dominoes into a fun rhyming game. You can find the details here at Teach Beside Me.

Take rhyming outside when you play Find & Rhyme from No Time for Flashcards. It’s a great way for kids to run and get their energy out all while practicing rhyming.

Get moving indoors with a fun game of Sweep Up a Rhyme. Find all the details for this game and printable rhyming words here at Inspiration Laboratories.

Create a simple Rhyming Ring Toss Game with a few supplies. Check out Growing Book by Book for all the details.

Stack your rhymes. Go to our post here to find out how to make and play Stacking Rhyming Words.

More Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten

Transform some old Duplos into a fun word family sorting game. This simple idea from This Reading Mama is a great way to practice rhyming.

Unlock the rhyme. Match the correct key to the lock using rhyming words with this fun idea from No Time for Flashcards.

Play Word Family Four Square. This simple word family game we shared here is also great for rhyming practice.

Practice by playing BINGO. You can get some fun, printable Rhyming BINGO boards over at Growing Book by Book.

Connect the rhymes on a Rhyming Peg Board. Find out how to make this fun learning tool at No Time for Flashcards.

Finally, read some rhyming books! The more you read the more you know. Here’s a great list from Fun-A-Day of fun rhyming books for kids.

Gratitude Conversation Starters for Families

October 30, 2017 By Terri Thompson

How often do you talk about gratitude with your kids?

I try to make gratitude an ongoing conversation at our house. But it’s not always easy. Thank goodness for these gratitude conversation starters.

I don’t ever want my girls to take our wonderful life for granted. Even though we have had some trials and some not-so-good days, we are still very fortunate.

It’s not always easy to have that conversation and sometimes I’m at a loss. I don’t want to ask the same questions every day. That’s an easy way to get everyone to lose interest! I want to get my girls thinking and looking at all areas of their life. I want them to look at the little things, not just the big picture.

So, I started brainstorming and jotting down questions. When I was done, I had a set of conversation starters to use to get us talking.

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The Benefits of Conversation Starters

I love conversation starters because they take all the awkwardness out of starting a conversation. Just grab a strip and read the question out loud.

Mom and Dad can ask the kids or the kids can ask the parents.

They give you things to talk about that you may not have thought about before.

Gratitude Conversation Starters

Here are some examples of the questions your will find in this set of gratitude conversation starters:

What is your favorite part about your home? Why?

What abilities do you have that you are grateful for?

What is one of your favorite things to do? Why are you grateful for it?

What is something about your teacher that you are grateful for?

Who did something nice for you today? What was it?

What is something you love doing with your parents?

This is just a sample of the questions I came up with. In all, I have 20 questions covering the big and little things in life. Keep scrolling to “How to Use Your Conversation Starters” for a free pdf you can download and print.

How to Use Your Conversation Starters

Print off a set of conversations starters (it will take 2 pieces of paper). Cut the strips apart and find a fun way to display them.

You can put them in a cute thankful jar or fold them up and put them in a bowl. Place one in front of everyone’s plate at dinner time. It really doesn’t matter. What’s important is the conversation that develops.

You can find your free pdf of the Gratitude Conversation Starters here.

These are perfect for dinner time or even a long car trip. Pull out a strip and have everyone answer. Let the conversation flow. Remember all the little things and be grateful for your wonderful life with these gratitude conversation starters.

Incorporate Your Gratitude Conversation Starters Into Your Dining Room Decor:

Store your conversations starters in a pretty container such as:

A pretty jar with a chalk label that you can personalize.

An elegant blessings bowl with gold accents.

A rustic “Count Your Blessing” ceramic gratitude jar.

Or use a simple and colorful gratitude coffee mug.

Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family time. #Thanksgiving #gratitude #familytime #CreativeFamilyFun

More Gratitude Activities to Do With Your Family

Acorn Gratitude Banner

Volunteer as a Family: Support Your Local Food Bank

Thanksgiving Gratitude Acrostic Poem at School Time Snippets

How to Give Thanks With an Obstacle Course at Thriving STEM

30+ Thanksgiving Activities for Kids at The Artful Parent

Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family dinner time.

Countdown to Christmas

If you’re anything like me, I know you’re looking for fun family activities to do this Christmas. But, not just anything. I’m not looking for elaborate and I’m definitely not looking for something that would require a million trips to the craft store.

That’s why I just love Countdown to Christmas – 24 Activities, Crafts, and Recipes to Countdown to Christmas by Cerys Parker from Rainy Day Mum. The activities are simple (you won’t find anything elaborate) and definitely fun. They’re perfect for families. And, they’re perfect for the advent season.

This fabulous resource for Christmas family fun can be purchased here. Take a peek, you’ll love it!

Are you looking for 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 idea 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.

Jack Be Nimble Candlestick Craft

October 24, 2017 By Terri Thompson

Nursery rhymes played a big role in my daughters’ early childhood. We read them, acted them out, did activities about them, and just had tons of fun with nursery rhymes.

Now that they’re older, they still love them and can recite so many of them by memory. So, we’re gathering some of our favorite nursery rhymes for a few fun craft projects starting with this adorable Jack Be Nimble Candlestick Craft.

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Supplies Needed:

Empty cardboard tube
Thin recycled cardboard (from a cereal or cracker box)
Scissors
Glue
Craft Paint

How to make your Jack Be Nimble Candlestick Craft

First, cut a square from your thin cardboard that is approximately 4 inches by 4 inches for your candle base. Flip the cardboard over so that the glossy printed side is on the bottom.

Next, we need to attach our candlestick to our base. On one end of your cardboard tube, cut 1/2 inch long slits all the way around. Make them about 1/2 inch apart. Fold all your notches down so that your tube resembles the picture above.

Finally, glue your cardboard tube to the center of your candlestick base. Press down and let the glue dry.

While the glue is drying, pick out your candlestick paint colors. You can paint it all one color, or as many colors as you like. This is a great time to get creative!

Paint your entire candlestick and base once your glue has dried.

While your paint is drying, you can make your flame. Draw a simple flame shape on another piece of your thin cardboard. Make sure the base of your flame is wider than your candlestick.

Cut out and paint your flame so that it looks like fire.

After your candlestick and flame is dry, cut two slits in the top of your candlestick directly across from each other. Insert your flame into the too of the candlestick.

Now it’s time to play!

Use your cardboard candlestick as a fun prop to act out Jack Be Nimble. Can you jump over your candlestick?

If you enjoyed this Jack Be Nimble Candlestick Craft, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook or you can save the photo below on Pinterest.

No-Sew Ghost Pencil Topper

October 18, 2017 By Terri Thompson

We’ve made our Jack-O-Lantern Pencil Holder, now we need something to put in them.

How about a No-Sew Ghost Pencil Topper?

These are so easy to make and they would make a perfect classroom treat, since they are simple and inexpensive. Plus, there’s no sugar!

Let’s grab a few supplies and get to work.

This no-sew ghost pencil topper is a fun Halloween gift that kids can make for their friends. Or, make a whole batch for a great non-food classroom treat.

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Supplies Needed:

White felt
Black felt
Tacky Glue
Scrap paper (for pattern)
Pencils

Make your pattern

Start by creating a simple pattern with your scrap paper. You will want all of your ghost pieces to be the same size and shape. Use your pencil to get an idea of the size. You’ll want it to fit easily over the top of the pencil, but not be too long.

I drew the jagged edge on the bottom of my pattern, but ended up just cutting a straight edge. I found an easier way to do that jagged edge and I’ll tell you about it later in the steps.

Make your No-Sew Ghost Pencil Topper

Use your pattern to cut out two pieces of white felt per pencil topper.

When I first cut these out, I left the bottom straight, then held the two pieces together. I was able to cut the jagged edge on both pieces at one time.

It was much easier this way and helped ensure that both pieces were identical.

After you have your white pieces cut, cut a few face pieces from your black felt.

I did not use a pattern for this because the pieces were small. Plus, without a pattern, you can make different faces on all your ghosts.

You’ll just need two to three small round pieces for each ghost.

Use your Tacky Glue and run a thin line of glue around the outer edge of one of your ghost pieces. Just do the top and side. You need to leave the bottom open so you can slip your pencil inside.

Carefully line up your two pieces and attach together. Hold together for about 30 seconds to make sure they stick together.

Next, glue down your black pieces to make your ghost faces.

Voila! Aren’t they cute!

Make sure to let your ghosts dry thoroughly while lying flat. Once they’re dry, it’s time to pop them on the top of your pencil.

Perfect as a classroom treat

This craft is easy enough for your elementary-aged kids and tweens to do themselves. Let them make a few for their friends or you can even make a whole pile for the classroom.

If you’re making these in bulk, you can get approximately four to five ghost pencil toppers from each sheet of white felt and countless face pieces from your black felt. It’s a very inexpensive craft to make for a group.

If you enjoyed this No-Sew Ghost Pencil Topper, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook, or you can save the photo below on Pinterest.

Three Digit Addition With Playing Cards

October 17, 2017 By Terri Thompson

It seems that once your kids get past first or second grade, learning becomes a lot less hands-on, especially with math.

Of course, part of the reason is that things just get harder and so much of it involves putting pencil to paper. Take three digit addition for example. It takes a lot of loose parts to find 356 + 729, not to mention, it’s way too time consuming. Can you imagine?

It’s not impossible, though, to make things a bit more interesting. There’s no need to work an endless page of addition problems, when you can grab a set of playing cards and get the same amount of practice.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Set up this three digit addition activity

First, you’ll need a deck of playing cards with the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Jokers removed.

Shuffle the cards and lay them face down in a pile.

You’ll also need a paper and pencil.

Hands-on three digit addition practice

Instead of solving three-digit addition problems on a worksheet, we’re going to use our playing cards to find our math problems.

Draw three cards and lay them out next to each other. Then, draw three more cards. Lay them out underneath the first three cards.

Now we’ve got our two different three digit numbers.

For example, in the photo below, we have the numbers 348 and 687.

Use the paper and pencil to solve the addition problem.

Keep drawing cards to work several more three digit addition problems.

Special note:

When doing this three digit addition activity, you need to keep in mind you child’s level in math. If they haven’t learned regrouping yet, you will need to control the cards. Instead of randomly drawing cards, lay out a few addition problems instead.

Fun variations to this activity

Is your child still working on two digit addition? Just draw two cards for each number. Or maybe they’re already up to four digit addition. Just draw the amount of cards you need.

Test your answers with subtraction. Subtract one of your numbers from the total to see if you solved your addition problem correctly.

Work in pairs. Each child would draw their own set of cards (6 in total) and solve the problem. Who has the biggest total? Who has the smallest total.

Do you have any fun variations to try?

If you enjoyed this three digit addition activity, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook. Or you can save the photo below on Pinterest.

Terri Thompson