Holidays

Paper Plate Valentine Bear Craft

February 3, 2022 By Terri Thompson

Paper plates make a great canvas for all sorts of crafts. We’ve used them for almost every holiday!

This time, we turned our paper plate into a cute Valentine bear craft.

This craft is easy to make and is a perfect Valentine craft for preschoolers. So, let’s grab some supplies and get started.

This fun paper plate Valentine bear craft is so easy to make with a few simple supplies. It's perfect for preschoolers to make for Valentine's Day.

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.

Before you begin, set up your craft station.

I like to use an old sheet to cover my table and my girls wear an old t-shirt to protect their clothes. You can also use newspapers or even a plastic tray to protect your table.

This isn’t that messy of a craft, but anytime we use paint, I like to protect our clothes and table.

Supplies Needed

Paper plate
Brown craft paint
Heart doily (6 inch works perfectly)
Googly eyes
Button
Pink or red construction paper
White glue

How To Make Your Valentine Bear Craft

Start by using your brown craft paint to paint your paper plate for your bear’s head.

Let the paint dry for awhile.

While your paint is drying, cut out two circles from the pink or red construction paper for your bear’s ears. You can also trace around a drinking glass, jar lid, or other round object to help make your circles.

After the paint is dry, glue your heart doily to the center of your plate.

Glue the googly eyes to the upper section of the doily. Then, glue your button to the bottom section.

Finally glue your circle ears to the back of your bear so at least half of the circle sticks up to look like a pair of ears.

Let all the glue dry.

If you’d like, you can use glitter glue or marker to make your bear’s mouth. We preferred our bear without a mouth.

This fun Valentine bear craft was so simple to make. It’s perfect for preschoolers and even toddlers could handle it with a little bit of help.

Our Favorite Valentine Craft Resources

This easy craft uses supplies that you probably already have at home. But, if you need to restock, here are some of our recommended resources:

Valentine’s Day Word Scramble Printable

January 26, 2022 By Terri Thompson

I always loved a fun word scramble when I was a kid. They’re fun and usually a quick activity. Plus, my brain loves the puzzle.

I still love them now and luckily, so do my kids. I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of my love for word puzzles and I don’t think my kids will either. Do you and your kids like to solve word scrambles?

That’s why I’ve got a fun Valentine’s Day Word Scramble printable for you. Print it out, share with your kids, and have some fun.

Valentine’s Day Word Scramble

I created this simple word scramble with ten Valentine’s Day words, like cupid, love, and heart.

Unscramble and solve all the words. If you need help, you can also download and print the word scramble answer sheet.

This activity is fun for quiet time. It’s also a great time filler in the classroom. And, it’s perfect to take along to a waiting room or a restaurant.

Or, why don’t you try this idea? You can print one for all your classmates, roll them up, tie with a pretty ribbon, and hand them out as classroom Valentines instead of candy. Include a cute Valentine’s pencil as well. Wouldn’t that be so much fun?

How would you use this Valentine’s Day word scramble?

Are you ready to have some fun? Use the links below to download and print your Valentine’s Day Word Scramble printable. Feel free to make as many copies as you need for your family, friends, or classroom.

And, for your convenience, you can also download and print an answer sheet.

Download the Valentine Word Scramble here

Download your answer sheet here

Resources to turn this into a classroom Valentine

This would be a perfect candy-free Valentine for the classroom. Just print, roll, tie with a ribbon. And, if you want, you can add a cool pencil or pen. Here’s some great resources to get you started.

Valentine Sensory Bags for Toddlers

January 25, 2022 By Trisha

Are you looking for a mess free Valentine’s Day activity for young children? You’ll want to check out our Valentine sensory bags for toddlers.

They are super easy to put together and my kids just love to play with them.

Valentine Sensory Bags for Toddlers

A sensory bag allows children to experience different textures and manipulate small objects while being contained in a bag. This means it’s mess free and safe for toddlers who tend to put things in their mouths. (You’ll still need to supervise just in case the bag comes open.)

Supplies Needed for the Valentine Sensory Bags

Zip top plastic bag (gallon or quart size works well)
Rubbing alcohol
Paper towel or cloth
Water beads
Water
Marker
Tape
Hair gel
Craft foam sheets
Scissors
Plastic hearts (This is the link on Amazon but you can find them at Dollar Tree for a $1.)

How to Make a Valentine’s Day Sensory Bag with Water Beads

Select a zip top plastic bag. I used a gallon size freezer bag but a quart size bag can work, too. Use rubbing alcohol and a paper towel to remove any labels from your bag.

Follow package directions to hydrate your water beads. (It might take a couple hours.) Add the hydrated water beads to your zip top plastic bag. I found my water beads in the craft section of Walmart. Amazon sells water beads for a good price as well. You can find some water beads already hydrated like the Orbeez brand at several retailers or online.

You can add extra water to your plastic bag or just the water beads. Adding water will change the sensory feeling just a little bit.

I drew a heart on the plastic bag for an added valentine element. Encourage your child to push the water beads into the heart or away from the heart. This focuses on fine motor control.

Here’s a great opportunity to practice counting. How many water beads will fit inside the heart?

You can tape the plastic bag shut if you’re worried your child might try to open it. Taping the bag shut may also help keep the bag from popping open when your child pushes on it. I like to use the freezer bags because they are a bit more sturdy and their zippers tend to be stronger.

If the bag moves around on the table while your child is playing, tape it down.

How to Make Valentine Sensory Bags with Gel

Instead of filling the sensory bag with water, you can use hair gel. I found a bottle of clear hair gel at Dollar Tree.

Using hair gel changes the way the sensory bag feels. It’s more squishy than water. Water will work for this sensory bag, too. Just be careful how full you fill the bag. It may pop open if your child pushes too hard.

Feel free to use tape to seal the top of this bag as well (especially if you’re using water instead of hair gel). You can also tape this sensory bag to the table to prevent it from sliding around while your child plays.

Use rubbing alcohol and a paper towel to remove any labels from your zip top plastic bag. Add the bottle of gel to your bag.

Cut out foam hearts and place them in your plastic bag.

Add plastic hearts to the bag. I found our plastic hearts at Dollar Tree.

Encourage your child to push the plastic hearts around. I started with the plastic hearts on top of the foam hearts. My toddler immediately pushed them all off.

Then, I asked him to push the red hearts back on top of the foam hearts.

Practice counting the hearts. How many red hearts are on the blue heart?

More Toddler Activities for Valentine’s Day

Valentine Crafts for Toddlers – Check out this collection of easy craft ideas for little ones.

Make and play with these fun Silly Heart Puppets!

Frozen Vinegar Hearts – Combines two ingredients kids love: baking soda and vinegar. Add some frozen hearts and you have a perfect Valentine’s Day science activity.

Guess How Much I Love You Movement Game – Have fun moving around and doing the actions from the book with this fun game.

Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

November 6, 2021 By Terri Thompson

Turkeys, pilgrims, and gratitude. Those are the things I always think of once Thanksgiving rolls around.

What do you think of?

We’ve used all of these things when creating our Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids.

You'll find turkeys, pilgrims, gratitude activities and more with this fun selection of Thanksgiving crafts for kids and families.

So, when you’re ready to get creative and make some fun crafts, I’ve got some ideas for you.

Make some fun turkeys or simple pilgrim hats. And, while you’re at it, find a fun gratitude craft to do.

There’s plenty of fun ideas for kids of all ages from preschoolers to tweens.

Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

Make turkeys, gratitude crafts, or even a parade float with this fun collection of Thanksgiving crafts for kids.

Cardboard Tube Turkey Craft

Transform a couple of empty toilet paper tubes into a fun and colorful turkey.

Cardboard Tube Pilgrim Hat Craft

Make a few cute pilgrim hats out of empty cardboard tubes.

Turkey Suncatcher Thanksgiving Craft for Kids

This turkey suncatcher is easy to make and looks beautiful hanging in your window.

Telling Time with a Turkey Clock

Use a paper plate to make a colorful turkey clock that you can use for telling time practice.

Acorn Gratitude Banner Craft for Kids

Display all the things you are grateful for with this pretty Acorn Gratitude Banner.

Balloons over Broadway: Book and Craft

Create your own parade balloon with this fun STEAM activity inspired by the book Balloons Over Broadway.

Simple DIY Gratitude Journal

Make a simple DIY gratitude journal that you can use to document the things you are thankful for this year.

Thankful Jar

Transform a simple mason jar into a pretty Thankful Jar you can use to keep the things you are thankful for. Or, you can use it to hold your Gratitude Conversation Starters!

Learning Gratitude: A Simple Thank You

Create simple thank you cards you can write to share the things you are grateful for.

Get Crafty: Gratitude Leaves

Use an empty cardboard tube to make a tree to display leaves which display the things you are grateful for.

Thankful Trees

Make simple Thankful trees to list all the things you are thankful for.

In November: Book and Craft

Make pretty leaf-printed placemats inspired by the book In November.

Hand Print Turkey Cards

Make simple hand print turkey cards to send to friends and family.

More Thanksgiving Craft Collections

There are so many ways to make a cute turkey. You’ll find several fun Thanksgiving Turkey Crafts here.

Or, would you like to try an art project? Try some of these awesome Turkey Art Projects for Kids.

Best Thanksgiving Crafts for Preschoolers:

Many of these ideas are perfect for preschoolers. But, your best options are the simple thankful tree, turkey suncatcher, handprint turkey cards, or the In November place mats.

Best Thanksgiving Crafts for Elementary Kids:

Elementary kids are at the perfect ages for all of these Thanksgiving crafts. But, my favorite choices for this age are the pilgrim hat, cardboard tube turkey, turkey clock, or a fun Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon.

Best Thanksgiving Crafts for Tweens:

I’ve even got some great craft choices listed that your tween will love.

They’ll enjoy making a simple gratitude journal, a thankful jar, or decorating with the acorn gratitude banner.

Which of these awesome Thanksgiving crafts for kids are you going to try this year?

Recommended Resources for Thanksgiving Crafts

If you’re looking for easy crafts, I love the limited addition Thanksgiving Box from Green Kid Crafts. It comes with all the supplies and instructions you need to make some cute Thanksgiving Crafts. We’re big fans of Green Kid Crafts boxes. They’re fun, easy, and contain only natural and sustainable materials. And, if you’re not interested in their Thanksgiving Box, there are plenty of other art and STEM boxes (including a monthly subscription) to choose from.

Find the Thanksgiving Box here.

Check out all the other boxes here.

More Holiday Crafts for Kids:

Salt Dough Candy Cane Christmas Ornament

Gingerbread Man Paper Doll Decorations

Stained Glass Star Suncatcher

The Cutest Thanksgiving Toilet Paper Roll Crafts at Crystal & Co.

Thanksgiving Chapter Books for Kids

November 4, 2021 By Terri Thompson

You know what helps get me in the holiday spirit?

Reading a good holiday book!

So, that’s what I love about this selection of Thanksgiving chapter books for kids. With some they’ll learn about the history of the holiday and in others they’ll learn about gratitude. But, with all, they’ll immerse themselves in the spirit of the holiday.

No matter if your child is reading beginning chapter books (if so, check out the Owl Diaries book) or if they’re in more advanced books (if so, they’ll love the Dash), you’ll find some great Thanksgiving chapter books that they’ll love.

Thanksgiving Chapter Books

A fun collection of Thanksgiving chapter books your kids will love!