Creative Family Fun

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Toddler Activities

Painted Suncatchers

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We’re trying to bring some fun spring colors into our house, so to decorate our windows, we made these fun and pretty painted suncatchers.

We’ve made suncatchers before using clear Contact paper, like these simple tissue paper ones or this flower garden.

But, this time, instead of tissue paper, we decided to paint our Contact paper.

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Supplies Needed:

Clear Contact paper
Acrylic paint

Yes, it just take two supplies to make these pretty suncatchers.

I prepped the project by cutting squares of Contact paper. I peeled the backing off and taped them to our table, sticky side up.

I used painter’s tape to tape the Contact paper down just so it would not move around while the girls tried to paint.

I gave each girl a selection of paints and brushes. I asked them to think about spring while they were working. Both started painting their own interpretation of a flower garden.

My original plan was to cut flower shapes out of their painted sticky paper, but the girls did not want me to cut up their masterpieces.

So, when they were finished painting, we sealed up their paintings with a second sheet of Contact paper.

I did not wait until the paintings were dry to add the second square of Contact paper. Once it’s sealed, the paint won’t get on anything.

We hung our suncatchers up on our patio window so that they could get plenty of sunshine, plus we can admire their beauty every time we eat.

It was fun to paint on a new and different surface and I love the look that we ended up with.

Have you ever painted on sticky paper?

P.S. Apparently great minds think alike. Soon after we finished this project, I read this post on Picklebums about See-Through Paintings. You should check out their twist of this same project!

Shake Art Easter Eggs

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We’ve tried shake art, or painting with marbles, once before.

It was so much fun that I knew we ought to do it again

Easter seemed like the perfect time. So, we made this fun Shake Art Easter Eggs.

Try a fun art technique to make pretty paper Easter eggs with this fun project, Shake Art Easter Eggs. This activity is fun for kids of all ages.

This is such a fun art project, but it can get messy! Make sure to wear old clothes or smocks. You’ll also want to protect your work surface.

We worked over a vinyl floor that was easy to clean, but lay down a drop cloth if you’re working over carpet, tile, or wood floors.

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.

Try a fun art technique to make pretty paper Easter eggs with this fun project, Shake Art Easter Eggs. This activity is fun for kids of all ages.

Supplies Needed

Card stock (or other heavy paper) cut into an Easter egg shape
Various colors of paint
Marbles (or large beads)
Plastic bin

Try a fun art technique to make pretty paper Easter eggs with this fun project, Shake Art Easter Eggs. This activity is fun for kids of all ages.

How to make your Shake Art Easter Eggs

We began with a 14 liter plastic bin. You don’t even need one that large. A shoe box sized bin would work just fine.

I added the marbles and put a dollop of paint on each one. We used two to three colors for each egg.

Then we added one of our pre-cut Easter egg shapes.

Once we were set up, it was time to shake.

Put the lid on the bin if you don’t want to worry about paint-covered marbles flying all over! We left the lids off so we could watch the process.

Try a fun art technique to make pretty paper Easter eggs with this fun project, Shake Art Easter Eggs. This activity is fun for kids of all ages.

Our bin got messier and messier as we went along. Also, the colors started mixing.

You can tell the earlier eggs from the later ones, just from the amount of colors on each.

This was a fun messy project that the girls could have worked on all day… if we had that many eggs!

Try a fun art technique to make pretty paper Easter eggs with this fun project, Shake Art Easter Eggs. This activity is fun for kids of all ages.

Now we have a whole supply of pretty Easter eggs. Once they’re dry, we’re going to decorate a wall with them!

Have you ever experimented with shake art? You should definitely try these Shake Art Easter Eggs.

You may also like one of these fun Easter activities:

Easter Egg Dye Pour Painting

Pretty Easter Garland Crafts for Kids

Plastic Egg Bunnies and People

Tissue Paper Easter Egg at Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Get Crafty: Simple Halloween Garland

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My 5-year-old has been constantly begging for Halloween crafts to do.

One day I had completely exhausted all the ideas I had and went searching through our craft supplies. I happened upon a bag of foam Halloween stickers and inspiration hit.

We could make a Halloween garland. It was a simple process and the girls were able to do most of it independently.

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Supplies Needed:

Black construction paper
Orange construction paper
Foam stickers
Scissors
Yarn
Tape

The first step is to cut a supply of orange and black circles from the construction paper. You can use a circle punch or use a jar lid or drinking glass to trace circles in the size you want. (Ours were 2-inch circles.)

I gave the girls the circles and stickers with the instructions to put one sticker on each circle.

After each circle had a sticker, we arranged them in an alternating orange and black pattern. We taped each one to the yarn per the above picture approximately 2-inches apart.

Once we were done taping, we had a pretty and very simple Halloween garland.

Math Play: Circle Hunt

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Circles, circles every where!

We still had several craft foam circles left after making our sewing basket, so we decided to do an easy hide and seek game with the circles.

This idea is so simple that there’s not much to write about, so I’ll just leave you with these pictures of some of our hiding spots.

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You can adapt this idea for any shape. I found that the craft foam was easy to hide and held up well to all sorts of pulling and tugging. If you don’t have craft foam, cut up an old cereal box instead.

The next time you’re looking for some easy indoor fun, try an easy hide and seek game with shapes!

Go Outside: Counting Walk

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How many mailboxes can you count on this walk?

1,2,3,4,5!

Walks are always a great way to get outside and exercise with the kids.

But, you don’t have to just go on a walk. When I counted down the 10 Ways to Make a Walk More Fun, the first item listed was to go on a counting walk. This has since become one of our favorite ways to get outside and go walking.

We typically walk around our neighborhood counting whatever we can find. You can also take a walk through the park or around downtown.

Counting walks are fun anywhere! This is a fun game for kids who are just learning to how to count all the way up through the preschool years. My 5-year-old requests counting walks often.

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How many trees are in front of that house?

How many red cars do you see on this street? How many flagpoles?

How many mushrooms are in the corner of this lawn?

You get the picture. Pick an item that you see and have the kids start counting.

We counted the rocks in our front garden and all the bird feeders we saw.

I would ask a question and the kids would start counting.

And then we turned a corner and started counting some more!

We counted the cracks along the curb and even the holes in the storm drains. (They always have to stop and count these!)

Our counting walks always result in good fun, a few giggles, and lots of exercise.

The next time you go for a walk with your kids, start counting!

It’s a fun way for kids to learn their numbers and great practice for kids that can already count.

Make it a family adventure!

Cost: free
Planning time: none
Ages: 5 and under (Older kids can be involved by asking the questions.)
Time needed: 15-30 minutes

Keep this idea in your back pocket because it can be done anytime and anywhere. Extend the family time after dinner by going for a walk. Or, tame the kids’ extra energy with a counting walk in the afternoon.