printables

Recycled Card Mitten Matching

January 31, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Mitten and snowflake matching math activity using recycled cards.

_______

Christmas is one of the best times to collect recycled cards for classroom activities. I ask people to save their cards for me and then file them away for future use. Cards are beautiful and add an arty flair to any project. And winter-themed cards are perfect for this recycled card mitten matching challenge.

For this activity, select cards with a snowy, winter theme. Christmas cards frequently have this. Cut mitten shapes from the cards. Use one of these templates if you wish. I made the mittens in two sizes!

_______

Large Mitten PrintableDownload

This printable is for personal or one classroom use only.

_______

Mitten PrintableDownload

This printable is for personal or one classroom use only.

_______

Punch shapes from the center of the mittens. I used a snowflake paper punch, but any shape could be punched or cut out. Then set the mittens and punched shapes out on a table. Invite early learners to match the cutouts to the mittens.

_______

More Paper Mitten Activities

Aside from this recycled card mitten matching challenge, mittens cut from different colors of cardstock paper could be used for matching. Or use the mitten template for a painting, coloring, or scissor skill activity.

_______

Snowflake and mitten matching challenge.

_______

Mitten and snowflake matching challenge.

________

[Read more…]

New Year’s Countdown Activities

December 30, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

_______

These New Year’s countdown activities give practice in number recognition and counting down from 10 to 1. And how fun is it for early learners to print fireworks with fringed toilet paper rolls!

_______

Printmaking Fireworks

Supplies needed:

Happy New Year printable (downloadable below)
scissors
toilet paper rolls
magenta, yellow, and light blue tempera paint
small plates or container lids
paintbrushes

_______

Happy New Year Printable

New Year's Countdown template to use for art and math activities with young children. Invitation to add paint print fireworks, count down from 10 t0 1 and match numbers.

_______

Download this “Happy New Year” printable for the fireworks art activity. It can be printed on 8 1/2 inch x 11-inch paper, or 11-inch by 17-inch paper.

_______

Happy New Year PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

_______

The Printmaking Invitation

Do the following steps to paint print fireworks:

Cut fringes into one end of three toilet paper rolls.

Bend the fringes on each paper roll outward.

Pour magenta, yellow, and light blue paint into small plates or lids.

Set out the paints, paper rolls, and paper on a table.

Ask your little learner to dip the fringed end of each paper roll into a color of paint and make a firework print on the paper.

Encourage your little one to add more prints in each paint color to the page.

Invitation to paint fireworks with fringed toilet paper rolls.

_______

Tip: Try this on a practice sheet first.

For added control, fringed ends can be painted with a brush instead of being dipped in paint.

New Year's fireworks printmaking with fringed toilet paper rolls.

_______

Fireworks paint prints made with fringed toilet paper rolls.

_______

To incorporate number recognition and matching practice, ask your early learner to cover the numbers 10 to 1 with numeric stickers.

Number matching on a New Year's countdown printable.

_______

Dot Marker New Year’s Countdown

Another way to use the New Year’s Countdown printable is to let your little learner decorate it with paper stars. Then ask your little one to count down the numbers from ten to one, dabbing each numeral with a dot marker as it is spoken.

_______

Dot marker New Year's countdown activity.

_______

These New Year’s countdown activities will be sure to help your early learner start the new year off on a positive note. Let the counting begin!

_______

New Year's countdown printmaking and number matching printable.

_______

More New Year’s Activities

New Year’s Eve Sensory Tray

New Year’s All Gold Sensory Activity

New Year’s Crafts

New Year’s Sensory Tray

New Year’s Art and Math Activities

_______

[Read more…]

New Year’s Crafts

December 29, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

This post has been updated for New Year 2025.

_______

2025 is just around the corner, and who doesn’t mind having some easy-to-do New Year’s crafts at their fingertips. These activities double up as 2025 keepsakes. You can choose from several glitzy versions.

_______

2025 Collage Craft

Supplies Needed:

glitter gold cardstock
tan cardstock
8 ½ x 11-inch cream cardstock
gold sequins, stars, balls, and confetti
gold glitter glue
glue paddle
collage containers
adhesive gems
black or gold metallic felt pen
pencil
scissors
glue stick or glue gun

_______

Making The 2025 Collage Craft

Trace your little learner’s hand on a piece of tan cardstock, or let your child do the tracing.

Help your child cut out the hand.

Add gold glitter glue and craft bits to small containers. Simply collect any gold-colored craft items you have around for the collaging.

Set out the gold bits, glue, glue paddle, and paper hand on a table.

Gold craft supplies to decorate traced hands.

_______

Invite your little one to glam up the hand with the collage items, using glitter glue as an adhesive.

Let the collaged hand dry.

Cut a number five and a pair of number two shapes from gold glitter cardstock or a gold gift bag. Download the printable in this post to use as a template if desired.

On cream-colored cardstock, help your little learner use a glue stick to tack on a number two, the decorated hand, another number two, and a number five. Reinforce the shapes with a glue gun if needed. Add a greeting with a black or gold metallic felt pen.

Gold-themed traced hand 2021 keepsake craft.

_______

The glitzy hand takes center stage in this craft.

_______

Traced Hand 2025 Keepsake

A simpler version of this activity is to trace your little one’s hand on glitter gold or glitter silver cardstock. After cutting it out, have your child glue the glam hand onto a gold or silver numbered 2025 template (downloadable below.)

A gold glitter traced hand completes this 2021 keepsake craft.

_______

Adhesive gems enhance the craft.

Gold cardstock traced hand and adhesive gem 2021 craft.

_______

Silver glitter cardstock and adhesive gem 2021 keepsake craft.

_______

Golden Hand Craft Printable

_______

2025 Here I Come Gold PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

_______

Silver Hand Craft Printable

_______

2025 Here I Come Silver 2 PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

_______

Rhinestone 2025 New Year’s Crafts

Skip the hand art and invite your early learner to add adhesive gems to a metallic numbered 2025 printable.

Adhesive gem decorated 2021 keepsake craft supplies.

_______

Below are silver, gold, and black versions for downloading.

_______

Gold 2025 Template

_______

2025 Here I Come Gold PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

_______

Silver 2025 Template

_______

2025 Here I Come Silver PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

_______

Black 2025 Template

_______

2025 Here I Come Black PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

_______

Adhesive gem decorated 2021 keepsake craft.

_______

These New Year’s crafts are great for strengthening finger muscles and practicing eye-hand coordination. They facilitate number recognition and pattern making. And your little learner will love the opportunity to use adhesive gems and gold-themed craft supplies in these projects.

_______

Happy New Year 2025!

_______

Collage 2021 keepsake craft with a gold theme.

_______

More New Year’s Activities

New Year’s Eve Sensory Tray

New Year’s All Gold Sensory Activity

New Year’s Countdown Activities

New Year’s Sensory Tray

New Year’s Art and Math Activities

_______

[Read more…]

Scissor Skill Gingerbread Man Craft

December 19, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Gingerbread man craft with scissor skill opportunities. Christmas-themed craft supplies are used to decorate the kraft paper gingerbread man.

_______

Gingerbread man stories and activities are definitely one of the most fun parts of Christmas. Including them in my preschool plans is an annual routine.

After reading a few fun-filled gingerbread man picture books to my preschoolers this month, I was eager to set out a scissor skill gingerbread man craft so they could explore beautiful bits and baubles and practice cutting and gluing. This activity would be easy to set up for the little learners in your life.

_______

Craft Materials To Collect

Gather Christmas-themed craft materials that can be cut and glued, or simply glued.

Compartment sorting tray with Christmas-themed craft supplies.

_______

Included in this compartment sorting tray are:

gingerbread man themed cupcake liners
striped straws
cream lace
Christmas bows
pompoms
feathers
pipe cleaners
tissue paper squares
bead garland
thick ribbon pieces

The color scheme for this scissor skill craft is red, yellow, green, gold, and cream.

_______

Making The Gingerbread Man Craft

Cut gingerbread people from kraft cardstock.

Gingerbread man template traced onto kraft cardstock paper, ready to be cut out.

_______

Or cut them from brown paper grocery bags.

Paper bag ready to be cut into gingerbread men for a collage craft.

_______

Use your own pattern or download this gingerbread man printable.

Gingerbread man printable for art and craft activities.

_______

Gingerbread Man TemplateDownload

This printable is for personal or one classroom use only.

_______

Ask your early learners to stick two adhesive wiggly eyes to their gingerbread person.

Adhesive wiggly eyes added to a kraft paper gingerbread man.

_______

Then invite them to cut shapes from the craft materials, and adhere the bits with white glue. Pompoms and bows can be glued on as is.

Invitation to cut and glue Christmas-themed craft supplies to decorate a kraft paper gingerbread man.

_______

Images on a gingerbread-themed tablecloth set out for the craft offer decorating inspiration.

After the gingerbread people dry, display and admire them!

_______

Paper gingerbread man craft. Children practice scissor skills while decorating the gingerbread man with Christmas-themed craft supplies.

_______

Click here for Scissor Skill Tips

_______

This scissor skill gingerbread man craft gives early learners a chance to create a unique gingerbread person. And the craft is sure to be treasured by children’s loved ones.

Gingerbread man decorated with Christmas-themed craft supplies.

_______

[Read more…]

Handprint Christmas Crafts

December 18, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

_______

There has been a return in popularity of paper grocery bags, so why not use a few for handprint Christmas crafts? The bags are sturdy and give craft projects a vintage feel.

Here are a few festive, heart-tugging crafts that employ brown paper bags as a base.

_______

Handprint Heart Decorations

Cut hearts from paper grocery bags. Feel free to download this heart printable to use as a template.

Heart printable for art and craft projects.

_______

Heart Template Download

This printable is for personal or one classroom use only.

_______

Set out bright red tempera paint and a paper heart. Invite your early learner to dip a hand in the paint and make a print on the heart.

Invitation to make a red handprint on a paper bag heart.

_______

Or, invite your little one to paint a hand and then make the print. This takes more time, but the result is often neater.

Invitation to paint a hand to make a print on a paper bag heart.

_______

After the handprint heart dries, hot glue on a red bow. Then add a looped ribbon to hang the craft.

Red handprint heart craft ready for hanging.

_______

Offer hearts and tempera paint in white and green colors for more craft projects.

Paper bag hearts with red, green, and white handprints.

_______

Tip: Adding a little white to ready-made red or green paint lightens and brightens the color.

Thin pearl bead garland makes a delicate lacing material for a heart embellished with a white handprint.

Bead garland laced white handprint heart craft.

_______

Cut Handprint Christmas Crafts

Sometimes little ones swish their hands on the paper while making prints, and the resulting handprints can be a little messy. These can be cut out to make other Christmas crafts.

Offer sequins, metallic balls, and stars for your little learner to decorate a green handprint as a sparkly Christmas tree. Hot glue on a thin, glittery garland and a treetop star afterward.

Christmas tree handprint craft. Metallic balls, sequins, stars, and garland decorate the tree.

_______

Help your little one transform a red handprint into a friendly reindeer by adding wiggly eyes, pipe cleaner ears, snowflake antlers, and a pompom nose.

A red handprint turned into a friendly reindeer craft by adding snowflake antlers, wiggly eyes, pipe cleaner ears, and a pompom nose.

_______

Invite your early learner to turn a white handprint into an eye-catching fish ornament by gluing on sequins and adding a wiggly eye. A dusting of glitter can be applied for the finishing touch.

Handprint fish ornament embellished with sequins, glitter, and a wiggly eye.

_______

The sky is the limit when using paper grocery bags for handprint Christmas crafts. They make an eye-pleasing base for large or small projects. Your Christmas bits and baubles will come in handy to embellish the crafts.

_______

Handprint Christmas craft projects using paper bags as a base.

_______

[Read more…]