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The holidays are just around the corner, and you may be thinking of fun and safe activities you can do with your family. Decorations from the store are great, but homemade crafts can be even more meaningful.
There are many activities and do-it-yourself crafts you can create with the young children in your life. Start a new tradition this year and consider the following crafts you can do with your family throughout the year.
Thanksgiving "Pie"
As we all know, the Thanksgiving holiday is a time to reflect on everything we have in our lives. Help your grandchildren figure out what they are thankful for by creating their own “gratitude pie.” All you need for this craft is some construction paper, paper plates, a pair of scissors, markers, and brass fasteners.
Help the kids cut out a paper circle that’s the same size as the inside of the plate, then cut out a “slice.” Attach the two together with a brass fastener. Write “I’m thankful for…” along the top edge of the plate, then have the kids fill in what they are thankful for in the space the slice left on the plate as they rotate the slice around the pie.
Courtesy of GH
Christmas Ornaments
The kids will love this simple Christmas-time craft. You’ll need flour, salt, warm water, food coloring, a rolling pin, a pencil or straw, ribbon, and a pair of scissors to make this handprint ornament.
First, help the children make the salt dough. Combine two cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and 1 cup of warm water, then knead the dough until it’s smooth, like Play-Doh. Divide the dough evenly so each child has two dough balls. Add a few drops of their favorite food coloring to each dough ball, then knead each some more so the color incorporates fully. Place each ball onto a baking sheet, roll it into a tube, and twist the two dough tubes together to combine the colors and create a swirl. Create a ball with the swirled dough and roll it out so it’s at least ¼-inch thick.
Here comes the fun part. Let the kids press their hand or foot into the rolled dough to create an imprint, then use a bowl to trim the dough off the edges and create a perfect circle. Poke a hole where the ornament will be hung on the tree with the pencil or straw, bake the ornament at 250 degrees for at least 90 minutes, then flip it over and bake the other side for another 90 minutes. After the ornaments are cooled, help the kids decorate their dough if they’d like to, then create a loop with ribbon so you can hang it on your tree.
Courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens
Hanukkah Watercolors
While dreidels are usually made out of plastic, watercolors are pretty and fun for the kids! For this craft, you’ll need some white cardstock, watercolors, and paintbrushes. Help your grandkids draw out dreidel shapes and cut them out from the cardstock.
To keep it simple, after the dreidel shapes have been cut out, lay them out for the kids to watercolor however they’d like. Then, string all of the finished dreidels together to create a festive garland.
If you want to get adventurous, here is a template to create a 3D dreidel for a more life-like craft.
Courtesy of Family Education
New Year Celebrations
New Year’s Eve is an exciting time for adults and kids alike. Keep the kids awake to watch the clock strike midnight by helping them create their own DIY confetti poppers! These can also be done for the Fourth of July. Gather up paper towel or toilet paper tubes, construction paper in various colors, cardstock, tissue paper, stickers, markers, confetti, string, tape, glue, beads, and ribbons.
Cut a small square of tissue paper that’s big enough to cover the bottom of the cardboard tube, then cut a small disc out of a sheet of cardstock that will fit inside the radius of the cardboard tube. Glue the cardstock disc to the center of the tissue paper square and let it dry. Thread an arm’s length of string and tie a bead to the end for a knot, then puncture the center of your disc that’s attached to the tissue paper. This becomes a trap door the kids will pull to “shoot” off confetti!
Glue the trap door to the tube, but make sure the bead side is inside the tube and the string is hanging outside of it. Let it dry for a few minutes, then cover it up with a decorative sheet of paper so no one would know the tube used to hold toilet paper or paper towels. When that’s done, it’s time to turn the children loose to decorate their confetti poppers. Afterward, fill the tube with confetti, then close up that side of the tube with another cardstock disc so the confetti doesn’t fall out before it’s time. When the clock strikes twelve, help the kids pull the “fuse” and dance around to celebrate the new year in style!
Courtesy of Alph Mom
The holidays are the perfect time to get together with your loved ones and have fun celebrating together. If you find that your home isn’t up to the task of hosting everyone again this year, consider moving into an active adult community!
Our homes are designed with your priorities in mind. Personalized floor plans allow for plenty of gathering space, and single-level living means never climbing up and down stairs. Subscribe to our blog to learn more about living in an active adult community.
