Memories
Ribbon Photo Albums
Would you like a less frustrating or time consuming option to scrapbooking with all those stickers and special paper? I did, so I decided to simplify the memory capturing process by making my photo albums more about the subject than the display. I bought a photo album, 8x8 or 4x8, and some self-adhesive ribbon and vellum quotes about children. With your child's help, you can border the ...(read more)
Memories
This is a perfect activity for extra photos. Give your child your extra photos and a mini scrapbook. Let her cut out the photos and stick them to the scrapbook. If your child is old enough to write, let him or her journal on the pages. If not, just write their thoughts for them. They can keep adding to the book until it is finished and keep their own book ...(read more)
Paper Scrapers
Next time you and your child visit a new city, try this fun technique when out in the streets. You need paper, a paintbrush and a crayon, with paper removed. Have child select a texture he'd like to capture, such as a manhole cover or a plaque by a statue. Use the paintbrush to gently brush away any dirt and then have your child place the ...(read more)
Say Cheese: Homemade Photo Albums
Help your toddler remember friends and relatives whom they do not get to see often. Choose or take a photograph of each person you wish to include in the book. Using colored markers, let your child help write the name of that person on a piece of paper. Draw on the name or embellish with stickers & stamps and then tape it to the photograph (do not ...(read more)
Placemats from the Heart
Every season, or month, choose a different one of your preschooler's works of art as a placemat for dinner. No need to worry about ruining a keepsake. You can insert the artwork into a plastic sleeve that you would use for professional documents. Your child will love getting to pick the newest placemats -- or create special ones for the event. You and your child can ...(read more)
Handprint Art
Here's a great idea for the next time you're looking for a creative gift. Paint your child's hand with fabric paint and apply to a clean t-shirt or apron. Write your child's name and the year in paint or permanent marker underneath the hand print. You can also create a shirt or apron with hands from more than one child -- siblings, cousins, or classmates.(read more)
Birthday Hat
This year, let your child create his or her own birthday hat! To begin, staple or tape a piece construction paper into the shape of a cone. Then, let your child decorate the hat with glitter glue, ribbons, streamers, pom-poms, foam letters -- whatever your child can dream up. An extra fun touch is to include a big number designating which birthday you and your child are ...(read more)
Collage Cards
After spending time with family, my daughter (5 years old) and I chose one image to turn into a card to send to one family member who lives far away. In this case, my daughter chose her second cousin (2 year old girl) who lives across the country. During their visit, the two of them spent time trying on everyone's shoes. I gave her construction paper and ...(read more)
Making a Placemat
Instead of throwing away the attraction maps that you receive from an amusement park, keep them and make placemats from them. Let your child pick out which part to use, cut the map to size, and cover the map with clear contact paper. Easy and cheap placemats for the kids!(read more)
Twenty Questions: Interviewing Your Child
This is a neat exercise to do with or without a video camera, although a recording of this would make a great gift when your child grows up. Explain to your child that you would like to interview him or her (you can talk about what this means and why people give interviews). Ask questions like: 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' 'Do ...(read more)
Memory Boxes
This is a fun activity and the outcome is a clever keepsake. Help your child to decorate an old shoe box. You can cover the shoe box with wrapping paper, paint it, or cover it with plain paper that can be decorated with stickers and markers. Once the base is finished, your child can cut out and glue on photos of themselves, their friends, and their family. ...(read more)
Memory Keeper
Fold 3 or 4 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 paper in half to create a booklet. Provide your child with a few pictures of people in the family -- Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts/Uncles, Siblings, family pets, etc. Help your child glue or tape each picture on a different page. Then ask your child to tell you a memory they have of that person that makes them happy. ...(read more)
Seashell Memory Box
Here is a fun way for your child to remember her last trip to the beach! Wash off the seashells that you brought home and turn them into a nice keepsake. Begin by finding an old but clean plastic food container (like one of the Ziploc or Glad ones) that you're willing to part with. Then, let your child paint the sides, the base, and the outside ...(read more)
Backyard Time Capsules
Make a time capsule out of a cookie tin or any metal container. Fill it with whatever your child likes. My kids put pictures, small toys, stories or books they've made. Bury it in the yard. Usually time capsules are meant to be dug up in a year or more, but honestly my children love excavating theirs after just a few weeks. They even ...(read more)
Handprint Christmas Tree
Use this activity to create a fun Christmas decoration and also to keep a memento of your child's growth. Begin by getting out a sheet of white construction paper and green paint. Paint the palm of your (hopefully willing) child's hand green and then place on the paper. Continue putting green palm prints on the paper in the shape of a filled-in, upside-down triangle. When ...(read more)
Butterfly Picture
Make a butterfly picture from your child's feet! Trace your child's feet on paper in a V-formation. Glue a popsicle stick in the middle of the V (the body of the butterfly). Add pipe cleaner antennae. Let your child decorate the inside of feet (wings) with paint, buttons and glitter. Too cute! (read more)
Family & Friends Photo Album
Have your child put together an album with pictures of their family and friends. I like to start with many pictures and allow my daughter to select the ones she would like to include in 'her' album. While we are selecting the pictures, she also tells me a story about the picture that I include in the album. This activity makes her feel like a BIG girl!(read more)
Singing Memories
Here's a fun way I have to help my toddlers remember holidays, visits with family, or outings in the city. I make up songs about each memorable event. You don't have to sing on key to get your kids hooked on these personal songs. You can either create one song and keep adding verses or create different songs with different tunes for each event.(read more)
Where Have You Been?
Get a large map of the world or of the United States. You can either tape it to your child's wall or roll it up for easy storage. Each time you take a trip, mark the place you visit with a sticker on your child's map. You'll have fun tracking where you've been and where you'd like to go. Talk about how far these places are ...(read more)
MagnaDoodle Vacation Book
Keep your MagnaDoodle in the car on your next vacation. Have your child draw different things she sees or pictures of the events you attend. Then take a photo of her completed work. Send photos to an online photo website, or any other photo place that will combine them into a bound book. (When you create the book online, you can usually type in ...(read more)
Creating a Memory Art Book
When my toddler was still very young, I purchased a nice, large, spiral-bound sketch book. Every so often when he is coloring, painting, or using his markers, I get out the sketch pad and have him color on one of the pages. I date each page in the book. Now I have a wonderful progression of 'art' as he has gotten older.(read more)
Handprint & Footprint Angel
Here is a sweet way to remember the holiday season! Dip the sole of your child's foot into white tempera paint and place it down on a piece of blue paper. The heel should be at the top of the paper and will become the angel's face. Then dip the palms of both your child's hands into the white paint and place them on either side ...(read more)
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Savvy Welcomes Betsy Brown Braun on Helping Keep the Fa La La in the Holidays with Your Children
When we find ourselves getting a wee bit daunted by the mushrooming lists and activities of the holidays, we turn as always to Betsy Brown Braun for a dose of perspective, sanity, wisdom.And as always, Betsy saves us from ourselves! This month she reminds us how to use
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