Father's Day

Puzzle Frame for Dad

Is there anything cuter than the homemade gifts that you get from school for holidays?  This Father's Day is your chance to tell Dad, Grandpa or Papa that you think he's pretty awesome by making a fun craft from the kids

 

This craft is what my son made in JK, for his Dad.  What Daddy wouldn't love to receive this from his son or daughter?

 

puzzle frame for Father's Day

 

Materials:

large coloured popsicle sticks (tongue depressors)

paint (if your sticks are not coloured)

puzzle pieces (can be random and mixed up)- sold at most Dollar Stores

great photo of your child

paper

 

Directions:

1.  If your sticks are not coloured, paint them and let them dry before you assemble the frame.

 

2.  Glue 4 large sticks to make a square (alternating and overlapping at the corners).

 

3.  Glue in your photo.

 

4.  Decorate the border of your frame (the sticks) by gluing on random puzzle pieces.

 

5.  Write a note for Dad that says "I love you to pieces" and glue it to the bottom of the frame.

 

Create a special day for Dad with his favourite foods while you read some special books just about fathers.  Don't forget to cook Dad a fabulous BBQ using our Favourite BBQ Sauce recipe!

 

Don't forget to check our Father's Day board on Pinterest!

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Homemade Tie for Dad

In preschool, my sweet little 3 year old brought home this awesome homemade tie for my husband for Father's Day.  Being the very cool Dad that he is, my hubby wore the tie to work every day for a week (and still does sometimes!).  My son would watch him get dressed every morning, hoping to "catch" him forgetting to put it on.  What my son doesn't know is that his Daddy kept a supply of ties in his desk at work and that he really only wore his creation for the car ride.  It doesn't really matter the length of time that the tie was worn at all, because I can assure you that both of them were beaming with pride each morning.

homemade tie for dad, Father's Day

Here's how you can help your child make a very cool tie for Dad.

 

Materials:

fabric in darker, masculine prints or solids

yarn

glue gun

glitter glue or fabric paint

 

Directions:

1.  Help your child cut out the "tie" shape from the fabric.

 

2.  Cut a piece of yarn that will be easily able to go over Daddy's head.

 

3.  Use a hot glue gun to glue the top around the piece of yarn.  Let it dry and cool down.

 

4.  Get your child to write a message to Dad, trace their hand or even just write "Dad" on the front of the tie.

 

Moms, remember to remind Dad that he should try to wear it every now and then...if only for the car ride!

 

For more ideas on crafts for Dad or Grandpa, click here.

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Top 10 Movember Mustache Crafts for Kids

Movember is upon us and Daddies everywhere are just a bit hairier!

 

Take the opportunity to explain the importance of giving back and supporting a cause like men's health.  Let the kids join in on the fun by creating some great mustache crafts that makes them feel like they are participating along side Daddy!

 

momstown Top 10 Mustache Crafts for Kids

 

Top 10 Mustache Crafts for Kids

 

1. M is for Mustache- learn about the letter M with a fun craft for Movember! Create an "M" on construction paper and decorate it with furry mustaches from the party or dollar store!

 

M is for mustache, mustache fun for kids

 

2. Create a "mustache" with your favourite drink!  Try a with chocolate milk, vanilla milkshake, or even a fruit smoothie! Whipped cream on hot chocolate is my favourite! Photo from 5 Minutes for Mom.

 

mustache fun for kids

 

3. Mustache Match Puzzle game from our friends at No Time for Flashcards. Cut out various styles of 'staches and colour them....get the kids to find the match!

 

mustache crafts for kids

 

4. Mustache Straws! We love this idea from Inner Child Fun! Create your mustache on black paper, punch a hole in the middle and attach it to a straw for some silly sipping!

 

Mustache crafts for kids

 

5. Dress up time! Mustache fun can be really simple!  Play mustache dress up with face paint or furry 'staches from the party or dollar store and pair with funny clothes from Daddy's closet!!  Draw on the mustaches or stick them on and watch them get into character!

 mustache dress up

 

 6.  Mirror, Mirror....show Dad he is NOT alone.  Use this mustache template to cut your own mustache and decorate the house or yourselves in support of Movember!  Get silly by putting a mustache on the mirror in the EXACT spot for the kids to see that they have a mustache too! photo credit: Oh My Crafts.  

 

mustache crafts for kids

7.  Mustache on a Stick! Create a yarn and pipe cleaner mustache like this one from Make and Takes.

 

mustache crafts for kids

 

 

8.  Mustache Buttons- Go to your local craft store and find plain buttons.  Use furry mustaches from the dollar store or cut them from black or brown foam or construction paper.  Add some scrapbook lettering and a heart to say; (photo credit Nice Nice Nice)

 

mustache crafts for kids

 

9. Creat a Mustache Parade!  Have a parade, using the toy figures with mustaches, that you have in your playroom.  If they don't have a mustache, use washable markers to draw one one and get marching in support of Movember!  Be sure to take lots of photos!

 

 mustache crafts for kids- toy parade 

 

10.  Get baby in on the fun!  Check out this hilarious Mustache Soother!

 

mustache soother

 

 

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Father's Day Tie Cards

father's day tie

 

Aren't these cute Father's Day cards cute? Our members from momstown Newmarket-Aurora created them during their play program last year and the dads loved them!

 

They used cardstock to create the body of the card and fancy paper for the tie cut outs. Then using all their gluing and pasting powers decorated the ties just for Dad.

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I Love You This Much - Toddler Made Father's Day Card and Keepsake

With less than a week until Father's Day, we have been busy crafting and preparing.  Yesterday my little friend G. (24 months) and I finished our Father's Day card for her Dad.  This is a perfect project for kids who don't yet have the fine motor skills and patience to make our fingerprint cards yet.  It also creates a wonderful keepsake. Here is what the outside of the card currently looks like. Miss G. may add further decorations to it this week :)

 

 

And a sneak peak of the inside:

 

 

The bottom hand of the card extends to the full length of G.'s armspan, as if whe was stretching her arms out all the way to show Daddy how much she loves him. Here, you can see the card stretched out to it's full length:

 

 

The hands are removable from the card, making them a permanent keepstake of both her handprint and her height.  Here is how we made it:

 

Part One: Making the Handprints:

1. Put a few blobs of different coloured paint onto a paper plate, and smoosh your hand into it:

 

 

This part is fun!

 

 

Place your paint covered hands down onto a piece of carstock so that you have two handprints:

 

 

While handprints are drying, stretch your arms out, and have a friend or parent use a ribbon to measure your armlength. Trim ribbon to appropriate size.

 

Once handprints are dry, trim excess paper around them, leaving a small margin around each print. Turn one over, and glue one end of the ribbon to the back. Sandwich ribbon and handprint between two pieces of clear contact paper to "laminate" it. Trim excess contact paper around handprint. Repeat with second hand.

 

Part Two: Assembling the Card

Once your handprints are complete, fold a piece of coloured cardstock in half, and cut a small slit along the foldline. Your slit should be just long enough to pass the ribbon through. Fold ribbon in half, so that the two handprints are facing each other, and insert ribbon through the inside of the card. The handprints should be on the inside, with the length of ribbon forming a loop on the outside:

 

 

Secure one handprint to the top inside of the card using repositionable tape. Write you message on the inside:

 

 

Add a gift tag to the front of the card (or just write to/from) so that it looks like a present.  Add any additional decorations you would like. 

 

Wind looped ribbon around card towards the front of the card. Gather the ribbon into two loops, and tie around card to form a bow.

 

Give your card to Dad on Father's Day. When he "unwraps" it and opens the card, the second hand print will drop down to show Dad just how much you love him!

 

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Father's Day Crafts For Toddlers: Homemade Luggage Tags

A few weeks ago I was travelling to the momstown Conference.  I hauled along with me the suitcase that has lasted me since my second year of undergrad.  Every time I use it, I think about replacing it, but I am frugal, it still works, and its "vintage" style makes it a little bit easier to identify on a baggage carousel.

There is something else about that suitcase as well. The luggage tag on it. It is black, standard, unremarkable. What makes it special is the address card tucked inside it. My Dad wrote it out for me when I was a teenager. I can't remember the exact occasion, but he may have written it for me the first time I flew by myself. The address is one I have not lived at in over a decade, and no one could use it to find me if my luggage was ever lost, but I refuse to part with it. The information was written by my father's hand. He passed away when I was in my teens, and it is one of the few things I have that he wrote. That luggage tag may have seemed like an insignificant gift at the time, but it is now one of my treasured possessions.

Having recently travelled, the luggage tag was on my mind as I was thinking about what gifts the kids could make this Father’s Day.  I love to both receive, and assist in giving child made gifts, but I also like it when those gifts are somewhat practical: something the recipient might actually use. 

 

Homemade luggage tags seemed like the perfect solution.  They are simple, inexpensive, and easy enough for even the youngest kids to make almost entirely on their own. As an added bonus, they will help your luggage stand out in an airport, and perhaps give the traveller a happy reminder of home and loved ones.

 

 

To make your own toddler art luggage tag, you will need:

  1. clear luggage tags
  2. paper (often the luggage tags come with pre-cut pieces)
  3. art supplies (paint, markers, crayons etc)
  4. ribbon

Let your petite Picasso colour a sheet of paper:

 

 

Experiment with creating mixed media art. Add paint, if desired:

 

 

Trim art to fit inside luggage tags. Write the recipient's contact information on the back of each piece of art (feel free to insert more than one picture into each tag so that Dad can change the design).

 

Tie ribbon through luggage tag to attach to suitcase:

 

 

 

Happy crafting, and happy travels, and Happy Father's Day!

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