Mom Needs A Break! Tips, Ideas, Help….For Those Hard Working Moms!

In a few months, Father’s Day will be here. Your kids are probably trying to come up with unique ideas this year. To help them, here are some Father’s Day ideas for younger kids. 

* Make a Father’s Day card using construction paper, crayons and draw dad on the front with the words “I Love You Dad!” Mom can also download the many coloring templates kids can use to glue on to construction boards to make larger 8-1/2×11 cards. 

* Kids can take their teddy bears and dress them up with a hat, tie, and glasses….and place a Happy Father’s Day sign for the bear to hold. 

* Kids can help you make a Father’s Day breakfast for dad and present it to him either in bed or at the kitchen table.  

* Kids can help mom make gingerbread cookies and using piping to outline the facial features. It can then be glued to a piece of cardboard and the kids can decorate the cardboard with dad’s favourite things! 

* The kids can present dad with a card containing a list of chores they will do for dad for a week. 

* They can also make a story book using construction paper, to tell about their dad and why he is so special! 

* Mom can bake dad’s favourite cake and the kids can decorate it with dad’s favourite sports games, such as baseballs, footballs, soccer, or basketball. 

Kids love to draw, paint and mold. Using some clay, they can make dad a handprint and sign their names on the palms. He would certainly love that! In fact, kids also love to build things, so why not build day a special kite (with the help of mom, of course), then the entire family can enjoy this wonderful present. 

Father’s Day ideas for younger kids can be achieved by asking them what they would like to make for dad; or perhaps buy for day. One thing though, he may not want any more ties! Make a Happy Father’s Day Sign using construction paper, and hang it in the kitchen or living room area. Dad will be so happy to see how much effort his children have put into making his day a special one!

Thinking of Father’s Day brings to mind an episode of Bill Cosby in which his youngest daughter, Rudy, made him a clay ashtray. “But I don’t smoke!” he smiled.  He went on to thank her anyway and said he would use it as a paperweight in his home office. Thinking of Father’s Day handmade gift ideas for kids is probably much easier than for adults. Eventually we run out of ideas – but they don’t!  Here are some ideas your kids may have devised. 

Special t-shirt painted by the kids; a card made of construction paper and decorated for dad; a picture frame made out of two pieces of cardboard and painted by the kids; or dad’s favourite cookies made by the kids with a little help from mom. If dad is a golfer, why not have mom buy a box of golf balls and have the kids paint their initials on each one. How about taking a small Xmas tree and turning it into a Father’s Day tree. Decorate it with his favourite candies and cookies. Or if dad is a baseball or football fan, the kids can decorate it by taking white Christmas balls and drawing baseball stripes on them; and making cookies in the shape of footballs using gingerbread dough! A baseball cap with dad’s initial can adorn the top of the tree, or you can find a mini sized football helmet and add his name to it as well. 

More often than not, dad would probably receive a tie as a gift. Well, make this particular tie special. Let the kids be as creative as they want with paints and sparkles. Does dad lose the remote control often? Why not make him a TV remote holder using cardboard and fabric. The kids can decorate the cardboard with glow in the dark paint color, so that no matter where the holder is, he can always find it! 

No matter what Father’s Day handmade gift ideas you come up with, there are plenty of ideas you and the kids can come up with. Don’t forget the handmade ashtray; your dad can use it as a paperweight, too!

Fun Autumn Craft Ideas 

Autumn is such a fun time. Leaves turn shades of golden orange and brown. Use this beautiful creation of nature to your advantage. Focus on leaves for inspiration with these fun autumn craft ideas.  

Leaf Tracings  

Fold 10 sheets of copy paper in half and crease in the center. Bind the booklet by punching two holes in the spine, threading yarn through the holes, and tying the ends. Take your kids to the park. Challenge them to find and trace as many unique leaves as possible.  

Book of Leaves  

Make a booklet, as described above. This time, have your child search for odd-looking leaves to collect and place in their book. Then give them an encyclopedia and let them research their leaves. Have them write down the name of each leaf and three interesting facts about the leaf.  

Leaf Characters  

Draw and copy different types of leaves onto thick construction paper. Let your kids cut out the leaves and apply glitter to add sparkle. Next, have them create leaf characters by gluing leaves together to create a face, body, and limbs. After the glue dries, they can draw faces on the leaves with markers.  

Leaf Collage  

Gather as many types of leaves as you can find. Glue the leaves in any kind of arrangement onto a piece of construction paper or cardboard. Alternatively, spread white school glue across an entire sheet of paper or piece of cardboard. Crumble leaves at random over the glue. When the glue dries, you will have an awesome leaf collage. 

Enjoy the colours of fall and make the most of mother nature with your little ones! 

Keep smiling!