Practical Positive Parenting Advice and Resources
Planning a child’s birthday party can be equal parts fun and frustrating. Not only are children prone to changing their mind on a whim, but they often request parties well out of their parents’ budgets! Luckily, there are a few fun and exciting birthday party themes that are sure to satisfy even the most indecisive of children, as well as all of their friends. Below are 5 different kid party ideas….
4 Easy Father’s Day Crafts with step-by-step directions and photo examples
We are moms, friends, and work colleges. Between the two of us, we have 5 kids. Nicole has 2 young children – ages 8 and 10, and Karissa has 3 young children – ages 4, 6 and 9. Every year these sweet darlings give us Mother’s Day gifts that they put a lot of time, creativity and effort into making at school. And as parents, you know that these gifts are truly treasures to keep forever!
But unfortunately, Father’s Day doesn’t receive the same treatment since it always falls in the summertime after school let’s out. So, since your child’s teacher is not here to save the day, we decided to share a few simple – yet personal and fun crafts that you can do with your little (or big) ones! Now they can give their Dads the same treasured crafts that you have the honor of receiving each year.
This article is written by Nicole Kilgore & Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full All About Dads collection
Below are 4 of our favorite Father’s Day Crafts that can be adapted for any age! They are easy enough that your kiddo can do most of the work themselves – with just a little supervision from you 😉 You can keep it simple for little children, while your older kids can get VERY creative and really showcase their art skills! Also, all of these supplies you probably already have on hand, or can easily purchase at your local craft store for just a few dollars.
Nicole and her children made this Father’s Day Craft.
Karissa and her children made this Father’s Day Craft.
Another option you can do with these wooden letters, is photograph your children holding them. I have 3 kids so it worked out perfect – they each held one letter. Pick a simple background (I used the garage door), photograph, print and frame. You could even do this first with the letters, and then turn them into a “Dad” Plaque!
Nicole and her kids made this Father’s Day Craft.
Karissa and her kids made this Father’s Day Craft.
Receiving a beautiful picture that your little one created is really special, especially if you can display it for a long time! But why not consider creating a little artwork that Dad can actually wear?!
One year for Father’s Day I bought a few inexpensive shirts in solid colors. I bought a few packs of special markers from the craft store that can be used on clothing. And I taped off a rectangular area for my kids. They each dove in and had a lot of fun creating their masterpieces! By placing a hard book underneath, and taping the border, it helped to keep the shirt flat and the artwork in a consistent shape/pattern. Consider adding more tape through your rectangle in order to create unique designs.
Now, several years later, my kids still get so excited when they see Dad coming down the steps wearing one of their creations 🙂
For more on this topic, check out the full All About Dads collection
Featured Contributor: Nicole Kilgore
Nicole is a dental hygienist with over 17 years in the field. She is passionate about children’s dental health, and educating the public as to how it is linked to overall health. And it just so happens that her husband, Ken Kilgore, also shares an interest on keeping kids healthy and safe — he makes customized children’s beds to help a child transition from crib to big kids bed in a fun way.
Co-Owner: Karissa Tunis
Karissa Tunis is the co-owner of both the parenting website Adore Them and the family event company Milestone Family Expos. Through these ventures she is able to share inspiring, heartfelt insight with large audiences within local communities and across the country! Her knack for all-things-organization allows her to balance content creation, brand partnerships, and event planning without losing sight of what she wants for her own family. Despite her busy schedule, Karissa also makes it a priority to spend quality time with her husband and three children. You will often find her volunteering at her children’s schools, cheering them on from the soccer sidelines, or enjoying the great sites of Charleston, SC with her family.
Contact: Karissa@AdoreThem.com
Dads (or those filling that Father role in our life) are so amazing, and definitely deserve more than just one special day each year to celebrate their greatness! Below I have compiled a list of 100 Ways to Connect through play or everyday activities, and anytime you wish. And many of these suggestions you can do as a kid or even as an adult. Continue scrolling down for additional free Father’s Day Resources Enjoy :)…
I know that reading is very important for kids! However, I hate to admit it… but sometimes it can be difficult to encourage reading – especially over the summer.
Honestly, they prefer to write. They are not the strongest of readers. So I have to work extra hard to find books on specific topics that my children are interested in. I look for colorful covers, fun pictures, and try everything I can to make reading as fun as possible AND as consistent as possible.
This article & printables were created by Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full Summer Learning collection
One thing that I have found helps is to create reading nooks, or special reading places, throughout your home. A fun new comfy chair, or a beanbag in a corner, along with a special designated bookshelf or a cute basket full of books can go a long way! Perhaps you can string up some little lights (even old Christmas lights) around their bed, or above a new spot.
Look around your home for cozy corners, unused spaces, or even outside on a porch. I bet you can create at least one (or several) new designated areas to curl up in with a good book. And who knows, maybe you can even enjoy the spot as well when your kids aren’t using it;)
[Read: How to Create the Perfect Book Nook]
Over the summer our schedule varies from week to week (sometimes even day to day). So routine can get lost. Below are 5 free printables that I created in order to blend their love of writing with reading, to keep us more consistent, and to help me keep tabs on what they are reading.
And if your kids are like mine, then they will enjoy creating their own book reviews – sharing their opinions, and giving each new book their own personal rating!
[Read: The Importance of a Home Library]
And for more on this topic, check out the full Summer Learning collection
Co-Owner: Karissa Tunis
Karissa Tunis is the co-owner of both the parenting website Adore Them and the family event company Milestone Family Expos. Through these ventures she is able to share inspiring, heartfelt insight with large audiences within local communities and across the country! Her knack for all-things-organization allows her to balance content creation, brand partnerships, and event planning without losing sight of what she wants for her own family. Despite her busy schedule, Karissa also makes it a priority to spend quality time with her husband and three children. You will often find her volunteering at her children’s schools, cheering them on from the soccer sidelines, or enjoying the great sites of Charleston, SC with her family.
Contact: Karissa@AdoreThem.com
We hear all the time how important it is to open up the lines of communication. Communication improves relationships with partners, friends, and coworkers; but we can’t forget that it also improves our relationships with our children.
Taking the time to have a genuine conversation with your child can be so much fun and so insightful! It also helps to build up a great family bond, which is why we are offering a few family conversation starters to go a long with each curated collection of content….
When it comes to supporting our children’s learning during the summer months, I’m sure various ideas pop into mind. Like perhaps joining a summer reading program at the local library. Or taking the kids on family outings to the zoo or historic landmarks. However, one important skill area may be easy to neglect while away from the classroom: fine motor skills. Having control over hand and finger movements is essential for producing legible written work, and maintains its importance throughout a child’s schooling. In this article, you’ll find fine motor skill activities for kids to help toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and up work on this skill! …
Public libraries are a wonderful asset, especially when you have little ones to keep entertained. They offer story times, music classes, art classes, and of course have shelves overflowing with books on endless topics. But having a kid friendly home library is also very important! Continue reading below to find out why every kid needs their own home library, how to create and fill your home library, and how to encourage more reading at home….
Step-by-step guide and photo examples for how to make a book nook for kids
A great way to encourage reading is to dedicate an area of your home to reading by creating a book nook. I put together a fun, cozy DIY idea for how to make a book nook for kids. This is a simple project so that the kids can help you to create their special area. If you are a seasoned DIY’er please feel free to used more advanced techniques, perhaps chalk paint, stain, stencils, or decoupage. I chose just to use very simple solid colors of paint so that even the newest DIY’er can accept this challenge!…
This 1-Minute Blender Salsa Recipe is exactly that—a super easy homemade salsa recipe that you can whip up in just seconds using your blender or food processor.
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Last year just before summer break, I was strolling through my local Costco when I came across a display of Scholastic Summer Express workbooks. They were bright, eye-catching, and seemed to touch on a variety of subjects. For under $10 each, I ended up purchasing two and thought these might be great for the kids to work on after school let out in order to avoid summer learning loss!…
