A Life In Review

It’s me again, the person who said they would slow down on these family activity posts. I just can’t help myself. I love holidays and I love family activities. I cannot wait until my little ones are older and we can do ALL of the activities that I have shared in these blog posts. I am going to lay this one out by age again like I did earlier this year so that you only have to read the ones that you actually need. I won’t overwhelm you with a ton of activities like I normally do, so this will be a quick read, but a fun one.

Ages 0-3: These are hands on activities that will need full parent support, but will be so cute.

1. Turkey Footprint: When my daughter was in the NICU they did a similar project to the one I am about to describe. Here you will find a picture of the final product in case you are a visual learner like I am!
   What You’ll Need: White Cardstock Paper || Red, Orange & Yellow Construction Paper || Googley Eyes || Brown Paint || Paint Sponge Brush || Glue || Colorful Markers || Baby Wipes
   Directions: Start by painting your little ones foot with the brown paint and place it directing in the center (toward the bottom) of the cardstock paper. Make sure the toes are facing down. While the paint is drying, use the construction paper to cut out feathers for the turkey. You will also need to cut out an orange nose! Once the paint is dry assemble the turkey and write a sweet message at the top of the paper. Be sure to add the kids name and age to the back of the sheet if you plan on saving the turkey!

2. Corn Shakers: this is another really simple activity that the little ones will love.
What You’ll Need: Small Empty Water Bottles (one per child) || Popcorn kernels (big bag) ||
Glue || Holiday Themed Ribbon
Directions: Make sure that the water bottles are dry before you use them. Fill them each
about half to three-quarters of the way full with the kernels. Take glue and glue the cap
onto the water bottles (this way it’s not a safety hazard for the little ones. Tie some festive
ribbon around the neck of the water bottle and let your little ones make some noise!

Ages 4-10: Depending on where your kiddos fall in this age range, they may or may not require your help with the projects/ activities. Read through the directions and then decide for yourself before introducing the project to the kiddos.

1. Turkey Doughnuts: This is a really simple and fun activity that the kids can pretty much do without your help. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here is a link to a picture that I found on Pinterest.
   What You’ll Need: 1 Box Froot Loops || 100 ct. Toothpicks || Glazed Mini Doughnuts || Edible Eyes || Paper Plates
   Directions: Each kid will get a paper plate, a bowl of Froot Loops, one mini doughnut, two eyes and 4 toothpicks. Have them place the toothpicks (a little apart) on the back of the doughnut (this will be the base for the “feathers”). They can then place the eyes in the front, along with an orange Froot Loop for the nose and a red one for the wattle (the little red dangly thing). Then they can choose the colors of their turkey feathers and drop Froot Loops onto the toothpicks. The results should look similar to the picture that I linked above. Let them be creative, these do not need to be perfect.

2. Beaded Indian corn: This one should be pretty easy for your older kiddos, but will give them
some creative freedom. Your younger ones may need some help. Here is a picture of the
end result (here).
What You’ll Need (per kiddo): 4 Pipe Cleaners (tan colored) || aprox. 120 Pony Beads (aim
for seasonal colors)
Directions: The pipe cleaners should be about 12 inches long each. Line them up so that
they are even on each side and bend them in half at the middle. Make sure that they are
twisted together. Open them up into a star pattern and let the kids start putting the beads
on. Make sure that they leave 2 inches at the end because that’s how you’ll tie the strands
together to make the corn (aprox. 15 beads per strand). Once they finish, bring all of the
ends together and twist them to make sure they hold strong. It should at this point look
like Indian corn.

Ages 11-18: These are activities that can be done with or without parent involvement. The older kids may not want to be involved, but I included them anyway because I loved themed activities growing up (I know, big surprise).

1. Gratitude Pumpkin: I’ve seen this done so many times and I knew right away that it had to be included. This can be done individually or as a family. If you do this individually you’ll need one pumpkin per person.
   What You’ll Need: 1 Large Pumpkin || Black Sharpie
   Directions: Each person will take turns writing something that they are grateful for on the pumpkin with the sharpie. This can be done as organized or as chaotic as you want it. The point is to fill up every inch of the pumpkin with things that you are grateful for.

2. Turkey Leg Ring Toss: I found this on another blog and knew that I had to add this activity to this post. It’s super easy and cute but will let the older kids get competitive. Make sure to have a fun prize for the winner (it’s good incentive to get the older kids involved). (Find the inspiration here).
What You’ll Need: Large Brown Paper Bag || Old Newspaper || Small White Lunch Paper Bag || White Duct Tape || Glow Stick Necklaces
Directions: Either prep this ahead of time or let the kids build the turkey leg(s) as part of the activity. Stuff half of the brown paper bag with newspaper and half of the white paper bag with newspaper. Turn the white bag upside-down and tape the opening to that bag, to the opening of the brown paper bag (see picture in link above) with the white Duct Tape. Once that’s all set, have them open and make necklaces out of the glow sticks because these will be the rings for the ring toss. To make this extra challenging, it can be done at dusk or in the dark.

Like I said, short and sweet, but hopefully you can make some time to squeeze in a fun holiday themed activity with your kiddos before the hectic holiday season eats us all alive. I hope that you enjoy these, because I have at least one planned for next year. Happy Holiday-ing!