Easy Clothespin Dolls and Felt Learning Activities

Sometimes simplicity is a great thing when it comes to kids activities. Simple often means that things are open ended, that you can use materials in different ways, and that kids can come up with their own ways to play and learn.

These simple winter clothespin dolls are quick to make but there are lots of ways you can use them (and the felt you buy to make their little scarves). You can use them for color matching, make several of each color and count them, use them in math problems, add them to sensory bins, even draw little faces on them and use them to explore emotions.

Not bad for an inexpensive project you and the kids can make in just a few minutes! Head to Barley & Birch to get the how-to and see more ideas for how to use them.

[Photo: Barley & Birch.]

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Easy Sensory Activities for Valentine's Day

I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

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