Gross Motor Activity Alphabet Cards

Snow days and too-cold-to-go-outside days can add up to kids who just need to get some energy out, but it can sometimes be hard to come up with movement activities that are OK to do inside.

From ABCs to ACTs has a great collection of printable alphabet cards with actions on them, such as:

Fly through the air like an airplane
Twirl like a ballerina
Catch like a football player
Waddle like a duck

They are free to download and you can print them on card stock, laminate them if you like, punch a hole and clip them on a binder ring or leave the stack so you or your child can pull out a card at random.

You could also do an action game where they do the actions that spell their name, or close their eyes, spin around and the first thing they see gives them the letter of the card they do next. Or just let them play however they want.

These will definitely come in handy throughout the winter months.

[Photo via ABCs to ACTs.]

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Religious and Acts of Kindness Advent Calendars

There are so many fun things to do with fall leaves, which is a good thing because they are everywhere. We have more than a dozen trees in our yard so I would always try to do some leaf crafts when my daughter was younger. We made rubbings and preserved leaves and did a ton of jumping in leaf piles, but if you’re looking for more activities to do with leaves, read on.

If you have a lot of different kinds of trees in your yard, on the playground or at the park, you can make leaf mandalas like these from Red Ted Art. They’re inspired by Andy Goldsworthy, who makes temporary art with natural materials (learn more about him at the link).

Leaves are art all by themselves, but you can make them an even lovelier display by combining leaves with other natural materials in a collage. Or make a little natural weaving loom like this one from Woodlark to hold a bunch of leaves and other fall pretties in a way that can continuously be changed.

Another way to turn leaves into art is by using markers or pens to trace the veins on a leaf. This idea is from Go Science Kids, and it’s a simple thing that makes really pretty leaves to display while also giving you can chance to talk about why leaves have veins and what is happening when leaves change colors.

Kids Craft Room has a great idea for making leaf luminaries, which would be fun to decorate the table from now through Thanksgiving. The best thing about these is that you don’t have to use any glue, so it’s easy for kids to make (with some supervision since cutting is involved).

This one does use glue, but it’s so cute it’s probably worth the potential mess. Our Kid Things shows you how to make an adorable hedgehog with fall leaves using their printable template and a paper plate.

I also love this fall in a bottle project from The Crazy Outdoor Mama. It’s like a snow globe with leaves and has the added cuteness of a kid’s photo inside. This would be a fun one to make at school to give to parents or grandparents, and it’s so easy and cute!

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