Strong dental hygiene is a must, but developing this habit can often be a major obstacle for young ones. Crafts are a fun way to engage children in developing positive habits and important new skills – try this one together by following the simple instructions below. Once your alligator is ready to go, practice the brushing motions while talking about the importance of making this a daily habit. Keep the craft in a visible spot around the house as a daily reminder!

For some additional reinforcement, follow along with Mary, Teddy and Jack in “Brush Your Teeth” as they use song and dance to teach the importance of brushing each night, especially after some late-night ice cream!

Materials:

All the materials you need are below. Most everything can be found around the house or at your local store. Get creative, improvise and let us know what works for you!

• Cardboard (roughly 14” x 7”)
• White lego pieces
• Black sharpie
• Toothbrush and floss
• Glue
• Scissors

Step 1 – Draw:

Referencing our example above, start by drawing the outline of your alligator on the cardboard.

Step 2 – Cut and Fold:

Parents should take the lead for the cutting. And remember – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Feel free to approach your design differently, or even try making a different animal!

Follow these steps while referencing our example above:

• Cut off the corners of the cardboard, along the diagonal lines we just drew. Then, cut along the curved lines and push the flaps out to create the alligator’s eyes.
• Next, apply some glue in the middle section where we drew the dotted line (try to avoid going over the solid lines with the glue).
• Fold the cardboard along the dotted line and apply some pressure. The glued area should stick together, leaving the flaps (mouth) free to move.

Step 3 – The Teeth!

Add in those pearly whites! Glue the lego blocks along the open mouth. Just the bottom can work well for this exercise, but if you have extra lego blocks and glue, fill out the top too.

Use colored markers to add some finishing touches – we drew in eyes and nostrils!

Share With Us!

We hope this craft inspires some fun playtime and positive habit-building in your household! Share your creations with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #mothergooseclub.

Happy brushing!

Baby shark, doo doo doo-doo doo-doo…

Has Baby Shark-obsession enveloped your household? Try this craft, based on our Mother Goose Club-themed video, to spice up the next sing-along with imaginative play!

Before you get started – print, read and color the “Baby Shark” coloring book, which features the video’s simple lyrics and fun black-and-white illustrations. Then cut out the Mother Goose Club characters for the craft below!

Materials:

All the materials you need are below. Most everything can be found around the house or at your local store. Get creative, improvise and let us know what works for you!

• Mother Goose Club cutouts
• 2 cardboard circles
• Blue paint and paint brush
• Colored felt
• Colored pony beads
• 1 paper fastener
• Glue
• Scissors

Step 1 – Paint:

Referencing ours above, start painting your cardboard. For one of the pieces, cut a hole about 1/3 of the way across – adults can lead the way here!

Step 2 – Decorate:

Start designing your ocean scene. First, cut 5-10 thin strips of felt, varying the sizes and colors. This will be your plant-life! If you have leftover felt or construction paper handy, cut out some brown rocks and fish too!

Step 3 – Glue:

Glue your plants, rocks and fish onto the cardboard with the hole cutout. And add a handful of pony beads for a finishing touch!

On your other cardboard piece, glue on your Mother Goose Club cutouts referencing the layout and angles we used above.

Step 4 – Play!

To connect the finished cardboard pieces, insert a paper fastener through the middle. Then craft a shark body next to the hole, using the tail as your handle for spinning from character-to-character.

You’re all done – time to play!

Share With Us!

We hope you enjoyed this “Baby Shark” craft! What other Mother Goose Club-themed crafts do you want to see? Share your thoughts and creations on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using #mothergooseclub!

In celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8th, we put together this fun and colorful rainbow fish craft. Try it with your family or in the classroom – all you’ll need are some simple household materials.

Use this activity as an opportunity to get creative with colors, talk about the importance of our oceans and learn about some of the different ocean life!

Materials:

All the materials you need are below. Most everything can be found around the house or at your local store. Get creative, improvise and let us know what works for you!

• Paint (rainbow colors!)
• Cotton balls
• Clothespins
• Paper plate
• Black sharpie

Step 1 – Draw:

Draw your fish! We went with the classic goldfish.

Step 2 – Paint:

Set up sections of your rainbow paint onto your paper plate. Then, for each color, attach a cotton ball to a clothespin and dip.

Press and lift your clothespins to create side-by-side circles to mimic the fish’s (rainbow!) scales.

Share With Us!

We hope you enjoyed this craft! Try your own color and fish variations – we’d love to see what your family comes up with. Share your creations with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #mothergooseclub!

And if you’re looking for more rainbow-themed resources, here are some of our favorites!

Rachel

Rachel is a Mother Goose Club producer and former teacher based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She enjoys hosting celebrations for all ages centered around crafts and activities. Rachel is excited to share her favorite things with you, and hopes to inspire your family to get creative!

I needed another activity for my Easter party, and literally whipped up this Pin the Tail on the Bunny craft in 15 minutes. The kids had fun playing it (more than once) and I think I like it enough to roll it up and bring it out next year! It’s also just a really fun spring/animal themed game in general, so even if you don’t celebrate Easter, it might be a fun one to try (this bunny was easier to paint than a donkey, let me tell you)!

Materials are below, and you can definitely improvise here to make it simpler or more eggstravagant (see what I did there?)! I hope you have a wonderful time creating and playing with your kids this spring and #mothergooseclub when you do so we can all join in the fun!

Materials

• Butcher/mailing paper, or backside of some wrapping paper
• Paper plate
• Permanent marker
• Scissors
• Cotton balls
• Masking tape
• Glue gun
• Paints

Tips

I quickly drew some puffy cloud shapes for tails – about three to a plate and cut them out. Then, I glued on my cotton balls for some fun texture and put a ring of masking tape on the back so it will stick to my bunny poster when the kids try to pin the tail.

I used my trusty acrylic paints from Michael’s again for the poster. Two circles for the body and head, two long shapes for the ears and two short shapes for the feet and you have a cute bunny backside! I didn’t worry about making my lines perfect, and am happy with my cute shabby chic result.

I added some text (I’ve been practicing my hand lettering lately – maybe that’s a blog post for another day) and daisies to give a cheerful spring feel.

Rachel

Rachel is a Mother Goose Club producer and former teacher based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She enjoys hosting celebrations for all ages centered around crafts and activities. Rachel is excited to share her favorite things with you, and hopes to inspire your family to get creative!

I’m hosting a small Easter celebration with some of my favorite people and kids this weekend. This playful dessert is sure to delight them and work as festive decor! I really enjoyed making these because piping the grass frosting isn’t hard and you can have kids help each step of the way if you want (we’ve got lots of other activities planned for this gathering, so I’ll keep the baking to a minimum day of – I’ll have kids who want to feel involved add their own jelly bean eggs).

I’ve outlined some tips below! Be sure to use #mothergooseclub on social media to share pictures and videos of your Easter baking adventures – can’t wait to see what you come up with!

• Place your stencil at the top fold and when you cut out your bunny, make sure the ears stay connected at the top, giving you two sides -front and back (though I just opted for doing bunny backs on each side since a tail is easier to draw than a face!).
• Use a crayon in a slightly darker shade to outline your bunny and add a tail – the outline really makes them pop and the tail is just so cute.
• Use hot glue to attach your craft stick between each side of your bunny and then add a few small dots to connect the paper bunny edges completely.

• Bake chocolate cupcakes with your favorite recipe – I just used a box from the supermarket.
• Add drops of food coloring to your frosting until you get your desired shade of green – I wanted mine to feel a little pastel and used about 12 drops.

• I placed the plastic frosting tip in the piping bag first to see where the frosting would come out, made a cut across the bag there and squeezed to get the tip in place.
• Spoon/spatula your frosting into your bag and frost.
• As you gently squeeze the piping bag, pull up and away to get the frosting to disconnect and create the grass effect.
• Finish with a few colorful jellybeans for Easter eggs!

This bunny ears craft is a great way to develop fine motor skills with cutting, coloring and gluing! The finished costume piece is also fantastic for sparking creativity and imaginative play – wear your hat and bring your inner bunny out when you watch, sing and dance along to “The Bunny Hop” and “Little Bunny Foo Foo”!

Both versions of “The Bunny Hop” will get you moving and playing – exercising muscles and imagination!

And what would bunnies be without a little magic and mischief? “Little Bunny Foo Foo” is a very bunny story indeed – engage your kids in some springtime silliness!

Share With Us!

We hope you enjoy crafting and watching bunny videos with us, and that you’ll share your artwork and dance moves on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #mothergooseclub!

Happy Easter!

Craft your own underwater world! With the weather warming up, this activity is perfect for sparking curiosity and conversation about the wonders of the deep blue sea. Talk about some of the different animals and plant life you can find in the ocean, and then reward your crafters with a day outdoors!

Materials:

All the materials you need are below. Most everything can be found around the house or at your local store. Get creative, improvise and let us know what works for you!

• Sea-themed stickers (you can also use printouts)
• Blue paint
• 2 paper plates
• Pipe cleaners
• Pom poms
• Glue
• Scissors

Step 1 – Paint & Cut:

Grab your first paper plate and paint the base blue.

Grab your second paper plate and cut out the edge – then paint its underside blue.

Step 2 – Decorate:

Once your paint is all dry, grab your stickers and start creating your underwater scene! Apply and glue down your pipe cleaners and pom poms too, or any other materials of your choosing.

Once your scene is all set, glue the blue plate cutout around the edge of your base plate.

Share With Us!

It’s that simple! Now find a spot in the house for your new decoration!

We hope this craft inspires more family activities in your household. Share your thoughts and creations with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #mothergooseclub. We love getting crafty and celebrating with Mother Goose Club families around the world!

Spring is finally here! We hope the blooming gardens and chirping birds are beginning to show where you live. Liven up your garden or yard even more with this bird feeder craft. Get the kids involved in the crafting, and then observe the results together!

Materials:

All the materials you need are below. Most everything can be found around the house or at your local store. Get creative, improvise and let us know what works for you!

• 2 pine cones
• Peanut butter
• Seeds
• Plastic bowl
• Paint and paint brush
• Paper plate
• String
• Scissors

Step 1 – Design the Bowl:

Paint your bowl with some vibrant, spring colors. Get creative with your own design. We went with orange, white, red, yellow and sky blue colors.

Step 2 – Cut the Bowl:

Cut a small hole through the bottom of your bowl – you’ll pass the string through here.

Step 3 – Put It All Together!

Cover your pine cones in peanut butter and seeds. Then tie them to the string and pass the string through the bowl.

It’s all ready to hang up outside!

Share With Us!

What are your family’s plans for this spring? Did you try out this craft? Share your thoughts and creations with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #mothergooseclub. We love getting crafty and celebrating with Mother Goose Club families around the world!

And while you’re crafting and exploring, sing along to Mother Goose Club spring songs!

Groundhog Day, and hopefully spring, is just around the corner! As we anxiously await the groundhog’s next move, get the kids involved with this fun tradition by crafting together. Talk about the different seasons and how many animals come out of hibernation in the spring time. Learn a bit more about the holiday’s history, make predictions and work on developing those fine motor skills.

Materials:

All the materials you need are below. Most everything can be found around the house or at your local store. Get creative, improvise and let us know what works for you!

• Groundhog print-out or drawing
• Paper plate
• Green and yellow construction paper
• Blue and brown paint, and paint brush
• Craft stick
• Cotton balls
• Glue
• Scissors
• Colored pencil or crayon

Step 1 – Paint:

Paint the top half of the plate blue (for the sky), and the bottom half brown (for the ground).

Step 2 – Cut:

Cut out a sun and rays from your yellow construction paper, and cut out grass strips from your green construction paper.

Color and cut out your groundhog image.

On your plate, cut across where the blue and brown meet (this will be the groundhog’s burrow).

Step 3 – Glue:

Glue your sun, grass and cotton balls onto the plate. Glue your groundhog onto the top of your craft stick.

Step 4 – Play:

Pop the groundhog’s head in and out of his burrow!

Share With Us!

Did you have fun recreating your own groundhog scene? What’s your family’s favorite holiday craft? Share your thoughts and creations with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #mothergooseclub. We love getting crafty and celebrating with Mother Goose Club families around the world!

Not only is Thanksgiving a great time to celebrate traditions and enjoy tasty foods, it’s also a wonderful opportunity to teach children the importance of showing thanks. This Thanksgiving turkey jar craft can help do just that – it’s also super easy and requires very little clean up. When you’re done, write down what you’re thankful for and drop the notes into the jar. Then take turns reading them with the family!

Crafting time is bonding time. Let your family guide your creativity and encourage artistic liberties along the way. While your turkey jar may not last through all of your Thanksgiving celebrations, your memories making it will! And while you craft, sing along to our Thanksgiving songs!

Materials:

All the materials you need are below. Most everything can be found around the house or at your local store. Get creative, improvise and let us know what works for you!

• Fall-colored construction paper (orange, red, yellow, brown)
• Scissors
• Sharpie
• Small glass jar
• Glue
• A set of googly eyes

Step 1 – Turkey’s Body:

Trace around your jar or jar’s lid on a brown piece of construction paper to create the turkey’s body. Trace a second circle (you’ll attach the fanned feather pieces to this circle). Draw the outline of the head of the turkey off of one circle and a separate feather shape.

Step 2 – Turkey’s Feathers:

Cut feather shapes in various colors making small cuts around the edge of each for texture. Glue these to the circle without the added head shape.

Step 3 – Put It All Together:

Glue the circle with feathers to the back of your jar. Cut a small orange diamond and fold it in half to create a beak and a small, water-drop shaped red piece to serve as the “snoods”, or the dangly part at the turkey’s neck. Glue the beak, snoods and googly eyes onto the turkey’s body. Glue the body to the front of your jar and you’re done!

Share With Us!

If you decide to try this craft with your family, we’d love to see the results! Share your thoughts and creations with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #mothergooseclub. We love getting crafty and celebrating with Mother Goose Club families around the world!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We’re thankful for fans like you!