Even if babies can’t sit through an entire story, they can interact with books, and every interaction is good. Holding a book and turning its pages are great practice for reading someday. The more familiar babies are with books, the more likely they are to pick them up to read when they’re older.

Talking about the cover or the pictures inside shows kids that pictures are a part of the story. You don’t need to get through all the pages, pictures or even past the cover with really young kids. The important thing is to make book time fun.

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Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Below we’ve outlined a fun and creative way to show your kids how to give thanks and gratitude this holiday season. We’ve named this craft, “Gratitude Pie”. We hope that making this pie will be a memorable and heartfelt activity everyone can enjoy.  At the end of this craft have the kids share what they are grateful for and why. While sharing, each child will have a chance to focus on communicating their ideas and thoughts. We hope you can carve out some time in your day to share some gratitude with your little ones!

Supplies:

• Paper plates
• Paint Brushes
• Construction paper (your choice of color)
• Bowl (for tracing)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Washable markers
• Push pins
• Brads

At the end of this craft your paper plate pie will reveal each thing you are thankful for! Let’s get stated.  

Pie Making:

1. Create your pie crust by painting a tan circle around the edge of your paper plate.
2. Take a sheet of construction paper, and use your bowl to trace a perfect circle. The circle represents the center of the pie (we used orange for a pumpkin pie).
3. Apply glue at the center of the plate and place down your circle “filling”.
4. Attach the “pie” plate to another plate. To do this, use a push pin to create a hole at the center of the plates.
5. Take your push pin out and push your brad through the hole. Now, your plate should be able to rotate.
6. Use your scissors to cut a piece of your pie. Only cut the top plate!
7. Across the top of the pie write, “I am thankful for…”
8. In the blank space where you previously cut a pie slice write what you are thankful for. Rotate the plate to list more things that you are thankful for.

Tips:

• The color of your construction paper determines the type of pie. In our Show Me How Episode we went with orange for pumpkin pie!
• Having your younger kids hold the marker and trace helps build fine motor skills.
• If your kids are too young to handle scissors you can help them cut.

This craft focuses on social and emotional learning. Ask the children what it means to have gratitude. While making the craft the kids can also practice reading and spelling as they list each thing they are grateful for.  We hope this holiday craft inspires joyful learning! It’s not required, but we strongly recommend real pie to be eaten during this activity.

Share With Us!

There is so much potential for memorable creations from these activities, we hope you will share some of them with us! Snap a photo of the fun your child had and post it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

Get into the Halloween spirit and make some spooky spaghetti! ! It’s a great activity that involves sensory play, and of course, candy. Sensory play is important for brain development and helps children reinforce their understanding of objects – it’s a hands-on learning experience for them.  The spaghetti will make the base the of your sensory bin. The goal is to get lots of different objects with different textures.

We encourage you to make your own variations for of this activity by adding different objects.  If you’re ready to be spooked read on!

Materials:

• One pound of cooked spaghetti
• White vinegar
• Tablespoon
• Food coloring
• One-gallon resealable plastic bag
• Spooky toy: e.g. eyeballs, witches, finger, bones, spiders, rubber snakes, pumpkins
• Blindfolds

This playful activity also develops fine motor skills from mixing the food coloring to shaking the spaghetti in the bag to absorb the food coloring.  We encourage you to get your kids involved with each step in making this Halloween inspired sensory bin.

Instructions:

1. Fill a small bowl with 4 tablespoons of white vinegar.
2. Add half a bottle of food coloring to the vinegar mixture.
3. Put the vinegar and food coloring mixture in a plastic bag.
4. Add the spaghetti to the bag and mix until the food dye and spaghetti are blended.
5. Allow the spaghetti mixture to sit for 1-2 hours to completely absorb the color.
6. Put the spaghetti into a bin.

Tip: Add two colors to teach your children color mixing. In our Show Me How episode we opted to mix red and blue food dyes to make purple.

Another variation of this activity is to add candy into the sensory bin! Blindfold the kids and have them to find the candy. An added challenge can be a taste test – keep the blindfolds on and see if the kids can guess the flavor of each candy correctly.

Ask the kids to describe each object. Having the kids explain each object will develop their communication skills.

Share With Us!
There is so much potential for memorable creations from these activities, we hope you will share some of them with us! Snap a photo of the fun your child had and post it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

We are excited to share a simple craft that incorporates math practice into everyday play! Most of the supplies you will most likely have home, but even if you don’t, there are plenty of easy substitutions you can make.

This activity is versatile for different age groups and math levels. The use of manipulatives is helpful for children who are just recognizing numbers – it’s a visual tool to explain simple mathematic functions such as addition and subtraction. And for older children, manipulatives can be used to explain slightly more challenging math operations such as division or multiplication.

Working with manipulatives also builds fine motor skills. If you’re eagerly looking for an activity that will be fun for your kids while practicing some math, read on!

Materials

• Paint
• Pom-poms
• Construction Paper
• Scissors
• Paint Brushes
• Plate or Palette
• Stickers

Step 1: Print out numbers and cut them out.

Step 2: Glue down the numbers on a sheet of construction paper.

Step 3: Put down stickers that correspond to the number.

Step 4: Get your paint ready on either a plate or palette.

Step 5: Grab a brush and paint on or around the numbers.

Step 5: Peel off the number to reveal the outline.

Tip: Try asking, “how many dots go along with this number?” Working with stickers as manipulatives in this activity teaches children number sequencing and subitizing.

Number sequencing means that numbers follow a certain order, and the act of counting teaches children this.

Subitizing is the ability to recognize the number of objects in a set without counting.

Another variation of this activity is to use pom-poms instead of stickers.  We encourage you to use different materials and get as creative as you want with this one.  We can’t wait to see what you create.

Share With Us!
There is so much potential for memorable creations from these activities, we hope you will share some of them with us! Snap a photo of the fun your child had and post it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

Reading doesn’t have to be a tedious chore!  We’ve detailed instructions below for a fun and creative craft that will get your little ones excited to make letters and spell.

This activity is suitable for young children just starting to recognize letters and older kids who want to get crafty while expanding their vocabulary.  The kids will have so much fun creating the letters and we promise many fun teaching moments along the way.

This craft also works to develop other skills that aren’t explicated explained the in the instructions. The process of figuring out how to make the letters can boost problem-solving skills and working with different materials can help improve fine motor skills.

Pipe Cleaner Play

Twist and turn the pipe cleaner to form the letters of the alphabet. Use scissors to make different sized letters and clip where it’s needed.

Tips:

• Spell names! Kid love spelling their own names.
• Get creative and form other shapes!

Play-Doh Tracing

Step 1: Stary by writing the letters on the construction paper.

Step 2: Then mold the Play-Doh to trace over the letter

Tip:

• Ask what sound each letter makes.

Felt Letters

Step 1: Use scissors or box cutter to cut letter shapes out of cardboard.

Step 2:  Wrap felt around the letter shape cut outs and glue it down. We also encourage using other craft supplies like pom-pom and pipe cleaners to decorate.

We love the flexibility that this craft provides. You can also consider making letters out of glitter, beads, straws, or even dry pasta. Get crafting and start spelling.

Share With Us!
There is so much potential for memorable creations from these activities, we hope you will share some of them with us! Snap a photo of the fun your child had and post it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

Most pool noodles are made from polyethylene foam, which is difficult to recycle in most places. Instead of throwing those old noodles away, why not use them as material for crafting activity? This is a great way for your little ones to learn letter recognition, sight word formation and phonics. This will also help improve their vocabulary for CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant three-letter words). You can download and print CVC cards with words for your kids directly from our website.

Materials:

This activity will require the use of a sharp knife, so you definitely will want to do the cutting part for your children. Just one color is fine, but noodles of varying color can make things more fun. You can find them reasonably priced at any large retailer.

● Pool noodles
● Sharp knife
● Cutting board
● Scissors
● Permanent marker (black works best)
● Large box or plastic bin to hold the letters
● Paper towel holder (optional)
● CVC and Sight Words

Step 1 – Write

Write your letters (upper or lower case) onto a section of pool noodle, make sure they are spaced far enough apart so that you can cut them easily.

Step 2 – Cut
This step should be done with the adult! Use a knife to cut the pool noodle so that each letter is on its own piece. Also cut a horizontal slit on the backside of each piece so that it can be slid onto the edge of a box or a bin.

Step 3 – Play
Using the edges of the bin that you keep your noodle letters in are a great way to keep all your items together and makes for easier cleanup. You can also use a clothesline, chair or any cardboard box you have lying around to hold your letters.

Step 4 – Make it a Game

Use a timer to provide more of a challenge for your kids. Ask them to form as many words as they can within a set time.

There are a variety of ways you can adapt the pool noodle idea to provide even more fun. Try using numbers instead of letters, or for older children write entire words on each piece and have them practice forming sentences.

Remember, these activities don’t need to take a lot of time or energy to assemble. Once you have the pool noodle alphabet, you can use for a fun game to play while you’re making dinner, during snack time or as a break from screens. Incorporating early literacy into your kids’ day doesn’t have to feel like school. It doesn’t have to feel like work. It can be as simple as a few minutes of playtime with an added literacy challenge. It’s the simple daily activities that reinforce early literacy concepts, and the time spent together bonding that instill a longtime love of learning in kids.

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We hope you have as much fun with this pool noodle activity as we did! We’re excited to see how yours turned out, so don’t be shy! Post the lovely fruits of you and your child’s labor on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

You know those claw machines at the arcade that kids go crazy for? Fishing for ABCs is basically that game, but instead of spending $5 to (most likely) not get a toy, why not play this far more rewarding AND educational version using vocabulary words and letter tiles instead?

Kids decorate their own “fish bowl” using an ice cream carton or tissue box. Parents (or older kids) build a “fishing rod” using a wooden dowel and some magnets, and then fill the fish bowl with letters and early vocabulary words. Kids go “fishing” for letters to create words, or simply to practice saying the letters of the alphabet. Older kids can fish for words and create sentences. There are endless ways to play!

Especially in the early stages of learning, kids crave sensory play to help connect mind and body. Physically handling the fishing pole and fetching the letters keeps them engaged, while also practicing fine motor skills. This game is also great practice for letter recognition (I know this shape is a letter “L”) and letter sound correspondence (The letter “L” makes the /l/ sound).

Ayla (age 7) was excited to paint her fish bowl, fetch words to make sentences, and sort her letters by color (sorting is another awesome skill to flex in this game).

Lennon (age 3) had a great time spelling her name and winding up the fishing pole.

Did you try this activity out with your kids? Let us know how it went! Tag us on social media @mothergooseclub #ShowMeHow.

SHOW ME HOW!

Supplies:

• Cleaned ice cream carton, tissue box, or similar
• Paint in various colors, including white for priming
• Paint brushes
• Construction paper
• Marker
• Drinking straw or wooden dowel
• String
• Small magnet
• Paper clips
• Use our free printouts:
  • Fish printout
  • Shapes printout
  • Squares printout
  • Alphabet printout

Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare the fishing container: Find a suitable fishing container like an ice cream tub, a tissue box or a cake box.

Step 2: Cut a hole on the lid at least 3 inches in diameter at the center of the container’s lid.

Step 3: Prime the container by painting the outside with white acrylic paint. This layer of paint hides the print on the tub or box and prepares the surface for the final colors of paint.

Step 4: Paint the container: Once the layer of white paint dries, paint the container with various colors of tempera, poster paint or acrylic paint. You can make stripes, dots, swirls or other patterns. You can also paint an ocean theme or any design you like.

Step 5: Make paper squares or fishes: Cut out several 1-inch squares or small fish shapes from construction paper.

Create alphabet letters: Write a letter on each paper square or fish using colored markers or crayons. If you intend to level up to a spelling activity, make sure to add more vowel tiles. Put a metal paper clip on each of the letters. Put the letters in the fishbowl.

Tip: Make this activity a fun challenge by asking your kids to fish for the letters of their name.

Make a fishing pole: Cut string to a length of about 1½ to 2 feet. Tape one end of the string to a small magnet. Tie the opposite end to the tip of a drinking straw or wooden dowel.

Fish for letters: Finally, have kids use the fishing rod to catch alphabet letters inside the container. The magnet on the fishing rod will attract the metal paper clips on the letter squares. Have kids identify each letter they catch.

Level up! Spell some words: Fish for a few letters and see how many words you can spell. As a math activity, count all the letters caught or the words created. You can also incorporate shapes learning by making the letter tiles out of different shapes instead of just squares and using numbers.

Make it a game! Set a timer and see how many words your kids can form in 3 minutes. Winner gets to help clean the next ice cream carton

Most people have spent a lot more time indoors this past year than they would have liked. Now that we are all starting to slowly emerge into the sunlight again, this is the perfect time of year to show our planet all the appreciation it deserves. With that in mind, here are five super easy ways to have fun while making a difference this Earth Day.

1. Family trip

It’s been said that passion starts with education. Instead of just filling up that blue bin this week, load up your recyclables into your vehicle and drive on down to your local recycling center. Seeing the large bins that separate each type of material, physically depositing items into the bins with their own hands, and witnessing the entire community contributing to this effort will leave a lasting impression on your children.

2. Have a contest

Over an entire week or for just one day, have everyone in the family compete to see who can collect the most recyclable items. Old newspapers, plastic packaging, cardboard boxes are all fair game. Just make sure the little ones don’t collect things that are still being used. Also be prepared to reward the winner with an appropriate prize. In our house that would be ice cream.

3. One person’s trash

Many items that are commonly thrown away could be repurposed in creative ways. You can use old paper towel tubes and some paint to make a beautiful pencil holder. Cut the tops of some paper milk cartons and use them to plant some herbs for your kitchen. Gather some large cardboard boxes, some scissors and a paint brush to make an awesome secret fort for your kids. Every little bit of reused trash makes a difference.

4. Paper of plastic? Neither

If you are like our family you have lots of cardboard boxes that either take up space in the garage or get folded into stacks for recycling. The next time you go grocery shopping, take some medium sized boxes cut in half with you. Instead of getting grocery bags, place all of your items into the boxes. Not only will they be easy to carry, but they also won’t spill everywhere while you are driving.

5. Farm fresh

An inordinate amount of trash is produced from the packaging of food. Try visiting a local famer’s market once a week. Even purchasing some vegetables and fruits you would normally buy at a store will reduce a significant amount of waste packaging over time. Oh and a great way to transport all of your farmer’s market loot back home? Those boxes you made in #4.

I hope you and your family will try at least one of the ideas in this list. Let’s all strive to tell the world that we learned something, we had fun, and we made a difference. Happy Earth Day everyone! Don’t forget to share your Earth Day activities with us by posting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

Celebrate Earth Day this year with this fantastic craft idea! The great thing about this activity is that it is just as much collecting the materials as it is putting them together. Simply find some basic household items, then lace up your sneakers to find the other items outdoors. It’s a great opportunity to get out into nature and explore while you search for the perfect natural decorations for your Earth Day project!

Materials:

• Paper grocery bag
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• School glue
• Leaves, flowers, small pebbles

Step 1 – Cut the bag

Use the scissors on the paper bag to make a bunch of thin strips. These will be used for the tree and flower stalks. Cut some larger pieces from the paper bag for the house, roof and chimney.

Step 2 – Place the paper pieces

Place some glue on the back of one of the longer strips from the paper bag and place it onto the construction paper, then add some smaller pieces for the branches. Glue some shorter strips for the flower stalks and then glue the house pieces beside the tree.

Step 3 – Decorate

Glue the largest leaves onto your tree. Place the flowers on top of the shorter stalks and smaller leaves on the sides. Any other leaves can be placed next to the house as shrubs or above the chimney as puffs of smoke. Glue the small pebbles along the bottom of the house as a final touch.

Share With Us!

Depending on the types of flowers and plants in your area, your final creation may look completely different from others. We’d love to see how yours turned out! Snap a photo and post it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

Being a parent, you may notice that your children often are not simply watching videos of their favorite songs and rhymes. They love to sing along, sometimes even dance to the words and the music. Today’s crafting idea builds creativity, enhances future singalongs, and may even help develop hand eye coordination. To top it all off, you will be recycling items that were likely headed.

Materials:

Most of the materials can be found around your home. You can substitute the beans and glitter with any similar items as long as they make noise while looking pretty.

● Empty 8 oz. water bottle, with cap (make sure it’s dry)
● Toilet paper tube, or paper towel tube cut in half
● Scissors
● Electrical tape (best with multiple colors)
● Funnel (if you can’t find one, you can make a funnel by rolling up a piece of paper)
● Dry beans
● Glitter

Step 1 – Fill bottle

Place the funnel over the empty bottle, then fill it about ⅓ of the way with beans and glitter (or your fillings of choice).

Step 2 – Put on lid

Place the cap on the filled bottle, making sure that it is on securely.

Step 3 – Cut the tube

Use the scissors to cut in a straight line down the side of the tube.

Step 4 – Wrap tube

Take the tube that was cut and wrap it around the mouth of the water bottle. Hold the tube tightly and use the electrical tape to secure the tube along the length of the cut.

Step 5 – Tape tube to bottle

Use the tape to fasten the bottom of the tube to the plastic of the bottle. Make sure to go completely around the tube. Use two or three layers of tape and make sure that the tube is not loose afterwards.

Step 6 – Decorate

Use different colors of tape to really make your shaker stand out. Combine your favorite colors, and try using the scissors to cut out small shapes from the tape that you can place on the handle or bottle.

Share With Us!
Try this craft with your kids at home! Show us pictures or short video clips of your family shaking along with your favorite Mother Goose Club songs by posting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

This Valentine’s Day, try this fun-filled craft with your children. Create your very own holiday heart with your favorite colors and may even include a special message to the recipient. These simple creations are great for giving to classmates, teachers, and family members. 

Materials:

You might find most of these items already in your home, but you should be able to find the rest at a craft store. Either cardboard toilet paper tubes or paper towel tubes cut in pieces can be used for making the heart prints.

• Construction paper (varying colors)
• Paper plates (substitute anything else that can hold small amounts of paint)
• Cardboard toilet paper tubes
• Paint (varying colors)
• Pencil
• Scissors

Step 1 – Fold paper

Fold a sheet of construction paper with the longer side facing you. Make sure the corners are matched up so that the halves are equal.

Step 2 – Draw heart

Starting from the side where the fold is, draw half of a heart shape. Use a pencil in case you need to erase and redraw the shape.

Step 3 – Cut out the heart shape

Use the scissors to cut out the heart shape, then unfold your paper and lay it flat on the table.

Similar to the cardboard car, a boat ride can stimulate a child’s sense of discovery. Being on the open seas your kids will encounter rolling waves, secret messages in bottles, and may even run into a whale or a dolphin. Incorporate stuffed animals or bath toys to make the journey even more fun. Simply provide a steering wheel for the captain, cut portholes into the sides, and decorate your cardboard vessel with a name.

Step 4 – Make stamp

Press the cardboard tube flat, then make a fold on one side of it so that when looking through the tube you see a heart shape. Dip each end in a different color paint and make your prints on the heart made of construction paper. Take another tube and simple press it flat, then dip it in paint and use it to make the petals of a flower.

Share With Us!

Let your child experiment by trying different shapes with their tubes. Show us your unique Valentine’s Day hearts by posting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #mothergooseclub.

Watch now!

It’s December 23rd, and you suddenly realize you have not done a single bit of Holiday shopping all year. Instead of panicking, take a deep breath, be thankful we live in an age of technology, and keep reading! There are more options today than there ever were for the last minute shopper. Before getting into some gift ideas, let’s go over some of the best ways you can approach your last minute shopping list.

Option #1: Local bookstore

Although they are harder to find these days, locally-owned bookstores are great places to find quick gifts for children. Not only will you be supporting an independent business but you can often find books you may not find at other large retailers. Pick up a copy of one of your favorite childhood paperbacks, or select one from NPR’s 100 Favorite Books for young readers. Suggested item: This Old Truck $17.95

Option #2: Local toy store

Independent toy stores are ideally suited for the last minute shopper. Their selections are just as good if not better than what you can find at any superstore chain, but also offer some things you won’t find anywhere else. Many offer unique handmade products made by local craftsmen as well as rare toys that are difficult to find elsewhere. The best reasons to visit a local toy store though, are the holiday decorations and music playing inside that remind us of what the season is really all about.

Option #3: Physical gift cards

One of the best choices for gifts this year is a gift card. Local pharmacies offer a wide variety of gift cards that can be used at online retailers, specialty stores and even restaurants. With so many families spending more time at home this year, giving the recipient the choice of what movies to watch or what winter sweater to order may be the perfect gift. Make sure to check store hours as many locations will close early on Christmas Eve.

Option #4: You can’t go wrong with something yummy

Sometimes the best last minute gift is not a traditional one. Does your child have a favorite pastry or cake? Maybe there is a custard pie with their name on it at your local bakery. If you are like me, you know of at least one little one in your family who would easily choose a present that goes into their belly rather than under a tree.

Option #5: Surprise, it’s December 25th!

For those that woke up in a cold sweat at 6am on Christmas Day wondering if a frozen burrito from the local gas station would pass as a last minute gift, you still have options! Last but definitely not least on the list are electronic gifts. In less than 5 minutes, you can hop on a computer and email a gift card or purchase a subscription for your family streaming service or app. We recommend the Hellosaurus: Interactive Shows app on the Apple App Store $17.99 (3 month subscription)

If you have any last minute gift shopping tips, we’d love to hear from you. Post your suggestions on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #mothergooseclub. Have a safe and happy holiday season!