gifts for parents
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Friday Freebie – A gift for new kindergarten families
I designed this First Day of Kindergarten gift to give to my preschoolers and their families when they head to Kindergarten for the first time, but it is also perfect for Kindergarten teachers to share with families at back to school night, or on the morning of the very first day. The freebie includes notes to families in a variety of colors, a list of things to include in the treat bag (which correspond with the note), and a template for little felt hearts. The note explains that the parent gets a felt heart to keep in their pocket, and so does the child, this way if they feel lonely throughout the…
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Parenting Products on Amazon
I’ve been sharing my picks for the classroom as I think about Amazon’s upcoming Big Deal Days. Today I’m going to shift things a bit and highlight the products that have truly made a difference for me, and my family. These parenting products are a bit random, but all of them have made my life easier! Here’s what’s on my list (all links are affiliates, your support is TRULY appreciated!). I’ve been a huge fan of Sistema products, and these bento boxes are the ones that we use for school lunches every day (you can read even more about them here). We also used them all summer long to take…
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Framed Art Logos
Father’s Day has a way of sneaking up on me, but this year I’m tackling it early! It can be really easy to come up with Mother’s Day gifts that kids can make, but gifts for dads are a little tougher. This Father’s Day gift idea can be personalized for any hobby or activity that the men in your children’s lives enjoy. I grabbed a couple of Dollar Tree picture frames and printed some black and white logos and coloring pages. Then my daughter colored these in, we cut them out and glued them to a corresponding color of cardstock and popped them in the frame. They turned out so…
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DIY Mother’s Day Gift Idea
I’ve been all about the upcycle lately, and our Mother’s Day Gift is no exception! This painted vase couldn’t be more simple, and the easy projects often pack the biggest punch. These vases can be made with any glass jar or bottle. I used the bottles from Trader Joe’s sparkling lemonade because they’re so fun and fancy. We used acrylic paint and a 1/2 inch wide paint brush to create the paint strokes. That’s it! We’ll put some flowers in them and have an easy, eco-friendly, economical gift for the important ladies in our lives.
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Easy DIY Valentine Wreaths
There are so many beautiful wreaths out there, but I have such a hard time paying for them. Here are a couple of easy, inexpensive DIY Valentine’s wreaths that would be perfect for gifts or decorations for your home or classroom! These two are the same, but I switched up the yarn around the wire wreath form, so one is pink and the other is red. Wrapping yarn around this frame is the perfect activity for while you’re watching TV – it’s mindless and you can totally zone out. You can also decide how thick you want the yarn to be. I kept these pretty thin, but I did another…
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The Year of the Homemade Gift
I shared my word for the year at the beginning of the month, but I haven’t let you in on another intention that I set for 2023. I’ve decided that this will be “the year of the homemade gift.” I’m challenging myself to make things for every gifting occasion this year and I’ve had just as much fun planning what I want to make and give as I know I will putting it all together. January is a big birthday month for our friends and family, so here are a couple of the gifts that I’ve already created and given: A bright, sunshiny quilt for a happy little girl A…
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Easy Preschool Valentine Gift
I love to make a nice gift for families on Valentine’s Day – but after the chaos of trying to finish Christmas gifts quick and inexpensive are my main requirements! Here’s an idea that meets those characteristics and is super fun too. Try this easy preschool Valentine gift with your class this year. I started with a thin wooden heart from the Dollar Tree – they come natural and you could definitely leave them that way, but I used a couple of coats of old house paint to paint mine white. I also removed the twine hanger. When these were dry I took some washable Crayola paint (affiliate link) and…
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Fine Motor Orange Pomanders
Have you ever made orange pomanders? I remember making these in preschool, but I haven’t seen them around much recently. I always love to refresh some of the activities that left an impression on me personally, so it seems like this one might be a keeper. They are very easy to make, you just need some oranges (any kind will work – even little clementines), whole cloves, something to poke holes with (a toothpick, push pin, screw, etc.), and some twine or ribbon. Start by showing the children how to poke starter holes into the skin of the orange. Once the starter holes have been made it is easy to…
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Easy Photo Cards for Mother’s Day
I must admit that when it comes to cards, I am a slacker. This is true in my personal life, and in the classroom. In the classroom I tend to be the teacher who gets out the collage materials and lets the children go to town, and then hopes that the glue will dry in time to put the cards in an envelope. If you tend to plan ahead a little better than I do, here are some really cute photo cards that you can try with your students! Cupcake Liner Flower Cards Photo Message Card Photo Card and Flower Sidewalk Chalk Photo Card Chalkboard Photo Card These adorable cards…
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Mother’s Day Keepsakes
If you’ve been reading Preschool Ponderings for a while, you know that my goal for holiday gifts for parents is that they should be something that Mom or Dad will actually want to use. I’ve seen a lot of crazy gift ideas – bracelets made out of toilet paper rolls, candles made out of melted crayons, popsicle stick picture frames – but there are also a ton of really incredible ideas out there too. Here are a few of my favorites: Keepsakes with children’s photos Photo Coasters Photo Pendants Photo Keychains Photo Magnets Thumbprint art Thumbprint Keychains Thumbprint Magnets Thumbprint Vase Things Mom can use at work DIY Notepads Post-It…
