Coupons, scissors, oh my!

Here’s a trick we just discovered today! This morning I was sitting at the kitchen table clipping my coupons and my almost 4-year-old son asked if he could help. I handed him the stack I’d already cut from (which still contained plenty of coupons we wouldn’t use), we got his scissors out, and he went to town!

Those coupons are perfect for kids to cut up (not to mention they’re free)! The coupons themselves are outlined by short, straight lines, perfect for learning how to cut along a line, and the pages are full of other things that kids love to try to cut out… food items they like, people, letters, etc.

One of the skills that kids should learn before kindergarten is how to use scissors. It is not only good for manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination, but it is a pre-writing activity too.

Before you know it, you’ll have a coupon-clipping, bargain-hunting child on your hands!

Home-made cards from your kids

If your kiddo is big enough to wield a crayon, he/she is big enough to make home-made cards to send to loved ones! I found a pack of blank cards & envelopes at Hobby Lobby in the stamp aisle. The pack was originally $5.99 but I had my trusty 40% off coupon, so we got quite a steal on 50 blank cards & envelopes!

Whenever we have a need to send a thank-you note or card from our kiddos, I whip out these blank notes, and let them go to town using whatever they want to design the card — crayons, washable markers, stickers, stamps, paper/scissors/glue stick, etc. No two cards are the same! They design the outside, and I write the message on the inside.

The recipients just love these cards, and I love the fact that my kids have fun making them and they’re SO much more affordable than the personalized note cards I used to order for them. 

Getting to know you! Photo albums for kids

If you dig around in those boxes in the back of the closet, you’re almost guaranteed to come across some old 4×6 photo albums and that stack of holiday photo cards (& birth announcements) that you couldn’t bear to throw away. Pull those goodies out and dust them off… I have a project for you! There’s that old saying:  “Out of sight is out of mind.” Well, don’t let those loved ones be out of your child’s mind. Put those photos to good use!

Start by organizing the photo cards into categories — family, playgroup friends, neighborhood friends, friends that live far away, etc.

For your very young child, cut the photo cards so that they’ll fit in the photo album. If your child is 3 or older, I encourage you to draw a line on the card where you’d like your child to cut, and hand the safety scissors over to those little (and likely very eager) hands.

Use blank address labels or small pieces of masking tape to label the FRONT of each photo with the names of everyone in the photo. Use clear, block letters so that your child may (or may someday) read the names.

Slide the photos into the sleeves of the album, maintaining the logical order you’ve established.

Read through the photo album frequently with your child, and encourage him or her to “read” it to you. Keep it somewhere accessible for your little one to browse through whenever he or she desires.

You’ll be amazed how much this book will help your child to be comfortable with your friends and family who live far away when you’re all together for those short, infrequent visits. He or she will also start to recognize names, and you can guide your child in sounding out the names.

So, here’s a way to consider the value of this project:

• That old photo album: $2.99 ten years ago
• Those holiday photo cards everyone else sent to you: free to you, but a lot of $$ to them
• The look on Great Aunt So&so’s face when your child seems genuinely happy to see her in person for the first time: priceless!

Don’t trash those grocery store ads!

If you don’t already, hold on to those grocery store ads that come in the mail and newspaper this week! Enlist your little one to help you plan your grocery shopping. The ads are full of pictures of the items on sale, and each is labeled with the name of the item. This is an instant word book!

Hand your child a washable marker and ask him/her to circle the items you need to buy that week. Working together, you can identify the products by picture and by name, and also work in conversations about decision making. For example, if your kiddo circles something that is laden with unhealthy fats and sugars, you might ask, “Is that nutritious? Does that help our bodies grow? Does it help build bones and muscle?” Then, work together to find a healthier alternative — or maybe you already have a better alternative in your pantry or refrigerator. Also, if your little one suggests something that you already have plenty of at home, you could ask your child if you really need more of it. Get those little gears moving in his/her brain. You’ll be amazed at how smart your child is!

As for building the shopping list you take to the store, consider spending the extra 15 minutes to either help your child write down (by copying) the words from the ad, or perhaps your child could draw the items. If you’ve introduced child-safe scissors already, get them out (and that beloved glue stick too) and ask your child to cut out the items you’ve agreed upon and glue them onto a list.

When you both arrive at the grocery store with your lists — yours with everything included and your child’s with the items from the ad — lay down the ground rules for the expedition… Only buy things that are on the list. Cross off each item as you find it. Stay within arm’s reach of Mom/Dad the entire time. Of course, add in anything else that works for your family!

I find that if I involve my 3.5-yr-old in helping to plan the grocery list based on what’s on sale, he’s much more cooperative at the store. You’ll thank yourself, and the other shoppers will appreciate it too. 

Photo family tree

Why wait until your child is in 1st or 2nd grade to start talking about family trees? Start now! Help your child see where he/she comes from and begin to build a sense of history. This is something you can do together. All you need is a large sheet of paper or a poster board, some crayons or markers, and, if you have them, photos of your family members. (If you have photos, you’ll also need scissors — preferably child scissors — and a non-toxic glue stick.)

In today’s age of digital photography, gathering photos of loved ones is SO much easier. Start by looking at the photos you have around your home, in photo albums, or on the computer. Have your little one help you identify the people you’re looking for in those photos.  (Hint: If you have your digital photos stored on your computer, first check the ones that you took around the holidays or large family gatherings. Chances are, you’ll find what you need there.)  If you don’t already have extra photos on hand, you may need to call/email loved ones and ask that they send/email a photo to you.

Print the photos and cut out the faces. This is a good time to introduce scissor skills if you haven’t already. (Using scissors is a skill children really need to have before entering kindergarten, according to our local kindergarten teachers.)

Since you already have an idea of the shape of your family tree, you may want to be the one to draw the outline of the tree. Encourage your child to color in the tree if he/she would like! Put a mark where each of the photos should be glued, and let your little one use a non-toxic glue stick to attach each of the photos to the tree. Label the faces with their names and their relationship to your child.

Ask your child to find him/herself on the tree, then you. Talk about how you’re connected on the tree. Then, ask your child to find your mother or father (his/her grandmother/father). This is a concept that takes a bit for little ones to understand, but you can talk about how the grandparent is your parent, and so on.

Post the tree somewhere your little one will see it often, and use it to talk about who will be visiting, who is calling on the phone, etc. Put names to those faces!