We show you some holiday gift ideas for your Preschool or Kindergarten friends or ones that you could set up in your classroom or home for playing with and developing children’s motor skills! We certainly find handmade presents to be those that we cherish for years to come and hope you do too! Materials Christmas Tree Wooden mug holder Acrylic paint Wooden curtain hooks Wooden star (we used a Christmas ornament that we removed the loop from) Wooden bead or dowel cap Paint brush Floral foam Wood glue or glue gun Nesting Dolls Blank Nesting Dolls (we got ours at Michaels craft store) Acrylic paint Paint pens (we like the Posca brand which are available on Amazon) Pencil/eraser Paint brush Bowling Set Blank bowling set (we got ours at Bear Woods Supply Company: https://www.woodparts.ca/mini-wooden-baseball-bats-bowling-pins.html) Acrylic paint Paint pens (we like the Posca brand which are available on Amazon) Pencil/eraser Paint brush Stacking Present Blocks Blank wood blocks (we got ours at Michaels craft store) Acrylic paint Paint pens (we like the Posca brand which are available on Amazon) Pencil/eraser Ruler Cake stand, wood round or flat surface Paint brush We always find these items useful too: Directions Christmas Tree Unscrew the pegs out of your mug holder. These will form your branches for your tree. Insert them into your floral foam and give them a few thin coats of acrylic paint, allowing them to dry throughly in between. Paint your wooden circular curtain rings with a few thin coats of acrylic paint, allowing drying in between. These will form your ornaments. Paint your star, allow it to dry and have an adult glue to your bead, making sure that it is on the opposite side of the flat portion of your bead, so that it will be able to stand on the top of your tree. Screw your pegs/ branches back in, arrange your curtain hooks (ornaments and star on a tray) and decorate your tree! Nesting Dolls Take your nesting doll set apart and then build each of the dolls. Sketch your ideas onto your dolls. We went with a family of snow people, just like the five of us! We then painted our background with a thin layer of acrylic paint. After allowing sufficient drying time, we then painted our snow people with paint pens, working in layers. Some tips to make your painting more effective and hopefully turn out the way that you hoped: Shake your pens before use. Start with the larger layers which form the background of your image- so for example, the snow balls of our snow person. Start with the lighter colour layers. Add details and outlining with a thinner, black paint pens last. If you make a mistake, allow your layer to dry and then use the corrective colour of paint pen over it. Keep a scrap piece of paper handy- if the tip of your pen gets another colour of ink on it, use it on the paper until it disappears before using it again on your project. See if your recipient can take the dolls apart and then put them together again, enjoying the surprise within each one! Bowling Set Sketch your ideas onto your pins- you could go with any holiday images. Be sure to try to incorporate the shape of the bowling pin into your drawing. We then painted our background with a thin layer of acrylic paint. After allowing drying time, we painted our images (Christmas tree, gingerbread house, Santa and a snow person) with paint pens, working in layers. Some tips to make your painting more effective and hopefully turn out the way that you hoped: Shake your pens before use. Start with the larger layers which form the background of your image- so for example, the snow balls of our snow person. Start with the lighter layers. Add details and outlining with a thinner, black paint pens last. If you make a mistake, allow your layer to dry and then use the corrective colour of paint pen over it. Keep a scrap piece of paper handy- if the tip of your pen gets another colour of ink on it, use it on the paper until it disappears before using it again on your project. Paint your bowling ball (snow ball) with a thin layer of acrylic paint. Arrange your pins and see how many you can knock down! *Remind the bowler that the ball needs to stay on the ground and chose a spot to use this activity where damage cannot occur should your ball stray (gym, open area of a playroom etc.). Assure that other children are not in the path of the ball as well.* Stacking Present Blocks Paint your blocks with a thin layer of acrylic paint and allow them to dry. With your pencil and ruler draw the lines that would form your ribbon and then use your ruler and go over them with a paint pen, allowing them to dry. Create a bow on the top with your pen if you like. Put out your presents and see how high your friend can stack them up! Pin these ideas Purpose Developing one’s motor skills through creating and playing with the items. Recognizing symbols associated with various seasons and celebrations. Safety Notes We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces. Follow product directions/ cautions. Use a glue gun with with care and direct, adult supervision. Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths. These activities are intended for children over the age of 3 and those that no longer put items in their mouths. Please like & share: Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
