As a mom of 5 girls ranging from 9 yrs - 7 months old, I often feel like I have so many things to juggle day in and day out. I’m sure all you mama’s can relate! I found myself feeling guilty for not taking more time to connect with my girls on a regular basis. I set a goal to carve out time to intentionally connect with them, and be present each day.
I want GEMS Fun + Games to be a resource of ideas you can use to connect with your kids, too! Show them you can stop what you’re doing to give them your full attention and have fun with them. Get dirty! Laugh, and be silly! Get on their level and learn more about them. This quality time will forge a bond that in turn makes your kids feel safe, important, and loved.
With Valentine's Day coming up, I wanted to share this Fun + Games from last year. It was inspired by the late Eric Carle. He was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books; such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I love his style! It's distinctive and instantly recognizable. His artwork is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form his iconic images.
Using his technique, I let the kids have fun painting with a plethora of colors and allowed them to free-paint however they wanted on a blank white paper. After the paint dried, we traced hearts, and let the bigger kids cut them out. Then, we glued the hearts onto homemade cards and wrote sweet notes to our favorite Valentines (aka grandmas + grandpas, teachers and classmates.)
This activity can be done with ages 12 months and older. It can also be used for all sorts of occasions and educational activities.
Does this look like something you would try with your kids?
