Today Im Inspired: It's All In The Planning!

Crafts

Planning is key! I use my calendar and mark down birthdays and holidays. This helps with picking themes and finding ideas for each month.

My favorite place to find ideas is Pinterest. I pin ideas all year long and am able to pick from several of the ideas. I usually recreate the idea to make it age appropriate for my daycare kids. My main goal is to have a craft they can do themselves.

I plan 12 months at a time and use lists to help me organize, prepare and plan. Supply list can be made from the monthly craft ideas. Prepping and cutting the craft ahead of time helps me stay organized and not feel rushed when it's time for the activity which is key when your working with these age groups.

Making sure you choose age-appropriate crafts is another way to ensure the activities go smoothly. I make a example of the craft ahead of time for kids that are 3 and under, which also serves as a visual to help the older children see what their craft is going to look like. It is a great guide for them and they are able to see the finished project.

When I choose holiday crafts, I make sure I have 2 different choices because of difficulty/skill level or the ages of my children in daycare.

Birthdays

Birthdays are a "big deal" at my house and everyone gets their own party. Even if there is more than one birthday in that month, each child still gets their own party. The child gets to choose the color and that helps me choose the theme or decorations for that party. I shop at the $ Tree, I can find balloons, decorations, party supplies, and supplies for game to make the celebration fun.

I use plastic table clothes to make back drop and the birthday banner make it fun for my kids to feel special on their day. The backdrops are great for photos with their friends. I include games and create fun activities for the birthday parties.

These are a few of my go-to birthday games:

sticky ball toss music shakers freeze dance

fishing game turtle matching game

Danny Go is our new favorite dance show to make our day fun!

Holiday Parties

Here is a list of the holidays we celebrate and the activities I incorporate at the parties.

Valentine's Day/We decorate treat bags, play games and exchange candy.

Easter/Make easter baskets, decorate eggs and have a easter egg hunt.

4th of July/Red, white and blue craft and outside water table to help us cool off.

Halloween/Decorate treat bags, trick or treat in the house and play fun games in our costumes.

I love to create a fun experience throughout the year, no matter what the day. My daycare kids learn to celebrate their friends as well as themselves and get excited for the monthly crafts.

All of these ideas can work with any budget and the remember the ideas is to create an experience for the kids in your care. The smallest gesture can create and incredible impact on the kids in your care, leaving them memories to hold forever.