Crafts Archives - Sweet Frugal Life

Easy Valentine Day Crafts For Kids

December 19, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Check out these easy Valentine crafts!

Valentines day is such a fun time of year. I love showing my loved ones how much I care about them. And it’s even more fun to teach my kids to show love to others! These easy Valentine day crafts for kids are the perfect activities for a fun February day.

Consider helping your kids make a few crafts to give to their friends and family. Or they can make some to help decorate the house with a little bit of festivity. Whichever you choose, make sure to enjoy this fun time together making easy Valentines crafts!

Fun Valentine Day Craft Ideas

Have fun making these easy Valentine Day crafts! Let me know which one is your favorite!

1. Clay Valentine Magnets

Check out these adorable Clay Valentine Magnets! You only need three ingredients and some paint to make them! They are the perfect craft for kids both young and old. I can’t wait to make some and hang them on our fridge.

2. Panda Valentine Craft

This Panda Valentine craft is not only the cutest thing ever, but it also comes with a free template! Which for someone like me (non-expert crafter), a template is a must! Your kids will have so much fun making this craft to give away or keep for themselves, and they will be able to work on their fine motor skills at the same time!

3. Conversation Heart Bookmarks

I’m in love with this next easy Valentine day craft! These conversation heart corner bookmarks are so fun and make a great gift for book lovers! All it takes is a little bit of folding and glue and you have the cutest bookmark ever! This is a craft that anyone can do!

4. Valentines Foam Pencil Toppers

Here’s another fun craft for Valentines, Foam Pencil Toppers. This tutorial comes with a template to help your kids make a hedgehog, owl, penguin and racoon pencil toppers. The instructions are easy to follow and the results are absolutely darling!

Related: Chocolate Dipped Valentine Cookie Recipe

5. Valentine Yarn Hearts

My kids love making these easy valentine yarn hearts each year. They are quick, cheap and so cute! All you need is some cardboard (thank you leftover Amazon box!) and some yarn. The colors are so fun to customize and mix and match. They make cute decorations and gifts.

6. Heart Paint Chip Garland

If you want simple and cheap Valentine decor, I have the thing for you! You can quickly make this Heart Paint Chip Garland. It’s very easy to customize and make with your favorite love-day colors.

My kids love having a few holiday decorations in their rooms, and this would be the perfect craft for them to make and hang over their bead.

7. Heart Suncatcher

I love hanging crafted suncatchers in my windows. The light that comes through is so pretty.

Your kids will love making their own heart suncatcher following this tutorial.

Related: Easy Easter Craft for Preschoolers: Egg Sun Catcher

8. Valentines Day Toilet Paper Roll Vase

Crafts that repurpose are just my favorite type of crafts! They are frugal through and through!

That is one of the reasons why I love this Valentines Day Toilet Paper Roll Vase craft. It turns something that would have been tossed into the trash, a toilet paper roll, into something beautiful and useful. Your kids will love making these vases and placing pretty flowers inside!

Related: Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts

9. Valentines Pom Pom Painting

Here’s the perfect Valentines day craft for toddlers and preschoolers, Valentines Day Pom Pom painting. The activity introduces a new way to paint, using pom poms and a clothespin! This method results in a fun, easy to create heart art!

10. DIY Valentine Felt Heart

If you are looking for an easy Valentines Day craft for older kids, try this DIY Valentine Felt Heart!

Felt is very budget friendly, making this craft a perfect option for the frugal conscious. The hearts are perfect for giving to others or to use as a decoration around your home.

11. Love Bug Toilet Paper Roll Craft

Your kids will love making this adorable love bug….and again…I love that it’s repurposing something that would have been thrown away! This is a very easy and cute project, perfect for young kids!

12. Origami Heart

Folding origami is so fun, and with the right instructions can be very simple. Here is a great tutorial for folding an easy origami heart that make great corner bookmarks! Make your corner bookmarks in a variety of colors to giveaway and use in all of your favorite books.

13. Valentines Day Frame

Alright, I have the perfect craft for any non crafters out there! Seriously, anyone can make this Valentines Day frame craft….and it’s the cutest thing ever! So, basically a win-win all around!

I love the idea of using this frame as a decoration, you can put a picture of your family inside of it. Or, it can be a great gift with a picture of you and your loved one together.

Related: Fun Family Valentine Traditions

14. Gnome Paper Craft

Another fun valentine paper craft is to make this darling gnome. It comes with a free template, for easy cutting and designing and it is just so cute! I want to make one just for me!

15. Love You To Pieces Wreath

I’m so in love with this fun puzzle piece wreath! It’s so creative and simple to make!

Related: 25 Free Things To Do In Winter

16. DIY Heart Crayons

My kids use to make these heart crayons all the time. It’s a great way to use up half used crayons, and create something new and fun. The silicone molds come in a lot of different shapes and designs too!

17. Tissue Paper Heart Craft

Crafting with tissue paper is always affordable and kid friendly. The tissue paper heart craft is perfect for helping young ones work on their fine motor skills while creating something new.

18. Popsicle Stick Heart Garland

This popsicle stick heart garland is so cute and unique! It’s something that I haven’t ever seen before, and that just makes me love it even more! I love trying new projects like this with my kids.

19. Mess Free Smush Painting

Want to craft with your kids, but hate the mess?? Try the mesh free smush painting method!

All of the painting is done within a contained plastic bag! This is especially a great craft idea for toddlers!

20. Love Code Bracelet

How cute is this love code bracelet?! I think it’s the perfect craft for kids who love coding….but also need a break from a screen!

21. Crystal Hearts Science Experiment

There just isn’t much better than turning a craft into a science experiment! It will get your kids fingers and creativity working, all while helping them learn!

The Crystal Hearts Science Experiment is the perfect Valentine craft turned experiment to do with your kids this year!

22. Valentine Hugs

I use to make these Valentine Hug crafts all the time when I was young, and they always made me so happy! It’s a very easy craft to make, and this tutorial even provides a free template you can use! I love free templates!

23. Pom Pom Love Bug Craft

Here’s another super cute and easy Valentines day craft idea that kids can do, make a Pom Pom Love Bug! It will only take a few minutes to whip up a few of these darling bugs, and they are super easy to customize just the way your child wants them!

Have Fun With These Easy Valentine Day Crafts for Kids!

I hope this articled helped you to find a few fun crafts to do with your kiddos this year. Crafting with kids is one of the best ways to make memories and build bonds. And, with the ideas listed here you won’t need to spend hardly any money at all!

Pin For Later:

There are so many easy Valentine day crafts for kids to make!

Easy Toilet Paper Pumpkin Craft Tutorial

October 13, 2021 By: Sweet Frugal Life5 Comments

How to make toilet paper roll pumpkins!

Yesterday I pulled out all of our fall decorations and had fun getting the house looking a little more festive. After that I decided I wanted a few more small decorations, but didn’t want to spend very much money. So, I decided to make this easy toilet paper pumpkin craft!

My friend showed me how to make these toilet paper roll pumpkins a few years ago, and I knew they would be the perfect addition to my house this fall. The best part about these pumpkins is that they cost less than $1 to make! Yep, you read that right, $1!

The only item I bought for this easy fall craft was the fabric. I bought three fat fabric squares from Walmart for 97 cents each. If that’s not frugal, I don’t know what is! If you already have scrap fabric at home, these will be even cheaper to make!

Not only are these crazy cheap to make…..they are also one of the easiest crafts ever! Most importantly, I spent less than an hour making all three of these darling Halloween Pumpkins. If you aren’t a crafter, this is the craft for you!

“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

Toilet Paper Pumpkin Craft Supplies

First, let’s gather the supplies. You only need three items to make these cute pumpkins, and you probably already have most of them at home.

Supplies Needed:

One roll of toilet paper
One fat fabric square of fabric (or fabric cut to 18″x22″)
Hot glue gun (optional)
A twig for the stem

Toilet Paper Roll Pumpkin Instructions

Now that you have all of your supplies, the fun part can begin! Let’s start crafting!

First, lay the square of fabric right side down on the table.

Next, place your toilet paper roll right in the middle of the fabric square.

Now, take the ends of the fabric and tuck them into the middle of the toilet paper roll. As you tuck the ends, make sure to pull the fabric tight, this helps make some cute textures and creases for the pumpkin. Sometimes it takes me a few tries before I get it looking just right.

Keep stuffing the ends of the fabric into the toilet paper roll until all the ends of the fabric are hidden and the toilet paper is completely covered with fabric.

You are almost done!

For the stem, just go into your backyard, or a local park and find a small twig. I had to break my stick to get the perfect twig size.

Next, just hot glue a small amount of glue into the middle of your pumpkin and then stick the twig into the hot glue, making sure it is sticking up correctly.

If you don’t have a hot glue gun, that’s OK! Just stick that stick inside the pumpkin and you are ready to go! The twig will usually stand up straight without the glue.

And that’s it! You are done! Just beware, these toilet paper pumpkins are so addicting! You might end up making thousands. They make great gifts for friends and neighbors.

A Few Tips

Try playing around with the toilet paper to make different shapes and sizes. You can change the pumpkin look just by taking off some toilet paper.

For the polka dot pumpkin, I took off about 1/4 of the toilet paper to make a smaller pumpkin. I also wrapped some toilet paper loosely around the entire roll. This gives it a slightly more rounded look. So cute, right???

I wanted my other black pumpkin to be a little bit larger so, I added extra toilet paper to the roll, and tried to give it a rounded loose look.

I loved the way this one turned out! There really are some many possibilities! And for a whopping 97 cents…..you can make a dozen of these without breaking the bank!

Have you ever made a toilet paper roll pumpkin before??? It truly is such a fun and easy pumpkin craft! Let me know if you try it out, I would love to hear how they turned out.

Happy frugal crafting!

YouTube Tutorial

Check out my YouTube toilet paper roll pumpkin tutorial for even more tips for making this easy fall craft!

You might also like:

–Rice Krispie Halloween Monsters Recipe

–No Sew Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial

Pin For Later:

Enjoy your toilet paper pumpkin!

How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

September 9, 2021 By: Sweet Frugal Life4 Comments

Easy Tissue Paper Pom Pom Tutorial.

Have you ever wondered how to make tissue paper pom poms? I LOVE to make them! They are one of the easiest, cheapest DIY decoration around. I have made some for my daughters rooms, and they are always a staple at all my kids birthday parties.

A lot of stores sell pre-made pom poms, that just need to be fluffed up, but I’m telling you…..those are not worth the money. You can easily make them yourself for a much cheaper price! I promise you can even do it if you are NOT a crafter, these are that easy!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Supplies for Tissue Paper Pom Poms

You only need a few supplies to start making tissue paper pom poms.

6 sheets of tissue paper. You can use more tissue paper if you want to, the more sheets you use the fluffier your pom-pom will be.
String
Scissors

And that’s it!! Make sure to check your local Dollar Tree for great prices on tissue paper.

How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

First, unfold your tissue paper and layer each of the sheets on top of each other. Smooth it out and make sure all of the sides are even with each other. This doesn’t need to be perfect, just do the best you can!

Starting at the shorter end fold the tissue paper (all sheets together) accordion style. Your finished product should look similar to the pictures below.

Related: How to Make Your Very Own Pom-Pom Garland

Take some string, (I just used thread because it’s what I had) and tie a knot in the middle of the folded tissue paper. Leave a long piece of string, this is what you will use to hang your pom-pom with.

Now, snip two small cuts on both ends of the tissue paper. This is what gives the flowery shape to the pom-pom. This is not a necessary step! There have been plenty of times I’ve forgotten to do it, and they still turned out super cute!

You are almost finished!

Now, gently separate each sheet of tissue paper from each other. This will fluff out the pom-pom. Fluff one side of the pom-pom and then the other side.

The tissue paper might begin to tear during this step. Try to go slowly, so if you do notice a tear you can stop it before it gets bigger. The rips usually blend into the pom-pom, but they still aren’t fun to get.

Adjust the fluffs until you get it just right, and you are done! It only takes about 10 minutes to make your own tissue paper pom-pom! Quick and easy at it’s best!

I used these pom-poms for my daughters Pancake and Pajamas birthday party. It’s such a fun, cheap decoration. My favorite part of making these pom-poms are that their are so many fun and beautiful colors to choose from. The look can be very different depending on the colors that you choose.

Make sure to check out my video below for another tissue paper pom-pom tutorial!

How to Make a Rice Bag Heating Pad

DIY Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial

Pin For Later:

I hope you love these DIY tissue paper pom-poms!

DIY Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial

September 2, 2021 By: Sweet Frugal Life3 Comments

Check out this No Sew Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial!

Halloween is just around the corner! I love this time of year; I love the pumpkins, the crisp cool air, the changing leaves, and the excitement in my children. My kids love to dress up and run around the neighborhood trick or treating. The urge to craft came on strong the other day and I decided it would be so fun to make my kids new bags for trick or treating. I wanted to create something cute, but also simple and frugal (because that’s how I roll!). I came up with the idea of this DIY trick or treat bag. I’ll be honest with you….it was even EASIER than I originally had planned! (win!)

Disclosure: “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

DIY Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial

My favorite thing about this tutorial is that it is an easy craft projects for non sewers, but comes out looking professional!

The first thing you will need to do to make this no sew Trick or Treat bag is to gather all of your supplies.

Supplies Needed:

–Canvas Craft Tote
Scrap fabric (I chose Halloween colors)
Wonder Under
Iron/ironing board
Pattern for tracing

Find Your Pattern

Now that you have gathered your supplies it’s time to find your pattern. You can choose any design, picture or pattern. It doesn’t even need to be Halloween related!

When we were choosing patterns I asked my kids what picture they wanted on each of their bags. My daughter requested a cat and my son asked for a spider, so those are the patterns I searched for.

You can easily find patterns by searching on google, they are fairly easy to find. Just type in the pattern that you want. For example, if you want to use a spider just type in, “spider tracing pattern.” You will find many different patterns to choose from!

Another great option for patterns is to look at clip art in Microsoft Word.

Once you have found the pattern you want to use, print it and cut it out.

Prepare Your Design

Next you will need to transfer the pattern onto your chosen fabric. I recommend following the directions on your wonder under fusing, they are all a little different.

When I transferred my pattern I cut out a large square of wonder under (large enough to cover the entire shape), and ironed the rough side onto the wrong side of the fabric.

Then I used my tracing pattern to trace the shape onto the paper side of the wonder under.

Once the pattern is traced, cut the picture out (fabric and all), fabric scissors are really helpful to cut out the fabric.

Lastly, gently pull off the paper backing of the wonder under.

Iron On The Picture

Now, center your cut out fabric picture on the bag where you want it. Use a warm iron to iron the picture to the bag. The wonder under fusing will fuse the fabric to the bag, making it stick.

I have found that holding the iron steady for 5-10 seconds over each section of the picture helps give the applique a nice firm hold.

That’s it! You’re done! See, I told you it would be easy!! It probably took me a total of one hour to finish both bags! Quick crafting, is my type of crafting! Imagine all the fun designs and fabric you could iron onto a bag! So many fun ideas!

In Conclusion

Use your imagination when making this DIY Trick or Treat Bag. There are so many fun possibilities. You could iron on a pumpkin, ghost, witch hat, bat, skeleton, or fun lettering.

I can’t wait to watch my kids go trick or treating with their new bags!

Easy Pumpkin Craft Tutorial For a Fun Fall Decoration

Fall Bucket List for Families

Monster Rice Krispie Treats

Pin for Future Reference:

I hope you love this DIY Trick or Treat Bag as much as we did!

How To Make Yarn Pom Poms

February 6, 2021 By: Sweet Frugal Life1 Comment

How To Make A Pom Pom Garland Out Of Yarn

I recently discovered how to make yarn pom poms and I am now obsessed! These pom-poms turned out to be easy to make and so cute! My daughters and I spent all evening making pom poms and experimenting with different sizes and techniques.

We decided to turn these yarn pom poms into a cute garland for Valentines Day. I love how it turned out and am already planning more garlands in other themes and colors! I see a spring garland in my near future!

These were so fun (and cheap!) to make, I thought I would share an easy tutorial with all of you! I was able to use items I already had at home and didn’t need to spend any money (yay!), but you can find some quality yarn for less than five dollars and it will make hundreds of pom-poms!

Gather Supplies

To make your yarn pom pom you will need to first gather your supplies. For this project you will need:

Yarn (softer yarn seems to work best)
Sharp Scissors

Yep! That’s all you need! I told you these were easy!

How To Make Yarn Pom Poms

Now that we have the supplies, let’s start crafting!

First, take a small string of yarn and begin wrapping it around two of your fingers.

Keep wrapping the yarn around your finger until the yarn looks a good size. I just eyeballed it, but I probably twisted the yarn about 70-100 times.

When the pom pom looks right, cut the yarn leaving about 6 inches of a tail. You will then push the tail through your two fingers and pull it out the other side.

Bring the tail up on top of the yarn and push it through the top of your two fingers. Pull it tight (this is important!).

Now, gently slide the yarn off of your fingers, making sure to keep the yarn pulled tight and kept across the middle (this was a little tricky, but you can do it!).

Knot the tail and wrap the remaining tail across the other middle, this will form a plus sign. Pull it tight and knot it. This will form four sections. Tie another knot securing the yarn.

Next, grab some sharp scissors. I used my fabric scissors (aka: “if anyone uses these for anything other than fabric they will be in HUGE trouble” scissors).

Begin cutting the loops apart in each section. Make sure you do not cut the tied tail. We only had this happened once, but it’s important to remember.

Continue cutting all of the loops. Once finished, it will not look very good and you’ll wonder if you did it right! You did. I promise.

The pom pom just needs some fluffing. Shake it, separate the pieces and try to fluff it out as best as you can.

Once your little ball of yarn is all fluffed out it’s time for a haircut! This is when you will see your pom pom begin to take shape.

Trim the yarn pieces until they are all nice and even. I like to cut them fairly short, but not to short.

Play around with it a little bit and you will find the style you like. My daughters kept theirs a little more long, it’s all personal preference.

That’s it! Your pom pom is done! Isn’t it cute???? The first one takes the longest…..to be honest, I threw away my first five (or was it ten????).

But, once I had a little practice I was able to whip them up much quicker.

Stick some googly eyes on those pom poms and make little monsters for your kids, OR you can string it together to form a cute garland. I chose the garland.

Pom Pom Garland Tutorial

Using your pom poms to make a garland is really quick and simple!

Gather Your Supplies

To make your pom pom garland you will need to first gather a few supplies. You will need:

Yarn Pom Poms
String

After browsing through my house unable to find a string for my garland I resorted to the garage (I was refusing to spend money on this project!).

I found some string in my husbands stash of “stuff” and it worked really well. Twine or even embroidery thread will work great too.

How To Make A Pom Pom Garland

First, tie a knot at the end of your string and use the string to thread a needle.

You will then stick your needle right through the middle of your pom-pom, pull it along the string until it reaches the knot, and continue until your garland is at the desired length.

Knot off the end and you are done! You can hang your yarn pom-pom garland around your house, but we came up with a different idea.

We decided to decorate one of our little Christmas Trees as a “valentine tree.” We have been making little crafts for it all month and decided this pom pom garland would be the perfect addition!

Let me know if you make a pom pom garland! I would love to hear how it went.

Don’t Forget To Pin This Article For Future Reference:

I hope this helped you understand how to make a yarn pom pom!

How to Make Butter in a Jar

November 18, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life1 Comment

Learn how to make homemade butter in a mason jar!

Do you know how to make butter in a jar?? It is one of my favorite activities to do with my kids! The butter tastes fresh and delicious, and it is so easy to do!

Homemade butter is a fun pioneer activity to teach kids about how life was in the 1800s. We have also made it for our Thanksgiving dinner! It was so fun for my kids to serve their very own butter at the table.

I had a container of heavy whipping cream sitting in my fridge for a few weeks. I kept looking at it, knowing I needed to do something with it, but never knowing exactly what! My sister finally suggested to me that I should use the cream to make butter in a jar with my kids. Best idea ever!

Making butter in a jar is so so easy, cheap, and my kids absolutely LOVED it!

It was so fun watching my kids shaking their jars and checking every 5 minutes to see if the butter had formed. My daughter even said, “Wow! They use to have to work hard in the olden days! I can’t imagine doing this every time we needed butter.” This led into such a great discussion about the conveniences we have now and how hard our ancestors had to work in order to survive.

How To Make Butter In a Jar

All you need to make your own butter is a mason jar and a carton of heavy whipping cream. Seriously, that’s it! I told you this was easy!

To make your butter you will need to pour some whipping cream into your mason jar. I filled our jars about half full, but if you are doing this with your kids, or for the first time, I would recommend only filling it about 1/4 full. It just makes the process easier and quicker for the kids if the jar has less cream in it.

Once you have your whipping cream in the jar, put the lid back on, and screw it tight.

Now, all you have to do is shake the jar! Shake, shake and shake! The amount of shaking the butter will need will depend on how much cream you put in the jar. The more cream, the longer you will need to shake.

When we did it today it took us about 45 minutes of hard shaking. If I had done less cream I’m sure it would’ve been much quicker.

You can make the shaking part fun. We turned on some music and danced around while shaking our jars. If you are only making one jar of butter you can have everybody take turns shaking it for 2 minutes and then switching to the next person.

Related: 50 FREE activities to do with your kids over the Summer Break

As you shake your jar you will notice the cream will slowly become thicker. After a while the butter will begin separating from the cream. Keep shaking until the butter forms together in a nice solid ball. Once this happens, you are done! See, so easy!

Drain the leftover cream, rinse your butter, and then transfer it to a plate. Wah-lah! You have made butter!

Now is the fun part! You get to enjoy your butter on some fresh bread or rolls. I am so excited for you! This butter is delicious!

Butter in a Jar

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Heavy whipping cream
Mason jar

Instructions

Pour heavy whipping cream into your mason jar. Fill it between 1/4-1/2 full. The fuller it is, the longer the butter will take to make.
Screw lid onto mason jar to secure a tight fit.
Shake jar vigorously for 15-45 minutes (the more cream, the longer you will need to shake).
Once butter has separated from the cream and formed a ball, you are done.
Take butter ball out of jar and lightly rinse with water.
Enjoy on your favorite bread, rolls, or muffins!

Homemade Graham Cracker Recipe

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

Fall Bucket List for Families

Don’t forget to pin for future reference:

I hope this helped you learn how to make butter in a jar.

15 Free At Home Spring Break Ideas At Home

February 29, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life15 Comments

Check out these fun ideas for kids to do with your kids at home during Spring Break.

Spring break is just around the corner….and that means a lot of time at home with my kids. I love having them home and getting to spend some special time together. However, the ground is still covered with snow (Idaho life), which means we will be spending a lot of time indoors. I’ve been brainstorming some fun, easy kids spring break ideas at home. Here’s what I’ve come up with! I hope that you are your sweet kids will enjoy them this spring break!

Fun Kids Spring Break Ideas At Home

If you are stuck at home this spring break, try one of these fun, easy ideas to do with your kids!

1. Play Board Games

We are HUGE fans of board games at our house. If my kids ever tell me they are bored, I always tell them to play a game! Most times, they listen and then proceed to have hours of fun.

I like to buy most of my board games from the thrift store. There are often like new board games available there, for only a couple of bucks! Score!

Related: 20 Family Board Games, all Under $20

2. ABC Day

Another fun spring break idea to do at home is to have an ABC Day! This is such an easy activity. All you have to do is choose one letter from the alphabet and then plan the day around that letter.

For the letter R we might eat Raisins and Red apples, play Ring around the Rosie or have a Race, and make an art project out of Ribbon (you get the idea).

Get your kids involved with planning the activities based around the letter. An ABC Day also makes for a fun teaching activity for preschoolers.

3. Picnic

Spend the day in the sunshine with a picnic at a park. Bring a Frisbee (or not if that isn’t your thing) and spend time enjoying the sunshine and letting your kids play.

If it’s not warm enough to picnic at the park (like where I live!) just lay a blanket down on the living room floor and picnic at home. Your kids will love getting to eat somewhere other than the kitchen and will make some fun new family memories.

4. Crafts

Crafts are always a big hit at my house. All it takes is a quick search on pinterest and you will find many easy craft ideas.

A few of our favorite crafts for spring is this easy Nature Bookmark, Fun Easter Egg Sun Catcher, and Hot Rocks.

Related: 5 At Home Kids Activities

5. Ice Cream in a Bag

No need for a fancy ice cream maker! You can make ice cream at home just by using a ziplock bag and a little muscle!

I have an easy Ice Cream in a Bag tutorial all written out for you here. My kids love this activity because they each get their own bag to customize and shake (yes, shaking is required!). This is a fun activity for ALL ages!

6. Family Movie Night

Spring Break usually means no school….right???? Maybe you could let your kids stay up late one night and watch a movie together as a family. Pop some popcorn and enjoy a few other treats.

Check out your local library for free movies you might not have seen yet. We love our library!

7. Library

Did I mention we love our library? We do! And, we make a stop there at the beginning of every Spring Break.

The library is the perfect place to stock up for the week on books, movies, and CDs. The library offers SO many more free resources than just books.

8. Bake a Treat

One of my favorite ways to bond with my kids is in the kitchen. We love to cranck up the music, sing out loud, do some dancing, and bake together (all done at the same time, preferably 😉 ).

Enjoy some time in the kitchen this spring break with a few new recipes. A few of our favorites are these homemade graham crackers or Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

9. Nature Walk

If you are one of the lucky ones with a warm spring break, go outside on a nature walk.

Bring a sack with you and collect different rocks, pine needles and pine cones. Turn it into a fun treasure hunt to see how many interesting treasures you can each find.

Once back home, have everyone show what they found and admire the collections. Turn this into a research project and spend some time that day learning about your new finds.

10. Start your garden

Spring Break is the perfect time to start planning your garden and getting some seeds started indoors.

Gardening is a fun activity to get kids involved with. Let your kids choose a few things to plant in the garden. Bring them to the store with you and let the kids help buy the seeds and materials. Then, back at home they can help with the planting and watering.

Watching the little seeds sprout is so exciting for the kids (and me!).

Related: 9 Vegetables to Grow in Your Beginner Garden

11. Friend Day

Plan a play date (or two!) with a few of your kids friends. Let them entertain each other and work on those social skills.

Maybe invite a friend over for you too! It’s always nice to get a little adult conversation in.

12. Spring Cleaning

Alright, I know spring cleaning probably isn’t an “activity” and it’s definitely not that “fun”, but it is free and something we try to work on each Spring Break. Plus, it is more fun to do the work together…..right….??? That’s what I’m telling my kids anyways!

Getting your kids involved with some heavy spring cleaning is a great way to teach them responsibility and hard work.

Related: 5 Homemade Cleaner Recipes that Work Just as Well as the Store Bought Version

13. Make Slime or Play Dough

Slime is all the rage these days. We have tried out a few recipes and loved how easy it was to make. You can find a lot of slime recipes on pinterest.

A great alternative to slime is homemade play dough. We love this easy play dough recipe and this peanut butter play dough recipe for a little twist.

14. Paint Rocks

Find some rocks outdoors and bring them inside to paint. You can paint a cute design, turn the rock into an animal, or whatever you feel inspired to paint. This is so easy, cheap and fun!

Make it even more fun by hiding them around your city. We love finding painted rocks hidden at parks or the library. But, I think it’s even more fun to be the person hiding the rocks!

Related: Painting Baked Rocks

15. Science Experiment

Try out a fun science experiment. We love the basic volcano experiment, where you mix baking soda with vinegar. Or this Magic Toothpick Experiment is another go to at our house.

In Conclusion

I think the most important thing to remember when planning spring break ideas at home is that it doesn’t cost any money to make memories. Your kids will remember the fun time spent together at home, laughing and creating, they won’t even realize it was cheap fun!

Liked what you read? Pin it for future spring break ideas!

What are some of your spring break ideas at home for kids??

Yarn Hearts: An Easy Valentine Craft for Kids

February 7, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life3 Comments

An Easy Valentine Heart Craft for Kids!

A friend shared a brilliant idea with me the other day! She said she uses a small Christmas tree for Valentines Day; instead of decorating it with Christmas ornaments she has a little box of Valentines decorations that she brings out every February and her kids get to decorate a Valentines Tree. I thought this would make a fun valentine craft for kids.

So, I got to work putting together my own valentine tree. I already had a small tree that I use for Christmas each year, the only problem is that I didn’t have any decorations for the tree….and I did NOT want to buy any.

We got to work crafting. First, we made a few hearts out of beads and pipe cleaners. They were so easy, just stick beads on a pipe cleaner and shape it as a heart. Done and done!

Next, we made this darling Pom-Pom Garland. I loved it so much and I can’t wait to make more! You can find the tutorial here.

And last, but not least, we put together these Yarn Heart Ornaments. They were SO fun to make and easy enough for my 6 year old to join in. I love the projects that all three kids can enjoy together!

Yarn Hearts Tutorial

First, you need some cardboard hearts. I grabbed a box from my large stash of amazon boxes and cut out a few hearts.

Choose your favorite yarn color. Here is one of my favorite yarn brands. Use a little bit of tape to attach the yarn to the cardboard heart.

Now for the fun part. Just start wrapping your yarn around the heart. Try to wrap it in different angles to make the design interesting. It wasn’t easy to get all of the small nooks and crannies, but we kept working it and was able to get the entire heart covered.

When your cardboard heart is all covered and looks just right tie a small knot and cut off your excess yarn. I tucked the knot underneath some yarn to try to hide it, which seemed to work well!

And guess what! You are done! That’s it! We attached a few ornament hooks through the yarn and hung it up on our Valentines Day Tree.

I just love how these crafts and little tree turned out, and what’s even better….my kids love it! They are so proud that they helped make all of the decorations; and seeing my kids happy faces is the best kind of valentine gift I could ever receive!

Related Easy Craft Projects:

Tissue Paper Pom-Pom Tutorial

The Easiest Halloween Pumpkin Tutorial

How to Make an Easy Nature Bookmark Tutorial

Easter Egg Sun Catcher

Now it’s your turn to make this easy valentine craft for kids!

Easy St.Patrick’s Day Craft for Preschoolers

February 23, 2018 By: Sweet Frugal Life15 Comments

This is the perfect shamrock craft.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget about celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. It’s one of those holidays that I sometimes wonder….is this a holiday?!?! You know?? But, when you have kids around, it is pure magic for them! This easy St. Patrick’s Day craft for preschoolers is, so simple, and oh so fun for preschoolers and toddlers. I love finding fun crafts for kids that are actually helping their little bodies develop. This craft is fantastic for helping the little ones develop their fine motor skills. It requires a lot of tearing and cutting, which will strengthen those little finger muscles….all while having a little green fun!

Related: Easter Egg Sun Catcher

Easy St. Patrick’s Day Craft for Preschoolers

The first thing you need to do for making this easy clover craft is to gather up all of your random green paper around the house. Most of ours came from the scrap pile I keep from other paper projects. I printed out a shamrock by finding a clip art shamrock on Microsoft Word. (yes, I am so fancy 🙂 )

Now let your sweet little one get to work tearing and cutting the green paper. Encourage them to rip the papers into small pieces. My son got a little tired of ripping and decided to get his scissors out and cut pieces. Do whichever works for you and your littles. That’s the beauty of this clover craft, it can look however you want it to look!

Once you have a nice pile of green shredded paper have your child glue the pieces onto the shamrock. We decided to turn this into a group effort, I put glue on the back of each paper and he stuck the papers on. It was fun to spend some time together crafting and discussing St. Patrick’s Day.

This was such a fun activity to do with my sweet son. I love doing things these simple craft projects, especially when I already have all the supplies on hand. How are you prepping for St. Patrick’s day with your kids?

Check out these easy Valentine crafts!

Fun Valentine Day Craft Ideas

1. Clay Valentine Magnets

2. Panda Valentine Craft

3. Conversation Heart Bookmarks

4. Valentines Foam Pencil Toppers

5. Valentine Yarn Hearts

6. Heart Paint Chip Garland

7. Heart Suncatcher

8. Valentines Day Toilet Paper Roll Vase

9. Valentines Pom Pom Painting

10. DIY Valentine Felt Heart

11. Love Bug Toilet Paper Roll Craft

12. Origami Heart

13. Valentines Day Frame

14. Gnome Paper Craft

15. Love You To Pieces Wreath

16. DIY Heart Crayons

17. Tissue Paper Heart Craft

18. Popsicle Stick Heart Garland

19. Mess Free Smush Painting

20. Love Code Bracelet

21. Crystal Hearts Science Experiment

22. Valentine Hugs

23. Pom Pom Love Bug Craft

Have Fun With These Easy Valentine Day Crafts for Kids!

Pin For Later:

There are so many easy Valentine day crafts for kids to make!

How to make toilet paper roll pumpkins!

Toilet Paper Pumpkin Craft Supplies

Toilet Paper Roll Pumpkin Instructions

A Few Tips

YouTube Tutorial

You might also like:

Pin For Later:

Enjoy your toilet paper pumpkin!

Easy Tissue Paper Pom Pom Tutorial.

Supplies for Tissue Paper Pom Poms

How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

Related Articles:

Pin For Later:

I hope you love these DIY tissue paper pom-poms!

Check out this No Sew Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial!

DIY Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial

Supplies Needed:

Find Your Pattern

Prepare Your Design

Iron On The Picture

In Conclusion

Related Articles:

Pin for Future Reference:

I hope you love this DIY Trick or Treat Bag as much as we did!

How To Make A Pom Pom Garland Out Of Yarn

Gather Supplies

How To Make Yarn Pom Poms

Pom Pom Garland Tutorial

Gather Your Supplies

How To Make A Pom Pom Garland

Related Articles:

Don’t Forget To Pin This Article For Future Reference:

I hope this helped you understand how to make a yarn pom pom!

Learn how to make homemade butter in a mason jar!

How To Make Butter In a Jar

Butter in a Jar

Ingredients

Instructions

Related Articles:

Don’t forget to pin for future reference:

I hope this helped you learn how to make butter in a jar.

Check out these fun ideas for kids to do with your kids at home during Spring Break.

Fun Kids Spring Break Ideas At Home

1. Play Board Games

2. ABC Day

3. Picnic

4. Crafts

5. Ice Cream in a Bag

6. Family Movie Night

7. Library

8. Bake a Treat

9. Nature Walk