This calendar craft is a great way to preserve memories. You can have it as a keepsake for your child to have the rest of his/her life, or as a unique gift to give someone to keep for the years to come. You may also decide to use it for display in your home. Most importantly, it is a fun activity that you and your child can enjoy making together. Older children will probably be able to do most of it by themselves, but younger children will need an adult to help them. Be sure to choose a time when they are usually in a good mood and have at least an hour to create each month. If your child does not seem to like having his/her hands painted, don’t be discouraged- you can always try again a different day. Hopefully they will enjoy it once they get used to it, especially when they see the fun picture they have created! Handprint art is a great way to introduce colors & animals to toddlers. It's also a great way for older children to tap into their creative side while preserving memories at the same time. Use this calendar as a guideline in creating your own. You may choose to make it exactly the same , maybe only some of the items, or maybe even completely different ones! It can be as simple or as detailed as you and your child would like it to be. If you don’t seem to have time one month, don’t worry! You could also substitute artwork your child has created for some or even all of the months.
"Hard presses make an oval shape and gentle presses tend to make a more circular shape."
If you decide to make this calendar as a keepsake for your child to look at when he or she is older, it might be fun to write things on the calendar. Some ideas are: things you and your child did together, family outings, visitors, spent the night at Grandma’s house, vacations, road trips, classes, Gymboree, milestones (new tooth, said a new word, 1st haircut, sat up by self…….) , birthdays, holidays, play dates, played at the park, 1st day of school, doctor visits, basically anything you think would be fun to put on the calendar. In the inside of the front & back cover, you could make a collage of pictures taken throughout the year :) Don't forget to put a current photo of your child on the cover along with the year!
Hint: Don't waste paint! You can always place the leftover paint in an air-tight container.
"Hard presses make an oval shape and gentle presses tend to make a more circular shape."
If you decide to make this calendar as a keepsake for your child to look at when he or she is older, it might be fun to write things on the calendar. Some ideas are: things you and your child did together, family outings, visitors, spent the night at Grandma’s house, vacations, road trips, classes, Gymboree, milestones (new tooth, said a new word, 1st haircut, sat up by self…….) , birthdays, holidays, play dates, played at the park, 1st day of school, doctor visits, basically anything you think would be fun to put on the calendar. In the inside of the front & back cover, you could make a collage of pictures taken throughout the year :) Don't forget to put a current photo of your child on the cover along with the year!
Hint: Don't waste paint! You can always place the leftover paint in an air-tight container.
