I am titling this post Daddy Craft Day but really anyone can have fun doing these, I usually buy craft kids for my husband and son to enjoy together because they come with instructions and I can leave and not bother them more than taking a few pictures! My son loves to create and my husband likes to make concrete things so kits like these are perfect!  This was a gift from a dear friend for my son’s 3rd birthday and I saved it for a weekend daddy project.

1. Gather your materials. You will need a craft kit- they are using Creativity for Kids Set of 3 Fast Car Race Cars which is not recommended for kids under 3, and honestly I would not allow my child to do without close supervision until at least 6. There are many small pieces. Also newspaper to cover your tables , water and a damp cloth to wipe up spills.
2. Let them dive in. They painted.
3. Then we took him out of the house for a few hours, because waiting for the paint to dry was torture for a 3 year old.
4. When dry they added the stickers that came with it.
5. They they raced them- well they still are racing them days later.  My mom came into town and my son very proudly explained that he made these with his dad, NOT his mom. So even if you aren’t the parent or caregiver that normally does creative things , grab a kit and sit down and enjoy the fun that comes from making something with your child.  From my family room , I heard my son say to his dad “Daddy I like doing things with you.”  That is all that needs to be said!

Books About Dad

Daddy’s Song by Leslea Newman was a big hit with my son. The book is a lullaby that a father sings to his daughter before bed. It’s whimsical and at times down right funny. The illustrations by Karen Ritz keep up with the whimsy and make it all seem like a silly dream. Then the end of the book brings us all back to reality with the most important message, that even if all these silly things did happen and turned the little girls world topsy turvy, that her dad would be there and still love her. Big thumbs up from us for this sweet but not sappy book!

Piglet and Papa by Margaret Wild. I was so happy to discover that this author wrote a daddy book to compliment “Piglet and Mama” which I reviewed and loved for Mother’s Day. Papa pig and piglet are playing and piglet thinks she may have made her daddy very angry and worries about his love for her. The other farm animals help by reassuring piglet and finally she finds Papa pig and the other animals were right he does love her more than anyone in the whole world.

A Father Like That by Charlotte Zolotow touched my heart. I have always been lucky to have a dad who was involved and present in my life, but this book is about the opposite. A little boy is telling his mom about what he wants in a dad, because he doesn’t have one. The book covers so many things dads do or don’t do, and while the dream dad isn’t perfect he is fair, loving and kind. I was tearing up as the book neared the end because I was wondering how the mom who was hearing all of this was going to react. Throughout the list of things the dad would do there were things for his mom too, mostly her being able to take a break and rest. Which made me feel sad that a little boy would have to worry about his mom, but I am sure that is all too common. The end pushed me over the edge, and my son who was drifting off to sleep while I was reading popped up and wiped my tears which made me cry harder because he was taking care of me. It ends with his mama saying that even though he may never have a father like that , that one day he can be a father like that. Great book for all families.

I was asked tonight where I find inspiration and I answered everywhere and that is the truth. My son is so into car models right now, it all started with him noticing the H on a friend’s Honda and slowly it’s developed into a chorus of ” Honda! Chevy ! Audi! BMW! Toy-woda!” every time we drive anywhere. I decided to harness that and work in some phonics.  To say he had a blast is a massive understatement.This would make a great group project too!

1. Gather your materials. You will need a car magazine , some craft paper( or any large piece), a marker, some crayons, scissors and a glue stick.
2. Start by drawing a road on your paper.
3. Add the alphabet with your child, have them tell you what’s next after you write each letter if they are able.
4. Hand them the crayons and have them decorate the road- we kept it simple with grass, yellow markings and black for the road. There is no wrong way to do this.
5. While my son did that I ripped some pages out of the magazine looking for different makes that start with different letters (Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda…) If your child is able to have them search . My son refused to let me do this alone, but he was searching only for Hondas.
6. When I had enough I cut the cars out more carefully.
7. While I did that I handed my son some of the discarded pages for him to practice cutting too, his cutting skills aren’t fine tuned enough yet and if I had given him a car to cut out, it would have been pure frustration , but he felt included by cutting the scraps.
8. Time to glue them on.
9. Choose a car, identify it and identify which letter it starts with. If your child needs some help here is what I did. My son had issues with was I for Infinity. When he did I repeated the sound and said ” like Igloo” by giving hints he was still able to figure it out himself which for most almost 3 year olds is key to their pride. With children who are not identifying sounds yet, tell them which letter it starts with and have them find it on the page.
10. Find the letter on the page.
11. Add glue
12. Add the car.
13. Repeat with all the cars.
14. When all are glued on go through them again and label them with their names.
15. After I taped it to the wall he picked out a car for me, a Mercedes! Good boy!

Song

Little Red Car is one of my most viewed song videos click here to watch it !

Books!

“The Berenstain Bears and the Big Road Race” by Stan and Jan Berenstain shouldn’t be overlooked. Both my son and i really enjoy this book from the ever popular series.  It’s a good story about being persistent and they sneak lots of learning into the rhyming text. Colors, opposites and more can be reinforced by this retelling of the classic tale of the tortoise and the hare.

“Everything I Know About Cars” by Tom Lichtenheld is hilarious! I grabbed it at the library today knowing I would need some car books to pair with this activity and didn’t preview it at all.  All I knew is that it was a book about cars I had never read.  At nap when I finally opened it with my son in his car Pjs- I realized it’s very long, and probably more approriate for 4+.  I didn’t put it down though because after reading this on the first page I was hooked :

A collection of made-up facts, Educated Guesses and silly pictures about Cars, Trucks and other Zoomy things

The author had me at zoomy things. My son only made it through the first few pages, but I couldn’t wait to open it back up after he was asleep.  The book takes the readers through the history of cars ( totally made up) , the basics of road trips, kid designed cars … and ends with a tutorial on how the reader can draw their own made up car. I really liked this book and plan to buy a copy for my 4and 7 year old nephews who will love the humor ( yes some of it is pottyish but still fun) and the illustrations.

” Truck Driver Tom “ by Monica Wellington is one of my son’s picks. The story is simple, Tom and his puppy drive produce from the farm to the market and see the country side and much more along the way. The best part of this book are the fun bright and detailed illustrations, there is a wide variety of trucks, cars , emergency and construction vehicles! Also it’s a great lesson about how our food gets from the farm to us. This author is one I have only discovered since becoming a mom and really wish I had been familiar with her while I was teaching, her books are perfect for 2-5 year olds.

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