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How to Make Soundwave Art | DIY Father’s Day Gift Soundwave Art Generator

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May 27, 2021 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Facebook, Father's Day, Instagram, Parenting, Pinterest, Social Media Leave a Comment

Follow this quick and easy tutorial for how to make soundwave art plus create an adorable DIY Father’s Day Gift idea – I love you Soundwave Art Generator craft for kids. The best father’s day gift yet!

Soundwave Art

We have been so blessed to have some of the most amazing preschool teachers! While I have loved every mother’s day (and father’s day gift) my children have created, this years gifts for parents have knocked some other’s out of the park.

For a preschool mother’s day gift, I got adorable photo holders made out of beads and a painted rock. For a preschool Father’s day craft, my husband got the most adorable I Love You Soundwave Art Craft.

How to make soundwave art

It is very easy to make your own soundwave art. I was surprised by how remarkably quick it was with no instruction.

First, open the voice recorder app on your cell phone. Record an I love you memo. If you are an educator (preschool or elementary school), save each file as the child’s name so you can easily identify who is who when creating your soundwave pattern.

How do I get soundwaves from a recording?

Once you have your personalized recording, you want to use a free soundwave art generator. How do you do sound wave art? I looked at a few soundwaves generators, but I found https://convert.ing-now.com to be incredibly easy and straight forward.

Soundwave Graphic Generator

1.) Visit the free soundwave art generator.

2.) Select the circle button, let’s go.

3.) Upload your sound recording.

4.) Choose your foreground color and wavelength size (I chose black and 1800 x 280.)

5.) Click the okay button to generator your soundwave art.

6.) Right click on the soundwave art image and download your I love you soundwave pattern.

I Love You Soundwave Art DIY

Once you’ve created your I love you sound wave art generator, it’s time for a fun father’s day preschool craft (or elementary and older kids too!)

How do you do sound wave art?

Supplies

I Love You Soundwave Art
Paint Supplies (we love Do A Dot Art! Marker Paints for younger kids)
Printer (or print at Staples)
Scissors
Cardstock
Laminator

Instructions

How do soundwave gifts work? Once you have your your personalized sound wave art, it’s time to print the pattern.

First follow the steps above to create a voice memo recording converted to a to sound wave file (png, jpeg, etc.)

Open Microsoft Word and rotate your new document to a landscape design.

Write the phrase “I love you” in the center of the document.

Paste below the phrase, your soundwave file.

Print on cardstock and cut into the shape of a heart.

Using markers or paint (we like Do A Dot Art! Marker Paints) allows your child to color the heart.

Allow the heart to dry.

Once the painted heart is dry, laminate your painted heart sound wave art DIY.

Gift to dad as a DIY Father’s Day craft to keep forever!

Can You Play Soundwave Art?

Do you want to take this a step further? In our memorial crafts for loved ones, I shared one way to play soundwave art. You would basically need a QR code to create soundwave art that plays. A QR code is a pixelated number of black squares and dots that form a square. When scanned with a camera app it opens a browser or browser that holds the sound recording.

Can you play soundwave art? Yes – create a soundwave with a QR code! For this process, you will either purchase a soundwave QR code or create your own URL to hold your recording. Once you have the URL with your sound recording, you can quickly create a QR code on QR-Tiger. If your voice memo is a MP3, you can also upload this on QR Tiger.

Our Pinterest community and I would love to see how this worked out for you. Share your sound wave art block or final DIY Father’s Day Soundwave Craft. Leave a comment and/or add a photo here on Pinterest!

Also visit our Memorial Craft Ideas post. Make memorial crafts or learn how to record the voicemail of al oved one and purchase soundwave art for deceased family or friends. Pin to Pinterest.

Want more father’s day ideas? Enjoy these Father’s Day Crafts for Kids: Preschool, Elementary and Older. Pin to Pinterest.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Enjoy these NO BUMMER SUMMER BOREDOM BUSTERS FOR KIDS.

Also access our Free Frugal Coupon Living Printables to help you find joy through embracing the chaos of motherhood more easily!

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Indoor Games for Youth, Families & Kids

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May 11, 2021 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Birthday, Facebook, Instagram, Kids, Parenting, Pinterest, Printable, Social Media Leave a Comment

Rainy Day? Too much screen time? Enjoy these Indoor Games List. Indoor games for kids to play on family game night, at youth group, in a classroom or for a birthday party. Download and print our indoor games printable PDF to have all your resources on hand.

Indoor Games for Youth

Need some boredom busters? Tired of electronics. Get the kids active and engaged with these indoor games for family. Enjoy this creative list of indoor activities at home or take it to your youth group, classroom, or next party gathering.

List of Indoor Games

Enjoy the following Popular Indoor Games for groups including youth, tweens, & kids – they are perfect for kids of all ages. They can be played in small groups (family game night or on a rainy day) or with larger group (birthday parties or youth group.) They pair very well with our 18 Minute to Win It Games or grab both Indoor & Outdoor Games for Kids to keep the kids engaged and active both on sunny and rainy days.

Potato Drop

For this relay race, split players into two teams. Have each players place a potato between their knees & race to a finish line where they have to drop it into a designated bowl or bucket. After it land sin the bucket, they run back to the start line to tag the next player. If the potato is dropped on the group, or if hands touch it, they have to go back to the start line and try again. First team for all players to finish the race, wins.

Supplies: Potatoes, bowl or bucket.

Balloon on a String

In this fun balloon game, tie a balloon to each players ankle with a piece of string. Once everyone has a balloon tied to their ankle, start playing some music. When the music plays, people walk around. When the music stops, the aim is to burst another’s balloon & protect your own. The winner is the last person left with a balloon.

Supplies: Balloons, string, music.

This Blows

In this 60 second challenge, each player has blow up a balloon and then use the air that’s inside of it to knock over as many plastic cups as they can in one minute. If they still have time on the clock they can repeat the steps blowing up a balloon and knocking down any leftover cups. The player who knocks over the most cups in one minute, wins. If you play over and over, you can keep a running number of points until each team member hits a certain number of points (i.e. 50 points.)

Supplies: Balloons, plastic cups.

Sticky Spider Web

Use sticky painter’s tape to make a web-like design on a doorway opening, the sticky surface facing the same direction. Give your kids newspaper to scrunch up and throw up at the web. You can also get creative and use other light-weight objects like balloons, cotton balls, socks, etc. Points are awarded for how many items stick in 10 throws.

Supplies: Painters tape, newspaper, cotton balls, balloons and/or socks.

Charades

Charades is always a fun as long as you choose animals, titles, songs and films that play to the right age group. Write down your person/places/things on charades cards. Each player has to blindly act out the charade only using their hands and body. No talking. Their team has to guess correctly what they are acting out in a certain amount of time. A point is awarded for correctly guessing.

Supplies: DIY Charades Cards Template (provided in the Indoor Games printable packet.)

Balloon Tennis

Use painters tape to draw a line down the center of a large space (living room/basement/etc.) Outline a rectangle space using tape or objects like a couch. Using fly swatters, you must play tennis over the tape. One or two players per team. A point is earned when the balloon hits the opponents floor. Play until 10/15/20 points or for a certain amount of time.

Supplies: Balloons, fly swatters, painters tape.

Traveling Basketball

For this indoor basketball game, place a large bowl or bucket in each room. Give each player a rolled-up sock set. Have the players stand in the doorway and take aim, trying to get their sock into the bowl. As each player scores, he/she progresses to the next room. The first person to complete the entire circuit of basketball hoops is the winner.

Supplies: Socks, bowls.

Ball Drop

Have each player stand on a chair. Set a plastic cup on the ground in front of them and give them three ping pong balls. The object is to get all three balls in the cup without missing or having any bounce out. Once they get all three in, they win. Repeat with a player who has not played against the winner until there is only one winner left. Last man standing is the winner.

Supplies: Plastic cups, ping pong balls.

Skittles Race

For this indoor challenge, pour a big bag of skittles into a large bowl and give every child a drinking straw. On the other side of the playing area set up an individual plastic cup with the player’s name written on it. On the start of go, the kids must rush to get as many Skittles as they can into their cups by sucking the skittles onto their straws and running it over to drop in their cup. They may not touch the skittles with anything other than the straws. At the end of time, the player with the most Skittles in their cup wins.

Supplies: Skittles, large bowl, straws, plastic cups, markers.

Four Corners

This classic game is loved by all. To play, number the corners of the playing room 1-4 and explain where each corner is. One child is chosen to be IT. IT stands in the center of the room and is blindfolded. Then, the other players have 20 seconds to go quietly to a corner. After 20 seconds, everyone should be in a corner. Next, IT calls out a corner number. Anyone who was in this corner is out. repeat the game until only one player remains. The last player standing is IT for the next game.

Supplies: none

Musical Statues

Play some upbeat music and let the kids dance like crazy. When the music is paused, each child must freeze like a statue. If anyone is caught moving, they’re out. Repeat until there is one dancer left. Last one standing is the winner.

Supplies: Music.

Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of things to find, sticking to a theme works great. Split the group in two. The first team to find the entire list, wins. You can make this easier or more challenging based on the age of the group.

Supplies: Scavenger hunt clues.

Chocolate Bar Game

Put a bar of chocolate on the plate with the knives & forks and sit the children around the chocolate in a circle. Throw the pile of dress up clothes into the circle like hats gloves, scarves, an oversized shirt, oversized pants etc. Give one child two dice. Children take turns to roll the dice on the floor, passing them around the circle to their left. If a child rolls a double, they leap into the center of the circle, put on the dress up clothes, and start to unwrap, then eat, the bar of chocolate – but only using the knife & fork. That child keeps going until another child rolls a double, at which point they take over dressing up and eating the chocolate with a fork and knife. Tips: If you have a large number of kids, have two sets of dice going and extra chocolate bars.

Supplies: Chocolate bars, forks, knives, dress up clothes, dice.

Sardines

Hide and seek reverse style. One child hides and the rest seek them. When they find the hidden person they hide with them. All cramping into one space until there’s only hunter left. Play again with the last remaining hunter, hiding this time.

Supplies: none

Pass the Parcel

Wrap a present in several layers using wrapping paper, newspaper, bubble wrap, or saran wrap. Sit the kids in a circle, play some music. While the music plays, the kids to pass the parcel. When you stop the music, the child holding the package removes one layer. Repeat until the present is revealed. You can have small presents on various layers.

Supplies: Wrapping paper, bubble wrap and/or Saran wrap, small gifts and/or candy, music.

Blind Van Gogh

Divide players into pairs, blindfolded one player. Set a timer for two minutes and show the partner (who can see) an object. The seeing partner then describes the object without saying what it is while the blindfolded player tries to draw it with a pencil on a piece of paper. To make it fair, each team should have the same object. When time is up, take the blindfolds off and let the “artists” see how well their drawing looks like what they were supposed to draw. Best drawing, wins.

Supplies: Paper, pen, objects around the room, blindfolds.

Cotton Ball Crawl

Dump a pile of cotton balls on the floor in one room and place empty bowls on the floor of another room (one bowl per player). Set a timer for 4 minutes and have players move one cotton ball from one room into the bowl—using a spoon and crawling on hands and knees, then go back and get another. The cotton balls are so light, they’re likely to go flying. Player with the most balls in their bowl at the end of time , wins.

Supplies: Cotton balls, bowls, spoons.

Indoor Games List PDF

Stay organized at your next gathering. Your can print out these 17 Indoor Games with directions and supply list. These are kids games using household items you can find in your pantry or home. The set includes DIY Charades Cards Templates.

Kids Indoor Games Printable PDF

By downloading you are accepting the terms that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions.

I am happy to share printables. When sharing with others, please lead them to my website instead of emailing them the file(s). Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing with others!

How to Print at Staples

I have a video to show you how I print my PDF documents at Staples.

Our Pinterest community and I would love to see how this worked out for you. Share your kids having fun with these Indoor Games Ideas Leave a comment and/or add a photo here on Pinterest!

Games for Kids

We believe every party should create a good time and every time I plan a party, I ask myself what are some fun party games?

We have done the work for you and put all your favorite fun party games into one place. Keep the kids buy and entertained with these 50+ Kids Party Games. This bundle includes our Indoor Games for Kids.

Use these children’s indoor party games for in for the classroom, youth groups, rainy days, birthday parties, and more. Teens, Youth, Kids – perfect for kids of all ages.

We have more party games, take a look at our full list of Party Games for Kids. Each set comes with game direction and supply list.

Need a visual? Take a look at these outdoor and indoor games with picture in our Visual Kids Party Games. Pin to Pinterest.

18 Minute to Win It Games – Instructions & Supply List

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May 4, 2021 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Birthday, Facebook, Instagram, Kids, Parenting, Party, Pinterest, Printable, Social Media Leave a Comment

Eighteen of the most popular & new Minute to Win It Games. This Minute to Win it Games List PDF will keep you organized at your next gathering. Use for youth groups, family game night, classroom parties or even birthdays. Age appropriate for kids of all ages including youth, teens, tweens, and adults.

Toss out the traditional party games like musical chairs, Pictionary, sack race, and pin the tail on the donkey. Embrace these new Minute to Win it Games for Youth, Teen, Kids and Even Adults. These games can be celebrated at your next family gathering, birthday party, neighborhood gathering, classroom party. Enjoy indoors or even outdoors.

What is a Minute to Win It Challenge?

Most people know Minute to Win it as a show franchise. In the Minute to Win It show, contestants are given one minute to perform a challenge using objects are are commonly available in the home. What makes this show a great success, is these 60-second challenges can be adapted to your own home and group of friends.

Using a supply list of cookies, cotton balls, cups, plates, bowls, pennies and more, these funny Minute to Win It games will liven up a room. They create laugher and a fun atmosphere as teams complete to be called the winner and gain the Minute to Win It Trophy (is there one?)

18 Minute to Win It Games

Enjoy the following popular Minute to Win It Games for groups including youth, tweens, & adults – they are perfect for kids of all ages.

Junk in the Trunk

Each player is given a rectangular empty Kleenex box with 8 Ping Pong Balls. The box is strapped around the waist, tape works great. On the start of go, the participants try to get the balls out of the Kleenex box using only movement. No hands. The first player with an empty box wins. You can play until there is one man standing if you want to award points based on first, second, third places, etc.

Supplies: Kleenex box, pink bong balls, tape.

Face the Cookie

Each person is given a cookie. An OREO works great. Each player places the cookie on their forehead and has to get it into their mouth without using their hands and only movement. The winner that gets it done first. In one minute is through, the winner is the player with the cookie closest to their mouth. If the cookie is drop, you must start from the beginning forehead spot.

Supplies: OREO cookie.

Stack Attack

Players have one minute to stack 10 plastic cups in a pyramid, take them down in a diagonal fashion, and then reverse stack them back to the in the diagonal position. If the pyramid tower falls at any point, the must start over. Whoever completes this first is the winner! Point awarded for how does it the fastest or without dropping a balloon.

Supplies: Plastic cups.

Defy Gravity

The goal of this game is to successfully keep three balloons in the air for one minute. Players can only use one of their hands to do it! If a balloon falls, that team looses the round. Point awarded for how does it longest or without dropping a balloon.

Supplies: Balloons.

Ping Pong Bounce

In this game, players have to bounce ping pong balls into six cups. First to get a ball in each cup, wins. Or the person who gets the most in a set period of time, wins.

Supplies: Ping pong balls, plastic cups.

Apple Stack

In this game, players are given five apples each. The first one to stack all 5 apples in one vertical stack is the winner! To make the game fair, put ten apples in the center of the table and let opponents pick apples one by one until each player has five.

Supplies: Apples.

Suck It Up

In this game, each player has a package of Smarties, two plates and a straw. The player must transfer the Smarties from one plate to the next using only the straw. The first who transfers all candies, is the winner. Or the player that transfers the most in the one minute, is the winner.

Supplies: Smarties, plates, straws.

Spray Off

Players will be given a spray bottle filled with water, and the aim is to guide a floating balloon toward a trash can by using
only the spray. If the balloon hits the ground, the player has to start to start over. First to get the balloon in the trash can is the winner.

Supplies: Spray bottle, balloons, trash cans.

Movin’ on Up Cup Game

Each player starts with a stack of 30 plastic cups, with 29 red cups and one blue one at the top. Players must move the cups one at a time from the top of the stack to the bottom, continuing until the blue cup returns to the top of the stack. First one to reveal their blue cup wins! Use a timer, one player at a time, to find the fastest player or double the number of cups to have a side by side challenge.

Supplies: Plastic cups: 29 red, one blue.

Roll-On, Buddy

In this game challenge, each player must roll a potato, onion, or egg across the floor from a starting line to a finish line only their nose. First one across the finish line, wins.

Supplies: Potato, onion or egg.

Penny for Your Thoughts

Contestants must stack 25 pennies in under a minute using only one hand. Player who stacks the most or gets 25 first is the winner. Use a timer, one player at a time, to find the fastest player or double the number of pennies to have a side by side challenge.

Supplies: Pennies.

Chopstick Race

In this minute to win it challenge, who can get the most cereal from one bowl to the other using only chopsticks?

Supplies: Cereal, bowls, chopsticks.

Stack It Up

In this fun minute game, see how many cookies you can stack in one minute. The player with the most cookies stacked at the end of time, is the winner.

Supplies: Cookies

State of Affairs

Have contestants write down as many state capitals in 60 seconds as they can. Player with the most wins.

Supplies: Pencil, paper.

Wanna Spoon?

In this silly minute to win it game, using nothing but a spoon in your mouth, transfer as many ping pong balls as you can from one bowl to another. No hands! Player with the most balls at the end of time, wins.

Supplies: Spoons, bowls, ping pong balls.

Worm Search

Get messy! Each contestant is given a bowl filled with whipped cream and six gummy worms hidden inside. Using only their mouths, players have one minute to retrieve as many worms as they can. When retrieved , they grab the worm and place it on plate beside them. The player with the most worms retrieved and placed on the plate, wins.

Supplies: Whipped cream, gummy worms, bowls, plates.

Nose Mover

Add a bit of Vaseline to the tip of each contestants nose. Using only their nose, players transfer many cotton balls as they can from one bowl/plate to the other. Player with the most at the end of time, wins.

Supplies: Vaseline, cotton balls, bowls or plates.

Pile of Kisses

Contestants will compete to see who can unwrap the most Hershey Kisses in one minute. They can use their hands. You can make it a harder challenge, by players using their mouth only.

Supplies: Hershey Kisses

Minute to Win It List PDF

Stay organized at your next gathering. Your can print out these 18 Minute to Win It Rules with games directions and supply list. These are minute to win it games with household items you can find in your pantry or home.

Minute to Win It Games for Kids, Teen, & Adults

By downloading you are accepting the terms that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions.

I am happy to share printables. When sharing with others, please lead them to my website instead of emailing them the file(s). It takes time, effort and money to put the freebies forth and I earn when you visit. Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing with others!

How to Print at Staples

I have a video to show you how I print my PDF documents at Staples.

Our Pinterest community and I would love to see how this worked out for you.

What can you do in one minute? Share your new Minute to Win it Games Photos. Leave a comment and/or add a photo here on Pinterest!

Games for Kids

We believe every party should create a good time and every time I plan a party, I ask myself what are some fun party games?

Use these party games for kids in for the classroom, field days, youth groups, parties, and more. Teens, Youth, Adults – perfect for kids of all ages.

We have more party games, take a look at our full list of Party Games for Kids. Each set comes with game direction and supply list.

Need a visual? You can also look at our Family Approved Minute to Win It Games. Pin to Pinterest.

Need to see it? Take a look at these Visual Kids Party Games. Pin to Pinterest.

Declutter Challenge for Kids

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April 20, 2021 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Instagram, Kids, Parenting, Pinterest, Printable, Social Media Leave a Comment

Is your child’s bedroom and play area drowning in stuff? Download our free 7-day declutter challenge PDF. This one task a day cleaning checklist keeps your child from becoming overwhelmed and guides them to creating a new organized space!

Declutter Challenge for Kids

Feeling overwhelmed? Have you stepped on your last LEGO or have you yelled for the very last time “clean up your room“? I get it. With five kids and too many spaces to organize, I have had to lead my kids into creating better organizational habits.

Guide your child to developing new organizational skills with a printable resource and guide; a printable 7-Day Kid’s Declutter Challenge Checklist PDF.

In this seven day cleaning challenge, kids will how to clean their bedroom room in small steps. In seven days time, they will have a clean space organized and free of clutter.

How to Clean Your Room for Kids

In this tidy up challenge, steps are broken down into days, leading your child on a decluttering journey.

Day 1: Pick up any toys that are on the floor and sort through them. Keep your favorites & get rid of the ones you no longer play with.

Day 2: Make your bed and clean up under the bed. Throw away any garbage and put away what you want to keep. Tidy up your nightstand.

Day 3: Pick up any dirty clothes lying around and put them in your laundry hamper & vacuum entire floor. Don’t forget under the bed!

Day 4: Tidy up your closet. Ask mom or dad to help you sort through your clothing. Keep your favorites & get rid of the ones you no longer need.

Day 5: Organize all of your books & art supplies. Tidy up your workspace.

Day 6: Tidy up your playroom floor and go through your toys. Put way the toys you want and get rid of the toys you no longer play with

Day 7: Vacuum your playroom floor and finish tidying up. Make sure everything is in its place!

Hey Mom! This list can be overwhelming. This is why we have broken it down in seven days. It is important the first time you attempt this list, you model steps for your child. Instead of investing hours in each day, set a timer and do each day’s task for 20 minutes. You can repeat it in future weeks. If this is something that will not be challenging for your child, take all 7 days and knock it out in one day or weekend.

Also take a look at our daily/weekly kid’s cleaning checklist. This can keep your hard work maintained and also sets responsibilities and good daily habits for your child. We suggest laminating the checklist and letting them complete it on a certain day of the week, on the weekend, weekly or even daily! Adapt the timeline to what works in your home.

Kids Declutter Challenge PDF

Download our free Kid’s Declutter Challenge printable. Subscribe and look for a link and password in your inbox. The password allows you to access and download all of our free printables.

1.) Enter your email address HERE.

2.) Confirm the email request in your inbox.

3.) Look for the link and passcode in your inbox.

By downloading you are accepting the terms that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions.

I am happy to share printables. When sharing with others, please lead them to my website instead of emailing them the file(s). It takes time, effort and money to put the freebies forth and I earn when you visit. Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing with others!

Busy Mom Binder

If you find this cleaning checklist incredible resourceful for keeping your busy home organized, take a look at our Busy Mom Binder!

Kid’s Cleaning Checklist

Once things are decluttered, make sure you maintain a clean space with a daily or weekly Kid’s Cleaning Checklist. This checklist leads your child through the steps of maintaining their clean personal space. This is found in our Busy Mom Home Organizational Binder!

We haven’t forgotten the bigger picture. Clean your entire home in the span of 30 days with our Monthly Declutter Challenge. Use this resource for spring cleaning or repeat every month maintaining a clean and organized home.

You can also try our Monthly Declutter Challenge for free in our free printable library. Find out how here!

TRY THE BUSY MOM BINDER IN THIS FLASH SALE!

How to Print at Staples

Don’t have a printer. Want this printed on nice paper and maybe laminated? Watch this video for how I print my PDF documents at Staples.

Our Pinterest community and I would love to see how this worked out for you. Share your decluttered bedroom! We love to see clean spaces. Leave a comment and/or add a photo here on Pinterest!

More Organization Printables

We won’t leave you there! Take a look at these other Organization Printables for Kids and Parents. Pin to Pinterest.

Since we got you excited for getting organized and becoming efficient, take a look at these Everyday Busy Mom Life Hacks too. Tips and tricks for an efficient home. Pin to Pinterest.

Family Traditions To Start Now!

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March 21, 2021 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Instagram, Parenting, Pinterest, Seasonal, Social Media Leave a Comment

Family traditions are important for creating family memories and solidifying family bonds and relationships. Take a look at this list of unique and traditional Family Traditions to Start Now!

Family Traditions

I was not raised in a big family. Obviously, with five kids, I have a big family now. As my family has grown, the amount we can do with extended family has decreased (if that makes sense.) In a more direct explanation, it is hard to fly seven people. When are are able to travel, not everyone wants to house a large group of people for holiday. While big and small holidays have become more and more about our immediate family, it has caused me to create our own NEW family traditions.

Have you ever sat and read the Family Tradition Hank Williams Jr. lyrics? Don’t. PSA they are not family friendly. If you are looking for family tradition examples, I promise you they will be far from the family traditions Hank sings about in his well-known Family Traditions country song. I will however, commit to one lyric…

“I’m just carrying on an ole family tradition…”

What is a family tradition mean?

Family traditions are a set of activities you repeat within a family. They can be traditional family activities, cultural traditions or they can be unconventional and modern family activities. Family traditions make each family unique as they are experiences that not every family will have. When you combine family traditions, you create your own unique family blueprint.

Why are family traditions important?

Family traditions are important for creating family memories. Family memories are important for creating family bonds. When conducting research, I learned most family traditions are not very big. Rather it is the family activity that is done together that is important. It is in those family bonding moments, memories are formed.

Family traditions enrich your life together and contribute to your child’s well-being and security. They create long lasting family memories.

How do you make family memories?

If you think about the photographs of one’s life, how many can you pull to the forefront of your mind? Memories are created when something out of the ordinary happens. The same “ole” day to day activities, will not create a new synaptic gap (photograph) in your mind. They are routine and can easily be done with little thought. When new activities come in to play, new things are experienced and new things are seen. They are indexed as a nerve connection (new file) in our mind. These are the dots that are added to our road map of life.

Think of this example as a real road map. You drive down the road form city to city. The places you recall are the places you stop. A restaurant, a hotel, a theme park, a landmark and more. When you are on the road, everything appears the same and does not create a new dot on your road map. However, when you park the car, get out and visit an attraction, a dot is added on your journey.

Before you check out these family bonding ideas, I am sure you will also love…

Christmas Traditions for the Family

Christmas Eve Traditions

Family Reunion Ideas

Family Birthday Celebrations & Ideas

Family Birthday Traditions

Family Memorial Ideas for those who have passed

Examples of Family Traditions

I am sure you are asking yourself, What are some good family traditions? If you are looking to start your own family traditions and add memories to one’s childhood, take a look at these family traditions ideas. Let’s create some examples of family traditions to add dots on our road map of life.

Birthday Interview

We have a number of ways to celebrate Birthdays with Your Immediate Family. One easy tradition is this printable Birthday Interview. Ask your child the same questions every year and put them together in a time capsule (this does not have to be a box buried in the ground, keep it in a plastic bin in the closet!) | Frugal Coupon Living

Family Game Night

Turn one weekend night a month into a regular reoccurring Family Game Night. This is actually a funny family tradition for us, so many of our belly laughs and the laughs that make you cry come from a weekend game night. | Frugal Coupon Living

Take a look at our Family Game Night Bucket List. Set includes 45 Family Game Night games with instructions and supply list, 18 Minute to Win it Games, Charades & Scattergories Game Cards and Scavenger Hunt Template.

Family Game Night Bucket List Set

Family Bucket Lists

Start seasonal Family Bucket Lists. You can do a new bucket list every holiday or do fewer with one in winter, spring, summer, and fall or one the entire year. Keep this bucket list on the fridge and check off the activities as you go. Relieve your childhood with your own kids by using this Eighties Summer Bucket List too!| Frugal Coupon Living

Pray Together

An important family tradition is praying. It can be as simple as praying before bed. This has been an activity we have done every night for as long as we can remember. Try the ACTS Prayer Method (pray with 1.) adoration, confession, thanksgiving and close with supplication or requests.) Children thrive on routine and find security in deepening relationships. This gives them a glimpse into how you are feeling when you share your concerns and praise to the Lord. My husband and I have also created the tradition of listening to the Bible in a Year Podcast. This tradition has created deeper discussion among us has has been an excellent way to start the day.

Eat Dinner Together

Eating together is important for maintaining relationships. You can even have special dinner nights like Taco Tuesday, Meatless Monday or Sheet Pan Supper Wednesday. In order to stick to this dinner family tradition, start with just one night that is set apart. Perhaps give each member of the family a role in creating the complete recipe. One person can set the table, another create the prep, another serve the plates, etc.

Volunteer Together

Paying it forward is as much a gift for someone else as it is for you. Find a service project you can commit to for a season or once a month. There are many reasons to volunteer and instill the act of volunteering in our kids. Volunteering offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around us. It provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge. Plus, intrinsically, it gives to you just as much as it gives back to someone else!

Travel

Traveling is an example of doing something out of the norm. Take a cruise, go on a road trips, or even have a staycation week. Either way, make sure it is very different from your norm. If you are home, use a staycation to plan for future travel.

Dinner Questions for Conversation

Speaking of supper, download this set of nightly Dinner Conversation Starters. Dinner is the perfect occasion to communicate and often the opportunity is lost because of the distractions of the minutes. If dinner questions are not need, get to know your children and their day by every member sharing three good things about their day and one bad. This also provides an opportunity to focus on the “positive” yet still recognize the challenges a day can hold.

To get your dinner questions downloads, Subscribe and look for a link and password in your inbox. The password allows you to access and download all of our free printables. By downloading you are accepting the terms that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions.

Cultural Family Traditions

Have you take a 23andme test? Did the results surprise you. Whether you are learning about a new culture or want to celebrate one you’ve already known, help your children celebrate their heritage by incorporating cultural family traditions. Visit a restaurant from your country, attend a cultural festival or cook a special meal on a certain day each year.

Annual Christmas Card

One family tradition you can keep (and you won’t regret this when the kids are out of the home) is taking an annual photo. It can be with a photographer or something information. Turn these yearly photos into annual Christmas Cards. One way to display your yearly Christmas cards is on a binder ring. Just add a hole punch to the corner. You can keep a binder ring for your family and a binder ring for the cards you get each year just like we see from Minted.

When writing your Christmas envelopes, make sure you take a look at these hand lettering tutorials and idea!

Pay It Forward Traditions

We have spoken many times about our family birthday idea. Take a look at this random act of kindness as a fun way to pay it forward on on your birthday at the Dollar Store or in the Dollar Spot at Target!

Valentine Family Tradition

This is one family tradition we do year after year and keep up for a long time. Add a sweet heart to your child’s do from February 1 to February 14th. The message is why they are a wonderful member of the family, a positive trait you see in them, etc. I even have my children each make a heart for each other once or twice during this period of time. It’s a great way to encourage your child.

Time Capsule Questions

Consider creating a time capsule or memory box for your child. This can include ticket stubs, baby teeth, photos from special events, special invitations, etc. Also add this Last Day of School Time Capsule. This set includes pre-K to 12th grade and is perfect for watching how your child has evolved.

Time Capsule Questions for Students Printable Set

Funny Family Traditions

They say laughter is the best medicine. Instead of following some of these traditional traditions for the family, try something unique only to your family. If you can incorporate humor, do it! For example, have a dress up night where you all eat hot dogs and Doritos on your best china. Play family board games including charades and Gestures (one of our favorites that always leads to belly laughs.) Take a look at these Weird Family Traditions from The Atlantic for some inspiration.

What are some of your favorite Family Traditions? I would love to hear from you so we can add to our list and share with others traditions for the family they might want to begin.

Also take a look at these Family Reunion Ideas for more extended family traditions for your bigger family. Pin to Pinterest.

For the holiday season, also look at these Christmas Traditions to start now! Pin to Pinterest.

Rainbow Scavenger Hunt to Teach Toddlers Their Colors

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February 14, 2021 by administrator Filed Under: Facebook, Instagram, Kids, Parenting, Pinterest, Printable, Social Media Leave a Comment

This rainbow scavenger hunt will help you toddlers learn to identify colors and keep them entertained! Download many free scavenger hunt ideas for kids, preschoolers, and more.

Recognizing colors is an important skill that kids can learn as early as 2 or 3 years old. It’s typically one of the first things parents teach their children, along with shapes and letters. Colors will be taught in preschool and kindergarten, but you can start exposing your child to the names of colors long before they head off to class.

One of the easiest ways to help your children identify colors and know color names is by pointing them out in their environment. When you go to the park, mention how green the grass is, or how white the puffy clouds are in the sky. Point out a blue or red car. If you take your child grocery shopping, they can find a number of different colors just within the produce aisle.

Learning opportunities are really all around us every single day!

Rainbow Scavenger Hunt – Teaching Toddlers Their Colors

A great indoor scavenger hunt that we have put together involves finding the colors of the rainbow inside your home. This is the perfect activity for a rainy day when it’s too miserable to play outside. You will still want to entertain your toddler, and with this free printable scavenger hunt, they learn while having fun!

Print the scavenger hunt when you are ready to play with your toddler. You can leave it as a full sheet or cut it up into cards to make them smaller for your little one’s hands. Read and follow the directions on each card to have your child roaming around the house looking for colors!

The following instructions are on this free rainbow scavenger hunt:

Find something in your bedroom that is red
Something in the toy box that is orange
Find something in the kitchen that is yellow
Something outside that is green
Find something in your closet that is blue
Something on a shelf that is purple
Find something in a drawer that is pink
Something on the floor that is brown
Find something in the living room that is black
Something in the bathroom that is white

Making this Scavenger Hunt Printable More Fun

Each time you play this game with your toddler, encourage them to find new things that are the color you are looking for. You can also mix it up, such as finding something in the toy box that is blue and something in the closet that’s orange. This keeps the game fresh so they are always learning new places to find their colors.

The more exposure you give them to color names, the faster they will catch on!

It won’t be long before your little one will be able to tell you the colors of things: balls, cars, food, etc. And if you ever want to give rewards, try giving them an M&M of the right color once they find it in the game!

Rainbow Toddler Scavenger Hunt Printable

Download our free Toddler Scavenger Hunt printable. Subscribe and look for a link and password in your inbox. The password allows you to access and download all of our free printables.

1.) Enter your email address HERE.

2.) Confirm the email request in your inbox.

3.) Look for the link and passcode in your inbox.

By downloading you are accepting the terms that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions.

I am happy to share printables. When sharing with others, please lead them to my website instead of emailing them the file(s). It takes time, effort and money to put the freebies forth and I earn when you visit. Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing with others!

How to Print at Staples

If you want to print your scavenger hun tout of the home I have a video to show you how I print my PDF documents at Staples. Sign in Staples Printing Service Page to get started.

Want more Toddler Scavenger Hunts or Scavenger Hunts for Kids? Be sure to check out more of our Printable Scavenger Hunts for Kids! Pin to Pinterest.

Also save these Family Bucket Lists for Every Occasion & Season. Pin to Pinterest.

STEM Challenges for Kids

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February 6, 2021 by administrator Filed Under: DIY, Facebook, Instagram, Kids, Parenting, Pinterest, Printable, Social Media 1 Comment

These STEM Challenges for kids help promote one (or more) of the following subjects: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In other words, they are very educationally beneficial while also being a ton of fun!

Making learning fun is always a goal for parents. You want your kids to be entertained, but nothing’s wrong when there’s a little education going on at the same time. It helps make the most of playtime. There are many STEM toys out there that are great at helping foster skills and learning concepts while also being fun for kids.

Speaking of STEM, however, your kids can have fun without buying special toys. There are many building materials you can use that are found in your own home! Things like:

LEGOs (okay, this is a special toy, but most already have these painful blocks at home!)
Q-Tips
Aluminum foil
Toothpicks
Paper plates
Straws
String
Empty toilet paper rolls
Plastic wrap
Pencils

It’s amazing what you can build with when you get a little creative!

STEM Challenges for Kids

We have put together a fun printable STEM Challenges pack for kids. We hope your kids enjoy building these different items using household materials. There’s also a fun STEM scavenger hunt included!

Once you print these fun STEM worksheets, you will see a number of fun activities. Clip the cards for more handheld fun or leave the paper as is. We recommend you print on cardstock paper so the challenge cards or sheets stand up to long-term use.

You’ll see the supplies list within the STEM Challenge cards. Your kids can refer to this each time they go to make something new.

Examples of building STEM Challenges for Kids that are included:

Catapult
Robot
Tall Tower
Marble Maze
Straw Rocket
Hexagon

You can always add to the challenges by coming up with more things for your kids to build and create!

STEM Scavenger Hunt

Give your kids a break at building by taking them on a scavenger hunt! This printable offers a list of STEM-related items that your kids can find at home or when out. Print the hunt again and again each time you go somewhere new!

When doing the scavenger hunt, your kids will have to find things like something…

With wheels
That needs a battery
That cools items
Reflective
Symmetrical
Asymmetrical
That can dissolve in water

All of the items in the scavenger hunt uses one of the fields of STEM, so they will be learning why they are searching.

STEM Challenge for Kids Printables

Download our free STEM Challenge & Stem Scavenger Hunt printables. Subscribe and look for a link and password in your inbox. The password allows you to access and download all of our free printables.

1.) Enter your email address HERE.

2.) Confirm the email request in your inbox.

3.) Look for the link and passcode in your inbox.

By downloading you are accepting the terms that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions.

I am happy to share printables. When sharing with others, please lead them to my website instead of emailing them the file(s). It takes time, effort and money to put the freebies forth and I earn when you visit. Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing with others!

How to Print at Staples

Want to have these professionally printed? I have a video to show you how I print my PDF documents at Staples.

Looking for more fun STEM activities? Check out our STEM Projects for Kids! Pin to Pinterest.

Our 5 Minute Science Experiments for Kids are always fun too! Pin to Pinterest.

Adoption Party Ideas

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January 24, 2021 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Instagram, Parenting, Party, Pinterest, Social Media 2 Comments

The adoption process is exhausting. Celebrate the end of a long journey with these Adoption Party Ideas. From adoption celebration themed showers, adoption photo ideas, quotes and more. Be apart of the happy ending.

Adoption Party Ideas

Fostering? Adopting? Celebrating a new child? These Adoption party Ideas, themed celebrations, books and photo ideas will help make your “Gotcha Day” extra special and memorable.

What is Gotcha Day?

“Gotcha day” is the term used for a date of adoption when a person joins a family. Adoptive families can celebrate the day of an adoption or celebrate yearly on an anniversary date.

Before beginning the process of planning an adoption shower or party, it’s best to talk to the adoptive parents about their feelings and terms or phrases they might find offensive. For example, consider the trending adoption term called “Gotcha Day.”

Adoption is not like a puppy being picked up from a pound. There are many family members and feelings involved. Many branches of the family tree that are affected. See how this family Celebrations Adoption Day and replaces the term Gotcha Day with Finalization Day. Alternative names include homecoming day, family day or, of course, adoption day.

Adoption Quote Printable

First we wanted to share with you our free printable Gotcha Day quote. Print this Adoption Printable PDF and add to an 8×10 frame. You could also transform this printable into a canvas (follow the directions found on this post.)

Download our free Adoption printable quote. Subscribe and look for a link and password in your inbox. The password allows you to access and download all of our free printables.

By downloading you are accepting the terms that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions.

Adoption Celebration Party Ideas

There are times when the adoption comes from a fostering situation. Tell the story of all those involved in a legal adoption using letter boards. We love Milllie Holloman’s Adoption Story about her daughter Wren (read more here.)

A similar judge adoption photo included the adoption quote – “Today I closed his case.” Adoption letter board idea from Hello Sparrows.

This adoption quote is prefect for a fostering family “I’ve Shared Their Love and Home and Today I Will Share Their Last Name.” Grab this adoption gift on Etsy.

Mark an important occasion like the homecoming date or happy gotcha day with the planting of a tree in the backyard or near one’s home.

Hosting a shower? Make sure you have these 16 Baby Shower Games. Set includes baby shower games directions and supply list. Adoptions can happen for many different reasons, so be sure to choose the appropriate game that fits the adoptive parents. Many great baby shower game ideas for those pregnant in the belly or pregnant in the heart.

Grey Grey Designs created a They found their Missing Puzzle Piece Adoption Party Theme. This adoption party decor is quiet easy cutting up a card board box or using an upcycled puzzle. Simply spray paint the puzzle pieces to match the party shower theme colors.

Keep the missing piece puzzle adoption theme going by having guests write advice on little puzzle pieces for the family! Perfect for parenting advice, newborn tips or perhaps adoption advice from parents who have walked this journey before them. | Source (Similar item on Amazon)

Use your puzzle pieces to create this playful Adoption photo idea – Waiting for our missing piece. (Source)

You are Worth the wait theme adoption party! You have to take a look at this Adoption Party Theme Idea from The First Year Blog including slow animals like sloths, inchworms, turtles and snails!

Celebrate gotcha day by turning our fishing cupcakes into adoption cupcakes with an officially ours party idea. Use the pun Oh-FISH-ally ours! You can see more on an Officially Ours Adoption Party Here.

Julie is a long time friend of mine so I was very happy to run into her themed adoption celebration party. Are you adopting from a foreign country. Throw a international themed party like in this case, Happy Home Fairy threw a Russian Doll Baby Shower for an adopted child from Russia.

Similarly, look at this Chinse Adoption Party from Lydia Menzies.

Instead of highlighting the country, host a Globe Adoption Shower or a Bon Voyage Precious Cargo Adoption party theme from Hostess with the Mostess. Pair with our Airplane Bingo game.

For international adoptions, you could also decorate with cute little paper airplanes on sticks or string like Jess McClenahan.

Using the globe, turn the Adoption Shower into an Adoption Photo Shoot like Kori and Jared Blog. A globe can turn into the symbolism of a baby in the belly. Add a heart to remind everyone this child has grown in one’s heart.

Have a fostering situation or adoption that was Mint to Be? The color mint completes this adoption celebration theme from Our Kerrazy Adventure.

Hire a photographer (or do it yourself) for the family and do a cute Forever Adoption Photo Shoot like Life in a Flash.

Speaking of adoption photo ideas, praying over paper work? Lay your hands on legal papers and grab a photo. Remind your family of all the prayers offered up and the prayers answered like Be the Change in Ethiopia.

Bible Verses About Adoption

Julie at Happy Home Fairy put adoption quotes and scripture around the house speaking of the truths of the love of a new child.

If you wish to do the same, find more Bible Verses on Adoption.

Ephesians 1:5 “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.”
Matthew 18:5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.”
Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Romans 9:8 ” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”
1 John 3:1-2 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears[a] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”
Psalm 27:10 “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”
John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
1 Samuel 1:27 “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”
James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Deuteronomy 10:18 “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Adoption Books

If hosting a shower, consider hosting a Bring a Book Baby Shower. This is an excellent time to gift Books about Adoption and other beloved children’s books.

Books About Adoption

God Found Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Some Babies Are Adopted by Cindy Walker
Yes, I’m Adopted! by Sharlie Zinniger
I Love You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb
And That’s Why She’s My Mother by Tiarra Nazario
We Belong Together by Todd Parr
Happy Adoption Day John McCutcheon
I Wished for You by Marianne Richmond

Related Blog Posts

Maybe you know the Gender, maybe not. Take a look at some of these Gender Reveal Party Ideas you can incorporate in an Adoption Party. Pin to Pinterest.

Loving playing party games? Take a look at our Baby Shower Party Game Ideas with Free Printables. Pin to Pinterest.