Its getting a little colder outside day by day, and we’re excited to share in the fall and winter seasons with our little learners at Maple Lead Child Care! Even though we love outdoor play, exploring indoors can be an absolute blast on days when temperatures are a little too chilly to let our students outside.

Luckily, our caregivers and educators have a laundry list of fun and creative fall-season crafts for your child to enjoy while spending time at Maple Leaf. We go beyond the usual turkey-hand projects (even though it’s one of our favorites!) to allow your child to learn, try something new, and express themselves.

As the holidays inch closer, we’re thinking about all our magical friends from Frosty the Snowman to Rudolph. So why not get ahead on welcoming them back for another holiday season?!

An awesome craft to do at home or let us share with your child is then clothespin reindeer ornament. It’s an easy, 30-minute craft that you can keep and cherish for years to come. All you need are a few simple crafting supplies from a local Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, or Joann Fabrics store – or anywhere else that might have the following in stock: 

• googly eyes
• green ribbon
• black and white paint markers 
• wooden clothes pin (old fashioned, no springs)
• brown paint 
• red pom pom balls (preferably the smallest available
• hot glue gun and compatible glue sticks

Once you’ve gotten these supplies together, the craft itself is simple:

paint the clothes pins on both sides with brown paint. Let dry.

Glue two clothes pins together at the base, with one pin’s ‘fingers’ pointing down, while the other point up. This creates the reindeer’s legs and antlers.

Glue Googly eyes and a Pom Pom nose on the top clothespin’s base to make your reindeer’s cute face!

On the back, glue a 4-inch piece of ribbon. Loop the ribbon so both ends are touching, and use the glue to adhere those ends to the back of the reindeer.

Use paint markers to add any details to your reindeer ornaments that you deem fit!

Enjoy!

This is just one out of hundreds of holiday season crafts you can partake in with your child this winter. 

And when you can’t spend quality time with your little one, let us watch over and care for them at Maple Leaf Child Care. We love the children we look after every day, and are committed to helping them grow and learn and realize their true potential!