This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

When I was an adult before I had kids, I always bought my mom a card. It was nice, but now that I’m a mom, I know how much a handmade card from my kids means rather than a store-bought one.

All the moms in your life will smile when they see the little prints in this handmade card. It is inspired by an awesome book in our Usborne Store called Fingerprint Activities.

There are so many inspiring pictures to make with your fingerprints, and this book makes it easy to duplicate and experiment with a built-in stamp pad.

Fingerprint Mother’s Day Card

First, I made this printable with 2 different Mother’s Day cards. One says, “I made a flower with my finger and thumb. So you will have these memories for years to come.  I love you.” This could be for any Mother in your life.

The other says, “If I had a Flower for each time I thought of my Mother, I could walk in my Garden Forever…” Just click on the image below to download.

We made prints with the tips of our fingers for the flowers and then added details with a black pen. The butterfly is made by printing the whole finger for the front wings and the tips of the fingers for the back wings.

We tried a bird and a bee and some flowers of our own. It was a lot of fun, and now we have special cards for our Mothers!

If you’re looking for more Mother’s Day Card ideas, you might also like this hand and foot print Mother’s Day card!

More Book Activity Ideas!

Rebecca at Line Upon Line Learning

Lauren at Mama’s Learning Corner

The post Fingerprint Mother’s Day Card Kids Can Make first appeared on True Aim.

* = Affiliate Link: This does not affect the price of any item listed, it just means I will receive a percentage if you choose to purchase.

Don’t miss the giveaway below so you can purchase some of these amazing gifts for your kids!

Holiday Gift Guide for Kids

Gift giving to kids is all about balance, a gift must be fun but also add value to their life. Right now, I am going to share with you 5 holiday gift ideas that wont leave your wallet empty & will leave the child happy as can be.  

GIFT ONE: For the builder (*Amazon)

cossy Kids Magnet Toys Magnet Building Tiles, 120 Pcs 3D Magnetic Building Blocks Set, Educational Toys for Kids Children

With endless build opportunities, these magnet building tiles will make any master builders dream come true! (My son spends endless hours creating all different types of structures for his dinosaurs to roam in & destroy!)

GIFT TWO: For the sculptor (*Amazon)

Sago Brothers Modeling Clay Air Dry Ultra Light Molding Magic Clay 24 Colors, Best Kids Gifts Ever

So many kids love to create, smash, & create again. Modeling clay is the best way for a creative mind to flow; but the best part is once they feel their creation is just right, they can have it air dry and show it to the world. 

GIFT THREE: For the energetic (*Amazon)

Champion Sports Standard Scooter Board with Handles

The best gift you can give an energetic child, and their parents, is something they can use with siblings and friends. I remember LOVING these as a kid, didn’t you? This is a gift you know will not be a was of money on your end nor a bore on theirs! 

GIFT FIVE: For the scientist (*Kiwi Co)

KiwiCo

30% off with code Share30

The Innovation Factory.

KiwiCo is monthly hands-on science, art, & technology projects that inspire kids to learn and explore. Gift this monthly STEM box for your friends child, do one month or multiple, they will love the ability to try something new and see if their child truly loves it and would want to keep getting it. 

GIFT SIX: For the Techie (*Amazon)

Which ever you choose the kids will be over the moon & the parents ecstatic about it growing their child’s mind.  Purchased any of these gifts for your kids before? Share your experience with our holiday gift guide for kids in the comments below! 

Christmas Blessings Giveaway!

I’m teaming up with an amazing group of bloggers to bless several families this year!! With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we know a little extra something can go a long way.That’s why we’re giving away FOUR $200 gift cards to four winners—and you get to choose where you’d like to spend it.Whether you’re dreaming of a shopping spree, treating yourself to a fancy meal, or checking off your gift list, this is your chance to make it happen. 

Each winner will get a $200 gift card to wherever they choose – a restaurant, clothing store, grocery store, online retailer – any place that offers gift cards!

There are lots of entry options in the Rafflecopter form below – the more you enter, the better your chance of winning!  I know it can seem tedious and time consuming to go through all the entries, but isn’t a chance at $200 worth it? I think it is!  Plus, all of these amazing bloggers donated their own money towards the prizes, so this giveaway wouldn’t be possible without them.  I hope you’ll take the time to check out each one. Who knows, maybe you will find some new blogs to follow.

The giveaway will run from Monday, November 18th through Wednesday, November 27th (ends at 11:59pm EST). Winner will be notified by email shortly after the giveaway ends and will have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers.  Please be sure to read the Rafflecopter terms and conditions upon entering.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Holiday Gift Guide For Kids first appeared on True Aim.

While I love the beauty of autumn, the warmth of Thanksgiving, and the hope of Christmas, I cringe as I climb in the car to travel to family gatherings. You see, my sister is a public-school teacher and my mother actively promotes formal schooling of all sorts. You can imagine what kind of atmosphere that creates for my family and me, homeschoolers from the beginning. On top of that, they have something against “large” families (I have four children) because they constantly make remarks like, “because you have too many/so many kids…” I guess any more than two is too many.

For the most part, all these long years, I would grin and bear it, while inside, I fumed and wept. When we got in the car, the kids endured my husband and me venting for an hour as we drove home. But, in more recent years, I began to recognize how unhealthy all this pent-up emotion was and I strove to find better ways to deal with it. I found Gary Chapman’s book, Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion, and implemented some of his principles.

Do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not let the devil get a foothold
The first thing I did was determine in my heart not to “grin and bear it” any longer. I decided to lovingly confront these insults at the time they occurred. I took deep breaths and fought off the instinct to harbor resentment. It was sooo hard! As I spoke up, I was careful not to speak in angry tones, use sarcasm or insults, or attack their character. Instead, I formulated a phrase to use– “When you _______ I/my child feel(s)__________and that causes me/that child to_____________. Is that what you want?” They began to see how their offhand jokes, sarcasm, questions, and comments affected us. I noticed a subtle change in their behavior. After years of hurtful words and actions the healing will be slow, but at least things are starting to change.
Do not take revenge, my friends
Even while I fought hard to not let any new hurts occur, I still carried a lot of pain from the past. My husband commented on how he could hear it in my voice whenever I talked about my sister and mother. He said to me, “Julie, you have to let that go. You have to give it to God.” I admitted he was right, but, at first, I didn’t want to. But, God spoke to me and showed me that harboring resentment and anger only hurt me, not them. The spiritual and physical reality was that I punished myself by holding on to my pain. It didn’t seem practical or profitable to confront them about all the past hurts, so I had to unload that burden at the feet of Jesus—and leave it there. (For more about forgiveness, check out this post).
After implementing these biblical principles (why didn’t I do it sooner?), I’m not dreading this year as much as previous years. In addition to what I’ve talked about, we pray before we head into my parents’ house and remind ourselves that we aren’t there to please them. We’re there to please Jesus.

Julie is a veteran homeschool mom of 4 all of whom have special needs and has a degree from the School of Natural Healing! She also teaches middle school science workshops for a homeschool co-op. Her faith in Jesus leads everything she does including worship for the Women’s ministry at her church! You can read more about her in her new book called God Schooling or her blog, julienaturally.com!

The post Showing Grace to Hostile Family Members During the Holidays first appeared on True Aim.

The History

If you’ve read any portion of Leviticus, then you may remember reading about something called appointed times. These are known as specific times that the Hebrew people were commanded to observe for a particular reason.

Each one mentioned had a meaning then and foreshadowed things to come. Anyone who celebrates these in the present day usually understands that although we cannot do it perfectly, we do it because:

1. It was commanded to be observed throughout our generations.
2. It is practice for what is to come.
3. It glorifies the Father.

Before you get confused on what this means for the believer in Messiah today, let me address a common misconception. When it comes to observing the biblical feasts (fall or spring), it should be noted that they aren’t “Jewish feasts.” Instead, the proper context is to consider them the Lord’s feast given to His people, both those apart of natural Israel, and those grafted in.

With that in mind, let’s look at each of the fall feasts as well as practical ways to observe them with your family this fall – and beyond!

Yom Teruah

Scripture says in Leviticus 23:24-25 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh new moon, on the first day of the new moon, you have a rest, a remembrance of Teruah, a set-apart gathering. You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to YHVH.” I won’t get into why we don’t do sacrifices today, but I will say that we still observe this day by not working and gathering with others (if able).

Teruah literally means soundings, by instrument or human voice so you can imagine how fun (and loud) this Holy Day can be.

Below are some great resources to help teach about and observe this feast day:

• Use coloring and activity pages by Bible Pathway Adventures (our favorite)
• Help your kiddos make their own shofars with this easy DIY craft
• Here is a Yom Teruah BINGO game by The Kefar
• MTOI has some great resources called Parsha Pearls that are perfect for this feast

Yom Kippur

Scripture says in Leviticus 23:27 “On the tenth day of this seventh new moon is Yom HaKippurim. It shall be a set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring an offering made by fire to YHVH.” This passage also goes on to describe how to set this day apart: no work. There are also various ways people have attempted to describe “afflict your beings” but we choose to use this day to fast from food and reflect on teshuva (repentance).

Yom HaKippurim means Day of Atonement or Day of the Coverings so spending this day in total reflection and observation of how one can follow YHVH’s instructions is a day well spent.

Below are some practical resources to help teach about and observe this feast day:

• Use these free Atonement activity pages by Bible Pathway Adventures (did we already say they’re our fave)
• This is a neat song that my kiddos love that relates the story of Jonah to Yom Kippur
• Enjoy this lapbook by Anna Matrix

Festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

In Leviticus 23:34-44 we read about the Festival of Sukkot being observed on the fifteenth day of the seventh new moon and celebrated for seven days. This passage also sheds more light on the how-to: first day is a set-apart gathering with no work, last day is a set-apart gathering with no work, and dwell in booths (tents) for the seven days.

Some people have the amazing privilege to be off work the entire week and camp out with like-minded believers. Our first year of observing this we camped out at a lake and had an amazing time with our little family (just 5 of us at the time).

Below are some resources to help teach about and observe this feast day:

• Don’t forget your activity pages by Bible Pathway Adventures
• Bim Bam has a pretty cool video
• From the edible Sukkah to the real deal and decorations, there are lots of activities for kids here

Don’t Forget the Food

One thing that is well-known with Feast Day celebrations is the FEAST! Cooking big meals is common and expected. The few times we have had the privilege of observing feast days with others, none of them lacked in food.

Check out this YouTube playlist of clean eating recipes for feast days and beyond!

Now that you’ve gotten a run down of three celebrations to consider this fall, we’d like to hear from you! What are some celebrations you and your family do during the fall season? Share in the comments below!

Author, Speaker, and Curriculum Resource Creator Michelle Huddleston is first and foremost a child of the Most High, wife to an incredibly patient husband, and homeschooling mama to four blessings (and another on the way). She is passionate about educating, encouraging, and empowering other homeschooling families to homeschool their way. Michelle would love to connect with you on her Blog, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!

The post 3 Celebrations to Consider this Fall. first appeared on True Aim.

The new year is quickly approaching! As 2019 begins, it’s a great time to wrap up 2018 and talk about your favorite memories of the year. Use this as a bonding time. If you have pictures or videos of the events, that can make it even more memorable!

Gather by a warm fire, turn on some music, and reminisce! Here are some fun discussion questions to get you started. Some questions may be more suitable for older kids, but it can be fun to hear everyone’s input.

25 Questions to Ask The Kids Before the New Year

1. What was your favorite part of this year?

2. How did you celebrate your birthday this year?

3. What exciting things happened this year?

4. What was your favorite TV show this year?

5. What was your favorite movie this year?

6. What was your favorite music this year?

7. What were your favorite books this year?

8. Did you try any new foods or restaurants? What was your favorite place?

9. Were you involved in music/sports? What things did you accomplish this year?

10. What are some things you learned this year?

11. What is your favorite place we went this year?

12. What do you want to be when you grow up?

13. What are you looking forward to in the new year? Is there anything exciting planned?

14. Were there any big life changes this year? What were they?

15. How was this year different from last year?

16. What new things did you try this year?

17. What was your favorite holiday to celebrate this year?

18. Did you attend any birthdays or weddings? What was your favorite?

19. Did you travel anywhere? What was it like?

20. What did you spend a lot of your time doing this year?

21. Is there anything you wish you would have done this year?

22. What’s a funny thing that happened this year?

23. What are your best memories with siblings/friends?

24. What’s your favorite thing we did as a family?

25. What’s one wish you have for the new year?

The post 25 Questions to Ask Before the New Year first appeared on True Aim.

Thanksgiving Thankfulness with Free Printable Cards

Thanksgiving is a holiday to spend with friends and family, reminiscing on all of our blessings and things we are thankful for. We have many blessings in our lives, both big and small. With the business of life, it can be easy complain or dwell on the things we don’t have it. Use this holiday to refocus your life and remember the most important parts.

That’s why I created these Thanksgiving thankfulness cards! Use them to discuss what each member of the family is thankful for.

There are 8 cards, 7 with things written on them and one blank card to write your own. Take each card and discuss why you’re thankful for that particular item! How has that item helped or blessed your life? Other than these things, what are some other things you can be thankful for?

• Family
• Friends
• Food/shelter
• Freedom of speech
• Education
• Thanksgiving
• Music/TV

Grab your free Thanksgiving Cards here!

Along with that, research the history of Thanksgiving including the pilgrims and the Mayflower. As a country, how far have we come since the 1600s?

• The First Thanksgiving for Kids video
• The First Thanksgiving and the First Settlers Information for Kids
• Thanksgiving Day from Ducksters

Also, check out these other great Thanksgiving posts!

Easy Thanksgiving Food Ideas for Kids

Get the kids cooking with these kid-friendly Thanksgiving snack ideas.

Thankfulness and Gratitude Activities for Kids

Use these activities and games to give opportunities to be thankful and to remember everything we have to be grateful for.

The post Thanksgiving Thankfulness with Free Printable Cards first appeared on True Aim.

Dinner and a Movie

Invite an elderly couple into your home for a dinner and a great movie. The company is great, and so is the conversation. Simply involve the whole family in creating a simple meal, decorate a nice table and have them over for a night out.

Pie Baking

In November, pumpkin and apples are our favorites! Bake pies for shelters, neighbors, community members (librarians, firefighters, police officers, etc.) or family. Experience the joy of giving through food!

Volunteer at the Library

I’ve volunteered at the library before I received a short-time part-time job there, and I loved it so much! (I’m also a bookworm.)

Write Letters to Service Men

It can be a lonely time for service men as we approach the bigger holidays. Programs like Operation Gratitude allow you to write letters to service men.

Organize A Dinner of Thanks

In our house we love to cook and have others enjoy a meal with us. We ask members from our church to help support a dinner of thanks to our fireman and police officers. We certainly can not have a meal for each person so we have a drawing at the firehouse and police station for 10 individuals. Then we make a meal and have them come to different houses to show our support.

Visit a Nursing Home

Visit a nursing home, and spend the day with the elderly! It’s fun to see their faces light up with the youth in the room. Whether it be eating a meal with them or playing a game, they appreciate the company. Plus, they will more than likely be willing to share some of their life story!

Crafting with Children

See if you have a local hospital that has a Ronald McDonald House, where families stay while their children are in the hospital. During Christmas this can be a pretty difficult situation to be in. Volunteer to visit with the other children who are staying there and do a Christmas craft.

Operation Christmas Child

This is a project that can be done online with your family. We each design our own box of giving for another child. If you go online to Operation Christmas Child you may design a shoebox worth of gifts to be distributed to children around the USA. It is fun to go online and select your items to be put in the box and you get a number to track your delivery.

A Week of Paying it Forward

Budget each family member $20.00 for the Week of Paying it Forward. The rules are that the money may not be used to benefit you. If you are in the lunch line and someone forgot their money, use that money. If someone looks like they could use a hot cup of coffee, simply buy them one. Keep a journal for the week as to where our money was spent and review how you were blessed in helping others.

Donate a Thanksgiving Meal

Every year, entire meals for the local food bank are given out 1 day before Thanksgiving. Donate meal items to your local food bank as a way to serve the community.

Thankful For My Family

Often, our families bless us the most and we can thank them the least. Plan a big brunch on a Sunday after church to celebrate each other. Prepare a meal that we can eat in courses so you have more time to just enjoy each other, talk about the things you are grateful for, and how you’ve been blessed.

The post 10+ Family Giving Projects first appeared on True Aim.

Here are 50 oddball, fun holidays you can celebrate with your kids!

50 Fun Holidays to Celebrate With Your Kids

1. January 14th – National Rubber Duckie Day
2. January 18th – Winnie the Pooh Day (birthday of author A.A. Milne)
3. January 19th – Popcorn Day
4. January 31st – Backwards Day
5. February 4th – Thank Your Mailman Day
6. February 6th – Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
7. February 26th – Tell a Fairy Tale Day
8. February 20th – Love Your Pet Day
9. March 5th – Learn What Your Name Means Day
10. March 15th – Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
11. March 20th – World Storytelling Day
12. March 22nd – National Goof Off Day
13. April 2nd – International Children’s Book Day
14. April 10th – National Siblings Day
15. April 20th – Lookalike Day
16. April 25th – World Penguin Day
17. May 1st – Mother Goose Day
18. May 4th – “May the 4th be with You” (Star Wars Day)
19. May 14th – Dance Like a Chicken Day
20. May 23rd – Lucky Penny Day
21. May 24th – Scavenger Hunt Day
22. June 5th – World Environment Day
23. June 6th – National Yo-Yo Day
24. June 14th – Monkey Around Day
25. June 17th – Eat Your Vegetables Day
26. July 2nd – World UFO Day
27. July 10th – Teddy Bear’s Picnic Day
28. July 20th – Moon Day
29. July 24th – Ice Cream Day
30. August 3rd – Watermelon Day
31. August 7th – National Lighthouse Day
32. August 23rd – Ride Like the Wind Day
33. August 30th – Frankenstein Day
34. September 15th – Make a Hat Day
35. September 16th – Mayflower Day
36. September 19th – International Talk Like a Pirate Day
37. September 21st – International Peace Day
38. September 22nd – Elephant Appreciation Day
39. October 4th – Taco Day
40. October 6th – Mad Hatter Day
41. October 9th – Fire Prevention Day
42. October 14th – National Dessert Day
43. November 17th – Take a Hike Day
44. November 20th – Universal Children’s Day
45. November 21st – World Hello Day
46. November 29th – Square Dance Day
47. December 9th – Christmas Card Day
48. December 14th – International Monkey Day
49. December 15th – Bill of Rights Day
50. December 20th – Go Caroling Day

The post 50 Fun Holidays to Celebrate With Your Kids first appeared on True Aim.

Hand prints are so telling.  It reminds us how quickly time goes by and how precious these moments we have really are.

I’m excited to see my little ones grow, but at the same, I want them to stay little forever.  I like to make some sort of hand and foot print card with their picture every year so I can remember their cuteness.

Mother’s Day Hand and Foot Print Card

First, print off this free Mother’s Day poem printable on card stock.  That way, if you use school glue it doesn’t get all wrinkly like regular printer paper.

Have the children trace their hands and a foot on construction paper or help them do it.  For the foot use green and for the hands a different color.  Cut the prints out as well as another long green strip of construction paper for the stem of the flower.  Next, place the stem on the card and arrange the hands into a flower shape with the palms overlapping on top of the stem.  Use the foot print as a leaf at the bottom of the stem.  Print off a picture of the children and place it in the middle of the flower hands.

One year, I didn’t have as many children in my preschool class so we used paint to make our hand and foot prints.

I really like paint, but the construction paper method is nice because older children can do it all by themselves.

I will definitely be doing the construction paper flower card again for my new preschool class at church.

Do you have any Mother’s Day gift ideas that you like to make with kids?

For more posts on Faith and Family, like us on Facebook or follow us on Pinterest.

Mother’s Day Giveaway!

Instant Pots are all the rage these days.  They seem to be on the top of most mom’s wish lists.  They are quick, convenient, and help to make delicious meals; why wouldn’t every mom or homemaker want (or need) one?  Well, if you still haven’t jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon and bought yourself one, you have the chance to win one right here!  I’m partnering with 24 of my blogging friends to give away FOUR Instant Pots!  Yup, FOUR!!  Just in time for Mother’s Day.  What an amazing gift that would be, right?!

To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.  Now I know that is quite a few entries for you, but each of these bloggers generously chipped in their own money to bring you this giveaway, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries.  And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are at winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends May 10th at 11:59pm EDT.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to email to claim prize.  Please be sure to read the Terms & Conditions upon entering the giveaway.

The post Mother’s Day Craft: Flower Hand and Foot Print Card first appeared on True Aim.

Put together these cute little baskets and water bottle labels for a Valentine’s Day Party! They work for classrooms, church groups, co-workers, or any other type of gift giving. They’re a great way to give a personalized gift without spending a lot of money. As an extra bonus, they’re easy to cut out and make in bulk.

Print the labels out on cardstock for the best results. Cut along the dotted lines and fold along the dotted lines. Tape the water bottle labels. For the treat baskets, tape the bottoms so they don’t fall apart. Stick in some light goodies, such as:

• Pretzels
• Chex Mix
• Candy/Hershey’s chocolates
• Play/dough
• Small Dollar Store toys
• Gift cards
• Manicure kit (with cotton balls and some nail polish)
• Cookie cutters/cookie DIY kits
• Travel-sized lotions
• Craft kit (glitter, glue stick, paper scraps)

For further customization, simply write a sweet love note, Bible verse, encouraging message, or the student’s name on the label.

–>Grab Your Free Valentine’s Printable Here!<–

The post Valentine Boxes and Water Labels free Printable first appeared on True Aim.