Printables! For some reason, they are a little controversial in the nanny world. Some people love them for their ease and variety, others feel like they keep kids from using their imagination. I stand somewhere in the middle. I do love printables, but I don’t think they should be used too much. There’s a time and place for everything, right? The ideal time to do a printable is when you had a project lined up, but your kiddo finished too quick and now there’s 15-20 minutes to spare before lunch or an outing or whatever. Or they got bored with their game/activity/project faster than you thought they would. Or they got sick (surprise! It happens!) and now you need to cancel original plans and quickly come up with something will be fun and take up time without being too active. Basically, I like them as back-up plans. I keep a pinterest board full of them so that in an emergency, I can find one easily and quickly.
I also like some printables more than others. I look for what I call “combos”- sheets that combine some creativity, some skill-building (like cutting, pasting, coloring, etc), and may even have some play value after the project’s finished. Here are some of my favorites!
Build Your Own Castle! Color it, cut it out, then paste the pieces together to make your castle anyway you want! Paste the pieces onto thick paper to make this into a background for some fun fantasy play! The sheet is pretty far down on the website, so keep scrolling…
Bunting Template– There’s so many things you can do with this simple template! Kids can draw, color, put stickers, glue on pictures from magazines, etc. This would be great for a birthday party craft- everyone makes one, then they can be strung together and put up in the birthday kiddo’s room after! This template’s on the same page as the castle sheet.
Cute Paper Dolls– I think paper dolls are so much fun. They have great replay value! And there are lots available to print out online, so if you don’t like this one, do a quick google search! I love the simplicity of this one.
Silly Glasses– Another very basic template that can be decorated in so many ways, and then it can be worn! These are fun for anyday, but would be another great one for birthday parties, for silly family photos, and for holidays (I’m thinking 4th of July and New Year’s Eve!).
There’s lots more on my Printable Pinterest board! Check them out the next time you need an emergency activity!
The Curious Nanny 