Monday, December 31, 2018

2019 New Year Resolution Printable and Goal Tracker

Happy New Years Eve!  I love the New Year and the feeling of a fresh start.  There is just something about making new goals and a feeling of determination mixed in with excitement.
 I have set some pretty big goals for myself this year and I can't wait to share some of those with you over the next few weeks.


Today I have some awesome printables to help you meet some of your goals this year.  The first is a place to record your goals. It's pretty so you will want to display it where you can see it every day! Try and be specific with your goals-it works. For example instead of saying I want to loose weight put a number to it or instead of saying I want to learn how to play the piano decide how many songs you want to learn.  If its measurable its easier to stick to.    
The second is a daily goal tracker.  This will work for most goals or break down some of those big goals into mini goals (or habits you want to create).   For example if you goal is to loose weight one spot can be exercise daily  or drink 8 glasses of water a day. If you goal is to be a better mom break it down into a mini manageable goals you can track for example spend 15 minutes playing with my child without distractions.  As you come to the end of the 30 days evaluate and add it to your next 30 days or change it.  As you work towards small manageable goals each month you will be amazed at the changes you see in your self and the progress you are making towards your big goals.

Remember these goals are for you and there is not a one size fits all for any of us and none of us are going to be perfect in our path to achieving our goals.  And you know what...That is Okay.  If you miss a day its okay, move on and try again the next day.  That's why its a good idea to track your progress not just the result.  As you look at your sheet and see all of the check marks you are motivated to keep going and as you look at your sheet and notice a lot of empty spots it's your motivation to refocus on that goal.  

*If you goal is something that does not require you to do something every day for example you want to work out 3 days a week or play the piano 2 days a week draw a line through those days you do not need to worry about and focus on filling in the empty boxes.


A little bonus for you.  Like me I'm sure many of you have the goal to loose weight, eat better, etc. Shari's Berries has an amazing post on mood boosting foods.  You can find it here.  Choosing healthy food options is something I struggle with and this breaks down not just what to eat but the benefits of each food.  I love that these are not just good for your body but also your mind.  Here's what they have to say "...there’s a wide variety of foods that promote both physical and psychological benefits, including a reduction in stress levels, relieving anxiety and even fighting depression. Now that’s something to feel good about!."    There are 19 different food in 4 different categories and chocolate is on the list :) I'll be printing out their adorable help chart and using it in my efforts to eat healthier this year.



Also if weight loss is on your mind you may find this post and free trackers helpful.



Sunday, December 30, 2018

General Conference Printable (President Nelson Quote)

As we change to the "Come Follow Me" curriculum I wanted to share this blessing from President Nelson (found in his General Conference talk here).  



To Print:
Click on the picture.  Right click to save to your computer.
Print at home or send it to your favorite place to print pictures.
If you need multiple prints I like to insert the picture in a word document.  Size and print 3 or 4 to a page depending on how many I need.  
These are formatted as 5x7 but can easily be resized to fit your needs.

Find Lesson helps for Individual and Family Study, and Primary here.  I'll be adding new helps each week.

Thursday, December 27, 2018

We are Responsible for our own Learning (Come Follow Me) December 31-January 6


The first week of the new church curriculum "Come Follow Me" starts on Monday. I'm so excited to share these free lesson helps with you. I've been contemplating how we are going to use it for our family, for my individual study, and also my primary class.  Here's what I came up with for this week.  I'm sure it will be a few weeks of trial and error as we figure out what actually works and doesn't work for us.  For blogging purposes I'll be sharing my ideas for my family (my kids are 10 months-13) and ideas for jr. primary.  If you have young kids I highly recommend looking up the primary lessons even if you do not teach primary!  It is such a great resource. With the short class times it is very likely most of the activities will not be used in class, and even if the same activity is used repetition is great for learning :)

This first week's lesson plan is huge and I think a big reason for that is its more of an introduction to the year and not a specific group of scriptures.  I have several activities included this week.  Pick and choose what works for your family or your primary class.  Also these are just supplements to the manuals so make sure you read through them. I'll try and reference if its from the primary or individual/family book.

On Going Family ideas:

For our family we decided to keep a journal for the year.  I purchased cheap spiral notebooks for each person.  We are going to use it as a place to glue or handouts, coloring pages, printables, answer questions, write questions and the answers we find, write references to favorite scriptures, thoughts and inspiration, etc.  It will be something that is personal for each person.  I've included printable covers for the notebooks-lots of options so print just the ones you want or decorate your own!  (*printing tip-when printing a page with a lot of color use the draft setting.  You will save a lot of ink and you don't loose much quality).  Also a lot of the pages in the download are sized with this notebook in mind.

The second thing we decided to do is a scripture incentive jar.  As a family we will have one jar.  Every time a person participates in family scripture study or individual scripture study they can add one fuzzy to the jar.  We are working towards filling the jar and once its filled will will have a special reward or treat.  An alternative option is to have individual jars that they can fill with fuzzies or at the beginning of the month fill the jar with 30 pieces of candy (or how every many days are in the month).  As they read their scriptures they get to eat 1 piece of candy for that day.  I remember as a primary child visiting a ward that did this for their primary kids and I thought it was so cool.  Being a visitor I didn't get one and was disappointed...still remember that day all those years ago haha. I also included a 5x7 printable of the quote in case you want to display it or add to your journal.
*The printable includes options to tape to the front of your jar and a circle to cut out for the lid.
Now lets get into this weeks lesson ideas for December 31-January 6 We are responsible for our own learning.  Find the lesson here (individuals and families) and here (for primary).  I am using some of the primary ideas for our family.  Also I don't know think I will plan so much every week.  It seems like there are so many topics in this lesson and my kids are out of school so we have a little extra time so I just kept going :)

The first page has questions from the lesson and a reference sheet where to find the section to study (these are a good reference if you aren't sure what section one of the activities below go with)  My plan is to print this page and cut.  During scripture study pick one of the questions and discuss.  Use the manual for scriptures and quotes that coordinate with the question.  (Some have activities and extra printables that you can find below)


What seek ye? print and glue in journal or display.  Questions and answers can be glued on the inside cover of the notebook for easy access.  Use to record any questions you may have and answers you receive as you study the scriptures this year.

 The blank scripture card can be used to write a favorite scripture from your study this week (add to your journal).  Another option is to take turns having a family member share a favorite scripture each week.  Write the scripture on the card and display for the week.  Keep all of them in a mini picture book or on a book ring. I am going to include a new card each week.


Next is the parable of the sower. (goes with the 1st activity under ideas for family scripture study and family home evening) I've included puppets for this parable.  Fold in half and read the words as you show each one.  After use the scripture reference on the bottom to find out the meaning.  Mini coloring/journal pages.  Give one to each person and have them answer the question in the space provided (draw or write).  I also included just the words that can be cut and glued in your journal if you prefer to write directly in the notebook.  I love the idea of driving around and looking for different types of soil (idea found in manual).


Poster to print, write on, and display (goes with the 2nd activity under ideas for family scripture study and family home evening)
Treasure hunt and on going scripture activity for home or primary. (Primary manual under I can study the scriptures for myself- combines activities #2&3)  I included some gems and a clue card to create a treasure hunt for your class.  Write 3 of your favorite scriptures from the New Testament on the front of the gems.  Clues go on the back of 2 of the gems and the 1st clue goes on the clue card.  Hide around the class or building (or house if doing at home).  Print the Treasure chest poster and the page of gems (colored or black and white).  Each week challenge your class to  share a favorite scripture from home.  Write the reference on one of the gems and glue to the poster.  Over the year you will collect a special group of treasured scriptures.  It may be a good idea to let the parents know what you are doing if you have a younger class so they can help their child prepare to share a scripture.

Primary book under Jesus wants me to follow him (combination of all activities in this section):  Use the coloring page or goal page to write or draw the answer the question what can you do to follow the Savior this year.  This would be a great New Years Eve activity.


I love the Come Follow me game idea.  I created some action cards that you can let the kicks pick from or they can make up their own.  I also included a fast and slow sign.  Glue on a popcicle stick and switch the speed for more fun.

The Final activity: (primary and family manual)  You might recognize this game from one of the previous primary lessons.  If you still have it you are ready to go.
Prepare: Print one board (lamp) per person, (color, black and white , and 1/2 page option included), Print and cut the cards.  Place the cards in a bag and mix them up.  You will also need to bring something to cover the circles ex. m&ms, cereal, or even buttons.

 To play pass out a lamp to each person.  Take turn drawing a card.  If it is a good action "add a drop of oil" to the lamp (cover one of the circles with the candy or item you brought).  If the action is not good then no action is taken and move on the the next turn.  Keep playing until everyone fills their lamps. These cards were made for the topic of preparing for the 2nd coming but they should work for building a testimony as well...if you don't think one fits pull it out.  There are also blank cards so you can add your own.

For the older classes I included a couple of zap cards.  If you draw this one then you have to clear your board!  There are also a few blank ones in case you want to add some of your own.


I think that covers it!  Pick and choose what works for you and if you have any questions please let me know! For primary I plan to use the treasure hunt, coloring page, and show the light the world movie clip.  If time we will play the oil lamp or come follow me game.  Hope that helps.  Let me know if there is something you would like to see included in these posts or ideas you plan to use with your family, class, or individual study.   




Adorable graphics from Melonheadz  DSart  Chirp GraphicsGlitter Meets GlueMather's Music, Creating4 the Classroom,  and Fonts by Hello Literacy

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Free 2019 Calendar Printable





I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.  New Years is just around the corner and I get almost as excited for that as Christmas.  I love making resolutions and the feeling of a fresh start.  This year (and most years) I have the goal of being more organized.  Do any of you have that same goal?  Last year I created a set of beautiful printable calendars.  I loved printing them out and using them each month. They were perfect for planning out my dinner menu.  Today I updated them for 2019. Same beautiful designs but new dates :) You can download your own free set at the end of this post.






Monday, December 24, 2018

Merry Christmas


I just wanted to pop in and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

Friday, December 21, 2018

Christmas Movie Night Popcorn boxes

I just wanted to pop in and share these adorable popcorn boxes with you.  One of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season is to snuggle up under a warm blanket and watch Christmas movies with my family or relax with a Hallmark movie.  To add a little fun to your movie watching party pop some popcorn and add it to these adorable boxes.

Print on cardstock and follow the instructions below.  I do have to apologize some of the boxes have a white background in my effort to make them a little more ink friendly however it makes the folding lines hard to see. I promise they aren't to hard, we had to slightly adjust a couple of creases when we went to tape them together. 


I had plans of taking some pretty amazing pictures of them in use but we were having to much fun and I forgot :)  So here's a sample of some of our other popcorn boxes in action and you'll just have to click on the download below to see the adorable prints I used this time!  Happy movie watching!  Oh and I'd love to know your favorite Christmas movie...let me know in the comments:)







Friday, December 14, 2018

Christmas Tree Counting Cards and Number Hunt


One of my favorite activities to create are counting cards because there are so many ways to use them.  

We always start by hiding the cards around the room and then find thing them.  



Today we used our I spy... page and crossed off the ones we found. This is great for matching the numbers, becoming aware of number order, and overall recognizing numbers.  My kids are great at counting but actually knowing what all the numbers look like is another story so these activities really help.  

As they look for the numbers on their page I have them say the number. This is very helpful to assess what numbers they know and what they need to work on.


Some other ways to use these cards: 
1) put them in order from smallest to biggest
2) play what number is missing or what number comes next (we usually play with 4 or 5 cards.  Lay them down in order, have your little one close their eyes, hide one card.  Have them open their eyes and figure out which card is missing.
3) Add ornaments to the tree.  (aka m&ms, buttons, playdough, etc)  If the card has the number 5 place 5 ornaments/m&m's on the card.
4) Use them for writing practice with a salt tray or paper.

If you come up with some other ways to use them I'd love to know!


Adorable graphics use with permission from Krista Wallden - Creative Clips  and fonts by Hello Literacy.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Christmas Letter Sound Puzzles


Today's Christmas activity is all about letter recognition (capital and lowercase letters) and letter sounds.    There are 6 mini puzzles included and all pictures related to Christmas. The letters included are R, P, S, C, E, & T. To build the 3 piece puzzles your little learner will need to figure out what letter the picture starts with and then find the capital and lower case letters that match the sound. This is a great way to introduce new letters or practice the ones they already know.



Adorable graphics use with permission from Krista Wallden - Creative Clips, Prettygrafikand fonts by Hello Literacy.

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Reindeer Math game and I spy reindeer colors

Yesterday I shared an adorable reindeer color match game and as promised here are 2 more activities to use with the match pieces (reindeer and candy) you cut out. 


The first game is a fun guessing game that will introduce your little ones to subtraction or counting up, counting down from 10, etc.  You will need one of the reindeer (pick any color and name him) and all 10 pieces of candy.  Have your child close their eyes and hide some candy under the reindeer.  When they open their eyes have them guess how many pieces of candy the reindeer ate.  You can let them guess or show them some different strategies to reach the correct number.  For older kids you can also have them say or write the equation. For the example below I would say we only have 4 pieces of candy left so Rudolph ate 6!  10-4=6

No new printables needed for this one...If you printed the match game then you are ready to go.  If not you can find it here.


The second activity focuses on colors.  Use the reindeer you cut out from the match game and hide them around the room. When your child finds one have them yell out the color.  For some extra practice print this cute I spy... page.  Once a reindeer is found have them locate the color that matches their reindeer's nose and cross it off.  I like to laminate it and use white board markers to make it reusable.  If you have a clipboard use it!  My kids love carrying their I spy sheets around on a clip board. 


Download the I spy... page here.  Again the reindeer can be found in this post :)

Check back tomorrow for some more Christmas Preschool printables!!!

Adorable graphics use with permission from Krista Wallden - Creative Clips, PrettygrafikCreating4 the Classroom Mather's Music, and fonts by Hello Literacy.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Reindeer Color Matching Game

This free reindeer matching game is a fun way to practice color recognition and matching skills.  It's quick to prep which makes it even better!  Print the 4 pages.  The 2 with the border will be your game board and it is ready to go.  Cut around the candy and the reindeer on the other two pages.  I recommend printing on cardstock.  Also you can laminate for extra durability.  If you have clear Velcro use it but we often use it without and it works just fine.  You can also glue the two game boards into a file folder and glue an envelope to the outside to store all of your pieces. I prefer to laminate my game and store the small pieces in a sandwich bag.


I included 2 options for this match game and you can use both or pick one based on skill.  For those little learners without much matching practice start with the reindeer option.  Point out the nose color and watch them quickly catch on.  For those up for a little more of a challenge. Have them "feed" (match) the reindeer his favorite color of candy. Even if they are a pro at matching they will love this new spin.  Don't forget say the different colors.

*Want to save some ink or have another fun way to play?  Print just the board game pages (the 2 pages with the border) and use colored pompom for your matching pieces.  Add some tweezers for some great fine motor skill practice.

Come back tomorrow for another fun game to play with this set of printables!


Adorable graphics use with permission from Krista Wallden - Creative Clips

Monday, December 10, 2018

Don't Eat Rudolph! (updated version)

Maybe you've seen my original post on this fun holiday version of the classic Don't Eat Pete game.  It's been one of my most popular posts and a family favorite.  I have a 2 preschool aged kids this year and thought it was time to give this game an updated look and add in a little color practice.


   If you've never played here's a quick how to:  Print off the board game.  Place one piece of candy (m&m's, Cheerios, or whatever you have) on each of the reindeer.  Send one person to out of the room and quietly decided which of the reindeer is going to be Rudolph for that round.  Lets say you pick the one in the center.  Have the person come back into the room and eat one of the pieces of candy off each reindeer UNTIL they pick up the one chosen as Rudolph (in this case the one in the center).  When they pick up this candy everyone yells "Don't eat Rudolph!" and their turn ends.  Add candy to the ones taken on the last turn and play as many times as you want picking a new Rudolph each time. 


Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  Come back each day this week for a new & fun Christmas preschool activity!


Adorable graphics use with permission from Krista Wallden - Creative Clips



Free Vintage Truck Christmas Printables

If you love buffalo check/plaid or all the fun holiday vintage truck signs I've been seeing everywhere then you will love these free Christmas printables.  Download a copy of your favorite print below.  Print from home or your favorite print shop.  Enjoy!


Download here

Friday, December 7, 2018

Jesus Christ is the Greatest Gift-Christmas Lesson (primary 2 Lesson 46) Primary Lesson helps


Here are some free primary lesson helps for Lesson 46 Jesus is the Greatest Gift (find it here).  Many of these activities would work well for a Christmas Family Night as well.


Attention Activity: I included a gift tag with the scripture for the present.


Role Playing:  Crowns for the Wise Men.  Print one for each child and let them decorate them.  Tape to fit their head. There is also a star for you to hold :)  (Save the 


Giving Gifts of Love Brings Us Joy Stories: After talking about the wise men show three more wrapped gifts (kids love opening gifts :)  In each gift wrap something to represent one of the stories from the lesson.  For example the story about S. Dilworth Young wrap a puzzle, the story about Beth wrap one of the blank cards found below, and for the 3rd story I thought this story about Peter and green beans (found in this months friend) would work well and wrap a can of green beans.  Unwrap one present at a time and share the story that goes with it.  


Card Activity:  Print one or two cards for each child.  There is enough space for them to draw or write their gift.  If you want to bring envelops the cards should fit in a 5x7 envelope.

Here are 3 activities to go along with the Wise Men following the star.  I plan to show this video it goes right along with the theme of the stories above...the greatest gift we can give Jesus is love and serving others.  

Help the wise men follow the star.  Take turns rolling the dice (one is included if you need it).  Move the number of spaces the dice landed on and then share one way you can "seek" Christ.  Be ready to help them with ideas until they get the hang of it...a few ideas are reading our scriptures, going to church, family prayer, helping our mom with dishes, reading a book to our brother, etc. another option would be to ask questions from the lesson, or give them scenarios and ask if this is a way to seek Christ.  There are scenario cards in some of my other lessons- here and here if you need some.    *For game board pieces buttons, candy, pieces from other games work :)


Decorate a star for the crowns.  Have them draw or write a way they can "seek him" or you've probably heard of giving a gift to Jesus, its the same idea :)  Once its finished help them glue or tape it to their crown.

Find the star-Have one person step out of the class room.  Hide the star somewhere in the room.  Play hot and cold to help them find the star.

Download the lesson helps here!



That's the last lesson for the year!  A big thank you to all of your for stopping by and using these lesson helps. It amazes and humbles me every week.  I love creating these lesson helps and sharing them with all of you.  I'm working on next year's lesson helps and will start sharing some of those ideas in a week or two.  My plan is to have primary lessons and family ideas ready at least a week before the week "start date" so you have plenty of time to prepare and use the ideas at home for those with young kids :)  Have a very Merry Christmas!


Saturday, December 1, 2018

I can Show Love for Animals (Primary 2 Lesson 44) Free Primary Helps


Lesson 44 I can show love for animals found here.  This is such a fun lesson to end the year.  I've added a few lesson helps that go right along with the activities in the book.  I hope there is something here that you can use for your class.  I'm working on the Christmas lesson and it will be posted some time next week and that's it for this book!  I just started looking over next years Come Follow me curriculum and I am so excited about it.  I think I am going to to share some ideas for primary as well as some ideas we are going to use at home (my kids range from 9 months to 13 so there will be a variety of ideas).  I think there will be a little trial and error as I figure out the best way to plan and share these ideas.   If you have any suggestions, requests, or something you think would be a nice addition please let me know :)  

Noah's Ark Animal match game (Attention activity):  There are 12 cute animals.  Print 2 (preferably on cardstock).  Cut and you are ready to play.





 For a little extra fun print out Noah and his boat.  Cut the entrace out.  As the kids find a match let them help the animals board the ark :)

 I placed the boat in front of an open box but anything that will hold it up straight will work.

 The cards fit perfectly if turned at an angle.
 We like to do activities like this during preschool and my kids LOVE it!

Activity: I thought the little action verse was cute.  I create a coloring page to go along with it.  That way the kids can remember the words and show their parents.  You can keep it as a coloring page or cut along the lines and staple to make a mini book.

The last one goes with enrichment activity #4.  The guessing game. The idea is to read the clue, let them guess and then open the "door" to see if they are correct.  *I did change the wording of the robin clue slightly because I didn't have a picture of a robin.  So the answer is bird :)

To make print both pages.  Set the animal picture one aside.

Carefully cut cut the 2 short edges and 1 of the long edges of each box to create little doors.  I used an exacto knife but you can try scissors it just might not be as pretty :)
Glue the question game directly on top of the animal picture page.  The doors and animals should line up.  If the doors are opening too much after being cut you might want to add a little piece of tape to keep the closed until you are ready to open them.  
*If creating doors really isn't working for you here are a couple of other ways you can use these prints.  1) cut the squares out completely and glue the animal picture to the back.  Flip it over to reveal the answer.  2) Glue the question to an envelope and place the animal picture inside the envelope.  3) For younger kids lay all of the animal pictures on the table or floor face up.  Read the clue and have them look for the correct animal.  If you have some other ideas please leave them in the comments :)


Download here and here

Adorable graphics from Melonheadz  Krista Wallden - Creative Clips My Cute GraphicsEduclips ,  Instruct and InspireKari Bolt Clip ArtKPM DoodlesGraphics From the Pond, and Fonts by Hello Literacy