Easy DIY Placemat Craft! #HPFamilyTime #sponsored

What would we do without computers these days? Since my oldest daughter became interested in crafts, we’ve been using our computer to find age appropriate crafts, templates, and learning tools such as letter tracing where she can learn to write. As she is getting older, our crafts are getting more involved and intricate. A few months ago we created our own memory game with her favorite characters by simply printing out cards and laminating them. I know, I know- it sounds time consuming but it was really quite simple because I was prepared. I had everything I needed to create the craft, and let my daughter lead the way with her young creativity.

We are stepping it up a notch these days. We received the latest technology by HP, the Envy Rove 20 and oh boy, has it blown us away! My husband and I always joke that our kids think that everything has a touchscreen because our phones and their electronic gadgets all have touch screens. When they play on the laptops, they try to operate it as a touch screen and get frustrated when the screen doesn’t respond to their touch. With today’s technology from HP, now even the household computer is a touchscreen. Gone are the days of heavy CPUs and a dedicated areas just for a home office setup. With a sleek computer design and wireless printer, your home office has taken on a new personality!

With a new home, new kitchen, and new routine, I thought it was time for the girls to have some fun placemats to keep them at the table for meals. A fun game of Cheerio tic tac toe, or an erasable surface that allowed them to work on their handwriting skills is what I had in mind. As always I let my daughter call the shots, after all, it is her placemat and she needs to love it!

Here’s how we made our Easy DIY Placemat Craft

• Create a new Word document
• Use text boxes to create different sections
• If you are looking for letter tracing, you can do a web search for a letter tracing font. I like to start off with the child’s name and then go into the rest of the alphabet. I think name recognition is important when they first enter school.
• Set up your text boxes however you want – remember, each box can be different and contain various activities
• Once you have the design you want, you are ready to print. I used the HP Envy 4500 wireless printer.
• Once printed, you can either start using the placemat immediately or laminate it. Laminating it would mean that you can reuse it over again, whereas leaving it unlaminated will most likely get dirty and you will need to print it each time your child sits for a meal.

You can create multiple styles of place mats so that you can change it up each time. As the child gets older you can change the content of your place mats. You can even create a place mat with proper place setting etiquette so that children can learn to properly set a table!

The HP Envy Rove 20 coupled with the HP Envy 4500 wireless printer makes it all super easy to accomplish! What are your favorite family time crafts?

You can find out more about the HP Envy Rove 20, as well as follow the conversation on twitter and Instagram with the hash tag #HPFamilyTime.

As an HP Family Time blogger, my readers are eligible to receive an exclusive “family and friends” discount! HP has set up a special toll-free number where you will be connected with an HP advisor who can tell you more about the products and help you order one for yourself! Simply call a US based HP Specialist (8 a.m. – 10 p.m. MT) at 888-445-0113 (select “sales” and then “PCs”). Be sure to mention HP Social Friends EPP for your discount! For exclusive HP online deals, check out HP Direct.