A month before our Disney trip, my husband and I made the most grievous mistake. We almost paid for this mistake with our sanity. What did we do? We talked about our up and coming Disney trip in front of our three year old. (Cue collective gasp…) As soon as the first, “Are we going to Disney today?” came out of his mouth I knew we were in for it. It was going to be a LONG 32 days! I racked my brain and of course Pinterest, and finally decided on a countdown chain, BUT I took the ideas I was seeing and took it one step further to make each chain something that the kids could color. There you have it! A Disney Coloring Countdown was born! (Not that I am a rocket scientist or anything..) This will be the simplest Pinterest-like project you will ever do. It is super simple AND my kids loved it.
1. Find coloring pages that you think your kids would like to color. (Extra points will be given for Disney themed coloring pages. The internet is your friend.) I was even able to find Disney Halloween pages since we would be there during the fall and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. You could also purchase some Disney coloring pages from your favorite retailer. If you go that route you might want to consider mounting the coloring pages on sturdier paper, like cardstock or construction paper.
2. Number your strips. I started mine at 30, but you could easily make it for more or less days.
3. Cut your coloring pages into strips. My strips were 3 by 11½ inches long.
4. Now to attach the chains. I went super fancy and used… a stapler. Fold the strips so that the coloring page/numbers are facing out.
5. Embellish your countdown with a fun Mickey head mounted on scrapbook paper at the top of your countdown chain and maybe some fun stickers.
6. Use string, yarn, or curling ribbon to hang your countdown. I would also suggest not tying the string to the very top chain, BUT under the first, where the 1st and 2nd chains meet because it gives the countdown more support.
Use a hook or be like me and use tape, painter’s tape to be exact, to attach the string to the wall. (My husband is very protective of our contractor’s beige walls, the painter’s tape will ensure they will stay pristine after the countdown comes down. Phew… )
7. Finally, (after repeatedly telling said children NOT to pull on the countdown chain) you can pull of a chain daily and they can do something other than just throw it away! My kids love to color! Who am I kidding? I do too! (I may, or may not own 1…ok, ok, 5 Mandala adult coloring books!)
The finished product! If you wondered why I made two? Well, my 2 and 3 year olds can’t share. I am sure you have run across that with your kids right?
Getting along since they don’t have to share!
This is such an EASY and FUN way to mark the days until your next Disney vacation. We still were asked the question “Are we going to Disney today?” BUT not nearly as much as we did in the beginning of the countdown. He understood (after much explaining… he is 3 after all) that the day he colored his last chain is when we would leave! Try this out with your kids!
Are you ready to start your very own Disney countdown? I would love to help! Contact me at Lizeth@TravelWithTheMagic.com, on Facebook or by phone at 1-800-670-4312, ext. 143.
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