Category Archives: Seasons

Printable Mother’s Day Cards

We thought we’d put some free printable Mother’s Day cards together for those of you who need them.  In keeping with the rest of our site, we designed them to be gentle, cute, and magical—the kind of thing children love.  We’ve created heart-warming scenes both from the animal kingdom and other, more magical worlds.  From baby foxes and koalas to enchanting fairies, each card is designed to capture the special bond between mothers and their little ones.

You should be able to see all the cards we have so far below, just pick one and click or tap on it to get the PDF.  So, dive in and select a card (or two!) that speaks to you.  Print them out and prepare to make this Mother’s Day not just special, but magical.  Because every mother deserves a touch of magic on her special day.

First up we have cute caterpillars and hedgehogs:

Next, we have a cards depicting a beautiful mother and baby fox and a bright, sunny scene with mother duck and her duckling:

Cats and mice may seem very different but they both make lovely Mother’s Day cards:

Down at the bottom of the garden, bumblebees and frogs are also celebrating Mother’s Day in these beautiful cards:

Looking for animals from warmer climes?  Mother Parrot and Mother Koala receive cards from their little ones below:

And now for a bit of magic!  Here’s Mother’s Day for dragons and fairies… perfect for your own magical mum:

Whether you’re a parent looking to craft a memorable Mother’s Day with your child, or a teacher seeking resources for a classroom activity, these cards offer a perfect way to express love and appreciation.  They’re all designed with children in mind and we hope you find the perfect match for your little one’s Mother’s Day celebration.

Making a printable Mother's Day cad by carefully cutting along the lines with scissors.
Print onto card and cut out

We recommend you print them onto cardstock rather than paper, so that they are sturdy enough to stand up properly.  The images are large so you may need to fit them to the page if you don’t have software that does this for you.  You will also need a sharp pair of scissors to cut off the excess around the edges.  Inside, there should be plenty of space for children to add their own message, doodle, or signature, making each greeting not just a card, but a keepsake. x

A Bit about the History of Mother’s Day

Have you ever wondered where Mother’s Day came from?  Well, in Europe its origins are sad to be very old, perhaps dating back to ancient Rome and Greece.  Beyond Europe, some people argue that setting aside a day to celebrate mothers goes even further back – perhaps even to ancient Egypt and the time of the pharaohs.

In the United Kingdom, it is more traditionally known as “Mothering Sunday” and can be traced back to the Middle Ages.  It takes place on the fourth Sunday of Lent, because on that day people used to return to their hometowns and churches, and therefore their mothers.  They would often bring gifts and so over time, this evolved into Mother’s Day.

The American history of Mother’s Day is considered slightly differently, because in 1908 a woman called  Anna Jarvis started the tradition by organising the first official Mother’s Day.  The celebrations took place in West Virginia and Philadelphia on the second Sunday in May, which Anna chose in memory of her own mother who had died a year earlier.  The American president of the time, Woodrow Wilson, made Mother’s Day a legal holiday in 1914.  Interestingly, Anna hated the commercialisation of Mother’s Day.

Messages from the Easter Bunny

Hello and welcome to a post where we’ve added together all our best messages from the Easter Bunny.  (If you’re Australian you might want our Easter Bilby resources instead.)  Whether notes, letters or certificates, we bet your little one would love to hear from the most magical rabbit in the world this year.

Along with the little messages and certificates above, one of our favourite Easter resources is this full-length letter from the Easter Bunny.  It’s a lovely thing for a child to find with the eggs on Easter Morning… adds a sprinkle of magic to the this holiday occasion.

Need another one?  There’s at least one more letter from the Easter Bunny available on this page.

Looking for some blank Easter notepaper?  Try these:

 

Letters to Santa and Christmas Lists

Can you feel the Christmas magic yet?  No doubt the kids can and are getting ready to write that all-important letter to Santa and Christmas list!  With this in mind, we thought we’d put together a quick post to highlight all our free letter to Santa and Christmas list templates.  So, if your child is writing his or her Christmas correspondence to that magical man at the North pole this week, perhaps these will come in handy:

 

Need a Reply?

If your child has written a letter and/or Christmas list, or drawn a picture for Santa, you may be looking for a reply.  Obviously, we have to keep it general, but we’ve created the following resources to help you out:

And don’t forget we create a range of longer free letters from Santa too!

Need a Reminder?

A note from Santa asking your child to write his or her Christmas List
Please write Your Christmas List!

If the Christmas clock is ticking and your little one is dragging his or her heels about getting that Christmas List written, this little reminder from Father Christmas may just do the trick. Good luck and have a very merry Christmas – ho, ho, ho! x

Santa Claus or Father Christmas?

Many of our letters to Santa Claus are also available as letters to Father Christmas. This is because we know that people in different families and places call him by different names. In the UK, we find the preference is for “Father Christmas”, in the USA it’s “Santa”.

We’re sorry that we haven’t managed to provide two versions of absolutely every resource – we’ve had a lot to do and have been short on time. However, if there is an alternative version of any of our letters, you’ll be able to see a note and a link underneath it.

You might also like our elf printables!

Our Favourite Fun for Halloween

Not long now until that spooky time of year – so we’ve collected a few of our favourite Halloween printables together below.   Some are popular every year, others are new additions.  Whatever you’re doing on the 31st of October, we hope you have a frighteningly good time!

No Trick or Treat Posters

Trick or treating is great fun but it’s fine not to want to take part. You don’t need to give your reasons to opt out but one of the best ways to let trick or treaters know it’s not for you is to put a light-hearted notice up in your window. Here are a few which might help you out.

If you’re looking for some simple paper decorations to hang around the house, you might also like our Halloween ghosts:

 

 

 

 

 

Oooo! And before you go, you might like to create some decorative jars full of spooky potion ingredients.  If so, why not make use of our Witch’s Pantry Potion Labels.  It’s a great way to get your house looking just like a witch’s hovel!

Harvest Festival Printables

Autumn is upon us (in the UK anyway) and so is the time of harvest.  In fact, did you know that the Old English word “haerfest” actually means “autumn”?  Yes, indeed, and for those of you looking for some harvest festival printables for your children to help celebrate, we’ve assembled ours below.

When is Harvest Festival 2023 (UK)?

Harvest Festival is celebrated on the nearest Sunday to the Harvest Moon (that’s the full moon nearest to the September equinox).  This year in the United Kingdom, the Harvest Moon will shine down upon us on Friday 29 September.  So that means the 2023 Harvest Festival Feast will fall on Sunday 1 October.

This year’s autumn equinox is actually a couple of days before that on Saturday 23 September 2023, and harvest-themed church services can take place throughout September and October.

picture of annual solsticesAs harvest celebrations in general take place over several days, it doesn’t really matter when you have yours.  Traditionally though, it was never held after Michaelmas Day on the 29th September, because that’s when the church decided that the Harvest Festival period should officially end.  The idea was that all the crops had to be brought in before St Michael’s Mass and that parishes would then gather in their churches to give thanks.  These days, dates are not as strict.

Picture of a corn dolly twist
Corn Dolly Twist

Also, it’s worth remembering that traditions surrounding bringing in the harvest predate Christianity by a loooong chalk, in the UK going back to at least Saxon times.  Some of the very old traditions are feasting, dancing and playing games.  Making corn dollies was also popular, which were carefully kept in people’s homes as a tribute to the Spirit of the Corn or Goddess of the Grain, in the hope that he or she would make sure there was a good harvest the following year.  Not all corn dollies were made in the shape of a doll mind you, some were woven to look like bells, crosses, knots, spirals and animals such as hares and horses.  Different parts of the country often had their own corn dolly traditions.

All in all, Harvest Festival time was a chance to come together and have fun, to be thankful for whatever the land had supplied, and to lift people’s spirits and put them in a positive frame of mind, ready to get through the winter.

After all that of course, we’re in the run up to Halloween

If you’re having your own Harvest Festival celebration at your home, church or school, you might like our free printable poster:

Fairyland Newspaper: Summer Issue

Summer Issue of a magical newspaper, the Midnight Messenger, lying on a table scattered with daisies.
The Midnight Messenger – Fairyland’s Newspaper! (Summer Issue)

Hello dear visitors!  By popular demand, we’ve uploaded a summer issue of our Fairyland newspaper, the Midnight Messenger, for you to print for your child.  Although the world is finally recovering from the pandemic, we especially hope it will help entertain those of you having to self-isolate thanks to catching Covid-19.

In this issue you can find out what’s been happening at Christmas House, where the Easter Bunny has been on holiday and what the Tooth Fairy’s been up to as of late.  As always, our thanks to Leone Betts for all her hard work putting it together and for allowing us to make it free on this site.

Are you looking for the previous issue? It’s here.

What is the Midnight Messenger?

The Midnight Messenger is the newspaper which gets delivered all around the magical world – read by everyone from Santa and his elves to the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and every other magical personality you can think of. And this summer, your child can read it too!

We’ve uploaded it as a PDF.  Just click here or on the picture below to download or view it.  It’s completely free.  We hope it makes you and your little ones smile.

Download the summer issue of the Midnight Messenger!

P. S.

If you enjoy this resource, please consider telling others. Our site survives because of people like you using it. Thanks x

More About the Midnight Messenger:

For those of you after more information about our Fairyland newspaper, it was first created in 2003 by L A Betts. It was early days for our site and as we didn’t have many visitors back then, after a couple of years we retired it. However, it carried on being delivered every month to magical folk of course, and has often mentioned in our other creations, such as the Father Christmas letters.

The Midnight Messenger is normally in black and white, but special issues like the one for Easter, are in colour. It regularly features news from well-known parts of the magical world, like Father Christmas’s house in the North Pole, and features many familiar characters such as Jack Frost, the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy. But it also features new characters your child won’t have heard of, such as the Worrying Witch, the Fortune-Telling Toad and all sorts of goblins, fairies and elves.

It’s always hard to know what people want more of, but if we sense the Midnight Messenger is popular, we’ll consider adding further issues to our site.

This and That for Valentine’s

Hello!  We generally create printables for children but these days, Valentine’s day is for everyone.  Far from being just for couples, we’re seeing cards sending love to all sorts of family members and friends, not to mention the wider world.  Pink and red decorations appear in shops and homes alike and some people are even using it as an opportunity to spoil themselves.  And why not?  It’s good to love yourself, too.

So, with the aim of moving with the times, we’ve put the printables we thought you might find useful this Valentine’s Day here on one page.  Thinking that the kids might want to help out, we’ve focussed on printable four-fold cards and colouring in.  We hope you, your children, your family and whoever else is special to you enjoy them.  Oh, and from all of us here at Rooftop Post, have a happy and magical Valentine’s.

Oh, and if you like the colouring picture of the mermaid above, you’ll find more in the mermaid section of our site, not to mention a mermaid treasure hunt!  We’ve also got some other gorgeous resources featuring flamingoes, and if you’re looking for free flamingo cards to print from elsewhere on the web, we like these.

What to write in your Valentine’s Card:

It’s never easy to think what to write in your Valentine’s card, and of course, a lot depends on who you’re writing to.

From a Secret Admirer

For example, if you’re sending a card from a secret admirer, it’s best to stick to funny or lightly romantic – as a mystery sender you don’t want to sound too serious (because that can make some people nervous) and it’s attractive to have a sense of humour.   If you’re really stuck, here are a couple of ideas:

  • I’m sending you this Valentine’s card to let you know that whenever I see you, you make me smile.  Have a wonderful day!
  • Roses are red,
    Violets are blue,
    I’m incredibly lucky
    To be friends with you!
  • I like you.  Even more than chocolate/football/any other (light-hearted) favourite thing.  Have a very happy Valentine’s Day!
  • You’re that “nothing” when people ask me what I’m thinking about.
For a Partner

On the other hand, if you’re writing to a long-term partner, pretty much anything goes.  You know their likes and dislikes better than anyone, and even though you might feel as if you can’t think of anything, just take the plunge because most of your thoughts will be appreciated.  Remember, this person already likes or loves you.  If you’re really stuck, thanking them for all they do and is a good start, and should get you thinking about what those things are.  Name them, if you can.  After all, letting someone know you’ve noticed all those small ways they make your life nicer is always going to make them smile.

For Family and Friends

For friends or non-romantic family, think of the sorts of things you’d put in a normal greetings card and just edit those sentiments a bit to suit Valentine’s.  Here are some examples:

  • Happy Valentine’s Day!  I wanted to send you a card to say I hope your life is filled with love for the whole year ahead.
  • As it’s Valentine’s, I just wanted to let you know how much you are loved and appreciated by me (and all the family).   Have a great day.
  • Wishing you a very happy Valentine’s Day from a family who loves you.
  • To my best friend, I thought I’d use Valentine’s Day to send you lots of love and let you know how special you are.  My world is about a million times better for having you in it.

Dydd Gwyl Dewi – St David’s Day

Croeso i popeth ar gyfer Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant!  Welcome to all our St David’s Day printables!

It’s still early days for our St David’s Day resources and we’ll be adding more as the years go by.  However we’ve already created some great celebratory printables below and we hope you and your children enjoy them.  Have a very happy time on the 1st of March, as you remember the patron kindly, nature-loving patron saint of Wales.

Please note that parts of this page have been written in Welsh as well as English, in keeping with the spirit of celebrating Wales.

Want to know more about how Wales is celebrating St David’s Day this year? You can find a list of events, as well as a bit of history on the Visit Wales website.

If you’re a teacher or if you just fancy learning a bit of Welsh for fun, you might find these basic worksheets useful. They are designed to be easy enough for primary school children, but any learners can use them.

And here are a few more colouring pages, including a cute Welsh dragon drawn with thick lines that are easy to stay inside – ideal for younger children.

Decorations are next, so you can decorate your home. We think the Welsh dragon paper chains look especially lovely when they’re done. You just print them, cut out the strips and stick the ends together with a bit of glue or tape to form a chain.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi hapus i chi a’ch blant! x

And here are some printable St David’s Day cards, because it’s always nice to send something to let your family and friends know you ae thinking of them on the 1st of March, especially if Wales occupies a special place in their heart.

Looking for a card to colour in?  Below is a lovely Red Dragon card which should be fun for children to colour in themselves.  It is suitable for younger and older children due to its strong, clear design with substantial lines and plenty of space for easy colouring, as well as some detailed parts.  All in all, a great chance for children to get creative on St David’s Day.

Dyma gerdyn hyfryd gyda dyluniad clir a chyfeillgar o’r Ddraig Goch, sy’n sicr o fod yn hwyl i’w lliwio gan blant. Mae’r gofod mawr, ardal lliwio eang a manylion y draig yn rhoi cyfle i blant fod yn greadigol gyda’u dewis lliwiau. Mae’r llinellau cryf a’r elfennau dylunio syml yn addas iawn ar gyfer ystod oedran eang, o blant ifanc i’r rhai ychydig yn hŷn.

 


P. S. If you love dragons, you can find more of our dragonish resources here.

Best of Bonfire Night

Although dwindling in popularity compared to Halloween, the 5th of November is still celebrated in many parts of the UK.  We’ve created a handful of printables with this in mind and whether it’s “Bonfire Night”, “Guy Fawkes Night” or “Fireworks Night” in your house, we hope you find them useful.

Remember, Remember Scrolls

If you’re looking for a printable version of that famous Guy Fawkes Night chant, ours are below.  They’re a great way to add to the 5th of November decorations.

We hope you have a roaring good time on Bonfire Night, but remember to be careful… fireworks can be as hot as dragon’s breath, and you wouldn’t go too near a dragon, would you?  x

Five Free Early Christmas Printables

You may think it’s a way off but before you know it, it’ll be that time a year again!

Magical Christmas clockSure, it’s an inner groan from those of us who dread the Christmas shopping but on the children front, it’s hard not to smile when you think of the upcoming magic. We’ve been doing this long enough to know that right this minute there are children out there wondering if they’ve been good enough (and if not trying to do better rather hurriedly!) for a certain someone to bring presents this year.

It’s a great time, therefore, to encourage your little ones to use their imaginations… Far up in the North Pole the Christmas clock is ticking; the elves have started to wrap up their presents, the reindeer have begun getting into shape for the long journey on Christmas Eve, and the Nice List is sparkling into life. Will your little one’s name magically appear on it?

With this in mind and for all those who just can’t wait, here are our five favourite free early Christmas printables. In our house, we use them to build excitement early on, so that by the time Christmas rolls around, our children can almost hear the sleigh bells. We hope you and yours enjoy them too.

1 Nice List Certificate

You're on the Nice List
You’re on the Nice List

If your child has been good, it’s never too early to let them know they’re on the nice list! As well as being a printable image you can write on, this one also comes as an editable PDF, which means you can just hit the appropriate button (underneath the main image) and type straight onto the certificate.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Check out the rest of our Christmas certificates here.

2 A letter from Santa to Read Before Christmas

Picture of a free printable letter from Santa, complete withh wiggly writing and illustrations of reindeerOur before Christmas letters have long been popular with anyone who wants to find out what magical things have been going on at the North Pole. A Kitchen Full of Reindeer is one of our favourites and it’s completely free from this site. (Check our Terms of Use.) It’s a magical, funny letter, telling the story of how all the reindeer have ended up causing havoc in Santa’s kitchen.

Oh – and if you’re folding/rolling up your letter and want the back to look pretty, you can always print one of our Christmassy letter-back designs on the other side.

We hope you enjoy our letters, but please remember they are only for personal use – it’s not legal to sell then or use them for any other commercial purposes. Their copyright remains with the author.

3 Santa’s Magic Mirror Note

Letter from Santa “Santa's Magic Mirror Writing”
Santa Letter: Santa’s Magic Mirror Writing

This is a great note for anyone who wants to let their children know that a couple of Santa’s elves are popping by (in secret of course) to see if they’re being good. Use it as early as you like to encourage good behaviour and for extra effect, print and fold a little envelope from Santa to put it in.

Your child will need a mirror to read this top-secret message – but that’s all part of the magic.

4 November Niceness Certificate

Certificate of November Niceness
November Niceness

Another certificate from Santa – but this time one’s just for November.

5 Elf Notification: You Made It to The Nice List

This cute note is a great reward for a child who has been good all year. It’s such a great feeling to know the elves have noticed!

Looking for more letters from the elves?  Try this page of our site.

Along with the rest of the resources on this page, we really hope this note helps you create a little extra magic for your loved ones this Christmas. x