If you’re anything like me, art isn’t simply a means to keep your kid’s busy for a few minutes of free time. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a lovely perk.
But we’re the let’s spread glitter around childhood memories type of homeschool moms. The ones who end up with a scuffed up kitchen table and piles (and piles and piles) of artwork.
Those gorgeous little creations that start to overwhelm us. We use a Waldorf-inspired approach to homeschooling, so art and creativity are a part of our culture here. But, what exactly are you supposed to do with all of those?
I’m here to tell you that you have the perfect solution to two separate issues. One – what the heck do you get for Grandma this year? And two – what to do with all the art?
The solution? Gifts made from children’s art!
Hang with me for a minute. I’ve gathered some ideas you might love. But first, let’s talk about why you might want to create gifts with children’s art.
Give Kids a Boost Of Confidence
Have you ever seen those posts of a first-time author when they have their new book in their hands for the first time? That sort of delight and pride is the same thing your kids will feel when they see something tangible created from their artwork.
Suddenly their art has become something valuable rather than something that you stick in a pile after it’s rotation in the wall gallery.
Children’s artwork isn’t just a clay mold here, or colored marker there; it’s a piece of what they’re trying to communicate, understand, and create in the world. Converting these pieces into gifts isn’t merely a craft project, it’s giving those everyday items personal, emotional weight.
It tells your story but from the perspective of tiny eyes with grand imaginations. Worth every dang penny!
So how do you turn your children’s art into gifts? Start with the right art for the gift you’re sharing.
Prepare The Artwork for New Roles
Picking the right piece of art is the critical first step. You’re looking for something that stands out to you but could also resonate with a recipient.
It could be thematic (think birthday cards for Grandma featuring cats because ‘Kitty’ is her middle name!), Christmas-themed gifts, or simply the piece your kid is proudest of.
Tailoring the choice to the occasion or the person will add an extra layer of warmth and throwback nostalgia when the gift is unwrapped. After that, how you prepare the art for the gift is dependent on the gift you’re giving.
You’ll likely laminate, encase the art in resin, use archival-safe sprays, or (most often) make high-quality scans and images. Take care to mount the artwork or wrap it with care to highlight the value in the gift. Kid’s will absorb that unwritten sign of value.
5 Grandparents Gifts That Kids Make
Start with the grandparents. After all, what nana doesn’t love getting gifts that kid’s make?
1. Make a Mug
A classic. This can be as simple as a heat-safe marker and some regular oven time. Or, use a printing service to print your child’s art onto a mug. Morning coffee just got an extra-special splash of love.
2. Customize Tote Bags or T-Shirts
A more casual option, but one that lets Grandma carry your kid’s art around in everyday life. Bragging of course. It’s the kind of personalized swag that gets nods and compliments at water aerobics.
3. Canvas Wall Art
Enhance the original piece with a frame or get it professionally printed on canvas.
4. Handmade Calendars or Journals
The perfect marriage of form and function. It’s like 12 gifts made from children’s art in one. A calendar featuring 12 artworks, one for every month, or a journal cover with a statement piece that’s never the same way twice.
5. Personalized Christmas Ornaments
For younger kiddos, consider hollow plastic ornaments they can stuff. We made a very memorable Cookie Monster ornament that is still hanging on all of the relatives trees 7 years later. For older kids with genuine art, use a service to print one. Or, make some salt-dough ornaments and then mod-podge their art on top.
5 Gifts That Kids Can Make Themselves
When your kid’s are big enough, let them create the entire gift.
1. DIY Photo Frames
Out of cardboard or popsicle sticks, it’s an art project in itself that celebrates another art project.
2. Personalized Greeting Cards
What grandparent, aunt, or uncle wouldn’t adore a birthday card designed by their favorite pint-sized artist? You can also take a scan of their art and upload it to be a custom cover that’s printed for all of your art. Give them credit “artwork by…” and they’ll feel so fancy!
3. Customized Fabric
Turn a masterpiece into a table runner, a cushion cover, or even a patchwork quilt. If your kids are over seven or eight years old, you can start teaching them digital design and order a custom yard or two of fabric for any avid sewers in the family.
Alternatively, create a stamp and let them use fabric paint to create a custom tea towel.
4. Handprint Art
A classic keepsake, this turns a simple impression into the perfect medium for seasonal or celebratory themes—like floral ‘hand bouquets’ for Mother’s Day or hoof prints for ‘reindeer games’.
5. Decorate Clay Pots
Whether it’s for their green thumb or to store pens on a desk, a decorated pot is a lovely, practical, and perpetually panoramic showcase of a child’s artwork. Consider pencil and pen holders for favorite Sunday school or Co-Op teachers.
5 Gifts for Dad
Sure, mom’s need presents too! But dad’s always seem a bit trickier to buy for once the fan-favorite towel and BBQ apron has been exhausted. Although I am, admittedly, a collector of aprons, so I’m not sure you can have too many.
1. Dad’s Keychain Gallery
Order a keychain from any of the talented Etsy artisans. It could be a single piece encased, or a rotating collection that comes and goes with each season.
2. The Dad and Kid Puzzle
Turn that favorite artwork into a keepsake at any one-hour photo or online at one of your favorite printers. My favorite is Nations Photo Lab.
3. Wear His Art Around
A custom wallet featuring your child’s art not only holds money but holds up a mirror to his heart. We did this one year when M was learning to write and draw. It’s worn out and tattered and now resides on his dresser, but he’s never getting rid of that thing.
4. Hand in Hand: A Custom Stuffie
Have you seen how adorable a custom stuffie from your kid’s art is? I’m so ready to get on that train! Loved and lived with, the stuffie is a constant gift that can live next to dad’s side of the bed.
5. A Coloring Book That’s All About Him
It might take a hot second, but help your kid’s create some artwork by drawing, but not coloring. It can be themed or just some art they’ll do together.
A few more ideas:
- Custom golf towel
- Mousepads
- Travel Mugs
- Paperweight (pet rock anyone?)
- Custom Desktop Planner
Frequently Asked Questions About Kids’ Art Gifts
Here are some common questions we see floating around the internet about gifts from children’s art.
1. How Do I Turn My Kids’ Art into a Gift?
This depends on what you start with and what you want the end product to be. Our tips give you a head start, and creativity (of the grown-up variety) takes it from there.
2. What Can I Make with Kids’ Artwork?
Your options are limited only by your ability to dream, imagine, and create. Stationery, household items, accessories, decorative pieces, and so many more are within your reach.
3. What Do I Do with All My Kids’ Drawings?
This article, in essence, is an answer. But more than giving physical ideas, it confirms your idea that scribbles aren’t just waste.
But I won’t tell you that gifts can handle storing all of the art. We have several tubs that hold our artwork. M has devoted an entire wall of art to her masterpieces. The ones I thought…meh…I’m not sure I’ll keep that often turn out to be the ones she’s most proud of.
Don’t feel obligated to keep everything. Maybe choose one special piece from each unit or month. Then set those aside. Once the school years hit, I started buying a giant spiral watercolor-paper notebook and that’s become a yearbook of sorts for most of the more precious art.
Give With Heart: Gifts Made From Children’s Art
I won’t tell you that we only give handmade gifts…pfft…that’s like me saying we always gracefully finish our schoolwork and never spend the day in our jammies.
We try to give meaningful gifts and declutter our art piles as often as possible. If that’s where you’re at too, this article is a great starting place for inspiration. Looking to get more regular with your elementary art lessons? Try out the art membership where you’ll find themed art units, gorgeous children’s literature, and fun projects!
