Why not skip some of the shopping and help your kids create some personalized gifts? Something beyond a generic “World’s Greatest Grandma” mug.
Although, let’s be honest. That’s Grandma’s most treasured mug, right?
Regardless, it might be time to level-up her grandma gifts. Not to mention any children’s pastors, friends, relatives, etc.
But don’t worry, I’ve gathered up a list of Christmas gifts kids can make to help you get your creative juices flowing.
Key Takeaways:
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- Engaging and meaningful Christmas gift projects that your kids can create
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- Simple ways to blend crafty adventures into your holidays
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- Creative, budget-friendly tips to ensure activities are light on the wallet
Acknowledge the Magic of Homemade Gifts
When our kids create gifts with their own hands, they’re not just crafting something unique; they’re weaving a piece of their heart into each creation.1. Build an Emotional Connection
A handcrafted gift shows the effort and thought put into it. It’s a personal expression of love and care, often making it more cherished than a quickly bought store-bought item.
Most of the time, the kids are going with us and choosing something that they haven’t had a chance to invest themselves in emotionally.
2. Include Learning and Creativity in the Holidays
As your kids engage in making these gifts, they’re not just being crafty. They’re learning about planning, problem-solving, and creativity.
Each project becomes a mini-lesson in art and emotional intelligence.
3. Teach the Spirit of Giving
Crafting gifts is a wonderful way to teach children about the joy of giving. It shows them that the value of a gift lies not in its price tag, but in the time and love invested in it.
When they spend their energy on something they aren’t keeping, it brings the spirit of giving home in a whole new way!
4. Foster a Sense of Contribution
Gifts made from children’s art helps them understand their own value in the holiday season.
Instead of just being receivers, they become active contributors, experiencing the pride and joy of giving something they’ve made.
This fosters self-esteem and a sense of responsibility, showing them the impact of their efforts on others’ happiness.
$200 Giveaway! Details at the bottom of the post.
20 Gifts Kids Can Make
Let’s dive into some creative and educational Christmas gift projects.
1. Handmade Christmas Cards
Guide your kids through folding cardstock, decorating with markers, glitter, or even fabric scraps. Younger kids can finger paint, while older ones can try collage techniques. Try this list of 50 Homemade Cards to find one you love.
2. Customized Ornaments
Use air-dry clay, popsicle sticks, or recycled materials to shape ornaments. Paint and decorate once dry. Find one in this list of 50 ornament ideas that represents your kiddos current interests to create a timeline on grandparents trees.
3. DIY Picture Frames
Construct frames from popsicle sticks or cardboard. Decorate with beads, yarn, or natural elements like pine cones. Add some of their artwork for a wall-worthy keepsake. Check out this list for inspiration.
4. Festive Bookmarks
Are you giving books to little cousins or friends? Why not have them add some cute bookmarks from sturdy cardstock. Decorate with festive stamps, stickers, or drawings. Red Ted Art is an amazing resource for creative bookmark ideas.
5. Air-Dry Clay Dishes and Pots
We LOVE Hey Clay sets. Bur really, anything made with clay is a win for little hands. Try molding air-dry clay into small dishes or pots. Decorate with paints, stamps, or carved designs. Use the Faber Castell Pottery Wheel to level up your clay time.
6. Hand-Crafted Puppets
Create puppets using socks, felt, and other craft materials. This is the perfect gift for siblings or other young friends. We use this tutorial and fuzzy socks to give our sock puppets more character.
7. Nature-Inspired Wind Chimes
Collect materials from nature walks, such as twigs, shells, and pinecones, to create unique wind chimes. This project guide will help you get started.
8. Homemade Coloring Book
Have your artistic kids create outlines and then gift a custom-made coloring book to a friend. My daughter’s BFF moved to Alaska, so this is a great chance for them to connect over something they used to enjoy doing together.
9. Custom Golf Towels
Have your child create a special design or artwork, which can then be printed on a golf towel if you have any uncles in the family that are golf fanatics. When we did this project, I took an image of my daughter’s writing to add to the towel as well. We ordered ours from Zazzle.
10. Decorative Plant Pots
Using terracotta pots or other creative containers, kids can paint or decorate them with various materials. Head to the store and choose a packet of herb seeds to gift an entire kit.
11. Handcrafted Storybooks
Encourage your older kids to write and illustrate their own storybooks. We really like the simplicity and affordability of printing them through the Trade Books option at Blurb.
12. Personalized Calendars
Instead of using family photos, let your kid’s pick out 12 of their favorite pieces of artwork and create a wall calendar. Ask them to try and match the season to the art they’re choosing for a personal and practical gift.
13. Handmade Jewelry or Beadwork
Crafting simple jewelry or beadwork allows kids to explore patterns, color combinations, and basic jewelry-making techniques. Get some ideas from this list of 10 projects for different ages and abilities.
14. DIY Birdhouses or Feeders
Building birdhouses or feeders from wood or recycled materials can be a fun and educational project for the nature lover’s on your list. Choose from this massive list of 30 different birdfeeder projects.
15. Hand-Painted Library Bags
Using fabric paints, children can design a library bag for anyone passionate about reading. Try this easy sewing pattern for your older kids.
16. Personalized Fabric Creations
Do you have a grandma that loves to sew? We do! And the biggest hit of the year one Christmas was custom fabric made out of my 6-year-old’s art work. Upload their art to Spoonflower to get started.
17. Handmade Recipe Books
Encourage your children to compile a recipe book for a favorite meal. Maybe a drink, main course, and dessert is enough. Along with the recipes, they can add coupons for doing the dishes or playing a game of cards after.
18. Homemade Spice Mixes
Kids can help create and package homemade spice mixes, perfect for gifting to family members who love to cook. They can mix spices for specific dishes or cuisines.
19. Personalized Cooking Aprons
Decorating a plain cooking apron with fabric paints or markers is a fun and functional project. Children can create designs that reflect the personality of the family member who will receive it.
20. Advent Calendars
Why not ask your kids to help you create an advent calendar for others? Snag some ideas from this list and then gather the supplies for another family.
Help Your Kids Create the Magic This Christmas Season
Your kids have a wonderful opportunity to express their creativity, learn new skills, and understand the deeper value of giving.
Have an art-loving kiddo? Why not explore more ways to integrate art and creativity into your everyday homeschooling routine?
Enjoy a free art lesson with your kids this holiday season!
2023 Christmas Blessings Giveaway
Christmas came quick this year!! At least it feels that way when everywhere you turn there are signs of Christmas all around, yet we haven’t even gotten to Thanksgiving yet. It seems the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year. It IS the most wonderful time of the year after all, so why not celebrate for as long as we can, right?!
To help celebrate this Christmas season, I’m teaming up with a group of amazing bloggers to bring you the 10th annual Christmas Blessings Giveaway!! I can’t believe we have been blessing families for TEN years!! We all love doing this and we look forward to it every year! While the giveaway has changed and evolved a bit over the years, many of participating bloggers have stayed the same – so many generous and dedicated women are behind this giveaway.
This year we will have FOUR winners!! Each winner will get a $200 gift card to wherever they choose – a restaurant, clothing store, grocery store, online retailer – any place that offers gift cards!
There are lots of entry options in the Rafflecopter form below – the more you enter, the better your chance of winning! I know it can seem tedious and time consuming to go through all the entries, but isn’t a chance at $200 worth it? I think it is! Plus, all of these amazing bloggers donated their own money towards the prizes, so this giveaway wouldn’t be possible without them. I hope you’ll take the time to check out each one. Who knows, maybe you will find some new blogs to follow.
The giveaway will run from Monday, November 13th through Wednesday, November 22nd (ends at 11:59pm ET). Winner will be notified by email shortly after the giveaway ends and will have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. Please be sure to read the Rafflecopter terms and conditions upon entering.
