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The holidays are the perfect time to teach your kids about gratefulness and the importance of giving.
One way to impart these valuable lessons is to help your kids make handmade gifts for others.
Not only do handmade gifts hold special meaning, but they’re often a more frugal option than store-bought gifts.
They engage your kids’ creativity and are a tangible expression of their love for others. Relatives and friends alike will value these sweet, personal gifts.
To help you get started, here are ten ideas for cute DIY gifts your family can make this year:
1. Mason Jar Snow Globes
This gift idea is themed for the holiday and can become as easy or complicated as you like. Simply turn a mason jar upside down, and glue a winter scene to the inside of the lid.
Tip some glittery snow into the jar, and you’ve got a unique and heartfelt holiday gift that will make every grandparent and teacher feel very loved.
For older kids, you can combine warm water, glitter, and glue to fill your snowglobe with a swirling snowstorm.
2. Bookmarks
Handmade bookmarks are the perfect gift for friends and relatives who love to read.
The possibilities for these are endless and will depend partly on your kids’ ages. Ideas range from finger paint to watercolor masterpieces or hand-copied book quotes.
You can laminate the finished product so they can be enjoyed for years to come.
3. Rice Bag Warmers
If you live in North America, chances are that your weather cools down in the winter. Show your children how to give the gift of warmth with microwavable rice bag warmers.
You can choose cute fabric together and then teach them to show a straight seam to put together the bag.
Don’t forget to add the rice before you close the bag completely up!
4. Sugar Scrub
This beauty product is easy to make and looks lovely when finished. Sugar scrub is made by combining oil with sugar as an exfoliating agent.
Then, you can add essential oils of choice for fragrance and additional health benefits. Although the word “sugar” is in this gift’s name, it is not edible!
Sugar scrub is strictly for the outside of the body, not the inside.
5. Homemade Candles
Candles are another winter staple. They bring comfort and a sense of coziness to your home during the cold months, and they’re a lot of fun to make.
For a simple holiday gift, show your kids how to roll beeswax sheets around a long wick to form beautiful, clean-burning candles.
You can also take a more complicated route and pour candles into molds, adding dried or artificial flowers for a wintery feel.
6. Towel Teddy Bear
Your kids will love turning a handtowel into a cute teddy bear. To create this snuggly bear, you only need a handtowel of choice and a few rubber bands.
Kids can easily follow along as you fold and wrap your towels into small bears.
This gift would work well in a self-care basket, included among other items like facemasks and sugar scrubs.
You may want to hide the rubber bands when you’re done unless you want these cute animals to start popping up all over your house!
7. Bath Bombs
Give the gift of comfort and self-care with a homemade bath bomb.
These are simple, fun to make, and can be personalized easily by your children. Staple ingredients include Epsom salts, cornstarch, baking soda, oil, and essential oils.
To mold the finished product, you’ll want to use a bath bomb mold or an ice cream scoop.
You can also get very creative and use ice cube trays or chocolate molds for more intricate designs.
8. Sled Ornaments
Putting ornaments on the tree each holiday is a sweet reminder of friends and family who have gifted you different items over the years.
Give this gift to someone else by creating homemade sled ornaments out of popsicle sticks.
These ornaments are easily constructed with scissors, paint, and glue, and they add homemade charm without looking like a kindergarten craft project.
9. Fridge Magnets
Another great gift idea is to have your kids craft cute fridge magnets.
You can laminate their drawings or have them use Perler beads to create animals, food items, and anything else they’d like.
Once their chosen design is finished, use a hot glue gun to fuse magnets to the back of their projects.
Do make sure you keep magnets out of reach of small children since swallowing them can be very dangerous.
10. Handmade Cards
This gift may be simple, but it’s also timeless. Get holiday-themed scrapbook paper at your local craft store, and have your kids use scissors and glue to create unique holiday cards for loved ones.
Include a personal message in each card, and make sure everyone signs the finished product.
To make this present more exciting, use stamps and stickers to dress up each envelope and stuff them with tissue paper confetti.
Have a Creative Holiday
Remember, projects don’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Help your kids nourish their creativity and actively bless others this year by making handmade gifts together.
The items your kids create will become a special memory from your family time this holiday, and bring a lot of joy to friends and relatives. Happy crafting!