Handmade Christmas Presents Children Can Make

Here are some fun and simple ideas for Christmas gifts that kids can make using materials you may already have in your home. Grandparents and family members will love and treasure gifts created by little hands and big hearts!

Handmade Scrapbook

You will need:

Empty Cereal Boxes
Scissors (kids safety scissors or scissors that you will use to do the cutting)
Paper, lined or unlined
Hole Puncher
Yarn or ribbon
Non-toxic Markers, Crayons, White Glue, Glitter

Cut out both front and back panels of the cereal box.

Use the plain sides of the panels (the inside part of the panels)

Let the kids decorate their scrapbook covers with crayons, markers glitter, etc.

Cut notebook paper, or other paper, to fit in-between the two scrapbook covers.

Punch holes through the covers, making sure the holes align with the holes in the notebook paper.

Tie yarn or ribbon through the holes.

The children can pick out favorite photos to place in their scrapbooks for Grandma and Grandpa to enjoy.

Kids can write letters to Grandma and Grandpa in the scrapbook.

Poems, special drawings, and fairytales written and drawn by the kids will delight Grandparents long after Christmas is over

Besides being easy and cheap to make, kids can learn a recycling lesson by reusing empty cereal boxes.

Handmade Placemats

You will need:

Children's artwork
Laminating machine

Collect the best of your children's artwork they have brought home from school, or have them create some new masterpieces. Have them laminated and children have wonderful placemats to give to as Christmas presents. Craft stores and Teaching Supply stores usually have laminating services.

Herb Garden

You will need:

Clay pot
Soil
Herb seeds
Tempera paints

Have children paint designs on clay pots.

Fill with soil and seeds, and by Christmas they will have some pretty herb plants to hand out to Grandparents.

Handmade Storage Holder.
This is suited more for older kids to make.

You will need:

Juice cartons
Scissors
Glue

Take a juice carton and cut out the side panel.

When you place the juice carton on its' side this opening will be where you fit in "drawers." Think of a chest of drawers.

Use three other cartons to make the drawers for the chest. You will need to cut the cartons to fit the depth of the chest carton. With the open side of the chest carton facing you, lay another carton next to it with the bases touching. Draw a line around the carton for the correct depth size and cut around the carton. Cut a small opening at the top of the drawer so that it can be pulled out easily.

Once the chest and drawers have been made, kids can decorate with fabric, construction paper, paint, etc.

Grandparents will love to use these storage units for sewing items, nuts and bolts, etc.

Handmade Wrapping Paper

You will need:

White Shelf Paper
Potato cut in halves
Cookie cutters
Tempera Paints
Stickers
Glitter
Crayons
Non-Toxic Markers

Lay out the paper on a table.

Use the cookie cutters to make shapes in the potato halves.

Dip the potato halves into the paint, and let kids stamp away on the paper.

Let the kids create and decorate their homemade wrapping paper with glitter, markers, crayons, stencils, etc.