Kid's Homemade Christmas Presents for Grandpa

A cute homemade Christmas present from the grandkids is a wonderful way to bring a smile to any Grandpa on Christmas morning. Not only will it bring joy to Grandpa, but the act of making him a gift will make the kids feel special, too.

This first gift is great for any Grandpa that likes to spend time in the kitchen; a chef or a baker, or even a great scrambled egg maker. It is a personalized apron that the grandkids design, paint and then give as a wonderful Christmas present any Grandpa would treasure. (These gifts can be made by the children, but adult supervision is needed to help with the ironing.)

The supplies for this quick and simple Christmas gift are: (Click to see examples)
** newspaper for covering the table
** sheets of binder paper
** pencil
** crayons
** paper plates
** acrylic paints
** fabric medium
** assorted fabric paint brushes
** one canvas apron
** an iron and ironing pad or board

To begin, place the newspaper on the kitchen table to protect it. Hand out sheets of binder paper to each grandchild that will participate in the project. (If there are multiple kids that want to do their own apron, then just buy extra supplies. Local craft stores carry the aprons for around $4.99 or so.) Have the kids draw what makes them think of time with Grandpa, a simple Christmas tree, or anything they like to make it special. It does not need to be specially detailed at all; just a nice simple drawing is enough. Let them know that they will be explaining the picture to Grandpa after he opens the present. Let them draw and color their masterpieces a few times to get the feel of the picture.

Then, take out the apron and have the kids draw on the apron with a pencil. Remind them that they will be painting the picture, so small details are not wise. (I have been doing this for years, and small details on fabric are still difficult for me!) After they have drawn their hearts out, it is time to mix the paint.

Take out the paper plates and acrylic paints. Have the kids pick their colors and squeeze a good dollop on the plates. Follow the directions on the fabric medium for the amount of drops to add to the amount of paint on the plate. Use the fabric brush and paint away! They do recommend, on the fabric medium bottle, to use still brushes and 'rub' the paint into the fabric. That is hard to do, so have the kids do their best.

Follow the directions on the fabric medium on drying time overnight, and also on ironing the next morning. The ironing helps to seal the paint to the project and make it stand up better in the wash. If you were to try this without the medium, the paint would eventually wash off.

This is a wonderful gift that any Grandpa would enjoy! Make sure that the kids explain the picture so everyone knows the story of the picture and what it means to the child. I have done this project and it was a hit!

For the next project, you can use the same supplies, but make a different present. For this one, you will need a plain white t-shirt instead of an apron. You can do one of two things with the design of this shirt. You can do (my favorite) by painting the kid's feet and then having them carefully put footprints in different colors on the back side of the shirt. I did this one with my dog many years ago and then wrote with a fabric marker "My Dog Walks All Over Me". You can do the same, but either put the child's name, or just 'grandkids' that walk all over him. This is a funny way to have the kids make a wonderful Christmas present for their Grandfather.

One other way is again, to use the same supplies, but instead of an apron or a t-shirt, get a canvas hat. My son did this one a few years ago and had a lot of fun making it. Remember to mix the paints according to the directions on the fabric medium bottle. This will help the fabric paint not peel away from the fabric over the years. For this one, have the kids use their imagination with the colors and paint brushes. It doesn't need to be a perfect picture or even a picture at all. It can be a blend of Grandpa's favorite colors. He can use it as a fishing or cleaning out the garage hat! Every Grandpa needs one or two of those!

Sources:

Personal experience

www.joann.com