Rag Balls: Unique Holiday Homemade Gifts for Kids

Holiday gift giving is getting harder and harder each year. As parents, the choices of toys are endless. But what about giving a gift that comes from the heart? A handmade gift. A gift that teaches your child that not everything comes out of shiny, new box. If you fall into this category of gift givers, then look no more. Here is the complete guide, step by step, to making homemade rag balls.

Step-by-step guide for Rag Balls

Items you will need:

1 yard of Fabric. I recommend at least 2 various patterns. I recommend a theme, if possible of the child's favorite activities such as basketball or football. If that is not an option, simply go with the child's favorite color.
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Glue sticks
Foam Balls from the craft department

Okay, lets begin making these rag balls to give as a very unique holiday, homemade gift to your kids.

First off, lay the fabric of your choice out on a table and cut into pieces that are approximately 1" wide by 6" long. Go ahead and cut all the fabric beforehand, and lay aside. Keeping the two patterns, if you chose two, into their own separate stacks.

Secondly, take your hot glue gun and place some hot glue onto your foam ball, starting anywhere. As this is a rag ball and it is meant to not be perfect looking. Then, before the glue begins to dry, take an end of one of your pre-cut pieces of fabric and adhere the fabric to the foam ball. This will give you your starting point for attaching the strip of fabric to the foam ball.

Now that you have your strip of fabric attached to the foam ball in a starting point. You can now use the hotglue gun and run beads of hot glue onto the fabric itself, being careful not to burn yourself. Then immediately attach the strips of fabric directly to the foam ball. Trying to be careful not to cause many wrinkles. But remember, this is a homemade gift from the heart. And once again, these types of gifts aren't suppose to be perfect.

Okay, now simply repeat this process by attaching the rest of the strips of fabric to the foam ball until the ball is completely covered. You do not want any foam to be seen in any section of the ball.

Now, go ahead and create a few more rag balls by using the different types of themed fabric you chose.

And ta-da. There you have a very unique, holiday, homemade gift for your children. They are sure to cherish these rag balls for years to come.

What to do with rag balls?
Your children can enjoy hours of playing with them. If the child is in their teens, they may choose to use them as bowl fillers for display in their rooms. Or simple shelf sitters.