Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make

Every year my daughter’s school does a holiday market where the kids (I think it’s either first or second grade that does it) make the things they sell and the proceeds go toward holiday gifts and food for those in need.

The projects are always a little different each year but there are a few standards, and I think that event is a great reminder that kids can make cute holiday gifts with a little help from adults. So let’s look at some ideas for Christmas gifts kids can make.

One classic they always make, which I talked about in the National Sock Day post, is sock snowmen. These are so easy to make and super cute and we have a couple of them from the year my daughter made them that still come out every year.

They also often do birdseed ornaments, like these from Take Them Outside. Theses are easy to make using cookie cutters to make different shapes. This version is made with gelatin, which seems to be super common, but you could also try the classic peanut butter and birdseed mix if you’re not dealing with nut allergies.

Another easy make you can do with cookie cutters or silicone molds of different shapes is bath bombs. Red Ted Art has a good recipe that doesn’t use citric acid, which is nice because you probably can’t buy citric acid at your local grocery store. If you do have access to citric acid, a recipe like this one from A Beautiful Mess should work for you.

I’m sure I’ve shared melty bead bowls before, and this is one that probably isn’t great for a classroom because you need an oven, but the result is so cool and if you’re making gifts at home it’s no problem. And who doesn’t have too many Perler beads! Get the instructions for this one from Meaningful Mama.

Another classic craft that requires an oven (though I think you could do this in a toaster oven) is Shrinky Dinks. Learn how to turn kids’ drawings into keychains with this idea from Messy Little Monster.

There are so many fun bookmarks that kids can make, but I love these watercolor look bookmarks from Happy Hooligans. They’re a fun upcycling project and give kids a chance to be artistic and a little surprised if they’ve never worked with Sharpies and rubbing alcohol before.

Another one I remember them doing at school is hot chocolate spoons, which you can find a tutorial for at In the Kitch. They’re so cute and you can make them with different toppings to make a whole array of fun hot chocolate options.

Check out the kids craft section on Craftbits.com

And of course there’s air dry clay crafts, and everyone loves handprint and fingerprint crafts, too.

Do you have a go-to Christmas gift for kids to make? I’d love to hear about it!

A few years ago I shared some pumpkin themed sensory activities for kids, but I wanted to get a little more general and do some fall sensory ideas that can take you from Halloween al the way to Thanksgiving.

Playdough is a classic sensory activity, especially if kids can help make it, too. These playdough recipes from The Montessori Twin Mama are fall colored and scented with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice (I honestly don’t know what the difference is!). Or try this fun maple playdough from Happy Toddler Playtime.

Throw together some cookie cutters, googly eyes and other fun things to make an easy fall playdough tray (similar to what I did on this Halloween playdough activity).

How about some fall themed slime? Natural Beach Living gave a basic slime recipe a fall twist with food coloring and glitter. Leaf shaped sequins make it even more fun. Little Bins for Little Hands also has a cinnamon slime, which is great for fall but can also carry you all the way through Christmas.

Raising Wild Things Sensory has some great easy to make fall themed sensory bottles, which you can add fall things to, or pompoms or whatever kind of I spy items you might want to include. They also have a fun apple moon sand sensory bin that has me wondering if you could add something scented to moon sand (I always hated the smell!).

And of course there are all kinds of sensory bins you can make for fall. I like this apple picking one from Happy Toddler Playtime that uses fake leaves and little apple toys. It has the added challenge of trying to pick the apples up through a mesh of branches — kind of like a low-tech game of Operation!

You can also do a short-lived sensory bin with real leaves, or use any kind of beans, brown rice, oats or lentils to make your base. Some more great ideas can be found at Fab Everyday. Their post includes some specific Halloween and Thanksgiving themed sensory bins, too.

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