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!

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

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