A gift from the heart is received by the heart!
Your holiday dilemma is solved! Here are inexpensive, simple, and easy gifts your children can make. You’ll save money as you nurture the true spirit of giving in children. Best of all, these projects will be treasured because they are one of a kind! They are made by the gifted hand of a child!
Teachers can use these ideas to help children make gifts for their parents. Or parents can use these ideas to help their children create gifts for relatives or friends. (It’s important to be sensitive to different beliefs children may have this time of year. Gifts don’t have to be for Christmas or Hanukkah ~ you can give someone a gift anytime just because you care about them!)
Hint! Make sure that children DO these projects themselves! They need to reflect the children’s individuality and efforts. Adapt the projects to the ability of the children, or add your own unique accents.
GREETING CARDS
Materials: paper, paint, ink pad, markers, wrapping paper scraps
Directions: Let children use fingerprints or handprints to make “one of a
kind” holiday cards. They can also make a colorful collage by gluing bits of
wrapping paper to a blank card.
WRAPPING PAPER
Materials: tissue paper, paper plates, paint, cookie cutters
Directions: Fold a paper towel and place it on a paper plate. Pour paint on
the paper towel. Children dip the cookie cutters in the paint and print on the tissue paper.
Adaptations: Recycle paper grocery sacks to use as wrapping paper.
Let children paint with pine boughs on newspaper to create wrapping paper.
Use fruits or vegetable prints to create one of a kind wrapping paper.
THUMB PRINT GIFT TAGS
Materials: card stock, ink pad, fine tip markers, ribbon
Directions: Cut cardstock into 2” x 5” rectangles. Fold in half. Press your thumb on the ink pad and then print on the front of the card. Add details with markers. Punch a hole and tie on a ribbon.
PENCIL CAN
Materials: juice or vegetable can, glue, pasta, spray paint
Directions: Remove the label from the can. Let children glue pasta (bow ties, spirals, macaroni, etc.) around the can. Spray paint gold or silver.
Adaptation: Children can also cover a can with construction paper. Next, let them create a collage on the can with pictures and words cut from magazines.
KEY RACK
Materials: wood scraps (4” x 10”), nails, markers, picture hangers
Directions: Let children decorate the wood with markers. Next, let them hammer 4 nails spaced evenly apart. Attach a hanger to the back.
Adaptation: Children could also paint wood scraps.
