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You are here: Home / by interest / Gifts Kids Can Make

Gifts Kids Can Make

by interest· creatively homeschool· practical skills

12 Dec

Gifts Kids Can MakeOur family spends as much time creating as we do with our noses in books.  My favorite gifts are the handmade ones the kids give to me.  Here, I collected ideas that our children came up with, as well as a few that I found online.  Our kids made these gifts from ages 8-18 – they have been raised alongside power tools, so used them at younger ages than some would.  You know your kids best!

A tip: Don’t let your child know you don’t know how to do something, or that it is overwhelming to you; they’ll be much more unafraid to try than you are! Provide them with tools — even if just brown paper and charcoal — and they will surprise you with a wonderful gift!

Here are a few of our family’s ideas of Gifts Kids Can Make:

note: I like seeing exact materials, so am providing links to what I’m talking about below. The links are affiliate links – we’ll get a small kickback (at no cost to you) if you purchase from there; but don’t feel you must use our links.

Embroidery: As young as 4, our kids have worked with embroidery.  A toddler can use plastic canvas and thick yarn with a blunt needle to create a gift!  Here is a little happy teapot from one of our children:

Gifts Kids Can Make - How to Embroider

The instructions are simple: draw on muslin or other thin fabric (like sheeting) – we used a pencil; embroider with embroidery floss around the pencil drawing, using a backstitch.

Primitive Ornaments:  Our girls have been stitching since they were about 5 years old. Draw a very simple outline of an object  (think: coloring book page) and stitch onto it. Add a ribbon for handing onto the Christmas tree!

Turn Your Child’s Art into Embroidery:  The above paragraph reminded me of my own tutorial, posted on my other (former) blog.  I absolutely love to do this with our children’s artwork.  It’s quicker than you would imagine.  Here is my tutorial for turning a child’s art into embroidery.    2235400719_58c8d5ea76

Writing on a Plate:  For this craft, I don’t have a link to full instructions, so here they are:   1. Buy an inexpensive plate (from the Dollar Store, perhaps) 2. Write a poem or excerpt or your words with a Sharpie 3. Bake 30 mins at 150 in the oven and it’s permanent!

Birds Nest Necklace for Mom or Grandma:  Using wire and beads, create a necklace with different colours of beads representing children or grandchildren (I really hope one of my kids makes this one for me!) Full instructions here.

More Gifts Kids Can Make:

A Chess Set Made from Bullet Casings: This was such a unique gift from our teenager, I thought I’d share it.  Our teen used bullet casings and a Dremel to create a set of chess pieces for Dad.

Chess Set from Bullet Casings

Create Your Own Magnets:  I have made this one in the past, using small photos in magazines, and I’ve also created some with fabric.  The pictured magnets were created using scrapbook paper.  Here is a good tutorial on creating your own magnets.

Scroll Saw a Puzzle or a Shape: Our teen daughter drew the shape of Florida in pencil on a leftover, unused piece of flooring (similar to this veneer wood). She then cut out the shape using the scroll saw. Florida is where my husband and I met at college, and where all of our four babies were born.  It’ll always be a dear state to me.

Gifts Kids Can Make with a Scroll Saw

Woodburning Art: Our youngest gal, always and forever an artist, freehand “drew” a wolf using a woodburning tool. She used thin wood from the craft store.

Woodburned Wolf

A Carved Pen Holder: Our middle school aged son found a stick from the backyard, cut it with a hand saw, and dug it out.  He made me a pen holder!

A Wood Carved Pen Holder

 

Create Inexpensive Christmas Trees:  A blogger created Christmas trees from paper plates and tissue paper twisted into ‘rope.’  So many of you repinned this project that I thought I’d share it with everyone else.  Here are the project instructions.

Do your children have an idea to share? Let us know in the comments!

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Freely Educate is written for those, like our family, who don't want the box. There are many places for "box-thinkers" to go. This place is for those who think outside the box. I hope to give you affirmation and advice on bravely choosing to educate creatively and individually. - Lori Seaborg
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