I don’t know about you, but the holidays always make me want to make things! With more and more days spent indoors as it gets colder and darker earlier in the day, making handmade holiday gifts with the kids is a fun way to cross a few gifts off your holiday list!
Here are a few holiday gifts that you can make at home that will bring smiles to your loved ones’ faces when they see that little hands made them from the heart!
1. Ornaments
I made these thumbprint reindeer ornaments last year and gave them to all the grandparents as gifts. They could be made with any color ornament, and you could even tie a bow at the top. Watch for when clear or solid-colored ornaments are on sale, grab a box, and let your imagination run wild.
2. Mason Jar Filled with Homemade Granola
Cut circles of fabric to place on top of the mason jars, and print labels with the ingredients for each jar. The recipe is as follows and makes about seven cups.
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds hulled
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds hulled
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
- 1 1/4 cup raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
- Sprinkle of coarse salt
Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, syrup, olive oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45 minutes. Remove granola from the oven and season with more salt to taste. Let it cool completely before serving, or store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
3. Footprint and Handprint Canvases
Buy a canvas, some paint, and go crazy! Here are some festive ideas.
4. Greeting Cards
There is nothing better than getting a handmade card! Grandparents can even frame cards to hang for holiday decorations to come, or, better yet, offer to frame the card for them! Here are some simple ideas.
5. Frames
The frames can be for a tabletop, a wall, or to hang on a tree. You just need blank frames, paint, and pictures. I love this colorful lightbulb fingerprint frame.
6. Pictures
One of my favorite holiday pastimes is to take pictures of my girls with a string of lights. The pictures make great gifts, and you could even pair the picture with a homemade frame! The idea is simple – get the kids dressed, plug in a string of lights, and snap away. They don’t even need to be looking, and in fact, these pictures come out even better when they aren’t! Tell them a joke to get them smiling and laughing, and you’ve got the perfect holiday gift that can be looked back on for many years. Another fun idea is to have them read a holiday book in front of the tree and the lights!
A few tips when crafting with kids.
- If you really love it, make an extra one so that you can have one too – may as well make an extra while you’re making a mess.
- Don’t forget to add initials and the year of creation.
- For anything that involves little fingers and paint, or if you have to write something, test it out on a paper plate first so you can perfect your technique!
- Another tip for when you’re putting paint on little fingers and toes, rather than dipping them in the paint, paint them on. You’ll get a clearer image, and cleanup later will be easier.
- If you’re cooking or baking, it may get messy, but that is half of the fun, so let go and enjoy it.
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