DIY Gifts for Grandkids: 16 Handmade Christmas Toys That Beat Anything Store Bought

DIY gifts for grandkids are the presents that get pulled out of the toy box long after the batteries in the plastic ones have died. A wooden train, a soft rag doll or a cardboard bakery stand made by Grandma or Grandpa carries a story with it, and that story is what makes a child hold on to it. You do not need a workshop or a big budget. Most of these toys start with fabric remnants, plain wood from the hardware store, a sturdy cardboard box and a few quiet evenings in the weeks before Christmas. We picked ideas that suit different comfort levels, from no sew felt projects to simple woodworking, so you can match each gift to the grandchild and to the time you have. Here are sixteen handmade toys that feel like heirlooms on day one..

DIY Gifts for Grandkids: A Cardboard Play Bakery Stand

This idea comes straight from one of the most watched family builds online. Micah of Make It With Micah turned cardboard and paint into a pretend bakery for her daughter, and her short, DIY Bakery for my Daughter, has topped 30 million views. The charm is the striped awning and a counter full of pretend treats. A grandparent can build the same stand from two appliance boxes, and it pairs well with the ideas in our Christmas crafts with grandkids roundup..

You will need: Two large sturdy cardboard boxes, a box cutter, packing tape, chalk paint in cream and red, striped cotton fabric, a wooden dowel, wood glue, Mod Podge.

How to make it: 1. Cut one box into a counter with a front panel and a shelf, and tape every seam from the inside. 2. Paint the counter, then brush on a coat of Mod Podge so small hands and spills will not soften it. 3. Hem the fabric into a scalloped awning, slide it onto the dowel and glue the dowel into notches cut in two upright side panels.

Sanded Wooden Block Set

A box of wooden blocks is the toy every generation understands, and it is one of the easiest DIY gifts for grandkids to start with. Buy a length of pine or poplar, cut cubes, arches, triangles and cylinders, and sand every edge until it feels like a river stone. Leave some blocks natural and paint a few in soft colors with nontoxic paint. If you are new to cutting wood, the starter projects in our no nail woodworking guide build the confidence you need.

You will need: Pine or poplar boards, a hand saw or miter saw, sandpaper in 80, 120 and 220 grit, nontoxic acrylic paint, food safe wood oil, a cotton drawstring sack.

How to make it: 1. Cut the boards into blocks in matching sizes so they stack well. 2. Sand each block through all three grits, rounding every corner. 3. Paint a few blocks, let them cure for two days, then rub the rest with food safe wood oil.

Felt Play Food in a Little Basket

Felt play food is soft, quiet and nearly impossible to break, which makes it one of the DIY gifts for grandkids that parents love too. Cut fried eggs, toast slices, cookies, strawberries and carrots from wool blend felt, then add a little stuffing so they feel real in the hand. Most pieces need only a running edge seam, so this is a lovely project for the evenings. Our easy Christmas sewing projects list has more beginner friendly ideas if you catch the sewing bug.

You will need: Wool blend felt in white, tan, yellow, red, orange and green, embroidery floss, a needle, polyester stuffing, fabric glue, a small wicker basket.

How to make it: 1. Trace simple food shapes onto paper patterns and cut two of each from felt. 2. Sew the edges with embroidery floss, leaving a small gap, and add a little stuffing before closing. 3. Glue on details like egg yolks and strawberry seeds, then fill the basket and tie a ribbon on the handle.

DIY Gifts for Grandkids: A Knitted Teddy Bear

A knitted teddy bear with a matching scarf is the kind of gift a grown child keeps on a shelf for decades. Knit the body in a soft gray yarn, embroider the eyes and nose instead of using plastic parts, and finish with a tiny striped scarf in the family’s favorite colors. If teddy bears already have a place in your holiday style, our teddy bear Christmas decor collection shows how to display them. Tuck a handwritten tag into the scarf with the year and the maker’s name.

You will need: Soft worsted weight yarn in gray and a contrast color, knitting needles in the pattern size, a yarn needle, black embroidery floss, polyester stuffing, a free beginner bear pattern.

How to make it: 1. Knit the head, body, arms and legs following a simple flat bear pattern. 2. Sew the pieces together, stuffing each firmly as you go. 3. Embroider the eyes and nose with floss and knit a narrow scarf to tie around the neck.

Hand Sewn Rag Doll With a Yarn Bun

A rag doll is the oldest handmade toy in many families, and among DIY gifts for grandkids it still wins hearts. Cut the body from plain cotton muslin, sew a simple face with floss, and loop brown yarn over the head before twisting it into a bun. A red plaid dress and white apron give her a cozy Christmas look. Grandmothers who enjoy sewing gifts can find more ideas in our DIY gifts for Grandma roundup, and many of them use the same remnants. Sew a little name tag into her hem.

You will need: Cotton muslin, polyester stuffing, brown worsted yarn, embroidery floss, red plaid cotton, white cotton for the apron, a sewing machine or needle and thread.

How to make it: 1. Sew the doll body from a simple pattern, turn it right side out and stuff it firmly. 2. Embroider the face, then sew loops of yarn across the head and gather them into a bun. 3. Sew a gathered plaid dress with an elastic neckline and tie a small apron at the waist.

Hand Carved Wooden Truck

A chunky wooden truck can be rolled across floors, pushed through sandboxes and handed down to the next cousin. Cut the body from a single block of hardwood, round the cab with a rasp, and fix wooden wheels on dowel axles so they spin freely. Keep the shape simple and solid, because DIY gifts for grandkids need to take a beating. For a fun look at how much love old trucks can hold, see our rusty toy semi truck restoration story.

You will need: A hardwood block about 2 by 3 by 7 inches, four wooden toy wheels, two wooden dowels for axles, a saw, a wood rasp, a drill, sandpaper, wood glue, beeswax polish.

How to make it: 1. Draw a truck profile on the block, cut it out and shape the cab with the rasp. 2. Drill two straight axle bores through the lower body, slightly wider than the dowels. 3. Glue a wheel on each dowel end, sand everything smooth and buff with beeswax.

DIY Gifts for Grandkids: A Cardboard Box Dollhouse

A dollhouse does not have to cost a fortune. A sturdy boot box turned on its side becomes three cozy rooms once you add cardboard walls and leftover wallpaper. Matchboxes turn into beds and dressers, and a tiny paper Christmas tree makes it feel like the holidays inside. If you want to go further with miniatures, our clay dollhouse miniatures post shows how to make little dishes and food. Seal the walls with Mod Podge so the paper stays put through years of play.

You will need: A sturdy boot box, extra cardboard, leftover wallpaper or patterned paper, Mod Podge, a foam brush, matchboxes, fabric remnants, craft glue.

How to make it: 1. Glue cardboard dividers inside the box to make two or three rooms. 2. Brush Mod Podge on each wall, press on wallpaper and seal with another coat. 3. Build beds and dressers from matchboxes, add fabric blankets and glue in a few pieces of furniture.

Wooden Stacking Ring Board

A peg board with stacking rings teaches colors, counting and patience all at once. Drill a row of shallow sockets in a wooden base, glue in dowel pegs, and cut rings from a thick board with a ring cutting bit before painting them in a rainbow. Little ones love sorting the colors onto the matching pegs. It is the kind of present that fits right in with the ideas in our kids DIY Christmas gifts post, only this time the grown ups do the making.

You will need: A pine board for the base, wooden dowels, a thick board for rings, a drill, a ring cutting saw bit, sandpaper, nontoxic acrylic paint, clear water based sealer.

How to make it: 1. Drill five evenly spaced sockets in the base and glue a dowel peg into each. 2. Cut the rings, sand the inner and outer edges smooth, and paint each set a different color. 3. Paint a matching color strip beside each peg and seal everything once dry.

Sheet and Dowel Play Tent

Every child wants a hideout, and this is one of the DIY gifts for grandkids that gets used every visit, and a simple A-frame tent gives them one that folds flat when the visit is over. Four wooden dowels and a crossbar make the frame, and a plain cotton sheet stretched over it becomes the walls. Add a padded floor mat and a few cushions sewn from flannel or quilt blocks. Our quilt Christmas decor ideas are full of fabric combinations that would look sweet inside. Fill it with picture books on Christmas morning.

You will need: Four 1 inch wooden dowels about 48 inches long, one 1 inch dowel for the ridge, a drill, cord, a flat cotton sheet, fabric for cushions, a foam mat.

How to make it: 1. Drill a bore near the top of each long dowel and push the ridge dowel through to make two A shapes. 2. Tie the A shapes with cord so they stay at an even angle. 3. Lay the sheet over the ridge, sew small ties at the corners and add the mat and cushions.

DIY Gifts for Grandkids: A Natural Wooden Toy Train

A wooden train set is a timeless Christmas morning gift, and a handmade one feels even more special. Shape the engine from a block with a short dowel smokestack, then add two or three cars that link with small hooks and eyes. Leave the wood natural or paint each car a different color. If trains already ride along under your tree, our Christmas train decor collection has pretty ways to show them off.

You will need: Pine or maple blocks, short dowel pieces, wooden toy wheels and axle pegs, small metal hooks and eyes, sandpaper, wood glue, food safe wood oil.

How to make it: 1. Cut an engine block and two car blocks, and glue on a dowel smokestack and cab. 2. Attach wheels with axle pegs so they turn easily. 3. Add hooks and eyes at the ends of each car, sand all edges and oil the wood.

DIY Gifts for Grandkids: Christmas Plaid Bean Bags

Bean bags are quick to sew and keep a house full of cousins busy for hours. Cut squares of red and green plaid flannel, sew them into pockets, and fill them with dried beans or rice before closing the last side. A small wooden crate makes a perfect target for tossing games. Sew a few extra and tuck them into stockings, where they join the small treasures in our DIY stocking stuffers list.

You will need: Red and green plaid flannel, cotton thread, dried beans or rice, a funnel, a sewing machine, a small wooden crate, chalk paint.

How to make it: 1. Cut flannel into 6 inch squares and sew pairs together on three sides with a double seam. 2. Fill each pocket two thirds full using a funnel. 3. Sew the last side closed twice and paint a simple target number on the crate.

Painted Rocking Horse

A rocking horse is a big project, but it does not have to start from scratch. Many grandparents find a plain wooden horse at a yard sale, sand it down and paint it white with a bright saddle and bridle. The result looks like it came off an old fairground carousel. Our Christmas carousel decor post is full of color ideas for that painted look. Finish with a yarn mane and tail, and seal the paint well for many rides to come.

You will need: A secondhand wooden rocking horse, sandpaper, wood filler, white chalk paint, acrylic paints for the saddle, small brushes, thick yarn, wood glue, clear water based sealer.

How to make it: 1. Tighten loose joints, fill dents and sand the horse smooth. 2. Paint the body white, then paint the saddle and bridle in bright colors. 3. Glue on a thick yarn mane and tail, and finish with two coats of sealer.

Felt Quiet Book With Busy Pages

Of all the DIY gifts for grandkids here, a quiet book is the biggest lifesaver at church, at restaurants and on long car rides to Grandma’s house. Each felt page holds a small activity, like ornaments that snap onto a felt tree, a mitten with a zipper or a felt star that comes on and off. Make six or eight pages and bind them with ribbon or binder rings. The little felt ornaments can borrow ideas from our dollar store Christmas gifts post, where cheap supplies go a long way.

You will need: Stiff felt sheets for pages, colored felt, sew on snaps, a small zipper, ribbon, embroidery floss, fabric glue, two large binder rings.

How to make it: 1. Cut matching felt pages and plan one activity for each. 2. Sew or glue on the tree, mitten and star pieces, adding snaps and the zipper. 3. Pair the pages back to back, sew the edges, punch through near the spine and add binder rings.

DIY Gifts for Grandkids: A Crochet Granny Square Pony

Granny squares are not just for blankets, and they make some of the cutest DIY gifts for grandkids. Join a few small squares into a body, head and legs, stuff them, and you have a pony with a patchwork coat and a long yarn mane. It is a clever way to use up leftover yarn, and every pony turns out a little different. Crocheters who love quick gifts will find more ideas in our Christmas crafts for seniors post. Choose the grandchild’s favorite colors and add a tag with their name.

You will need: Cotton or acrylic yarn in four colors, a crochet hook in the yarn size, polyester stuffing, a yarn needle, two safety eyes or black floss, a granny square pony pattern.

How to make it: 1. Crochet small granny squares and join them into the body, head and leg tubes. 2. Stuff each piece and sew them together firmly. 3. Loop long strands of yarn along the neck for a mane, add a tail and embroider the eyes.

Wooden Crate Doll Cradle

Pair this cradle with the rag doll and you have one of the sweetest DIY gifts for grandkids as a complete set. A small wooden crate from the craft store becomes a rocking cradle with two curved runners fastened to the bottom. Paint it white, then add a tiny patchwork quilt and a pillow sewn from fabric remnants. Our wooden crate Christmas decor post shows just how useful these crates are around the house. Line the bottom with a thin foam pad.

You will need: A small wooden crate, a pine board for runners, a jigsaw, sandpaper, wood glue, short wood fasteners, white chalk paint, fabric remnants, thin foam, stuffing.

How to make it: 1. Draw two gentle curves on the pine board, cut the runners and sand them smooth. 2. Glue and fasten the runners to the bottom of the crate and paint everything white. 3. Sew a small quilt and pillow, cut foam to fit, and tuck in a doll.

Little Handmade Dolls in Knitted Hats

Tiny dolls with knitted hats are DIY gifts for grandkids that are perfect for small hands and fit easily in a coat pocket. Start with plain wooden peg dolls, paint on rosy cheeks and simple clothes, then knit or crochet a little red hat for each one. Make an entire family, with one doll for every grandchild. They are inexpensive enough to sit alongside the ideas in our Christmas gifts under five dollars list, yet they feel like real keepsakes. Store them in a small tin.

You will need: Unfinished wooden peg dolls, nontoxic acrylic paints, fine brushes, red and white yarn, a small crochet hook, clear water based sealer, a small tin.

How to make it: 1. Paint clothes and faces on the peg dolls and let them dry fully. 2. Seal each doll with two coats of water based sealer. 3. Crochet a small red hat with a white pom pom for each doll and glue it in place.