Kids DIY Christmas Gifts: 14 Sweet Handmade Presents Grandparents Will Keep Forever

Kids DIY Christmas gifts are the presents grandparents actually keep. Long after the store bought sweaters are forgotten, a lumpy salt dough ornament or a tea towel printed with a crayon drawing stays on the fridge, the tree or the kitchen hook for years. Searches for handmade gifts kids can make for family are climbing fast this month, and it is easy to see why: they cost very little, fill a cold afternoon and mean the world to the person who opens them. Below are fourteen sweet ideas for little hands, with simple supplies and clear steps. Anything with an oven, a hot glue gun or a sharp tool gets an adult helper. Clear the kitchen table and let the making begin..

Kids DIY Christmas Gifts Grandparents Will Treasure

Picture this table on Christmas morning: a tea towel printed with a crayon tree, salt dough ornaments with tiny fingerprints, a painted flower pot and a jar of cocoa with a hand drawn label. These kids DIY Christmas gifts are not perfect, and that is exactly why grandparents love it. Choose two or three projects, set up a craft station with old newspapers, and let the kids pick colors and designs themselves. Tie everything with red ribbon and add a little card with the child’s age and the year..

You will need: Newspaper or a plastic tablecloth, paint and brushes, crayons, red ribbon, gift tags, a pen.

How to make it: 1. Pick two or three gifts from this list that suit your kids’ ages. 2. Set up a craft station and work on one project per afternoon. 3. Wrap each gift with ribbon and a tag showing the child’s age and the year.

Salt Dough Fingerprint Ornaments

Salt dough ornaments are the classic kids DIY Christmas gifts for a reason. Mix flour, salt and water, roll it out, and cut circles with a cookie cutter. Once baked and cooled, kids press painted fingerprints onto them and add antlers, scarves and noses with a fine marker. Write the year on the back so grandparents remember exactly how small those fingers were. An adult should handle the oven. Which little character would your kids make?

You will need: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, about 3/4 cup water, a rolling pin, a round cookie cutter, a straw, acrylic paint, a fine marker, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Mix the dough, roll it out and cut circles, poking a hole at the top with a straw. 2. An adult bakes them at a low temperature until hard, then lets them cool. 3. Add painted fingerprints, decorate with marker and tie on ribbon.

Tea Towel Kids DIY Christmas Gifts

A child’s drawing on a tea towel turns art into something grandma uses every day. Have your child draw with bold markers or crayons, then trace it onto a cotton tea towel with fabric markers. For older kids, iron on transfer paper works too, with an adult doing the ironing. Every time it hangs on the oven door, it brings a smile. What would your child draw?

You will need: A plain white cotton tea towel, fabric markers, paper, crayons or markers for the first sketch, cardboard to slip under the towel.

How to make it: 1. Let your child draw a design on paper first. 2. Slip cardboard under the towel and redraw the design with fabric markers. 3. An adult irons the back to set the color, following the marker instructions.

Painted Rock Paperweights

Smooth rocks from the yard or garden center make wonderful paperweights for a grandparent’s desk. Wash and dry them, then let kids paint dots, swirls, hearts or a little Christmas tree. A cotton swab makes perfect dots for younger children. Seal them with a clear sealer, applied by an adult, so they last. Grandpa can keep his mail in place and smile at the same time. Which rock would you pick?

You will need: Smooth flat rocks, acrylic paint, small brushes, cotton swabs, clear sealer (adult use).

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the rocks completely. 2. Paint a base color, then add dots and patterns. 3. Once dry, an adult brushes on a clear sealer.

Kid Decorated Photo Frames

Of all the kids DIY Christmas gifts here, this one gets displayed the longest. A plain wooden frame from the craft store becomes a treasure once a child decorates it. Let them glue on buttons, pom poms, sequins and painted stars, then slip in a favorite family photo. Grandparents love seeing the grandkids framed by their own handiwork. School glue works on wood, or an adult can help with hot glue for heavier pieces. Which photo would you put inside?

You will need: A plain wooden frame, buttons, pom poms, sequins, acrylic paint, craft glue, a family photo.

How to make it: 1. Paint the frame and let it dry. 2. Glue on buttons, pom poms and sequins. 3. Add a favorite photo once everything is dry.

Shrink Plastic Kids DIY Christmas Gifts

Shrink plastic feels like magic to kids. They draw on the sheet with colored pencils or markers, cut it out, and watch it shrink in the oven into a sturdy little charm. Punch a hole before baking and add a key ring once cooled. Kids can draw a pet, a heart or the family car. An adult must handle the oven, since the pieces get very hot. Who would carry your child’s keychain?

You will need: Shrink plastic sheets, colored pencils or permanent markers, scissors, a hole punch, key rings, an oven (adult use).

How to make it: 1. Draw designs on the shrink plastic and cut them out, punching a hole near the top. 2. An adult bakes them following the package directions and lets them cool. 3. Attach key rings through the holes.

Hand Painted Flower Pot With Seeds

A painted flower pot is a gift that keeps growing. Kids paint a terracotta pot in bright colors or simple patterns, then tuck a packet of flower or herb seeds inside. Grandparents can plant it in spring and think of the little painter every time it blooms. Seal the outside with a clear spray, applied by an adult outdoors, to protect the paint. Which seeds would you choose?

You will need: A terracotta pot, acrylic paint, brushes, clear sealer (adult use), a seed packet, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Paint the pot and let it dry. 2. An adult sprays a clear sealer outside. 3. Tuck a seed packet inside and tie a ribbon around the rim.

Bath Salts: Easy Kids DIY Christmas Gifts

Bath salts are a sweet, simple gift for grandma. Kids mix plain Epsom salt with a drop of food coloring in zip bags, squish until the color spreads, then layer different colors in small jars. Skip strong scents for sensitive skin. Add a hand drawn tag and a twine bow. It looks like a fancy shop gift but costs just a couple of dollars. What colors would your kids layer?

You will need: Epsom salt, food coloring, zip top bags, small glass jars with lids, twine, paper tags.

How to make it: 1. Put salt in bags, add a drop of coloring, seal and squish. 2. Spread the salt out to dry for an hour if damp. 3. Layer the colors in jars and tie on a tag.

Beaded Wind Chime

A beaded wind chime is one of the best kids DIY Christmas gifts for children who love threading beads. Paint a wooden embroidery hoop, then hang strings of colorful pony beads with a small bell at the bottom of each. It sparkles in the sun and jingles softly in the breeze. Grandparents can hang it on a porch or by a window. Count beads together for a little math practice too. What colors would your child choose?

You will need: A wooden embroidery hoop, acrylic paint, strong string or fishing line, pony beads, small jingle bells.

How to make it: 1. Paint the hoop and let it dry. 2. Thread beads on six to eight strings and tie a bell at each end. 3. Tie the strings around the hoop and add a hanging loop.

Decorated Wooden Spoons

For the grandparent who loves to cook, painted wooden spoons are perfect. Kids paint only the handles with stripes, dots or tiny hearts, leaving the bowl of the spoon bare. Seal the handles with a food safe finish if you want them to be used, or keep them as decor in a pretty crock. Tie a set together with a family recipe card. Which pattern would you paint?

You will need: Plain wooden spoons, acrylic paint, small brushes, painter’s tape, food safe sealer (optional), ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Tape off the spoon bowls with painter’s tape. 2. Paint the handles with stripes, dots or hearts. 3. Let them dry fully, remove the tape and tie the set with ribbon.

Clay Trinket Dishes

Air dry clay trinket dishes are perfect for holding rings, keys or reading glasses on a nightstand. Kids roll a ball of clay, flatten it, press it into a small bowl to shape it, and let it dry. Then they paint it in bright colors or patterns. No kiln and no oven needed. Our handprint and footprint keepsakes gallery has more ideas grandparents love. What would your child paint on theirs?

You will need: Air dry clay, a rolling pin, a small bowl for shaping, acrylic paint, brushes, clear sealer (adult use).

How to make it: 1. Roll the clay flat and cut a circle. 2. Press it gently into a small bowl and let it dry for a day or two. 3. Paint it and add a clear coat with an adult.

Pressed Leaf Bookmarks

Gather leaves on a family walk, press them flat inside a heavy book for a week, then turn them into bookmarks for a grandparent who loves to read. Glue the pressed leaves onto a strip of card stock and cover it with clear contact paper. Punch a hole and add a ribbon tassel. Simple kids DIY Christmas gifts like this are a lovely way to share a family walk with someone far away. Which leaf would your child pick?

You will need: Pressed leaves or flowers, card stock, clear contact paper, scissors, a hole punch, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Press leaves inside a heavy book for about a week. 2. Glue them to card stock strips and cover with contact paper. 3. Trim, punch a hole and add a ribbon tassel.

Hot Cocoa Jars as Kids DIY Christmas Gifts

Hot cocoa jars are a cozy gift kids can help make from start to finish. Layer cocoa mix and mini marshmallows in a clean jar, then let the kids draw their own label with a snowman, a mug or a smiling sun. Tie it with twine and add a little scoop. Grandparents will think of the kids with every warm mug. Want to add a candy cane for stirring?

You will need: A clean glass jar with a lid, hot cocoa mix, mini marshmallows, paper, markers, twine, a small scoop.

How to make it: 1. Fill the jar with cocoa mix and top with marshmallows. 2. Let the kids draw and cut out a label. 3. Tape or tie the label on and finish with twine.

Paper Chain Countdown to a Family Visit

Paper chains are back in style, and Better Homes and Gardens says they are so back this season. Kids can make one as a countdown to a visit with grandma and grandpa: one link for each day, with a little message or drawing inside every link. Mail it ahead of time and let the grandparents tear off a link each day. It builds excitement on both sides. How many links would your chain have?

You will need: Colorful paper strips, a glue stick or stapler, markers, a calendar.

How to make it: 1. Count the days until the visit and cut that many strips. 2. Write a message or draw on each strip. 3. Loop and glue the strips into a chain, with the last day at the bottom.