Gifts Kids Can Make

Get creative with these handmade ideas that are fun (and inexpensive!) to craft and give.

 

Hand-Painted Art Jars

A bit of glass paint transforms thrift-store and recycling-bin finds into one-of-a-kind treasures. First, collect glass jars, bottles, and vases. Draw designs on them with glass paint markers (we used Pebeo Vitrea 160 markers). Set the paint according to the package instructions. To add a knob, paint a wood cabinet knob with acrylic paint. When it's dry, glue it to the lid with an epoxy suitable for glass (an adult's job).



Beaded Clay Necklaces
Surprise someone with a boho-inspired mosaic necklace your child can proudly say she made herself. Working on foil (so that the piece can be transferred to the oven), roll or press oven-bake polymer clay into a sheet about 1/4 inch thick. Use a dull knife to cut out a shape. Create a hole or two for the cord with a toothpick, wiggling it to widen. Press small glass beads firmly into the clay. Once the design is done, check the holes and reopen any, if needed. Bake the clay as directed. Coat the cooled piece with clear nail polish and add a cord.


Salad Days
Paint patterns on store- bought spoons for a present that's both useful and sentimental.
Lightly sand the handles of a pair of wood or bamboo salad servers, then rinse and dry them. Place a ring of masking tape midway down each handle. Pour a few colors of acrylic paint onto a disposable plate. Have your child dip a finger into the paint, then make dots on the handles. Let the paint dry before adding overlapping dots. Remove the tape. After the paint is completely dry, coat the handles with a nontoxic sealant, such as shellac.



Checkers Mate
Duct tape turns a ziplock bag into a game board that holds handmade playing pieces.
Cover a gallon-size ziplock freezer bag with overlapping strips of a single color of duct tape. Fold a strip of tape lengthwise over each edge (just don't tape over the opening!). Adhere strips of a second color of tape to parchment paper. Measure and cut out 32 1 1/4-inch squares. Starting below the zipper, place the squares on the bag in an 8-by-8 grid. For checkers, cover 1-inch wood disks with two colors of duct tape, 12 of each color. (Or cut out corrugated cardboard circles, using a quarter as a template, and cover with duct tape.) Trim the tape with scissors.


Posted by: Georgie

Credit: parents.com