The Best DIY Holiday Gifts for Kids and Families

Red Cat Reading Team Blog

 

It’s the holiday season and everybody loves giving and receiving gifts, especially kids. But how can kids enjoy giving presents to friends and family without breaking their parents’ bank? The answer is simple, DIY! Making presents yourself is a great way to save money and really add a personal touch to your gifts this year. Kids can enjoy the feeling of making presents with their own two hands and parents will be happy to save some cash. So without further delay, here are 10 unique DIY gifts for friends and family!

1. Find the Right Materials

 

Part of the fun of making a homemade present is finding the right materials! Perhaps you have some old construction paper, markers, glitter, stickers, who knows! Even newspapers and magazines might have just the right pictures or letters you’re looking for. Anything can be used to create a special and unique gift. Also, don’t forget to look outside for some natural materials. Dried leaves,sprigs from pine trees, or pinecones can be used for some pretty and festive homemade wreaths or whatever you like! 

2. Unique Ornaments


Many families enjoy collecting new ornaments each year to continuously add to their tree. Sometimes you may receive an ornament as a gift, or choose one to buy for yourself! But some of the most special and memorable ornaments are handmade with love and care. You can make ornaments out of all kinds of materials! For example, you can use popsicle sticks to make a snowflake, cut construction paper into an ornament shape and glue a nice picture on it, or cut a bell shape out of cardboard and wrap it in foil for a pretty silver bell! Giving the gift of an ornament gives someone something to look forward to each year as your excitement grows to put it on your Christmas tree.

3. Tasty Treats


Make a trip to the kitchen and cook up some inspiration for an edible gift! Check the pantry and see if you have some of the basics you might need to make some tasty Christmas gifts. If you have flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, you can make some yummy Christmas cookies. Better yet, if you have some festive cookie cutters, food coloring, or sprinkles, you can make some very beautiful creations!

You can even make some cookies to hang from the Christmas tree for a fun surprise. Candy Cane cookies are perfect for decorating your tree and are so easy and exciting to make. Simply make sugar cookie dough, split the dough in half and add red food coloring to half of the dough. Roll the dough into small logs and twist the red and white dough just like a candy cane. Don’t forget to bend the top to make a classic candy cane hook! You can also have some fun cutting out gingerbread men and decorating them with holiday sprinkles and candy.

4. Gift Certificates


Most people love receiving gift certificates for special services like a meal at a restaurant, massages, or vacations. But there’s a way to give someone a unique and personal experience for free at home! You can make your very own certificates for loved ones using only a pen, paper, and some ideas for experiences they’ll love. Think of what might make them happy, like a coupon for homemade chocolate chip cookies, a back rub, or promise to do some chores like taking out the garbage! A little gesture goes a long way. If you can’t come up with many good gift certificate ideas, you might want to get a bit more general and try making a blank one. This way, whoever receives the gift can make one request of their choosing to the gift giver! But you never know what their request may be, so you might want to think of some tasks you wouldn’t mind doing too much first!

5. Write Some Kind Words


How often do we really say the nice things we’re thinking about the people we love? Probably not as often as we should! Well here’s a gift idea that is an opportunity for some writing practice with the help of Red Cat Reading and a chance to make someone feel loved. You can make a card or booklet and fill the pages with all the things you think are great about the person you’ll be giving this thoughtful gift to. It’s sure to make the recipient feel very happy and special all while being completely DIY!
But if you may need some help getting started, be sure to check out our Download Center for tons of free books and worksheets to get you reading and writing FAST! We can help you feel confident in your reading and supply all the tools you need to learn how to read and write in no time.

6. Put on a Show


A lot of annual school activities and community performances have unfortunately been canceled due to the unfortunate circumstances of this year, but there’s still a way to share some special holiday moments with parents and family. You can plan a festive and exciting Christmas play or sing some classic and heartwarming Christmas songs! So dress up in your best holiday outfit, practice some of your favorite holiday songs, and no one will have to miss out on the holiday fun this year.  

7. Fun Frame


A picture captures a moment in your life that you can enjoy looking back on for years to come. Why not share a photo of an important time in your life with someone who is sure to appreciate it? You can choose a photo that is meaningful to you or the receiver and create a handmade picture frame to give it some holiday magic! Use some cardboard to create the base of the frame, cover it with colorful paper, and decorate as you see fit. Sequins, glitter, pipe cleaners, and pom-pom balls are always a good choice to make your design unique! Just be sure to put as much creativity into you art as possible and it will be perfect,

8. Photo Greeting Card


Now that you have your wonderful picture frame, you can take things to the next level and turn it into a card! All you have to do is take some cardstock or construction paper, fold it in half into a rectangle, and glue the picture frame to the front. Next, don’t forget to write a heartfelt message to the receiver that is sure to bring them some holiday cheer. You can even make a simple and foldable stand for the back of the card so it’s easy to display. Just cut a triangle from some cardstock or construction paper, cut the triangle in half, then glue the straight edge to the back of the card, and you’ll have a handy stand! You can even fold the stand flat against the card so that it will fit into an envelope. Just unfold it when you’re ready to display the card!

9. Snow Globe


One of the most classic Christmas decorations would have to be a snow globe! They are so fun to shake and have small scenes inside that could be anything from a snowman surrounded by snowflakes, to Santa in his sleigh. The best part about snow globes is that they can be made completely DIY! All you need is a jar, some glue, glitter, plastic figurines, some glycerin, and water. A snowman, reindeer, or even Santa Claus himself surrounded by some snowy trees are just a few ideas for your snowglobe scene. Glue your figurines to the inside of the jar’s lid, add about 3 teaspoons of glycerin to your jar full of water, and add some glitter. Last, put some glue around the edges of your jar’s lid and screw the lid onto the jar tightly. That’s all it takes to make a snow globe gift with a personal touch.
 

10. Photo Album


Another especially thoughtful gift is one filled with special memories and joy, a photo album! Gather some of your favorite photos, perhaps ones that are moments you shared with the recipient, and either buy a pre-made album, or try making your own. You can use cardstock or cardboard and cover it in colorful construction paper or color it. Decorate it however you please, but for an extra touch, try writing some notes under the photos to help the memories come alive! You can also add places, names, and dates to help label the photos.This is such a great gift that will last a lifetime and can be enjoyed for years to come. Anyone would be so lucky to receive this wonderful gift!

Now you have plenty of fun ideas to help get you on your way to making the perfect gift! Not all great gifts need to be expensive or fancy. Use what you have around you, and with a little creativity, you’ll be sure to make something very special for those you care about. Have fun getting crafty and this winter, and happy holidays to you from all of us at Red Cat Reading!