Handmade Gifts Kids Can Actually Make This Holiday Season

Whether your kids spontaneously express the desire to make handmade gifts or it’s something you’d like to encourage them to do, there are some things you can do to help it all go smoothly.

I’ve spent lots of time over the years trying to think of as many ideas as possible for gifts kids can make. My top picks are gifts that are useful—not little crafts that end up creating clutter in the home of the recipient.

Be Ready Before They Are

I like to have some pre-planned gift options for them to choose from and to have all of the supplies ready to go before I even mention gift-making to them.

As we all know, kids live in the now. So if they get excited by an idea, we want to be ready to harness that energy and help them get started immediately.

Gift Ideas Kids Can Make

Here are some of my favorite useful gift ideas:

Stuffed Felt Fridge Magnets

Colorful and functional, these add personality to any kitchen.

Hand Bound Notebooks

Perfect for the note-taker or list-maker in your life.

Hand Drawn Calendars

A personalized calendar makes a thoughtful, year-long gift.

Pressed Clay Dish

Great for holding jewelry or keys. (If you’re worried about clutter, turn it into a little wall hanging instead!)

Decorated Matchbox

A small canvas for creativity that’s functional too.

Needle Felted Matchbox

A cozy, textured version of the above.

Rolled Beeswax Candles

Simple to make and everyone loves a handmade candle.

Felt Banner

This would be best suited for an older child or to make as a joint project. “Merry Christmas” might be too big of an undertaking, so maybe something like PEACE or JOY.

Needle Felted Ornaments

A classic holiday gift that can be treasured for years.

How to Plan Gift-Making Days

I like to plan gift-making days rather than leaving it to chance.

Make an announcement: “Today we are going to make gifts! I have some ideas for what you can make…” and then list them off. Whichever idea excites them—start working on it.

Important: Only list ideas for projects that you already have everything on hand for.

The Gifting Chart

Depending on your child’s age and personality, they might want to plan out a list of gifts for quite a few people.

In this case, I recommend helping them draw a little chart with the list of recipients and a little illustration of what the gift will be. Then they can color in the chart as they complete each project.

Start Preparing Now

While most kids won’t feel inspired to start gift-making until December, you can start preparing by gathering the supplies for the projects you think your kids are most likely to want to make!

Wishing you joyful gift-making,