homemade gifts for kids?

**Sara Noel** · 06-07-2007, 11:44 PM

Not necessarily handmade, but homemade or creative. I was thinking today how Ally loves her little purses and so I like to save little samples for her purses. I do similar with little food containers for her to play with too. She loves measuring cups and spoons too.

What types of homemade gifts or household items have you given your children?

**sunshine** · 06-08-2007, 06:45 AM

I'm always scrounging the yard sales for free or nearly free clothing items that I can remake into pretend costumes -- bridemaids dresses. . . .old wedding dresses. . . etc. I loved it when I found some red velvet formals for free. Those became king and queen capes.

Costume jewelry . . .

**Tracy** · 06-08-2007, 07:31 AM

DH made our daughter a wooden tic tac toe set, and made all the guys into lady bugs and painted them. The set works like a box that she can keep all her lady bugs in. I knit a scarf every year for her. This year DH is making her a music box. We had decided two christmas ago to start making at least one of our gifts to each other to teach DD the that the best gifts come with thought and your time.

**nuisance26** · 06-08-2007, 08:34 AM

~Iron-on transfer t-shirts are cheap, easy and fun to make and give to kids. I print mine for about $.50 at home. Shirts run about $2. I know a thing I LOVED as a child and I think an kid would appreciate is a smallish box for treasures. You can customize it to their interests with decoupage. Simple jewelry is a nice gift too. Just string some beads onto elastic cording for a bracelet and knot. I've also made pillowcases and tote bags for kids. My neices aren't really into dolls yet or I'd make them clothes. My sister and I used to sew clothes for our Cabbage Patch Kids when we were young. Something I always wanted was an archaeology kit for digging up treasure in my yard. It'd be easy to do with a simple pocketed fabric roll with ties and a variety of paintbrushes, toothbrushes, a small sieve, magnifying glass and a very small potting spade. Of course if there was a pith helmet or Indiana Jones hat to go with it it'd be even better!~

**sunshine** · 06-08-2007, 10:49 PM

Oh -- how could I forget. . . one of the things I've done for various children. I make their own picture books.

I take pictures of them, their family, their pets, their neighborhood and put them in a small picture album. I put short words or phrases on each phrase.

**sunshine** · 06-08-2007, 10:52 PM

And for MY kids --- I made them a "My Life " book.

I did pages from their lives and put them in a 3 ring binder . . . I add a few pages each year.

**thriftybargainmom** · 06-09-2007, 12:10 AM

Homemade soap crayons. (posted recipes in the make it yourself forum)

The only homemade gifts I've made for the kids were photobooks with their fave photos in it, framed poetry i write for them or framed pictures i make.

**Michelle** · 06-09-2007, 10:37 AM

I sew, so I make them all kinds of things...tshirts, lounge pants, pillowcases, small wallhangings, crayon rolls, tic tac toe set (quilted)--all out of their favorite fabrics.

**Michelle** · 07-09-2009, 04:37 PM

This year one idea I have is to decoupage some picture frames for them. :yes:

**marjorie** · 07-09-2009, 05:10 PM

One of the gifts for kids I made one year that went over better than I expected was making qwillows out of fleece. Even the now 30 year old still has his!

**Momto2Boyz** · 07-10-2009, 07:25 AM

I try to make homemade gifts for my nieces and nephews every year.

I've made art bags...sewed them up and appliqued their names on the front and filled it with art supplies.

Made felt checkers and tic tac toe sets.

Made plush balls for the boys (sets of football, baseball and soccer balls).

Made raggedy ann doll for my niece.

Made matching slippers and pj sets for them all one year.

I can't even remember what else, but I know there have been a few more things!

**rsbs** · 07-10-2009, 08:57 AM

Last year I made clothes & accessories for DD & SD's American girl dolls (that they had to save their money to pay for!) Made clothes, pillows, blankets, and even sleeping bags for their dolls - out of crochet.
Jewelry - beads on string, or memory wire. Customized with their names, or team - names, in school or team colors.
Craft bags. Made up of left-overs from mine!

Signable pillowcases - used ink-jet printed, iron-on transfers to put team logo (and year)on pillowcase. At the end of the season, DD had all her teammates sign it with a sharpie! Because we travel with her cheerleading, it was the pillowcase she took with us when we traveled.
Home-made play-dough.
I know there is more, but I can't think of it right now. I too, try to make at least one thing for the girls for christmas.

**Maine Girl** · 07-10-2009, 02:05 PM

Every year i try to come up with a unique gift for my best Friends son. The first year i took a three ring binder and i filled it with free printable educational worksheets(for his age) and colorpages, then i put in "boy" themed scrapbooking paper and stickers when they where on sale. It also had a three ring pencil holder bag filled with pencils, eraser, sharperner, colored pencils. To go along with it i gave him stencils of his favorite animals.
Other gifts i have given him is a photoalbum, with a disposable camera, and photo paper to print out his pictures.

Geometric coloring books at A/C Moore or Michaels with colored pencils.

Those 3d scrapbook stickers with paper
One year at the dollar store i found coloring books with stickers of snakes, sharks and turtles.
The year that the red sox won the world series i bought him a special sports illistrated and boston red sox pencils.

I always give him a book that i buy on clearance or goodwill. He seems to always love the gifts i give him but as he gets older it gets a little harder.

**Debbie-cat** · 07-10-2009, 02:44 PM

Great ideas everyone! I have saved a few of them to make for friend's children. My son is too old for some of them and now I wish he was younger!

**geckoace** · 07-13-2009, 11:21 AM

this year i am making story boxes or dice for the kids
the box is a "book" box from the craft store filled with story starting obejects or words (depending on age) the dice are a cube with story starters painted on each side. i posted some links on the whose getting ready christmas 09 thread

simple doll houses made of foam board would be nice. i have a pattern for a peg doll house that i think is cute, i have the supplies just not the time to make it along with handpainted peg dolls thats a nice gift i think.

i also second the soap crayons, i have been buying the funky ice trays at ikea we make the crayons in the trays then pop em out clean up the tray put the crayons back in wrap it with plastic and attach a cute recipe card, nice gift for the many school-friend birthday parties and i use the soap we get free from hotels LOL