Homemade Gifts and Crafts
A lot of children are very familiar with the joy of receiving gifts—especially around holiday time! But these easy handmade gifts are beautiful tools to help you show that the joy of giving can be equally or even more rewarding.
This sweet assortment of DIY gifts offers a variety of ideas, from upcycled water bottle wind spinners, outdoor dominos, and tin can lanterns to memory jars, artwork candles, and recycled paper beads.
Take the opportunity to blend your “homeschool” and “living” together by creating heartfelt gifts together while practicing and reinforcing various concepts from art, science, math, and more.
Easy Handmade Gifts for the Outdoor Homeschooler
Flower drop garden ornaments from Happy Hooligans utilize bits of colorful objects you’ll likely find around your house–beads, ribbon scraps, glitter, buttons, make beautiful ornaments for a Christmas tree, window, or patio.
These water bottle wind spinners are a simple way to upcycle old plastic bottles into an easy handmade gift, and the youngest children can still help with the creation by coloring the bottles. (Check out these other ideas for upcycling things you have around your home!)
This wind spinner from How Wee Learn is made of easy-to-find household items and will look lovely hanging in a yard or garden.
These rainbow seed bombs from Twig and Toadstool are a creative gardening gift that any recipient––even those with not-so-green thumbs––will be able to enjoy. Birdseed ornaments like these from Saltwater Kids are easy handmade gifts to make and give your friends and family a delightful bird-watching experience when hung outside a window.
Easy Handmade Gifts for Homeschool Game Players
Outdoor games can be simple to create and personalize, and make great family gifts. These lawn dominos from Iron and Twine can be personalized with all kinds of colors and themes. Keep in mind that this project is fairly time and labor intensive, and it isn’t actually necessary to use the paint brand suggested in the article.
This charming bumblebee and ladybug tic-tac-toe game is simple to make with items collected on a nature walk, and preschoolers and older students alike can help paint the pieces.
A family memory board game like the one described by Potholes and Pantyhose is a treasured keepsake game that the entire family will have fun creating, gifting, and playing.
Easy Handmade Gifts for Homemakers
Tin can lanterns like these from Kids Craft Room look cute on a mantle or as outdoor lighting, and can be used as holders for real or flameless candles.
Family tree button ornaments can be strung together by tiny fingers and are lovely keepsake ornaments.
These clay birds from Activity Village can be decorated in a multitude of different ways, and can be given as tree ornaments, shelf trinkets, or–with the addition of a drop or two of scented oil–as a scented air freshener to hang in a closet or tuck into a drawer.
This sweet collection of wall canvases from A Mom’s Take uses prints of the child’s hand, arm, and fingers to create a message for all seasons.
These easy handmade coffee-filter angels from Fun Family Crafts make such graceful and delicate-looking decorations that no one will guess how easy they were to make with items already in your home.
Gifts for the Sentimental
Children can make a tiny origami wallet to hold custom coupons to give gifts of time and creativity instead of material gifts.
Grandparents would love to receive this sweet, kid-made memory jar from Life Over C’s. The jar will become a treasured keepsake to display year-round.
For a fresh take on a picture frame gift, children of all ages can craft this simple photo wheel.
A creative use of recycled bottle and drink lids leaves you with a collection of photo magnets to stuff into stockings.
Gifts for the Over-Stressed
These bath bombs make a beautiful easy handmade gift on their own, or as part of a “spa” gift basket.
These artwork candles from Come Together Kids can be made with artwork created by preschoolers and high schoolers alike.
These paper beads made from recycled magazine pages can be used to create stylish bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry for anyone who would appreciate a little earth-friendly bling.
