We all love our children but let’s just say it — people only need so much macaroni art. Your kids are generous, creative beings and who can blame them for wanting to share that with the world? Here are seven projects you can use to channel that creative energy (and free labor) into gifts anyone would want to receive!
Refreshing Handmade Soap
There are two ways to make soap — cold process and melt and pour. When working with kids, melt and pour is generally the safer of the two options. Though it uses heat, there’s no dangerous lye chemicals to worry about. PBS Kids has a guide to the melt and pour process that’ll walk you through this step-by-step. Add a fun plastic toy for kids or herbs/flowers for adults!
Easy Rolled Beeswax Candles
Candles make excellent gifts because you can never have enough. Instead of having to store or display it, it’s a practical gift that anyone would love. You can make these as simply as rolling beeswax around a wick, or you can make them a little more complex by cutting out shapes or using other wax decorations. Go wild! If you need instructions for this project, take a look at About’s guide.
Stylishly Simple Fleece Scarf
This is an incredibly simple project that your child will love. It involves a minimal amount of sewing that you can do for them if they’re not old enough, but a child above 10 should be able to complete this on their own. According to the guide at Make It & Love It, one yard of fabric can make three scarves.
Modern Marimekko Inspired China Art
Show your kids these chic china decorative pieces and let them go wild with inspiration. The art is simple and with an inexpensive china plate and a paint pen made for china/glass, your child can easily create something they’ll be proud of. Find more details about this project at Craft Junior.
DIY Sidewalk Chalk
A perfect gift for kids and families, this fun, goopy project is simple to do and makes great chalk. Kids will love a new set of unique colors and parents will love avoiding the price tag. See how it’s done over at Mad Maggie Designs.
Monstrously Fun Pillows
This is a great project to turn old fabric scraps and t-shirts into adorable dolls that encourage creativity and make excellent gifts for family and friends. This is a perfect project for entertaining kids during those long winter break days and you can use leftover dolls for get-well gifts, birthday gifts, teacher appreciation, whatever you can think of! See the project on Meg & Andy.
Rustic Photo Frames
Popsicle stick picture frames are a great craft project, but they lack charm. Send your child outside hunting for sticks and pick a meaningful photo together and you’ve got a keepsake anyone would love to display. If you’d like, dress it up with beads, feathers, moss — whatever your heart desires. Make a smaller version to use it as a fun tree ornament! Find more about this project at eHow Mom.
