When my kids were young we always did a “homemade” gift for grandparents and often aunts and uncles. Sometimes we would choose the craft or project for our children but mostly we wanted them to pick something fun they wanted to make. We’ve decorated bags, wrote and illustrated poems, made picture frames, woven baskets and much more. Having your kids create DIY gifts makes their gift giving MUCH more meaningful.
I confess that we’ve moved away from that somewhat as our kids have entered their teen years but for Christmas this year my youngest, who is 14, has been brainstorming what he could make to give to his siblings and he may end up doing a “homemade” gift this year! I really excited to help him with whatever he chooses!
*This blog post contains affiliate links. What this means is, if you click them and make a purchase, I will get a small commission. Be assured that it doesn’t change a thing for you!*
In our searching for projects to make for Christmas I’ve seen a lot of things that are doable but not very useful. Gifts that are just displayed because they were given are ok but I LOVE it when we can give something that is truly useful or that will enhance the life of the one receiving it!
Teach useful skills to your children!
This is a great opportunity for kids to learn skills and how to make useful items for themselves as well. What better way to learn how to sew, paint, crochet, knit, use a hammer, stain wood or weave than to make a gift for someone special? One place that I've used to teach myself new skills is the craft site Craftsy.com. (affiliate)
Wouldn't you love access to free online DIY classes? There are LOTS of FREE classes. Others are available for a fee but what better investment in a child than to teach them a useful valuable skill.
12 DIY kid gifts that aren't junk
If you don't want to look into classes I recommend you take a look at the projects in this post. The following list is full of excellent useful ideas for gifts that kids can make to give at Christmas or for birthday's to anyone on their list. Grandparents, friends, teacher, parents or even siblings!
I hope this gives you lots of creative ideas for helping your children make gifts that are useful and that don't become junk on someone's shelf!
Teaching our children to be generous and thoughtful is a challenging thing and I would love to hear how YOU accomplish this in your home!
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