50 Pretty Awesome Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make (Perfect for Christmas!)
“Kid-made gifts are a thoughtful way to celebrate birthdays, Christmas, or any special occasion—for both men and women! They’re budget-friendly, creative, and give kids a chance to share their talents while making memories with you. Come explore fun ideas your child can create for any gift-giving moment!”
Kid-Made Gifts, from the Heart
Ever since my boys were little – little, as in a year or 2 old – I’ve always had the kids a part of the gift-giving process.
Whether it was smearing paint on a card for the grandparents or offering me their little thumbprint to make a ladybug or butterfly, homemade gifts are just something we do.
It’s not that I don’t like spending money on gifts (although I do love being frugal); it’s more that I think that homemade gifts are something special.
More meaningful. Personal.
Hopefully, it’s something that will be treasured by the person who receives it – from my twin boys’ hearts, a little piece of them.
Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make, for All Occasions
There’s never a shortage of occasions for gifts to be given, right?
I’m talking birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Teacher Appreciation…. see where I’m going with this? This can add up real quick.
But DIY gifts usually only cost a fraction in supplies, plus it’s a great bonding experience for parents and kids.
Well, OK, sometimes it’s a very frustrating experience for parents and kids. I get it.
But handmaking gifts truly is teaching them some important life skills in trying something new, using their hands, and giving room for their creativity to expand.
All good things. All benefits for you and the kids, and it’s a wonderful gift for the person on the receiving end.
Fun Kid-made Gifts that are Useful and Adorable
I’m a big fan of a practical, useful homemade gift.
I love a cute handprint picture as much as the next mom, but I love getting a DIY gift I can actually USE. I’m that no-nonsense mom.
While there are a handful of cutesy gifts thrown in, the majority of the gifts below are things people can actually use.
And they are perfect for a variety of recipients, for a variety of occasions. You can make ANY of these and give them for ANY holiday – Christmas, birthday, Mother’s Day, etc.
These DIY gifts give a lot of room for your child to express his or her own individual style and creativity.
So, if you’ve been wondering, ‘What can a child make for a gift?’, check out these amazing choices!
50 Kid-made Gifts for Family, Friends, and Grandparents
Homemade Food Gift
You can never go wrong with a homemade food gift! Here you'll find free printable gift tags you can use with any homemade treat. There are two versions - one for a healthy treat, one for a yummy treat! An easy way to give your favorite homemade food gift! This post has a recipe for granola your child can make and gift!
Easy DIY Clay Thumbprint Heart Keychain
This is a great project for a little one - there's nothing cuter than those little thumbprints. This also can be modified for an older child to draw with a toothpick or cut out a heart shape - as a keychain or necklace, too! I personally love to hang them from my rearview mirror!
DIY Sharpie Mugs
I love, love, love making these mugs! They are perfect to customize and fabulous for any person or occasion. This post shows 5 different ways to make them!
DIY Trinket Tray Gift
I absolutely love this craft and use it all the time! It's inexpensive with a Dollar Tree tray, and the paper on the bottom can be customized for any recipient - male or female! I use mine for jewelry and by my nightstand for chapstick, ear plugs, and cough drops! For an extra sweet gift, fill with a few treats for the recipient!
Wooden Pencil Holder
This is super easy craft ... this one is designed for a baseball lover, but using any scrapbook paper you like, you can use this pens, pencils, markers, make-up brushes, even small tools and charging wires!
Popsicle Drink Coasters
Fun craft that can be given as a gift! This is so cute and the stamp on it is so trendy! A GREAT gift using popsicle sticks. Practical, too!
Garden Wind Chimes
Wind chimes are such a fun summer accessory. I love this one made from pour painting a terra cotta planter. There are so many ways you can decorate this as well.
Personalize Picture Frame
This is a fun idea for Dad for or for Mom, too! You can add any text you like with letter stickers, and any type of embellishment. However, a witty play-on-words is always my favorite!
Wooden Bead Bracelet
If you have someone who loves fun jewelry, this is a great gift option! An easy craft for older kids, and this is a great project for younger kids to build their fine motor skills, too.
Easy, No-Sew Trivets and Coasters
This is a no-sew craft made with pipe-cleaners and yarn, so it's great for all ages. I especially love how practical it is! I'm ALWAYS looking for something to grab to put under hot dishes!
Alphabet Bead Key Chain
Another practical gift for a male or female! There are limitless options for what you spell out here, and it's an easy craft for kids of all ages!
Wine Bottle Candle Holders
If you have wine bottles laying around - or really any bottle that a candle will fit in, you have a great upcycled craft! This is a fun decoupage tissue paper project that gives kids so many fun options and ways to display their creativity.
Tint Mason Jars
Mason jars are amazing all on their own, but a tinted one is something really special. Once tinted, you can fill with flowers, candy, or seasonal decor!
Artwork Candles
Kids will really enjoy making these candles with their own artwork. The technique is easy - using tissue paper, wax paper and a hairdryer! But what a fun, personalized gift to give!
Family Portrait Embroidery Hoop
Embroidery hoop decor is on trend for modern farmhouse style, but I love this kid version of it! What a clever way to display a child's artwork and a really unique way to give it as a gift!
Fridge Magnets
There are so many things you can make with salt dough, but I especially love these magnets! A big variety of ways you can decorate them, and as always, I'm a fan of a practical gift!
DIY Clay Bowl
If your child likes to play with PlayDough or modeling clay, this is a project that he or she will really love to create. Many ways to personalize this as well!
Shrinky Dink Footprint Keychain
I'm a fan of footprint, handprint, and thumbprint crafts. They are precious keepsakes. I love the idea of using Shrinky Dinks to capture them. You can also use your child's artwork as a Shrinky Dink keychain, which is another adorable idea!
KID-MADE DIY MOTHER’S DAY FLORAL HERB PERFUME
I love how pretty this gift looks! Infused with essential oils, this is a gift that has health benefits as well!
Bookmark Craft
If you have someone in your life who is a reader, this is a great gift! Made with pressed flowers and leaves on cardstock, then laminated, this bookmark will be something they can keep forever!
Ombre Popsicle Earring Holder
I love this idea! So many women have jewelry laying everywhere. What a great solution for having her favorite earrings nearby and handy! (Note: this post is in French, but you can probably figure out how to put it together by looking at the picture!)
DIY Bookmarks with Handprint Flowers
I think this is something that a grandmother or aunt would especially love! Another sweet handprint craft for someone who loves to read!
Popsicle Stick Recipe Holder
Here's another fun popsicle craft that has a practical use! This magnetic recipe holder is a great way to keep all his or her favorite recipes handy and within arm's reach at any moment!
Sandpaper Printed Towels
Tea towels are such a great gift to give! Decorated with your child's art or whatever message you want to write, it's something that will bring a smile to the lucky person who gets it!
Tissue Paper Votive Holder
If you have a candle lover in your life, this would be a pefect gift for them! There are also lots of other little things you could fill this with if candles weren't his/her thing. Lots of ways to decorate this using Mod Podge and tissue paper!
Calming Lavender Lotion Bar
Lavender is one of the best soothing scents that is across the board liked by most people. I love the idea of a lotion bar! This one will go down as a gift favorite!
Painted Rock Photo Holder Craft for Kids
Rock painting is such a popular activity for kids! Creating a picture holder with painted rocks finds a useful way to use all of those creations! This is also great as a paperweight!
Shell Frame with Handprint Art Keepsake
You can put a lot of creative spin on this idea. Decorating a frame with objects of your choice, such as shells and filling it will handprints, footprints or any other personalized art is such a fun option.
Salt Dough Handprint and Footprint Heart Craft
Here's another combination of footprints and handprints, using salt dough. Super cute way to remember how little they once were!
Fingerprint Art Glass Magnets Craft for Kids
Here's another option for both a glass magnet, kid art and fingerprints! Look at all the fun creations you can make with little thumbs and fingers! Just love this!
Hanging Heart Suncatcher Prism Crafts
Suncatchers are beautiful home decor, and I just love how shimmery this one is! Using a heart prism and pony beads, the effect truly is breathtaking.
Mess Free Tie Dye Scarf
If your person loves fun fashion, this tie-dyed scarf is a great idea! The kids will have a blast making it - and the best part is - it's mess free, using rubbing alcohol and Sharpies to create!
Hand Painted Art Jars
If you love to collect vintage jars or bottles, your kids can decorate them with paint pens for gifts! Perfect to fill with all kinds of goodies!
Hand Painted Salad Spoons
These painted wooden spoons are sure to add some flair and fun to the kitchen! Kids can paint fun designs, write messages or just add splashes of colors! You can adapt this idea to paint hammers for Dad or Grandpa, too.
Nail Polish Ring a Ling
This is an adorable necklace made with metal washers and nail polishes! This is sure to make a fun statement and there are ways you can adapt this to your taste as well as your special person!
Make Microwaveable Heat Packs Yourself
This is a gift ANYONE would be happy to receive! My sister made me one of these fabric heat packs (filled with rice), and I just love it! Sewing machine skills are required.
Decorated Cube Note Pad
This is a fun gift for someone who works at a desk or in an office - or really, just has any kind of space for notes! Have the kids decorate the sides of these note cubes as a sweet reminder.
Easy Peasy Yo-Yo Clips
These yo-yo clip bookmarks and paper holders are just adorable! Any girly-girl will love getting a fancy clip like this!
Felt Tech Case
Most people have some kind of tech device - a protective case like this is a trendy gift that really is super-useful! Lots of options to really design a case that suits your special person!
Modern Stained Glass Vases
This is a fun project using tissue paper, Mod Podge, and a clear vase! Imitating a stained glass window, this is sure to be a hit.
Water Color Paper Bags as Flower Favors
If you're planning to give fresh flowers, I love an idea like this to make the gift more personal! Flowers are placed inside a mason jar, placed inside a bag. This would be a really fun to personalize as well!
Childrens Art Tea Towels
If you want to showcase your children's art or give it as a keepsake, a tea towel is a great idea. It's an adorable reminder of your child that will mean so much!
Sugar Scrub Cubes
I don't think there's a woman in the world who doesn't like a good scrub. We feel like a million bucks after getting off that rough skin! I love the idea of cubes, too. Perfect size to handle!
Watercolor Hearts Painting
A child's work of art can truly be a gift in itself! This is a sweet project using watercolor paints to make a work of art using hearts! Of course, a child can paint just about anything, but there's something about the hearts that make it so sweet!
Kid-Painted Tea Towel
I love that this craft is designed to be a stylish piece of home decor! If you have a recipient who isn't into 'kid art' but you want your child to be in the process, this is a great choice that has a 'store bought' feel to it!
DIY Shrinky Dinks
If you happen to like an upcycle craft type gift, this is a super-fun DIY Shrinky Dink made from #6 plastic! You can make the key chains or magnets listed above or come up with your own kind of craft using this smart repurposed project idea!
Book Bin
If you're trying to make a gift for a book lover, a box like this would be so appreciated! Made with spines of old books, it's a truly unique gift. And, you can fill it with all kinds of goodies, too!
PHOTO BLOCKS
This super-cute project is made from scrap wood or even your child's own wooden blocks! This is perfect for grandparents, close relatives - or really anyone that you'd like to gift with a special picture!
Flower Petal Candle Holders
How beautiful are these! These are beautiful as candle holders, luminaries or even just decorated jars. A truly lovely gift.
Pounded Flower Tote Bag
Here's another gift using real flowers that is just beautiful! Your child can certainly decorate a tote bag and give it as a gift, but a pounded flower tote bag is just striking!
Clay Heart Key Chain
Here's another sweet variation on a clay keychain. In the shape of a heart with the fingerprint of your child, it's a sweet keepsake.
Easy Foot Soak Recipes
Anyone who is on his or her feet a lot (think: teachers!) will truly appreciate a gift like this. After a long week, a good foot soak will do the trick!
Pretty Decoupage Vase
Here's another upcycle project that I just love! Using a recycled can, paint, scrapbook paper and Mod Podge, this is a fantastic gift! The can is also able to be used a pen holder as well!
Clay Tea Light Holders
How cute are these? This is another fun gift made with clay, and tea light holders always look amazing, wherever they go!
How fun were those?!? This is a list I’m going to bookmark for a long time to come.
We’ve got YEARS of gift-giving ahead of us and LOADS of occasions and people to give to!
More Creative DIY Gift Ideas
If you are looking for more holiday-specific gift ideas or other DIY projects that would fall under the ‘gift-giving’ category, here are more ideas for you to peruse through:
75+ Creative DIY Gifts (To and From Adults)
30 Mother’s Day Crafts for Grandma
25 Mother’s Day Free Printable Gifts & Cards
25 Father’s Day DIY Gifts from the Kids
25 Free Printable DIY Father’s Day Cards
If you try any of these ideas, I’d love to see them! Please tag me on Instagram @100affections or leave a comment on Pinterest!
Other thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!

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