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This post is all about homemade Christmas gifts for parents.
As a daycare provider, I'm always on the lookout for cute yet easy homemade Christmas gifts for parents.
I don't know about you, but when my children were younger, I loved receiving gifts that were homemade for keepsakes! Those are the types of gifts that I like to make with my daycare children, also.
Parents are always so grateful for whatever gift their children give them; however, the homemade ones are extra special.
In this post, I'm sharing 7 easy homemade Christmas gifts for parents that toddlers, preschoolers, or school-aged children can make.
HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR PARENTS
1. Salt Dough Handprint Ornament
This recipe makes about two ornaments, so mix accordingly to what you need. Mix the flour and salt, stirring in the water slowly. Roll the dough out into a circle shape about 1 cm thick. Place the child's hand into the dough firmly. For a more "perfect" circle, you can use a small bowl or cup to shape the sides. Place a hole at the top for the ribbon. Bake the ornaments at 160 degrees for 3 hours. Allow them to cool overnight before decorating.
Decorating is where the magic happens! You can paint the handprint, leaving the rest of the ornament white. Or you can paint glue in the handprint and fill it with glitter. Or another option is to make the outside all glitter and leave the handprint in the middle white, which is personally my favorite look! Tie the ribbon, and don't forget to add the date on the back once it's completely dry.
Supplies needed:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup fine salt
- 1/2 cup water
- Paint & paintbrush
- Glitter
- Ribbon
2. Beaded Keychain with Photo
This can be made festive or multi color, as they'll carry it year-round. Cut the fishing wire to the length you desire. You can make this in a circle shape or have it as a longer keychain.
Allow the child to place the beads onto the fishing wire, watching them very closely, and leave enough room to tie it. Once the wire is decorated with beads, attach the key chain hook, and then tie the wire really good. Lastly, add the photo chain. You can use a free Canva account to shrink the photo to the size you need.
Supplies needed:
- Colored beads (choking hazard, watch kids very closely)
- Fishing wire
- Key chain hook
- Photo chain
- Photo of child size 2x3
3. Handprint Ornament
This might just be my favorite of them all! The ornaments are fillable! You can use tissue paper cut into small squares, pom poms, colored ribbon, or festive pipe cleaners cut down small. Pro tip: let the children fill the ornaments, building those fine motor skills!
Once the ornament is filled, paint their tiny little hand and place it so carefully onto the ornament. Add ribbon and a cute little tag with the year.
Another cute idea is to measure how tall the child is with a ribbon. Cut the ribbon to their height, fill the ornament with that ribbon, and paint their handprint. On the tag add, "This ribbon is very special indeed, if you take it out you'll remember how little I was in year."
Supplies needed:
- Large clear plastic ornament
- Red, green, or white paint & paintbrush
- Glitter
- Ribbon
- Gift tag for child's name and date
4. Christmas Tree Popsicle Ornament
For the smaller hands, you will need to guide them a little more by placing the glue and helping hold the popsicle sticks. However, this still made my top 7 easy homemade Christmas gifts for parents list because it's adorable!
You want the tree to be wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. Therefore, you will need to cut some of the popsicle sticks down or buy multi-length. Take a popsicle stick and lay it vertically; this is what you'll glue the tree to. Glue their photo in the center of the tree. Now, have the children glue the popsicle sticks onto the vertical popsicle stick horizontally, making sure it takes the shape of a tree. Once the tree is glued, let the kids decorate the tree by using gem stickers, paint ornaments with their fingertips, or glue pom poms.
Don't forget to write the year on the back of the ornament and attach the ribbon with hot glue!
Supplies needed:
- Green popsicle sticks
- Ribbon
- Glue
- Gems
5. Coaster
This is such an easy homemade Christmas gift to make! The best part is it can be used year-round! Paint the child's hand, then press their hand onto the tile. Allow the paint to dry for a full 24 hours. Once the paint is completely dry, apply hodgepodge fully over the entire tile. Give it two more coats of hodgepodge, making sure it's completely dry between coats.
Another variation is to glue a picture of the child onto the tile. Then repeat the steps with the hodgepodge, giving it three coats.
With either choice, don't forget to write the year in the corner on the front or on the back of the coaster!
Supplies needed:
- Tiles
- Hodgepodge
- Sponge
- Paint & Paintbrush
6. Fingerprint Magnet
Cut the cardstock down into squares or rectangles. Using a paintbrush, paint the child's thumbs, then press firmly onto the cardstock, creating a heart shape with their thumbs. I learned the hard way, paint their thumbs don't just dip their thumbs into the paint!
Once the paint has completely dried, you can use a fancy pen to write their name and year on the front of the magnet. Or just write it on the back. Then cut the cardstock into the shape of a heart. Don't forget to attach the magnet on the back so parents can enjoy their child's precious small thumbprints for years!
Supplies needed:
- White cardstock
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Magnets
7. Christmas Card
Take a photo of the child reaching and looking up. Print the photos on white cardstock paper. I used Canva Pro account to adjust the size of the photo and remove the background. You can easily take a photo with a neutral background and print it from your phone. Either draw a green Christmas tree or print, cut, and glue one on the stock paper. You will want the photo of the child to be smaller than the tree as they are reaching to put the star on the tree. Have the children dip their finger into paint to paint ornaments onto the tree. Write the year on the back of the card. Once everything is dry, laminate it for a keepsake for years. You can easily add magnets to the back of this for the fridge!
Supplies needed:
- Photo of child
- Cardstock paper
- Laminator and laminating sheets
- Paint
Whew, these are all such cute and great choices! I hope I made your job easier by narrowing down the easiest homemade Christmas gifts for parents! Have fun creating holiday magic and memories!