Christmas gifts for kids to make for each other?

[Cricket]

Since SOMEONE :glare: has already brought up Christmas, I can't get it out of my head! We won't have any money for gifts this year so I'm trying to come up with ideas for things that my kids can make for each other. Dd8 has some round looms so she wants to make hats for her older brothers. I was thinking the boys could make some kind of game or something for the girls. Dd6 is studying birds this year so maybe one of my boys could make her a bird house. She keeps saying she wants one.

 

Any other ideas?

 

ETA: And actually it is a good thing to be thinking of it in advance, Ellie!

[Jen in PA]

:lurk5: I would love to hear some ideas for things my kids could make each other, too.

[Photo Ninja]

One year my dd made her brothers tied fleece throws. there was no sewing involved and we found the fleece on sale so it was very inexpensive, and she could do it herself.

 

My ds once made two video tapes of someone's favorite tv shows to give as a gift to his sister He recorded them from the tv diligently, and the gift was appreciated and used repeatedly.

 

How about a chalkboard? It just requires a light piece of wood, some chalkboard paint and some chalk.

 

Do you live where it snows? How about a snowman kit? Collect or get from a thrift store a hat, scarf, etc. and put it into a decorated box as a snowman kit.

 

Again only good for snow, but how about a couple small squirt bottles and some food coloring as Snow Paint? You can change the spray from a stream to a spray and draw on the snow.

 

How about pony bead keychains or zipper pulls? There are loads of free patterns on the internet and pony beads are quite cheap. My dc made lots of these to give as gifts.

 

Cupcake kit? Assemble a box of cake mix, cupcake wrappers, frosting and sprinkles. My dd loved getting this as a gift because it was all hers and she could make them when she wanted to because everything was present. There is plenty of time to watch for sales on the items before Christmas.

[bry's-gal]

Me too!

My oldest is into horses and has several toy ones. I was thinking some kind of stable?

 

My youngest is into her dolls and I was thinking a bed or quilt?

[eternalknot]

Last year my girl received duct tape jewelry and hairbows from my son. It cost a few bucks in alligator clips from the mega-store, and we already have disgusting amounts of duct tape lying around the house. HUGE hit with her. Another one found then sanded down a garage sale find ($5 kids' table) and painted it for her to use as a private crafting area; he also mod podged tins and boxes to make pretty holders for her supplies. We used oops paint from the store and fabric scraps/tins on hand. The other one made her body glitter and lip gloss using recipes found online. The glitter was a hit, the lip gloss experiment failed (oh well!).

 

My girl is my youngest, and was five last year. Her theme was "Bedtime". She did the aforementioned fleece tie blanket for one boy, tie-dye shirts for each boy (and herself) to use as PJ tops, decorated/designed white pillowcases for two of the boys using fabric markers and inexpensive, high qualilty pillowcases from Marshall's/TJ Maxx, learned how to use iTunes to burn a bedtime CD for the youngest boy, and sewed (with help) lavendar satchets for every one of them to put near their pillows. She's a girl who loves to create. Giant messes.

 

[kfeusse]

my kids have made gifts for each other the last couple years....here is what we have done.

 

Our daughter sewed pillow cases from themed fabric for the boys one year, and last year she made them each fleece scarves made from favorite sport team colors and fleece pillow cases.

 

Our sons (with the help of their dad) have made for our daughter a craft storage case out of wood and last year a coat rack for her room (painted the color of her newly painted room).

 

I am glad this thread was started, I will be following it carefully for some new ideas for this year.

[Chris in VA]

For little ones, they can put 5 or 6 starlight mint candies (the cheapy red and white ones) in a circle on a cookie sheet lined with foil (I spray it with Pam, too). Melt in a slow oven (watch carefully and you can see them melting together. Put a popsicle stick in the middle (I kinda cover it with the candy a bit, using a knife) and let it cool--Voila! A peppermint lolly. They can also make candy wreaths, but that's a lot of candy, and many don't want to sugar up their kiddos.

[plansrme]

Last year, my two daughters (14 and 11) made my 8 yo son a science kit. I bought a book of science experiments (though it turned out that we had another version of the same book at home--they could easily have used that one), and they went through the book and collected and organized supplies for most of the experiments. We had to buy a few things, but families who are less ruthless with their discards would probably fare better. For example, I had to buy fishing line, because I threw away the spool we used to have, 'cause we never use fishing line. They wrote out the list of the kit's contents, organized in order of the experiments in the book, and pledged occasional assistance. It was a huge hit with my mad scientist.

 

If one sibling is a scrapbooker/crafty type, maybe a scrapbook page of another sibling's year in Scouts or swimming or whatever he or she is into.

 

Terri

[starwarsmomma]

I think this year the boys are going to decorate hot chocloate mugs for each other.

We will get white mugs at the dollar store, some ceramic safe paint and let them make one for each other. (and maybe the grandparents too)

 

In the past I have taken each kid to the dollar store and given them a dollar (plus tax) to pick out something for each brother. That year they gave each other rope, duct tape, screwdrivers and hammers. LOL

 

We have also made ornaments for an ornament exchange, but oldest is getting to the not-wanting-to-do- crafts stage... He will probably go for the mug thing though, (he likes the mustache mugs)

[Excelsior! Academy]

Last year my kids made these

 

http://mylittleme.com/my-next-project-felt-play-mat-ideas/

http://www.saltwater-kids.com/2010/12/thrifty-gifts-fort-building-kit.html

http://www.make-it-do.com/make-it/make-it-a-snowman-kit/

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Playdough-Play-doh/

 

And Cookies like these (scroll down)

http://megmacdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/07/currently-being-inspired-by_29.html

 

One Easter I made these with towel sets.

http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2008/11/fish-in-bag-soap.html

[Joshin]

Last year DS12 made DS7 a magnetic playset of a science lab. He built the lab by hot gluing cardboard walls and furniture to the inside of a tin. He diligently painted and glued a variety of decorations inside. He made the people out of wooden beads with magnets glued to the bottom. DS7 still plays with it and spent a couple weeks creating even more pieces for it.

 

DS7 made his brother a pocket bowling set. He used peg doll style clothes pins for bowling pins, decorated with paint. He made a fabric pouch for the pins and bouncy ball, which was the bowling ball.

 

Other gifts they made in the past were:

magnetic fishing set made from felt

 

eye-spy tubes made with rice, little beads/toys and plastic bottles

 

a shadow puppet stage made with a cardboard box, freezer paper and a dollar store flashlight. They made the puppets with wooden skewers and posterboard.

 

A car mat made from a big piece of felt and fabric paints

[T'smom]

One thing that I want to have ds make for his cousins this year is an I spy jar. You can fill a clear jar with rice or birdseed and tiny little knicknacks. You turn it around so the rice shifts and see how many of the things you can find.

[helena]

I think these are cute!

http://www.marthastewart.com/273470/gumdrop-pops?backto=true

You'd have time to collect some nice big jars to create a little candy winter world.

[eternalknot]

I love these threads. I'm in awe of people's ideas and creativity, and I always get great do-able ideas. I'm stealing the I spy jar idea for my nephew's birthday next week :D.

 

I asked the kids tonight about ideas for this year. One boy is going to make my girl a set of paper dolls using photos of us (eek!) attached to cardstock. He's going to let her make the clothes, though LOL.

 

My girl wants to make her brother a set of playing cards. She's going to buy a blank set from the teacher store and decoupage then laminate one side with {she doesn't know what just yet} and write numbers on the opposite side.