Great gifts kids can make for Mom/Dad/Grand-Ma/Grand-Pa and anyone else in the family they want to make something special for. You can make gifts the family will treasure for years to come.

As a mom myself, I have to say that the best gifts I receive are those that my children make by hand. They have so much meaning behind them because I know how hard my children worked and how much love and dedication went into making it the most special gift there ever was.

Let's have some fun making stuff

1. Shoebox Jewelry Box or desk supply holder for staples, paper clips, pen & pencils (I think it was so they knew where I always hid my pens & pencils *smile*).

2. Photo/Picture placemats for the kitchen table.



Let's Make a Place Mat


You will need thin cardboard ... the boys used a large cereal box board. Cut out the rectangle section of the box and used that. Construction paper or tissue paper to cover the board and add color. They collected picture of the children/family or photos, from magazines.

Supplies Needed: clear tacky paper or contact paper, crayons, kids scissors, glitter, markers, paints, and glue.

Instructions: To make a placemat for mommy/daddy/gram/pap. You will need a flat surface to work on so that everything is laid out smoothly. First you must decide what size your place mat will be. Cut it out. Next cover it with a paper of your choice, tissue construction and even wrapping paper will work nicely..

Select the picture you want to work with first (or draw a picture of your own on the construction paper). Place this photo or picture in the center of the board. Select another photo/picture and place it around the main photo you chose for the center. If you don't like how it looks just keep arranging the photos/picture in different places until you have something you like. Once you have something you like begin gluing the images down with a clear glue (or a glue that will dry clear). Allow your finished mat to dry. Once it is completely dry you can cover the front and back of the mat with with the clear contact paper. This is tricky so try not to touch anything with your tacky paper. Ask another adult or big brother or sister to assist you. Take your hands and smooth out all the creases, trim around the edges and WA-LA you now have a place mat, for mom/dad made by you. Wasn't that cool? Trust Me! Mom/Dad/ Grand Pa/ Grand Ma are going to love it!



Let's Make A Jewlery Box, Pen Box, or Gadget Box

First you will need a shoe box with lid. You will also need thin cardboard ... again the boys used a large cereal box board.You will need this as the inserts for your shoebox to make compartments. Cut out square sections of the thin board that will fit inside your shoe box to make compartments. Decorate the square sections with construction paper or tissue paper. Wait for them to dry and then slide them into the shoe box where you want them. Make sure they are tight enough not to bend or fall over. Now collect some picture or photos of the children or nice pictures from magazines.

Supplies Needed: clear tacky paper or contact paper, crayons, kids scissors, glitter, markers, paint, glue, beads, sea shells, buttons etc.

Instructions: Next cover your lid and box in papers of your choice and colors you like, tissue paper, construction and even wrapping paper will work nicely.

Select the picture you want to work with first (or draw a picture of your own on the construction paper). Place this photo or picture in the center of the lid. Once you have your photos in place glue them to the lid. Cover lid with tackey paper or clear contact paper.

Next decorate the lid around the photo/photos with beads, glitter, buttons, anything you choose, place these items around the main photo you chose for the center of the lid. Ask another adult or big brother or sister to assist you. Wait for it to dry WA-LA you now have a jewelry box or supply box, for mom/dad/gram/pap made by you. Wasn't that fun?! Now they can put jewlery, paper clips or pans jewelry in this little box. Anything they want to put in there.


Kool Art & Letters



Marble Art is pretty cool. My boys told me about this and I thought you'd enjoy this one as well. You can decorate blank paper and use it to write letters, decorate envelopes or just some neat-o fun playing around making cool art work .....


  • Supplies you will need:

    1. Cereal box with a hole cut into it. Lay box flat on side and cut a hole into the box so you have a large enough area to drop your marble in and get your marble out.

    2. Paper. Light colored paper is the best paper to use. The best though is white paper so your colors really stand out.

    3. Craft paints that are child safe, do not stain and will dry quickly.

    4. Marbles - have to have the marbles right? That's why we call it marble paint.

    5. Something to lay your project on while working so that you do not damage anything, so go grab some newspaper to spread around the area you will be working in.

    6. Paper Dixie cups to put small amounts of paint into.


  • Here's all you have to do to do marble are once you have all your supplies

    1. Open up the cereal box where the flaps are. Slide a piece of paper inside the box and close the flap. Works best in a large cereal box, because your paper will fit easily.

    2. I cut little paper dixie cups down so their easy to reach into, to dip the marble into. Pour a small amount of paint into your dixie cup then dip your marble into the paint.

    3. Place your into the hole you cut into the side of your cereal box . Now slowly rock your cereal box back and forth so you can hear and feel the marble rolling around inside the cereal box. Remove your marble now and see what kind of cool design you made with your marble art. You can use one color or several colors. Just use a clean marble and a different color. Remove the first marble and drop in another marble with a different color, and contiue until you've used all the colors you want.

    4. Now open the flap of your cereal box and slide the piece of paper out of the box. Let it sit on your newspaper until it dries completely. Wa-La you have designed what is called marble art. Wasn't that so neat? And easy to.



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