101 Handmade Gift Ideas Kids & Families Can Make

Today, I wanted to share 101 handmade gift ideas. Lots of handmade gift ideas!

Gifts to make for kids; gifts to make for grown-ups. Most of these can be made by kids for their friends, siblings, and the special grown-ups in their life. Some of these are better made by adults or as a family collaboration.

In deciding what to make for handmade gifts, think what you (or your children) like best to do whether it’s build, write, cook, or print.

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If they love to paint and draw, provide canvas or cardboard and let them create art gifts to their heart’s content!

If your child is into fingerknitting, you can go shopping for yarn together and encourage him to knit scarves for friends and family.

If you love to bake or sew, stick with those.

Okay! Ready?

101 Handmade Gift Ideas

24 ART GIFTS TO MAKE

1. A painted canvas (or a large canvas like this)
2. Candy cane playdough
3. Playdough snowmen in mason jar snow globes
4. A kid-made book of their artworks
5. Bundle together a set of styrofoam-printed cards
6. A map of my heart
7. Make a photo book of kids art
8. A plaster heart paperweight
9. DIY notebooks or blank art journals
10. A wood sculpture
11. Clay creations
12. An art or craft kit that you make yourself from favorite art supplies + a kids art book
13. Make a modern art plate (on Craft Jr.)
14. A suncatcher
15. Make a chalkboard book and give with a set of chalk (on Apartment Therapy by Whip Up)
16. Art dice plus paper and markers (on TinkerLab)
17. Make a wooden hedgehog pencil holder and give with a set of colored pencils (on Skip to My Lou)
18. Photo Bookmarks (on Nearly Crafty)
19. Package some printable art activities with colored pencils
20. Combine a set of DIY art activity pages with markers
21. Print out a set of play dough mats (on Picklebums) and give with a batch of playdough
22. An artful alphabet poster (towards the bottom).
23. Make a DIY art journal
24. A set of note cards from kids’ paintings

19 GIFTS TO MAKE FOR PLAY

1. A set of painted magnet sticks
2. Make a melted bead star wand
3. Sew some pyramid bean bags
4. Paint beautiful DIY wooden blocks
5. Make a set of tin can stilts (on Playful Learning)
6. Put together a dress-up set for pretend play with these ideas (on Hello, Wonderful)
7. Fashion a set of clothespin fairy dolls or mermaids (on Red Ted Art)
8. Make a kids’ science kit (on I Can Teach My Child)
9. Tie-Dye some playsilks
10. Make Kool-Aid dyed playsilks
11. Construct a cardboard doll house
12. Sew a doll pillow
13. Make a miniature kitchen set in an Altoid tin (on Made by Joel)
14. A DIY light table (with a set of water beads!)
15. Make a set of story magnets (on Sun Hats & Wellie Boots)
16. DIY spinning tops (on Babble Dabble Do)
17. Make your own memory game (on Little Helsinki)
18. A DIY perler bead maze (on Babble Dabble Do)
19. A pulley and bucket

20 GIFT IDEAS FOR THE HOME

1. Sharpie tie-dye comfort pillows
2. Melted bead suncatcher mobile
3. Make a clothespin wreath to hold holiday cards (or tea bags)
4. Create an artful placemat (on Meri Cherry)
5. Make a pillow buddy
6. Sew a pillow 
7. Or decorate one with a message (on Meri Cherry)
8. Make a melted bead suncatcher
9. A melted bead suncatcher in an embroidery hoop frame
10. DIY painted wooden candlesticks (on Love From Ginger)
11. A Sharpie-decorated pillow
12. Create a set of tissue paper candle holders
13. Make a handprint ornament (on The Imagination Tree)
14. Create a hanging cardboard heart art
15. Make a set of salt dough ornaments
16. Paint a set of wooden coasters (on Brit + Co) or add a design with tape resist (on Freutcake)
17. Make a potholder with kid art (on Sycamore Strings)
18. Create a set of salt dough magnets (on Tinkerlab)
19. Make a decorative bunting
20. Weave a special wall hanging (on Art Bar Blog)

17 EDIBLE GIFT IDEAS

1. A plate of homemade cookies such as bear hug cookies (on Fun Crafts Kids) or cranberry oatmeal hearts
2. Candy cane lollipops
3. Chocolate pretzel Christmas tree treats
4. Candy cane shapes (goes well with the above)
5. Hot chocolate in a mason jar (on Love Grows Wild)
6. Or hot chocolate on a stick (on Evermine)
7. Homemade soup mix in a jar (on Recipe Goldmine)
8. A loaf of home-baked bread tied up with a ribbon
9. Chocolate-dipped pretzel sticks (on Annie’s City Kitchen)
10. DIY peanut butter cups in fun designs
11. A tea bag wreath (on Kojodesigns)
12. An ice cream sundae kit with easy homemade caramel sauce (on Pioneer Woman), chocolate sauce, and sprinkles
13. Maple cinnamon spiced nuts (on Table for Two)
14. A mason jar of homemade granola
15. Healthy trail mix (on The Healthy Maven)
16. Super simple chocolate truffles (on Little House Living)
17. Make a batch of apricot coconut balls (on Childhood 101)

14 GIFTS YOU CAN WEAR

1. A mitten sweater
2. Painted bead necklaces (on Art Bar Blog)
3. A T-shirt with kids’ art
4. An altered or decorated t-shirt
5. Finger knit some accessories (on Housing a Forest)
6. Cute hats from upcycled sweaters (on This Heart of Mine)
7. Sew a bag or purse
8. Make a crown
9. A cooking apron for you and your child (on Brown Eyes Plus Blue) or try this upcycled apron made using a shirt (on eHow)
10. An art smock
11. A T-shirt dress
12. Whip up some easy elastic band skirts (on Make It & Love It)
13. Make some cute headbands with fabric (on Craft Snob) or with ribbon or lace (on Brit + Co)
14. A dress up outfit (such as a pair of wings or a monster costume)

7 SELF CARE GIFT IDEAS

1. DIY hand warmers (on Trends with Benefits)
2. Make a happy jar (on Our Army Life)
3. A handmade coupon book—for a child (ideas and printables on Wondermom Wannabe) or for a parent (ideas and printables on Inspiration Made Simple)
4. Whip up some bath bombs (on Red Ted Art)
5. Make fun soap (on Craft Whack)
6. A jar of wish stones
7. Make herbal dream pillows (on GardenMama)

Whew! That’s a lot of handmade gift ideas!! Hopefully you see a few here that your family would enjoy making and giving.

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