Are you looking for some easy gifts that your children can make as gifts? It is nice to be able to give handmade gifts for family and friends, plus it helps the kids to pass the time doing something fun, creative and that will be appreciated for the time and effort they have put into the gift. I hope some of these ideas will be ones your children enjoy doing.

One idea that we are using this year will be making draft stoppers. My youngest is learning to use a sewing machine and she wanted to sew some gifts. Her draft stoppers are simply long, rectangular pieces of fabric that are sewn with a straight seam. She is having a fun time stuffing them. She will then decorate them using fabric paints or googly eyes. I have seen some pretty cute ideas and I’ve included one at the end of this article.

Another very simple idea, but one that can be used year round, would be to make candle holders. These can be as easy as empty baby food jars that have been painted or decoupage with tissue paper. I have one my son made that is a canning jar that has been painted. He tied some raffia around the neck of the jar. The candle is placed into an appropriately sized flower pot that fits snugly into the top of the jar.

If you have children who like to work with clay, there are so many cute things that can be done. For those just beginning, small pots can be made by pinching the clay to form it into the desired shape. If rolling it is your thing, you could then take the coil and shape it. The coils could then be left as is, or smoothed out, depending on the look you want to achieve. Do you have someone who loves plants? Make some figures and put them onto some popsicle sticks or short wooden dowels and use them as plant pokes. There are some really cute ideas on the Sculpey Clay website that is included at the end of this article. Another very cute idea is at HGTV.com.

I know that I get caught up in trying to give gifts with a Christmas theme, but that does not always need to be the case. My children have given gifts that can be used year round and the recipient has told us it is so nice to be able to use the gift throughout the year. When making your gifts, this may help to broaden the possibilities and give you more ideas to use. Another way to come up with ideas would be themes. Maybe this year, you could do all reindeer, or some household items and then continue using themes as gifts through the year.

Please stop by the forum to share your ideas and gifts that you made. It is always wonderful hearing from you! Happy Holidays to all.