Gifts You And Your Children Can Make Together

It's the holiday season. You want to give gifts to your friends and family, but you haven't gotten everything yet and are running out of time. Even if money isn't a problem, fighting crowds in stores certainly can be! You may have found things for your kids and husband, but you still have extended family and friends to buy for. Believe it or not, there is a pretty easy way to solve this problem-get together with your kids and make gifts to give as a family. If you aren't sure exactly what kind of projects to take on, here are a few ideas of gifts you can make with your kids.

Everyone likes sweets, right? You can make some gift baskets or packages with homemade treats. One thing that is especially cute is sugar cookie 'mice'. Get some sugar cookie dough from the grocery store (or make your own) and mold it into an oval shape. Use M&Ms for the ears, a cinnamon candy or chocolate chip for the nose and a piece of licorice 'rope' for the tail. I'm sure your kids will have just as much fun making them as they will eating them! Pile them in a nice tin or box and you have a nice 'care package' for your child's teacher or a favorite relative. If you don't want to use cookie dough, you could use Rice Crispie treats. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy that!

For another fun holiday project, make an 'edible Christmas card'. I did this for my French class once. Shape a sheet of cookie dough into the shape of a bell or some other holiday shape. Decorate it with sprinkles, chips or candies. Use M&Ms or cookie icing to write a holiday greeting. In addition to making a good gift for others, you can send this to school with your child as a gift to his entire class!

For readers, your kids can make 'caterpillar bookmarks'. Get some felt, 'wiggly eyes' and ribbon from the local craft store. Cut the felt into circles to make the caterpillar's body. Glue the circles together in a row and attach the eyes. You can use small strips of ribbon to make the antennae or legs. If you like, take a marker and draw glasses or facial features. Your kids will enjoy making them, and anyone who receives them will get a huge kick out of it.

To make your gifts even more special, wrap the boxes in plain white paper and have your kids write or draw on them. You can also use the under-side of standard wrapping paper. It's a good way to get creative and make each package truly unique.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways you and your kids can show people you love them without having to spend a lot or fight the crowds. Making gifts with your kids also makes for a good bonding experience and teaches them that it's really the thought that counts.