Our Christmas last year was pretty stark…when it comes to gift-giving. César got me nil, I gave César a coupon book that I made (which he still has never used!), and we gave SofÃa cozy pajamas and a pink rolling backpack that came with a bear. That’s it. We didn’t even have a tree until my sister-in-law (who was living with us at the time) brought up her 2 1/2 foot tree, and we promptly put it on top of our media storage cabinet. We didn’t want the little terror to become even more of one.
© tashka2000 / Dollar Photo Club
Just because we didn’t get all into gift giving doesn’t mean we didn’t have a great Christmas season. We still went to see Christmas lights, had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner with César’s family, and visited my parents on Christmas Day. We just didn’t place any importance on the gifts, tree, and decorations.
The 4 Gift Rule
This year, I’d like to start a new tradition that I’ve heard of others doing and always wanted to try. It’s called the 4 Gift Rule. Each person gets something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. It’s really simple and should make Christmas so much more enjoyable.
In that spirit, I also want to make the gifts we give each other. I think it will make our Christmas so much more memorable and meaningful. I have wonderful memories of Christmases growing up, but the ones I remember the most are those with handmade gifts.
Simple Handmade Gifts from My Christmas Past
One Christmas, when I was about 6, I made all of my siblings picture magnets with their favorite animals on them (with my mom’s help, of course). That same Christmas, my older sister made us all sugar cookies, and my older brother made us all really cool name plaques that he put in clear box frames. He’s an awesome artist, so they looked really professional but cost him almost nothing to make. I think I still have mine in one of my “treasure boxes.”
I remember one Christmas when I drew pictures for all my siblings and rolled up and tied each one with ribbon. I remember feeling bad that I couldn’t do more, but my mom assured me that everyone would love their gifts. I was just happy to see their faces when they saw the pictures I drew for them.
Ideas for Handmade Gifts for Young Children
I’ve spent some time thinking of gifts, and searching out examples, that I can easily make for my girls that will be exciting for them and really cheap as well (especially compared to store-bought versions). Since I have girls, most of these gifts are geared towards them, but a lot are great for both girls and boys. Most of these gifts are for kids younger than four years old.
Here’s my list. I hope you can find a great idea for your child as well! (If you want to pin any of the pictures below, please click on it to go directly to the blog post and pin it from there)
- Refrigerator magnets
- Felt Alphabet Magnets from Preparing for Peanut
- Alphabet Magnets from Cheap Crafty Mama
- Puppets
- DIY Sock Puppets from Babyccino Kids
- DIY Monster Sock Puppet from Cincy Shopper
- Easy Pipe Cleaner Finger Puppets from One Little Project
- DIY Forest Friends Finger Puppets from Handmade Charlotte
- Monsters Inc Finger Puppet Tutorial from Our Pinteresting Family
- Farm Animal Finger Puppets (no sew!) from Mr. Printables
- Printable Puppets from Picklebums
- Musical instruments
- Drums (in Spanish, but has great pictures) from I Do Proyect
- Drum from No Time for Flash Cards
- Cardboard Guitar from Make It & Love It
- Kazoos from Buggy and Buddy
- Easter Egg Maracas from Made (link no longer available)
- File folder games
- Short a Word Family Flower Garden from The Measured Mom
- File Folder Games and Activities from The Idea Room
- Photo books
- Toddler Important Book from Wait ‘Til Your Father Gets Home
- Altered Board Book from Pretty Partridge
- The ABCs of Me from The Crafting Chicks
- Quiet books from The Quiet Book Blog
- DIY Hand Warmers from My Craftily Ever After
- Play Dough
- 100 Homemade Play Dough Recipes from Kids Activities Blog
- Playdough Mats from Sing a Story
- Snowball Playdough Recipe and Free Printable Gift Tag from Yellow Bliss Road
- Play Mats
- Girl Felt Car Mat from A Girl and a Glue Gun
- Boy Felt Car Mat from A Girl and a Glue Gun
- North Pole Play Mat from No Time for Flash Cards
- Portable Doll House
- Fabric Dollhouse from A Girl and a Glue Gun
- Portable Dollhouse from Crafts Unleashed
- Card games and the like
- Family Photo “Go Fish” Game from The Crafting Chicks
- Christmas Bingo from Crazy Little Projects
- Sea Life Action Cards from Mess for Less
- Toddler Matching or Memory Game from Wait ‘Til Your Father Gets Home
- A Fishing Matching Game from Frog Prince Paperie
- Pocket Sized Magnetic Fishing Set from Doodlecraft
- Hair accessories
- Piggy Bow Tutorial from Ten Cow Chick
- Disney Inspired Princess Ribbon Sculptures (for headbands) from Grosgrain
- Double Sided Fabric Headband Pattern from Happy Together
- Frozen Inspired Ribbon Barrettes from As the Bunny Hops
- Busy bags
- Busy Bags on a Budget from ALLterNATIVElearning
- Toddler Busy Bags for Less Than $1 from Little House Living
- Puzzles
- Paddle Popsicle Stick Puzzle from Be a Fun Mum
- Popsicle Stick Puzzles from Tutus & Tea Parties
- Homemade Name Puzzle from Happy Hooligans
- Blocks
- DIY Dyed Rainbow “Grimm” Style Wooden Blocks from Fun at Home with Kids
- Recycled Building Blocks from B-Inspired Mama
- Paper dolls
- Paper Dolls from Fantastic Find
- Homemade Paper Dolls from Happy Hooligans
- Home videos on a DVD
- Books
- Write your own children’s book and bind it yourself (This could be helpful even if you don’t plan on publishing it for the public)
- A memory journal (choose whether to give it to them every year or when they become adults) – This journal idea is great, too
- Dress-up clothes
- Dress-up clothes storage from Sophia Grace & Co.
- Dress-up Box Tutorials from ikat bag
- DIY Princess Peasant Dresses from U Create
- Dress-up Suitcase from A Girl and a Glue Gun
- Bath
- Homemade Bubble Bath from Little House Living
- Easy Non-toxic Bubble Bath from Real Food RN
- Bath Toys from Kids Activities Blog
- Bath Fun from Growing a Jeweled Rose
- Bubbles
- Homemade Bubble Solution from Do Small Things with Love
- Homemade Bubble Mixture from MollyMoo
- Art materials
- Coloring Book with Family Photos from How to Nest for Less
- DIY Coloring Book from Snappy Living
- Fast and Easy Homemade Crayons from My Frugal Adventures
- DIY Snow Paint from The SITS Girls
- Drawing Journal from Waddlee-ah-chaa
- Kitchen play
- 100+ Felt Food Tutorials from Apartment Therapy
- Pack and Play Stove from And Next Comes L
- Play Kitchen Set out of Nightstands from The Farmer’s Nest
- Puffy Paint Window Clings from Club Chica Circle
- Winter accessories (crocheted)
- Â Learn how to crochet HERE – I personally went through the first 10 lessons before my first baby, and I learned a ton!
- Crochet Toddler Mittens from My Hobby Is Crochet
- Crochet Slippers for the Whole Family from Moogly
- Earflap Hat from Lakeview Cottage Kids
- Cookie cutters (not homemade, but the cookies you will make are 🙂 ) to do some holiday baking on Christmas Day
- Mini Snowman Face Cookies from Tidy Mom
- Perfect Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs from Love Grows Wild
- The Easiest Way to Frost Sugar Cookies from It’s Always Autumn
- How to Make the Best (and Easiest) Sugar Cookie Icing (Glaze) from Cleverly Simple
- Handwritten note from Santa
- Printable Letter from Santa from Mr. Printables
- You can make it even more authentic by getting a postmark from the North Pole (info here)
- If you want the envelope postmarked with a Holiday-themed city instead, check out this information (I couldn’t find an updated version for 2014)
- Materials for sensory bins and tot trays
- Super Simple Ocean Sensory Bin from Fun-A-Day!
- Shredded Paper Sensory Bin from Gift of Curiosity
- 10 Winter Themed Tot Trays from My Life of Travels and Adventures
- Pom Pom Animals
- Animal Pom-Poms from Mr. Printables
- Pom-Pom Animals from The Star
- Nightgowns
- Easy Nightgowns from Love, Lishie
- Sweet as Sugar Nightgown Tutorial from Cutting Tiny Bites
- Wands
- DIY Magic Wands from Heartmade
- Kid-Friendly Sparkler Wand from The Paper Mama
- Hobby Horse
- Glamorous Hobby Horse from Attempting Aloha
- Stick Hobby Horse from Chickabug
- Jingle bell bracelets from My Nearest and Dearest
- DIY Pretend Library Card (from Mother’s Niche) along with some nice bookshelves (from The Sweetest Digs)
- Baby and Toddler (Indoor) Swing from A Beautiful Mess
- DIY 3-Sided TeePee from Thrifty and Chic
If you are reading this in December, it might be too late to start scrambling to make any of these, but you always have next year! These ideas will definitely come in handy when I need birthday presents, too.
Have you ever had a handmade Christmas?
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Omg! This post is awesome! Not only for Christmas but for crafts we can do all year. I’m definitively saving it and sharing it.
I love that your family dinamics are similar to ours. In Costa Rica Christmas is celebrated on Christmas eve so we celebrate that day with my Costa Rican friends and give each other gifts and on Christmas day we spend it with my in laws and do their gifts.
I love Christmas and love celebrating twice. 🙂
We haven’t gotten into the whole decorations thing and haven’t gotten a tree yet. Since we’ll be in Spain for Christmas we don’t be doing any of that this year but I plan to get a tree and decorations next year. I think my daughter will be old enough to enjoy decorating a tree. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m glad it’s helpful. I love celebrating twice, too 🙂 What an experience to spend the Holidays in Spain! I hope you’re enjoying life in Europe!
This is pure awesomeness! I love the idea of 4 gift rule and we might start implementing that as well. We will be slightly more frugal this year with our gifts due to upcoming move to our own place but we know we will have an awesome Christmas together anyway!
I’m really excited to try it. We just can’t spend $100 per kid for Christmas. Not this year!
I think there can be great benefit in teaching our children that there is nothing wrong with simple and homemade. Thanks so much for all of these wonderful ideas. Pinning them to my Christmas board!
Thank you for pinning, Heather 🙂 You’re right! I think it’s important that kids learn early on that things are not important.
Brilliant! Thanks for taking the time to compile this list 🙂 Pinned!
Thank you so much, Tiffany! It definitely took some time to put this together, so thanks for noticing!
You go sis– start young and they won’t think anything of it! Kids can easily get spoiled in this materialistic world even when as a parent you try not to give them so much! I really like making gifts for kids! Great list! I just sent some homemade gifts to my nieces in Germany but forgot to take a pic first so I could (finally) do a post on my blog! I’ll have to make them again so I can have bday gifts ready!
If only I had a sister who could help me sew a nightgown or two… 😉 Haha. Just kidding. I really want to learn how to sew, but there’s no way I’m getting a machine unless I’m gonna be serious about making stuff. I can’t wait to see your post!
I love your childhood magnet gifts! That is so sweet. One year my youngest sister wrote each family member a poem and rolled it up with ribbon. I loved it! I also like the 4 gift rule thing you’re going with
I love the poem idea! Although, I don’t know if my hubby would appreciate a poem as much as I would love it if he wrote one for me!
Great list!! Pinning. 🙂
Thank you, Emily!
I love that you mentioned sock puppets. A lot of parents forget about the importance of helping their child’s imagination. It allows them to be more creative. 🙂
I’m a huge lover of busy bags! Great for on the go!
I can relate to having a pretty bleak Christmas as far as gift giving goes. When we don’t have as much money to buy gifts, I love to try and make handmade gifts. I’ve found that the homemade gifts are a lot more appreciated anyway. I love the 4 gift rule idea that you explained! You have a quite the list of homemade gift ideas! Thank you so much!