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The Empowered Educator

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Christmas Presents Children Can Make

by The Empowered Educator 2 Comments

I love receiving presents made by children, there is just something unique and special when you sit back and think about the time and thought that has gone into the project isn't there?

When you work in early childhood it can unfortunately turn into a stressful minefield though as you must navigate through the judgement from others about whether the presents are being made by the children or the educator. I think, like most things in early learning, it comes down to common sense, a balanced approach and knowing your families and children in care well. 

christmas gifts

I try to stick to 5 simple guidelines when it comes to planning projects young children can participate in to make Christmas and special occasion gifts to take home from care for their friends and family.

  1. I ask myself "will the children enjoy making this or will it frustrate them?" "Is it age appropriate or am I expecting too much?"
  2. I ask myself "is this craft or project too involved or stressful if I am planning it for a large group of children who all attend different days...and have different family cultures?"
  3. I ask myself "will the child's special someone, carer or family member like to receive this gift? Will they be able to tell it is from their child and unique in some way to them?"
  4. I ask myself if I can incorporate the concepts of recycle, upcycle or reuse into this project somehow.
  5. I remain conscious of letting children take my present making idea in a different direction and encourage them to lead their own project if it seems important to them to do so. Seeing a child's creativity, problem solving and self expression shine in the finished product is worth the deviation so I try not to stress if we end up with a blob of red clay in a jar or 5 handprints on a card instead of one perfect one! I know it's hard sometimes but if my perfectionist self can do so can you!!

It can be hard to think up new ideas for presents made by children though so I've put together a bumper collection of inspiration for you from members of our Empowered Educator Facebook Community and all around the worldwide web.

I've included a variety of ideas for different age groups so you can choose a project that best suits the ages of the children you currently have in care. You can also easily modify many of the projects to suit a multi age group environment.

There are some very simple hands on activities for toddlers to try (that will require very little adult help), some with simple steps to follow (while also challenging emerging skills) for the 3-5 age group and some more involved projects for the school age children (many will also make excellent vacation care or camp activities for the holidays!) 

There are some hand/feet/finger print craft ideas included and I know this can be a contentious issue in early childhood and educators often have strong opinions and perspectives in this area so just scroll past if this is not something you choose to do!

However, I think as long as we always remain respectful of a child's actions, responses and emotions while doing these types of crafts and never insist a child must do them, then I personally don't believe there is anything to be concerned about. I'd still encourage educators to only include them as 'occasional' activities rather than something included in a program consistently though as process will always be more important in the entire scheme of things rather than the end product - it's all about balance though!

Ok, let's scroll through some projects and get your brain buzzing with new ideas to try for Christmas presents the children can make this year! Just click on the links below the image collages to read more about how to do each project and what materials you will need.

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • Recycled Crayon Lip Gloss - Gluesticks 
  • Gingerbread Body Scrub - The Gingerbread House 
  • Hand Painted Votive - Rhythms of Play
  • Fleece Hand Warmers - Gluesticks
Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

Empowered Ed member and educator Danielle made these cute Christmas trees from pinecones with her children. You could make a pinecone hunt part of the fun, and the little pots are only a few dollars at Bunnings (or you could ask parents to donate some). 

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • DIY Luminaries - Kidz Activities
  • Pressed Flower Coasters - Projects with Kids 
  • Wool Scrap Ornaments - Preschool Toolkit
  • Scrap Cloth Pencil Holder - Kidz Activities
Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

Emma, another educator from our Facebook group made these simple 'Mistletoes' pictures with her children using their footprints to go with their other Christmas crafts - I can imagine parents and grandparents treasuring these for years to come. They're a nice inexpensive gift idea too. 

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

These Santa flower pots are a very cute Christmas gift idea and a great opportunity for a bit of gardening too. I created them with the children on a tight budget too!

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

If you still have CD's around (or your families have some) then recycling them, letting the children decorate and turn them into Christmas ornaments is a great idea from Empowered Ed member and educator Fiona.

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • Wooden Bead Bracelets - Rhythms of Play
  • Lavender & Calendula Bath Soak - Blue Bear Wood
  • Lavender Eye Pillows - Kitchen Counter Chronicle
  • Watercolour Peg Doll Necklaces - Pink Stripey Socks
Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

Fiona also shared this simple fine motor idea of using craft sticks and buttons to create these cute Christmas trees. These would also look lovely hanging on the tree each year. 

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

These Christmas bells made from old plastic bottles are a fun gift to make (and a great upcycled gift too). See how I made them HERE.

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • Painted Christmas Plates - Non Toy Gifts 
  • Art work travel mugs - Joy in the Works 
  • Snowball Surpise Soap - Glue Sticks Blog
  • Fabric Bowls - Mosswood Connections 
Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

Educator Kim from our Facebook group made these snowmen using simple sewing techniques - this would be a great holiday program activity for the older children. 

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • Spice Stamped Clay Dishes - Projects with Kids
  • Easy Lavender Bath Salts - Kori at Home
  • Felt Scrap Geode Coasters - Blue Bear Wood (The schoolies will love this!)
  • Painted Wooden Spool Necklace or Bracelet - Rhythms of Play
Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

Salt dough is always an easy, budget friendly gift idea and one that the children have lots of fun making. You can find my simple salt dough recipe HERE. 

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

How easy is this? - Fiona shows us how to turn plaster Christmas trees into a gift by adding magnet strips to the back. You could also do this with salt dough. 

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!

My nature clay ornaments are a beautiful gift idea and one that's simple to modify for different ages. I love using my white 'clay' recipe, it's so easy to make, no need to buy it!

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • Button frames - Joy in the Works
  • Gingerbread body scrub - The Gingerbread House
  • Tin can lanterns - Kids Craft Room
  • Painted block magnets - My Storytime Corner 
reusable bag gift ideas using children's artwork great Christmas gift idea

What a special present idea! These reusable bags using children's paintings came from Fiona in our Empowered Ed group.  

Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • Child made Embroidered Gift from Swoodson Says 
  • Child made jewellery holder from Mommy's Bundle
  • Fingerprint photo frame from Fun-A-Day
  • Fingerprint ornaments from Mommy's Bundle 
Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • Stamped Gift Bags from My Bored Toddler
  • Easy ornaments from Teaching 2 & 3 Year Olds 
  • Fingerprint Snowman ornament - Fun-A-Day
  • Stamped Gift Wrap - My Bored Toddler
Save money and help children to create a special handmade Christmas present for family and friends with this collection of project and activity ideas!
  • Homemade Ornaments -  Little Sprouts Learning 
  • Clay Handprint Ornament - Messy Little Monster
  • Biscuit Cutter Bird Feeders - Messy Little Monster
  • Melted Bead Ornaments - Danya Banya 

Did you find an idea or two to try for Christmas present making or another special occasion?

Revisit and reflect on the 5 simple guidelines I mentioned at the beginning of this article to help ensure it's a fun process (and not stressful!) for both you as educator and the children creating the gifts. 

Looking for more ideas and inspiration? Why not join our Empowered Educator Facebook group and network with over 15,000 other early years educators. Click on the image below to join!

A Little About Me

Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.


Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.

Filed Under: budget friendly, Christmas, educator tips, family day care Tagged With: Christmas activities, Christmas gifts

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Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    03/11/2019 at 2:56 pm

    What a great list! Thanks for inluding my project. Pinning this post.

    Reply
    • The Empowered Educator says

      04/11/2019 at 12:00 pm

      Thanks Stephanie for letting me share your project and stopping by ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

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Jodie
Hi, I'm Jode, Mum to twins and a teen, and an early childhood educator.
I love to share ideas & resources for play based learning
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