Tutorial: Affordable Gifts for Kids to Make

My son loves crafting and enjoys giving gifts to cousins and friends.  I don't believe in giving a gift for the sake of giving something.  I want it to be useful and fun!  So last year for the holidays, my son started making gifts. 

He melted down his broken crayons to make a large, multicolored crayons accompanied by a small tablet of paper.  We also made bubble bath of different colors.  Not only did he have fun making gifts and giving them out, his friends and cousins loved them!  Even better?  They didn't cost much!

This year we decided to do craft kits.  He loves crafting as do most kids, so we thought of a fun and very inexpensive DIY kit for kids.

Materials Needed:

- Small containers*

- popsicle sticks*

- glue bottles*

- ribbon

- scissors

*Quantity depends on how many gifts you are making.

We purchased popsicle sticks for $2.29 for a package of 150 at a toy store and glue for $0.19/bottle during the back to school sales.  We used drawers left over from a project I did and a small gift back (reused from last year).

STEP 1 - Tie a handful of popsicle stick with colored ribbon (you can also tie the bottle of glue with the sticks).  If the ribbon seems a little loose, simply slide more sticks down into the tied handful.

STEP 2 - Place in container.

Wasn't that easy?!?

We added a decorative button to the ribbon for an extra touch.  Look around your house and see what you have to decorate these with and for containers (ex. paint soup cans).

*You can also include a note with ideas of what to make with the sticks.

TOTAL COST = About $1.00 each!