Cute Christmas Ornament for Preschoolers (Gifts Kids Can Make)

Every year at Christmastime I try to help my children look outside of themselves by encouraging them to make gifts that they can give to family and friends. (For more ideas be sure to check out my gift guide HERE.) While homeschooling my daughters co-op preschool last year we spent a month talking about serving and helping others. We talked about how when we serve our family it's like giving them a little gift. Giving a hug, helping mom or dad, or telling a story to a sibling are all little gifts we can give. When we do these things it's like we're a present! One week at preschool I wrapped each of the kids up in wrapping paper, put a big bow on their heads and took their picture. They though that was so much fun! This was in preparation to make a gift they could give their parents for Christmas and as a reminder that they can help and serve others.

The kids each got to paint a little frame for their picture to go in.

I printed off the pictures and placed them in the frame, strung a ribbon through the top, and placed some lyrics that I remember from my childhood--about how we are like a present when we serve others--on the back.

 

A previous year I did a similar thing with my son's preschool group. I wasn't up for a painting project that year so I let the kids color their wood frames with red and green crayons to keep it simple and not have to worry about drying time.

The kids were SO excited to see their little ornaments all put together the next time we met. They each got to put their ornament in a box and wrap it up to put under the tree when they got home and give to their moms and dads on Christmas morning. It was so much fun to see the excitement in their eyes as they prepared these gifts to give away. I think they turned out adorably cute!

To see more ideas of gifts that kids give check out my gift guide HERE.

Snow Globe Ornament (Gifts Kids Can Make)

I ran into these laminated snow globe ornaments on Crafty Morning last year and thought they were so cute and clever. My kids helped me to make some to send to their grandparents for Christmas and I think they turned out great! I'm always looking for ways my kids can think outside of themselves at Christmastime and have opportunities to give to others. Be sure to check out my gift guide of gifts that kids can make and give for more ideas!

To make the snow globe ornaments I started out with a picture that I had taken earlier in the year of my kids. I copied it into a Word document and shrunk in down to be approximately three inches long. I then printed it onto card stock using a high quality print setting.

Then came the tricky part of cutting out around all the fine details.

I then opened a laminating pouch and on the inside drew a 3 1/2 inch circle using a pen. My kids helped me paint the lower half of the circle using craft paint and then we sprinkled on some fine glitter. We placed the picture in the center of the circle and after giving the paint a few minutes to dry closed the pouch and ran it through the laminating machine. Once cool we cut out the circles and cut the bases from blue card stock, two for each ornament.

Using double sided tape we overlapped the blue base slightly over the laminated snow globe making sure the edges were even. We then turned it over and applied a second base to the backside to give it a more finished look and a little more stability.

The final touch was punching a hole near the top, stringing through some bakers twine, and tying a knot. The kids were excited to then wrap them up and send them off the Grandma and Grandpa. I think they did a fabulous job! They turned out so cute!

And because we wanted to have some more fun with this snow globe idea a few of my kids made one of their own. It was fun to see what they chose to pick to go inside their snow globe, although I can't say I'm surprised--they picked some of their favorite things!

We had a fun afternoon crafting together!

To find more ideas of gifts kids can make, check out my gift guide HERE.

Gifts Kids Can Make: Nativity Wood Slice Ornament

For those of you that have been following Serving Pink Lemonade for a while you know that Jeanine and I love having our kids make DIY gifts for Christmas. We've found that when our children have opportunities to give they learn to love giving! It's so rewarding to see my kids focusing more on what gifts they're going to give for Christmas than on what they're going to get. You can find our Gift Guide to Gifts Kids Can Make HERE!

In our backyard we have a huge pile of logs that we use for campfires. Last year I had my husband cut up several of the smaller logs into thin wood slices. I thought the kids would have fun using the wood slices to create a little fairy home or village in the backyard. As Christmas rolled around and my kids and I were brainstorming what they could give their grandparents for Christmas we decided that we could use some of the wood slices to make ornaments. 

I let each child pick out what they thought would be the perfect piece and then they used a pencil to design an image of their choosing on the surface. When they were all done we used a wood burner to etch their picture into the wood.

Adding an eyelet to the top and some red and white bakers twine completed the gift.

 My kids were so excited to send their thoughtful creations off to grandma and grandpa to hang on their trees. We were so happy with how they turned out!

Want more ideas of what your kids can make and give as gifts? Check out our gift guide HERE!

Gifts Kids Can Make: Baking Soda Oranments

These homemade ornaments are a fun gift that kids can make or simply a fun craft to do with them any time of the year.  Last year my kids made some for their grandparents for a Christmas gift and this year I made them with my Activity Day Girls group at church.

I love the pure white look of the baking soda ornaments compared to the look of the salt dough ones.  These are so easy to make and worth giving a try.

To make the dough:

2 cups baking soda

1 cup corn starch

1 1/4 cups water

In a medium sized pot combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and water.  Stir mixture over medium heat.  After a few minutes the mixture will start to boil and thicken.  When it looks like smooth mashed potatoes remove dough from the heat and transfer to a bowl.  Cover dough with a damp cloth or paper towel until it's cool.  

Once cool, knead the dough on a smooth surface, adding a little more cornstarch if it feels sticky.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet to dry.  Use a thin straw to place a hole at the top of the ornament for hanging.  My kids love to decorate the ornaments with stamps and I love how pretty it looks.  Let ornaments dry on the tray overnight, turning over the next day to continue drying.  To dry ornaments faster bake them in a 175 degree oven for 1 hour, or until completely hard, turning over after 30 minutes.  Once dry the ornaments can be painted (I love how they look just being white though) and string a ribbon through for hanging.

Gifts Kids Can Make: Wooden Ornaments

Our parents moved up to Alaska a few years ago.  My boys and I decided that they needed some "Alaska-themed" ornaments for their Christmas tree, so I picked up these small wooden shapes at Hobby Lobby: bear, moose, and fish (not just any fish--it's a salmon).

The boys picked their colors and designs.

When the paint had dried we hot glued a ribbon on the back and we were done!

A simple meaningful gift.