Christmas gift/craft ideas for a 3yo to make?

[lecach]

I would like to help DS (3 years old) make some crafty gifts for the grandparents, etc. for Christmas. Any ideas?

 

[LadyShea]

Salt dough ornaments are easy and kids seem to enjoy working with the dough.

 

[mikamah]

When my son was 2 or 3 he the fun foam doorknob hangers for our family. They are pretty cheap at ac moore, and we got a big bucket of assorted holiday foam stickers and he chose the stickers for each one. They were a big hit. I let him put the stickers where ever he wanted, so it was clear he had made them. Plus when he gave them out on christmas eve he was so proud.

 

[Cheshirepixie]

I second the salt dough ornaments. We made them last year when DD was 2 and she had fun mixing the dough and using the cookie cutters for the ornaments.

 

[twoanddone]

I picked up some blue, clear and red ball ornaments (like glass, but plastic) from Michael's along with some paint to make our Christmas crafts. I'm making a snow family and reindeer out of their handprints. Dipping their hand in either white for snowman family or brown for reindeer and then let it dry. With either little paint or sharpie I'll add eye, nose, scarf effects and date the year and child on the other side. Decoration and fun to see how the child grows!

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Cinnamon dough ornaments (smell yummy!)

Any of the 'fun foam' crafts--DD2.5 decorated the foam gingerbread houses last year (after I built them, of course!)

Find 'blank' pot holders (craft stores) and let him decorate them with fabric paint.

Let him use water colors, etc., to paint with and then frame the pictures with cheap frames from the dollar store, Target, etc.

Help him make homemade cocoa/sweet tea mix and put into jars. Take pictures of him doing this and add to the gift card/instructions.

Just a few 'quick' thoughts off the top of my head...

 

[fakereadhed]

I am going to make these with 3yo DS to use as package decorations/ornaments.
http://image.orientaltrading.com/otcimg/48_4722.jpg?resize(250x250)

I am going to do them myself instead of buying the kit. We are going to use cotton balls for his mustache and leave off the eybrows and holly.

 

[Aliceacc]

Kind of off topic, but....

Each year I bring each of my 3 kids to the $1 store to do their Christmas shopping. I tell them who is next on their list (well, at least until they're old enough to read it themselves) and then ask what they want to buy that person.

When we get home, the little ones are given squares of wrapping paper and some cheap tape. My 2 older kids write the name tags for their 4 year old sister.

But the gifts are chosen and wrapped by the kids. They end up with a gift they're proud of and can't wait to give. One year my sister got a bungee cord for her boat from my son (I'm guessing he was about 5 or 6.) It was a great gift; one I would never have thought of. I still smile when I remember how he couldn't wait to give it to Aunt Jeanne.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

Kind of off topic, but....

Each year I bring each of my 3 kids to the $1 store to do their Christmas shopping. I tell them who is next on their list (well, at least until they're old enough to read it themselves) and then ask what they want to buy that person.

When we get home, the little ones are given squares of wrapping paper and some cheap tape. My 2 older kids write the name tags for their 4 year old sister.

But the gifts are chosen and wrapped by the kids. They end up with a gift they're proud of and can't wait to give. One year my sister got a bungee cord for her boat from my son (I'm guessing he was about 5 or 6.) It was a great gift; one I would never have thought of. I still smile when I remember how he couldn't wait to give it to Aunt Jeanne.

Thats a great idea...

 

[Aliceacc]

My kids also make gifts for their aunts and uncles (and I'm one of 5 kids myself, so we're talking some serious gift making.)

Each Christmas Eve, each of the kids gets a gift from each of the adult couples at my mom's party. None of the adults expect a gift in return, of course, but that's not the point; I want to teach my kids about the spirit behind the gifts.

So I hit Oriental Trading and get the craft kits. Normally you can make a dozen gifts (ornaments or magnets or something) for $4 or so.(You supply the glue.) It's not much, but that's OK... the kids have to spend the time and effort making and wrapping the gifts. I usuallly pick a nasty Satuday between Thanksgiving and Christmas and blast the Christmas carol CDs. We have fun and they've learned a bit as well.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

We went to AC moore and they had cute wooden ornaments on strings already, they just needed to be painted and decorated. We grabbed a bunch of "ornament shaped" ornaments and dd got VERY creative. We have done the $1 store gifts before and i don't know, just think that she appreciates the look on everyone's face a bit more and gets more of a feeling from it when she makes the gifts. And ormaments are so personal. EVERYONE loves a homemade ornament. =) They were like $.50 a peice at ac moore.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

I vote for some sort of ornament!

 

[BarbWB]

My kids LOVE to make these glass ornaments ... just drizzle paint into the clear glass ornaments and swirl it around. If you pick the right colors, they actually look BEAUTIFUL and the 3 yo can do it w/o too much grown up help.
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/howtomakcero.html
I like to pick several colors ahead of time and then let the kids pick a combo of 3 for the ornament.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

My kids LOVE to make these glass ornaments ... just drizzle paint into the clear glass ornaments and swirl it around. If you pick the right colors, they actually look BEAUTIFUL and the 3 yo can do it w/o too much grown up help.
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/howtomakcero.html
I like to pick several colors ahead of time and then let the kids pick a combo of 3 for the ornament.

Good Idea, i forgot about these, we will have to do a few..do you use any special paints?? Or just regular squeeze paint and clear glass bulb ornaments?

 

[lecach]

We've decided to do the salt dough - but I think we'll make magnets since the inlaws don't put up a tree (ever since MIL's Mom died 20 years ago she just doesnt decorate for Christmas). I found my Grandma's old cookie cutters too.

My only question is - what type of paint to use for them?