26 DIY Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make That Double as Something Useful

The best diy christmas gifts kids can make are the ones that earn their place after the wrapping comes off.

This list sticks to that rule without exception: every gift here is two things at once, a gnome that hides a lip balm, a bookmark that unclasps into a bracelet, a tea towel that wraps the second gift inside it.

That is what turns a handmade present into something the recipient actually reaches for in January.

All 26 crafts sit well under a few pounds each, and most use materials you can buy in one trip. For more making inspiration before you start, browse the full christmas crafts for kids hub, or jump straight to the christmas games for kids roundup if you need something to keep them busy while the paint dries.

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Felt Gnome EOS Lip Balm Holder

A small felt gnome that stands about 10 cm tall and hides an EOS lip balm inside its body. The hat is the gnome’s head, the round balm is its belly, and a wisp of wool becomes a beard. Finished, it sits on a windowsill or desk and doubles as a lip balm that someone will actually use, not shelve.

Store it upright in a small gift bag. To pass it on again, simply pull the balm out and sew the base closed.

Active time: 25 min. Total time: 25 min. Ages 7+ with adult help for the needle.

What You Need

• 1 sheet red felt, at least 20 x 20 cm
• 1 sheet skin-tone or cream felt, 10 x 10 cm
• 1 EOS lip balm sphere
• Small amount of white wool or cotton wool for the beard
• Red or cream embroidery thread and a blunt needle
• Fabric glue (a small tube)
• Scissors

How to Make It

1. Cut a semicircle from the red felt, roughly 18 cm across the straight edge. Roll it into a cone shape that the EOS sphere sits snugly inside, and use a whip stitch along the seam to hold it. The cone should be firm enough to stand on its own.
2. Cut a small circle of skin-tone felt, about 3 cm across. Glue it to the front of the cone just below the tip: this is the nose.
3. Pull a pinch of wool into a rough rectangle and glue it below the nose circle to make the beard. Hold it flat for 30 seconds until the glue grabs.
4. Drop the EOS lip balm into the open base of the cone. It should sit snugly with the flat side down; if it is loose, cut a small felt circle and glue it inside the base as a shelf.
5. Leave flat for 10 minutes so the glue sets fully before gifting.

Decorated Pencil Pot Photo Frame Rim

A tin can dressed in patterned paper and topped with a strip of card that frames a photo around the rim. The recipient gets a pencil pot on the desk and a tiny portrait of the child who made it, printed or hand drawn, fitted into the frame strip like a mini gallery band. It is charming and genuinely functional.

Remove the frame strip at any time; the tin lives on as a plain pot afterwards.

Active time: 20 min. Total time: 35 min including drying. Ages 5+ with adult help for sharp tin edges.

What You Need

• 1 clean empty tin can, label removed, any sharp rim filed or taped by an adult
• 1 sheet patterned scrapbook paper, A4
• A photo or hand-drawn portrait, approx 6 x 4 cm
• A strip of white card, 300 gsm, 3 cm wide and long enough to wrap the rim once
• PVA glue and a small brush
• Washi tape or double-sided tape
• Scissors

How to Make It

1. An adult checks the tin rim for sharp edges and smooths any burrs with a nail file or covers them with a thin strip of washi tape before the child touches it.
2. Cut the scrapbook paper to wrap around the tin with a 1 cm overlap. Brush the outside of the tin with PVA and press the paper on, smoothing out bubbles from the centre outward. Allow 10 minutes to dry.
3. Trim the card strip so it wraps the very top of the tin and the two ends meet neatly. Mark a rectangle on the strip slightly smaller than the photo, and cut it out with scissors so you have a frame window. This is the fiddly bit: cut slowly from the centre out to the corners.
4. Slip the photo behind the window and tape it in place with a small piece of washi tape on the inside of the strip.
5. Wrap the frame strip around the rim of the tin and secure the join with double-sided tape. The photo should sit centred and visible from the front.

Painted Plant Pot with Seed Packet

A terracotta pot painted by the child, with a seed packet rubber-banded underneath and a handwritten grow-guide tag tied to the rim. The recipient gets something to look at on the windowsill and something to actually grow in it, both wrapped together as one present. Pick herbs or sunflowers: seeds that reliably germinate on a windowsill without a greenhouse.

If paint chips later, a second coat of outdoor varnish protects it. Store seeds cool and dry until planting season.

Active time: 20 min. Total time: 3 hours including paint drying. Ages 4+ with help.

What You Need

• 1 terracotta pot, 10 cm diameter
• Acrylic craft paints in 2-3 colours
• 1 flat brush, 1 cm wide
• Clear outdoor varnish spray (one small can, adult use only)
• 1 packet of herb or sunflower seeds
• A luggage tag or small piece of card for the grow guide
• Elastic band or twine, 30 cm

How to Make It

1. Paint the outside of the pot with a base colour and leave it to dry fully, at least 45 minutes. A second coat gives a more even finish; if the paint beads at first, let the first coat cure before adding more.
2. Add a simple pattern over the base: dots, stripes or a name work best. Let this coat dry for another 30 minutes.
3. An adult sprays a thin coat of outdoor varnish over the whole pot in a ventilated space and leaves it to cure for 2 hours. This keeps the acrylic paint from flaking when the pot is watered.
4. Write a short grow guide on the tag: what the seed is, how deep to plant it (usually 1 cm), and how often to water. Punch a hole in the tag and tie it to the rim with a short piece of twine.
5. Secure the seed packet to the base of the pot with an elastic band so it reads as part of the gift.

Friendship Bracelet Bookmark Tassel

A knotted friendship bracelet finished with a lobster clasp at one end. Worn on the wrist it is a bracelet; unclipped and looped through a book page, the trailing threads become a bookmark tassel. It is genuinely clever and costs almost nothing to make, and the recipient gets both uses without having to choose.

Roll it flat and store in a small envelope. It travels to school in a pocket without tangling if the clasp is fastened.

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 30 min. Ages 7+ with help threading the clasp.

What You Need

• Embroidery thread in 3 colours, each cut to 80 cm
• 1 lobster clasp, 14 mm
• 1 small jump ring, 8 mm
• Masking tape to anchor while knotting
• Round-nose pliers (adult use)

How to Make It

1. Fold all three threads in half together and loop the fold through the lobster clasp. Knot a simple overhand knot directly below the clasp so it is anchored. Tape the clasp end to a table so the threads hang free while you work.
2. Separate the six strands into two groups of three. Work a simple three-strand plait for about 14 cm, keeping even tension so the braid lies flat. This is the wrist section.
3. At the end of the plait, knot all six threads together with a firm overhand knot. Leave the remaining threads loose below the knot: this is the tassel section. Trim the tassel ends to an even 4 cm.
4. An adult uses round-nose pliers to open the jump ring, threads it through the overhand knot at the tassel end, and closes it again. This ring is what clips into the lobster clasp to close the bracelet around a wrist.
5. Test the clasp: it should open and close smoothly and the two ends should reach each other comfortably. Adjust the plait length before cutting the tassel if needed.

Hand Drawn Card That Folds into a Photo Frame

A folded card that the recipient reads as a Christmas card first, then unfolds to reveal that the inside front forms a small standing frame for a photo.

The child draws the outside, writes a message on one interior panel, and cuts the second interior panel into a frame window. A printed photo slips in behind the window and the whole card folds back to post. Flat to send, functional once opened.

Active time: 25 min. Total time: 25 min. Ages 6+ with adult help for the craft knife.

What You Need

• 1 sheet white card, A4, 300 gsm
• Fine black marker and colouring pencils or felt tips
• A photo to fit, approx 7 x 5 cm
• Craft knife and cutting mat (adult use)
• Ruler
• Double-sided tape

How to Make It

1. Fold the A4 card in half lengthways so you have a tall thin card, then fold in half again across the width. You now have four panels: outside front, outside back, inside left and inside right.
2. The child draws a Christmas scene on the outside front and writes a message on the inside left panel.
3. On the inside right panel, measure and lightly pencil a rectangle 6 x 4 cm centred in the panel. An adult uses a craft knife and ruler on a cutting mat to cut out this rectangle cleanly. The remaining border is the photo frame.
4. Slip the photo behind the frame window and hold it in place with a small piece of double-sided tape at each corner on the back of the panel.
5. To display, open the card fully and fold the inside right panel back at 90 degrees so it stands like an easel. The card stands on a desk with the message visible on the left and the framed photo on the right.

Hot Cocoa Jar with Hand Stitched Mug Cosy

A jar filled with a layered dry cocoa mix, with a knitted or felt cosy stitched to fit around a standard mug rather than the jar. The jar comes off after Christmas, the cosy stays in service all winter. This one earns its keep because the cosy is genuinely made, not just cut and tied.

The cocoa mix: 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, 4 tablespoons icing sugar, 2 tablespoons dried milk powder. One jar holds enough for about four mugs. The cosy wraps a 300 ml mug.

Active time: 35 min. Total time: 35 min. Ages 7+ with adult help for threading the needle.

What You Need

• 1 clean jam jar with lid, approx 250 ml
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder, 4 tbsp icing sugar, 2 tbsp dried milk powder
• 1 rectangle cream wool felt, 24 x 8 cm
• Embroidery thread, red or green
• Blunt embroidery needle
• A button, approx 2 cm, and an elastic loop (or a short piece of elastic, 4 cm)
• Scissors

How to Make It

1. Spoon the cocoa powder, icing sugar and dried milk powder into the jar in layers. Screw the lid on tightly. Write a tag: ‘Add 3 heaped teaspoons to a mug of hot milk.’
2. Cut the felt rectangle to 24 x 8 cm. This wraps a standard mug with about 1 cm overlap at the join.
3. Work a simple running stitch in red embroidery thread along the top and bottom long edges, about 5 mm in from the edge. Keep stitches even: roughly 5 mm forward, 3 mm back.
4. On one short end, sew the button centred. On the other short end, loop the elastic piece through and knot it firmly at the back to create a button loop. The cosy fastens around the mug by buttoning at the front.
5. Slip the cosy around the jar for presentation, tucking the button loop over the jar lid to keep it tidy.

Stamped Tea Towel Gift Wrapper

A plain cotton tea towel stamped with a repeating pattern in fabric ink, which then wraps a second flat gift like a book or a set of cards. Unfold it on Christmas Day and it is already a useful tea towel. The stamping is the making, and it only takes one colour to look intentional.

Wash the finished tea towel in cold water before first use to set the fabric ink fully. Iron on the reverse to intensify the colour.

Active time: 20 min. Total time: 2 hours 20 min including ink curing. Ages 5+ with adult iron.

What You Need

• 1 plain white or cream cotton tea towel
• 1 foam stamp (star, tree or geometric shape)
• Fabric ink pad or fabric paint, 1 colour
• Scrap paper to test the stamp
• An iron and ironing board (adult use)

How to Make It

1. Lay the tea towel flat on a clean surface and slide a piece of scrap card inside it to prevent ink bleeding through to the back.
2. Press the foam stamp onto the ink pad evenly so the whole face is covered. Test the print on a scrap of paper first: the stamp should give a clean impression, not a smudged blob. If it smears, you have too much ink; blot it lightly on paper and try again.
3. Press the stamp firmly onto the tea towel without rocking it, lift straight up, and repeat across the fabric in a grid or scattered pattern. Leave a few centimetres between each print so the pattern breathes.
4. Leave the ink to air-dry completely, at least 2 hours.
5. An adult irons the reverse of the tea towel on a medium-hot setting for 2 minutes per section. This heat-sets the ink so it survives washing.
6. Fold the tea towel around the second flat gift and tie with twine or ribbon. The stamped pattern faces outward as the wrapping.

Beaded Keychain with Tiny Torch

A beaded keychain on a split ring with a small LED button-torch threaded onto the ring beside the beads. The torch is available for a few pence in pound shops or online in packs.

The result is a keychain that also lights a lock in the dark, and the beads make it feel handmade rather than bought. Choose initials in letter beads if you can find them.

Active time: 20 min. Total time: 20 min. Ages 6+ with adult help for the split ring.

What You Need

• 1 split key ring, 25 mm
• Approx 15 pony beads or letter beads
• Elastic cord or beading wire, 20 cm
• 1 small LED push-button torch with a ring attachment (the keyring type, sold in packs)
• Round-nose pliers (adult use)

How to Make It

1. Thread the beads onto the elastic cord in your chosen order, leaving 3 cm free at each end. Knot the two ends together with a double knot pulled firmly so no beads escape. Trim the excess cord to 5 mm and tuck the knot inside the last bead.
2. An adult uses pliers to open the split ring enough to thread the knotted bead loop onto it, then threads the small torch onto the same ring beside it.
3. Close the split ring fully. Give the beads a firm tug to test the knot holds before gifting.

Decorated Notebook Cover Reversible Placemat

A plain exercise book or notebook dressed in a wipeable contact paper cover, decorated by the child with permanent markers on the plain side. Flip the cover sheet and the decorated side becomes a small placemat: the contact paper surface wipes clean.

The notebook lives on the desk; the cover peels off when the book is full and becomes a permanent placemat in a kitchen or at a child’s art table.

Active time: 25 min. Total time: 25 min. Ages 6+ with adult help measuring and cutting contact paper.

What You Need

• 1 plain A5 notebook or exercise book
• Contact paper (sticky-back plastic), white or clear, at least 35 x 50 cm
• Permanent markers in 3-4 colours
• Ruler and scissors

How to Make It

1. An adult measures and cuts a rectangle of contact paper large enough to cover the notebook front, spine and back with 2 cm to fold inside each edge.
2. Before sticking, flip the contact paper printed-side up on the table. The child draws a design directly on the backing paper side in permanent marker. Keep it bold: fine lines disappear once the cover goes on the book.
3. Peel the backing from one short edge of the contact paper and stick it to the inside of the back cover. Pull the paper gently taut across the back cover, over the spine and across the front, peeling and smoothing a section at a time to avoid bubbles. Fold the excess inside the front cover and press down firmly.
4. The finished notebook has a decorated cover on the outside. When the book is used up, peel the contact paper off whole and it becomes a wipe-clean placemat sized for a single place setting.

Painted Rock Plant Marker

A smooth flat stone painted with a herb or plant name and decorated to look like a small character, a ladybird, a hedgehog, or simply a bold botanical label. It sits in a pot of soil and does a real job while looking like a small piece of garden art. Pick stones roughly the size of an adult palm.

Outdoor varnish keeps the paint on through rain and watering. Store in a pot of compost or dry in a drawer between seasons.

Active time: 20 min. Total time: 3 hours including varnish drying. Ages 4+ with adult varnish.

What You Need

• 1 smooth flat stone, palm-sized
• Acrylic craft paints in 2-3 colours
• Fine paintbrush for lettering
• Black permanent marker for outlines
• Clear outdoor varnish spray (adult use)

How to Make It

1. Clean and dry the stone completely. Paint the top face with a base colour and leave for 30 minutes. A second coat gives a neater surface for lettering.
2. Paint the decoration or character on the base coat and leave 20 minutes. Keep the plant name clear and large: it needs to be readable at pot level.
3. Use the permanent marker to outline details and write the herb name in block capitals. Let the marker dry 5 minutes before touching.
4. An adult applies a coat of outdoor varnish spray in a ventilated space and leaves the stone flat to cure for 2 hours before handling.

Woven Potholder Trivet

A woven loop potholder made on a small square metal loom, finished with a crochet hook to lock the loops. The weave makes it thick enough to protect a table from a hot pan and light enough to use as a pot holder. It is reversible: the two sides show different colour arrangements depending on which way you wove.

Wash in a pillowcase on a gentle cycle. The loops are usually cotton and hold up to normal kitchen heat, not oven dishes straight from 200 degrees.

Active time: 45 min. Total time: 45 min. Ages 6+ with light adult help to finish the edge.

What You Need

• 1 square potholder loom, 7-inch metal (the classic weaving type)
• 1 pack cotton weaving loops, at least 2 colours
• 1 crochet hook, size 5 mm

How to Make It

1. Stretch loops in one colour across the loom in one direction, hooking each end onto the pegs. Cover all the pegs so the loops lie parallel and evenly spaced.
2. Weave a loop of the second colour over and under the first set of loops, across the loom in the other direction. Hook both ends on the pegs. Repeat with alternating colours until all the pegs in the second direction are also filled. The weave should feel firm and even: if loops are puckering, even out the tension by pressing the weave flat with your palm.
3. To finish the edge, use the crochet hook to lift the first loop off its peg. Pull the second loop through the first, then the third through the second, continuing around all four sides until one loop remains. Pull the loose tail of that final loop through itself to knot it. This is the fiddly step; work slowly and the pattern will hold itself.
4. Slide the potholder off the loom. It is now a firm woven square, reversible by flipping it over.

Hand Drawn Calendar Gift Envelope

A sheet of A3 card folded into a small wall calendar, with a month grid drawn and decorated on each panel, that folds completely flat into its own little envelope for posting.

The envelope is formed by the back panel folding over and tucking in; no separate envelope needed. The recipient unfolds it, tears off the panels month by month, and the last panel is a handmade keepsake drawing.

Active time: 45 min. Total time: 45 min. Ages 7+ with adult help measuring the grid.

What You Need

• 2 sheets white card, A3, 160-200 gsm
• Ruler and pencil
• Fine black marker and colouring pencils
• Double-sided tape

How to Make It

1. Fold one A3 sheet into thirds lengthways to create three panels. Each panel is one page of the calendar. Repeat with the second sheet for months 4-6 (or create a 6-month desk calendar, which is a more achievable scope).
2. On the top panel of each sheet, draw the month name in large bold letters and decorate around it with a seasonal scene or pattern.
3. Measure and rule a simple 7-column grid below the month name, with day headings (M T W T F S S) and rows for the dates. Fill in the correct dates for each month, including which day the first falls on. An adult checks this against a reference calendar before the child inks it in permanently.
4. To form the envelope, fold the last panel of the second sheet over the front and use double-sided tape along the two short edges to seal the sides. Tuck the calendar pages inside. The folded packet posts in a large letter envelope.

Coupon Book with Ribbon Bookmark

A small booklet of handwritten favour coupons, ‘one breakfast in bed’, ‘one board game of your choice’, ‘one afternoon with no arguing’, bound along the left edge with a piece of ribbon that doubles as a bookmark when the book is in use.

When all the coupons are redeemed, the ribbon comes off and lives in a book. This is the gift that costs nothing except thought, which is why it usually goes down best.

Active time: 25 min. Total time: 25 min. Ages 6+ with adult help punching holes.

What You Need

• 10 rectangles white card, each 10 x 7 cm, 160 gsm
• 1 rectangle coloured card for the cover, 10 x 7 cm
• Fine black marker
• Colouring pencils or felt tips for decoration
• 1 single-hole punch
• Ribbon, 60 cm, approx 1 cm wide

How to Make It

1. Write one coupon per white card rectangle in marker: keep the text large and cheerful. Leave the first card blank for the cover, which the child decorates with a drawing or the recipient’s name.
2. Stack all the cards with the cover on top, aligning the edges neatly. An adult uses the hole punch to make two holes along the left short edge, one near the top and one near the bottom, punching through the whole stack at once.
3. Thread the ribbon up through the bottom hole, across the front and down through the top hole, then back around to the front and tie a bow. The ribbon should lie flat along the spine and the bow sit on the front cover.
4. When gifting, tuck a folded note inside explaining that the ribbon is a bonus bookmark when the coupons are all used. The bow is the delivery mechanism of the joke.

Painted Picture Frame with Note Window

A flat wooden photo frame painted by the child, with a second small window cut into the mat by an adult. A photo goes in the main window; a small folded note or a second tiny photo fits behind the mat in the second window.

The frame displays on a shelf and holds two things: the gift and the message together.

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 2 hours 30 min including drying. Ages 5+ with adult cutting.

What You Need

• 1 flat wooden photo frame, any size from 10 x 15 cm to 13 x 18 cm
• Acrylic craft paints in 2 colours
• Foam brush or flat brush
• Craft knife and cutting mat (adult use)
• A photo to fit the main frame window
• A handwritten note, small enough to show in the second window

How to Make It

1. Remove the glass and backing from the frame. Paint the wooden frame with a base colour and set aside to dry, 1 hour. Add a second colour as dots or stripes. Dry 1 more hour.
2. Remove the card mat from inside the frame. An adult uses a craft knife and ruler to cut a second small rectangle in one corner of the mat, roughly 4 x 3 cm, clean and straight. This is the note window.
3. Slip the photo behind the main window and the handwritten note behind the second small window. Replace the mat, glass and backing in the frame.

Scented Sachet Chair Pillow

A small rectangle of fabric, sewn on three sides, stuffed with dried lavender and a tiny piece of wadding, then stitched closed.

It is sized to tuck into the corner of a chair cushion or hang from a door handle, and it scents the room gently for months. The shape is deliberately pillow-like, so it genuinely reads as soft furnishing rather than a craft class project.

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 30 min. Ages 7+ with adult on the needle.

What You Need

• 2 rectangles fabric (cotton or felt), each 12 x 9 cm, in a print or solid colour
• Dried lavender, 2 tablespoons
• A small handful of toy stuffing or cotton wool
• Embroidery thread to match or contrast
• Blunt embroidery needle
• Scissors
• Pins

How to Make It

1. Place the two fabric rectangles together with the good sides facing inward. Pin along three edges. An adult backstitch-sews along the three pinned sides, 1 cm in from the edge, leaving the fourth short side open. Felt does not fray, so felt is easier for a first attempt.
2. Turn the pouch right-side out through the open end. Push the corners out gently with a pencil eraser.
3. Spoon the dried lavender into the pouch, then stuff a small handful of toy stuffing on top to fill it out to a plump pillow shape.
4. Fold the open edge inward by 1 cm on both sides and pin closed. An adult slipstitches the opening shut. The finished sachet should feel firm and hold its shape.

Decorated Recipe Card Easel

A recipe card written by the child on heavyweight card, illustrated around the edges, and scored down the back so it folds out into its own small easel to stand on a kitchen counter.

The card holds one favourite family recipe and stands at reading height while cooking. It is a genuinely useful kitchen object that also happens to be a child’s drawing and handwriting, which is why grandparents keep this one.

Active time: 20 min. Total time: 20 min. Ages 6+ with adult scoring the fold.

What You Need

• 1 rectangle white card, 20 x 14 cm, 300 gsm
• 1 strip card for the easel leg, 14 x 3 cm, 300 gsm
• Fine black marker
• Colouring pencils or fine felt tips
• Bone folder or blunt knife to score (adult use)
• Double-sided tape

How to Make It

1. The child writes the recipe title in large letters across the top of the card and the ingredients and method below, in their own handwriting. Leave a 2 cm illustrated border all the way around for the decorative frame.
2. Draw and colour the border with small food illustrations related to the recipe: tiny vegetables, stars, herbs, whatever suits.
3. An adult scores a fold line across the easel strip 4 cm from one end and folds it to a right angle. Attach the short end to the bottom back of the recipe card with double-sided tape, so the long part of the strip angles away from the card like a picture easel leg.
4. Stand the card on a surface: it should tilt slightly backward and stand without falling. Adjust the angle by bending the leg fold until it balances.

Knitted Scarf with Pocket End

A simple garter-stitch scarf knitted flat on large needles, with one end finished into a small pocket by folding and sewing the last 10 cm back on itself. Gloves, lip balm, or a phone go in the pocket.

The scarf is thick, quick and genuinely wearable because garter stitch lies flat and does not roll. Use chunky yarn and 6 mm needles for a beginner.

Active time: 3-4 hours. Total time: 3-4 hours. Ages 9+ with adult help casting on and off.

What You Need

• 1 ball chunky yarn, approx 100 g, any colour
• Knitting needles, 6 mm
• Yarn needle for sewing
• Scissors

How to Make It

1. An adult casts on 14 stitches. The child knits every row in plain garter stitch (knit on both sides) until the scarf measures 130 cm. This takes time; spread it over a few sessions rather than one sitting.
2. An adult casts off the last row, leaving a 30 cm yarn tail for sewing.
3. Fold the last 10 cm of the scarf back on itself, lining up the edges carefully. Thread the yarn tail onto the yarn needle and whip-stitch down both sides of the fold to form the pocket. Knot and trim the tail inside the pocket so no ends show.
4. The pocket opening faces the end of the scarf. The owner wears it with the pocket end tucked down the front of a coat for hand-warming.

Beaded Hair Clip Set in Decorated Box

Three or four snap hair clips beaded with small seed beads and secured with a dab of glue, stored in a small card box that the child has covered and decorated. The box is the second gift: it becomes a jewellery or trinket box after the clips are worn. This suits a sibling, a cousin, or a best friend.

Active time: 35 min. Total time: 45 min including glue drying. Ages 7+ with adult hot glue.

What You Need

• 4 plain snap hair clips, 5 cm
• Seed beads in 2-3 colours, approx 100 beads
• Clear-drying craft glue or low-temp hot glue gun (adult use for hot glue)
• 1 small card gift box, approx 10 x 7 x 3 cm
• Patterned paper or washi tape to cover the box
• PVA glue and brush

How to Make It

1. Lay the clips open on a flat surface. Plan a bead pattern along the top bar of each clip before gluing: simple stripes or alternating colours work best and are easier to execute with small hands.
2. An adult applies a thin line of hot glue along the top bar of the first clip. The child immediately presses beads into the glue in the planned pattern, working quickly before the glue skins over. This is the trickiest step: less glue is better than more, because excess squeezes up between the beads.
3. Repeat for each clip and leave all four flat for 10 minutes.
4. While they dry, cover the outside of the box by brushing PVA onto one face at a time and pressing on patterned paper or strips of washi tape. Smooth out bubbles and leave to dry 10 minutes.
5. Line the box with a layer of cotton wool or tissue paper and nestle the finished clips inside.

Hand Painted Mug Wrap with Spoon Rest Base

A rectangle of air-dry clay rolled flat, shaped to wrap the outside of a mug (but not fired, so it sits as a sleeve, not a glaze), with one end extended and curved into a small flat spoon rest that sits beside the mug on the counter.

The child paints it with acrylic paint and it seals with varnish. The mug goes in the mug; the rest catches the spoon. Both come from one piece of clay.

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 48 hours including clay drying. Ages 6+ with adult shaping help.

What You Need

• 250 g air-dry clay
• Rolling pin and a smooth surface
• Acrylic craft paints in 2-3 colours
• Clear sealant varnish (brush-on, not spray)
• A standard mug to use as a shaping mould

How to Make It

1. Roll the clay to about 5 mm thick. Cut a rectangle roughly 20 x 8 cm (this wraps the mug body) and a smaller rounded oval, about 8 x 5 cm, attached at one short end of the rectangle. The oval is the spoon rest.
2. Drape the rectangle loosely around the mug to curve it slightly, leaving the oval flat on the table. Do not seal it around the mug: it should curve gently but come off again. Leave to dry 24 hours, then remove from the mug and dry a further 24 hours completely.
3. Paint the outside with a base colour, dry 1 hour, then add a design or the recipient’s name. Leave 1 hour.
4. Apply a thin coat of brush-on sealant varnish over the painted surface and leave 2 hours to cure. The varnish makes it wipe-clean.

Paper Star Lantern That Posts Flat

A six-pointed paper star lantern cut from two sheets of A4 card, slotted together at the centre and glued at the points, that collapses flat for posting and pops open into a 3D star when the recipient pinches the sides.

A battery tea light goes inside, the star glows, and the whole thing takes under 30 minutes. This is the one that photographs best for the gift-giver’s camera roll.

Active time: 25 min. Total time: 25 min. Ages 6+ with adult help cutting the slot.

What You Need

• 2 sheets A4 card, 160-200 gsm, in the same or contrasting colours
• Ruler and pencil
• Scissors
• Craft knife and cutting mat (adult use for the centre slot only)
• PVA glue or double-sided tape
• 1 battery-operated tea light

How to Make It

1. On each sheet of card, draw a six-pointed star shape roughly 18 cm across. Cut both out with scissors, keeping the cuts as smooth as possible.
2. An adult uses the craft knife to cut a slot from the centre of each star to the midpoint of one arm: make this slot exactly as wide as the card is thick so the two pieces slot together with no gap and no forcing.
3. Slide the two stars together at the slots at right angles to each other. They should interlock into a three-dimensional form. If the slot is too tight, gently widen it with a fingernail; if too loose, a tiny strip of double-sided tape on one slot wall will grip.
4. Dab glue or a piece of double-sided tape at each point where the two stars cross, press and hold for 30 seconds. The star now holds its shape and can be gently flattened and re-opened without falling apart.
5. Drop a battery tea light inside the star through one of the open gaps between the points. The light glows through the card.

Dog Treat Bag Stitched from a Tea Towel

A small ziplock-style treat pouch sewn from a section of old tea towel, with the dog treat recipe written on a card attached to the outside. The bag is the pouch; the recipe is the instruction to restock it. The dog owner gets both.

Homemade dog biscuits are simple: oat flour, peanut butter, egg and water, rolled and cut into bone shapes, baked 25 minutes at 160 degrees. Write the recipe on the tag so it is reusable.

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 30 min. Ages 7+ with adult on the needle.

What You Need

• 1 old cotton tea towel or a 30 x 20 cm rectangle of heavy cotton fabric
• Scissors
• Pins
• Embroidery thread (sturdy) and a needle
• 1 small bulldog clip or a piece of velcro strip, 3 cm
• A luggage tag or small card for the recipe
• Twine, 20 cm

How to Make It

1. Cut the fabric to 30 x 20 cm. Fold it in half with the good sides facing inward so you have a 15 x 20 cm double layer. Pin both short edges and one long edge.
2. An adult backstitch-sews along the two short edges and the one pinned long edge, leaving the remaining long edge open as the bag mouth. Turn the bag right-side out.
3. Fold the top edge of the bag mouth inward by 2 cm and press flat. An adult stitches around this hem.
4. Sew a strip of velcro on the inside of the bag mouth (one piece on each side) or clip a bulldog clip across the top to close the bag.
5. Write the dog treat recipe on the luggage tag in clear handwriting. Thread twine through the tag hole and tie it to the bag handle or clip.

Wooden Coaster Set with Luggage Label Tag

Four plain wooden disc coasters painted in matching designs and stacked, tied with twine, and finished with a luggage label tag written by the child.

The tag has the recipient’s name on the front and the child’s name on the back, so the coasters travel with a clear sender label and the recipient keeps the tag on a bag or key hook. One gift, two keepers.

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 3 hours including drying. Ages 5+ with adult varnish.

What You Need

• 4 plain wooden disc coasters, 9-10 cm diameter
• Acrylic craft paints in 2-3 colours
• Fine paintbrush
• Clear varnish (brush-on)
• 1 kraft luggage tag
• Fine black marker
• Twine, 50 cm

How to Make It

1. Paint all four coasters with the same base colour. Dry 30 minutes. The base coat does not need to be thick; one even layer is enough.
2. Add a repeated design to each coaster: a simple geometric, a star, a monogram, or dots in a contrasting colour. Each coaster in the set should match or clearly belong together. Dry 30 minutes.
3. Brush a thin coat of clear varnish over the top of each coaster to protect the paint from cup rings. Dry 1 hour.
4. Write the recipient’s name on the front of the luggage tag and the child’s name and a short message on the back. Thread the tag onto the twine and tie the coasters together in a stack with a simple bow.

Bath Fizzer in a Cloth That Becomes a Flannel

A homemade bath bomb made from bicarbonate of soda, citric acid and a little coconut oil, formed into a ball and wrapped in a 30 cm square of soft flannel fabric. After the bath, the fabric square becomes a proper face flannel.

The making is a science lesson in a bowl: the fizz when you add water is the same reaction that makes the bath bomb bubble in the tub.

Wrap the fizzer tight and tie with ribbon to keep the citric acid away from moisture. Use within 6 weeks.

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 24 hours including setting. Ages 7+ with adult measuring.

What You Need

• 100 g bicarbonate of soda
• 50 g citric acid powder
• 2 tablespoons solid coconut oil, melted
• A few drops essential oil (lavender or orange), optional
• 1 square of soft cotton flannel, 30 x 30 cm
• Ribbon, 40 cm
• A bowl and spoon for mixing

How to Make It

1. Measure the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid into the bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together first. Add the essential oil to the melted coconut oil if using.
2. Pour the coconut oil mixture into the dry bowl very slowly, a teaspoon at a time, stirring constantly. If you pour it too fast, the mixture fizzes in the bowl and loses its potency. The finished mixture should clump when you squeeze a handful: if it crumbles, add a tiny drop more oil.
3. Press the mixture firmly into a ball shape with your hands, packing it tightly. The warmth of your hands helps it hold.
4. Set the ball on a piece of baking paper and leave in a cool dry place to firm up for 24 hours.
5. Centre the hardened fizzer on the flannel square. Gather the four corners up over it and tie firmly with ribbon, leaving a bow on top.

Painted Birdhouse Ornament Tree to Garden

A small unfinished wooden birdhouse, the kind sold in craft shops for about a pound, painted by the child for the Christmas tree and then moved outside after the holidays to hang on a fence or branch for the birds.

An outdoor varnish coat means it survives a British winter. The birdhouse arrives on the tree as a decoration and leaves the house doing actual ecological work, which makes it a better gift than a bauble.

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 3 hours 30 min including varnish. Ages 4+ with adult varnish.

What You Need

• 1 small unfinished wooden birdhouse with a hanging loop, approx 10 cm tall
• Acrylic craft paints in 3 colours
• Fine and medium paintbrushes
• Clear outdoor varnish spray (adult use)
• Ribbon, 30 cm, for the tree hanging loop

How to Make It

1. Paint the main body of the birdhouse in one colour: work into the corners with a fine brush before filling in the larger areas with a medium one. Dry 1 hour.
2. Paint the roof a contrasting colour and the perch and hole surround in a third colour. Dry 30 minutes.
3. Add small details: snowflakes, stars, a name, or small dots around the hole. Dry 30 minutes.
4. An adult applies two coats of outdoor varnish spray in a ventilated space, allowing 30 minutes between coats. This is what makes the birdhouse genuinely weatherproof.
5. Thread ribbon through the hanging loop and tie a bow. Include a small gift tag explaining that after Christmas it moves outside for the birds.

Hand Stitched Playing Card Pouch

A felt pouch exactly sized to hold a standard pack of 54 playing cards, with a flap that folds over and buttons closed. The card player gets a tidy place to store the pack and the pouch keeps the cards from dog-earing in a bag.

Felt needs no hemming, which makes this an achievable first sewing project even if the child is very new to a needle.

Active time: 35 min. Total time: 35 min. Ages 7+ with adult on the needle.

What You Need

• 1 rectangle wool felt, 28 x 12 cm, any colour
• Embroidery thread, contrasting colour
• Blunt embroidery needle
• 1 button, approx 2 cm
• 1 elastic loop or 4 cm of thin elastic
• Scissors

How to Make It

1. Fold the felt rectangle so the bottom 10 cm forms the pouch body (the card goes in here), the middle 9 cm is the back of the pouch, and the top 9 cm is the flap. The flap overlaps the front of the body when folded down.
2. An adult whip-stitches both side edges of the body section only, leaving the flap free. Keep stitches about 5 mm apart and 3 mm from the edge.
3. On the centre of the flap’s front edge, sew the elastic loop through the felt so it forms a small loop hanging down. On the front of the body, centred to meet the loop, sew the button. The elastic loop hooks over the button to close the flap.
4. Slide a deck of cards in to test the fit before stitching the sides closed permanently. A standard 54-card deck in a standard box should slide in and out without forcing.

Decorated Jar of Trail Mix with Scoop

A jar filled with a genuinely made trail mix, where the making is the recipe: toasting the oats and nuts in a pan with honey, then combining with dried fruit and seeds.

The scoop is a small metal or wooden measuring scoop tied to the neck and intended to stay as a kitchen implement after the mix runs out. The child mixes, the adult toasts; both are necessary, which makes it a real collaboration.

This is not a jar of bought things: the oats are toasted, the mix is balanced, and the scoop is tied with a bow that reads as part of the gift. Consume within 4 weeks and keep sealed.

Active time: 20 min. Total time: 50 min including cooling. Ages 6+ with adult stovetop.

What You Need

• 100 g rolled oats
• 50 g mixed nuts (any combination), roughly chopped by an adult
• 50 g pumpkin seeds
• 50 g dried cranberries or raisins
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 1 clean jar with lid, 500 ml minimum
• 1 small metal or wooden measuring scoop
• Ribbon, 30 cm
• A luggage tag for the eating instructions

How to Make It

1. An adult heats a dry frying pan over medium heat, adds the oats and nuts and stirs constantly for 3-4 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and drizzle honey over the pan, stirring quickly so everything is lightly coated. Spread on a baking sheet to cool completely: at least 30 minutes.
2. The child combines the cooled oat and nut mixture with the pumpkin seeds and dried fruit in a bowl and stirs well.
3. Spoon the mix into the jar and seal the lid. Write a serving tag: ‘One scoop straight, or add to yoghurt or porridge.’
4. Thread ribbon through the scoop handle, wrap around the jar neck and tie a bow. Attach the tag to the ribbon.

Frequently Asked Questions

What DIY Christmas gifts kids can make for teachers?

The decorated recipe card easel, the stamped tea towel, and the wooden coaster set all suit teachers well: they are useful on a desk or in a kitchen, they look considered rather than chaotic, and none of them takes more than an afternoon to finish. A scented sachet is another strong option if the teacher has a staffroom chair.

What DIY Christmas gifts kids can afford on pocket money?

Almost everything on this list costs well under a pound per gift when materials are bought in multi-packs and shared across several gifts. The coupon book costs nothing but paper and a hole punch.

The painted rock, the hand-drawn calendar and the recipe card easel all sit at near-zero material cost. The felt gnome, the pouch and the friendship bracelet each come in under one pound if the child makes several from one pack of materials.

What DIY Christmas gifts kids can make in one afternoon?

Any gift without a multi-hour drying time works in one sitting. The coupon book, the friendship bracelet bookmark, the beaded keychain, the recipe card easel, the playing card pouch and the paper star lantern all finish in under an hour of active making.

The painted plant pot and the birdhouse need a varnish cure, but the child’s active time is still under 30 minutes each.

What DIY Christmas gifts kids can make for a sibling?

The beaded hair clip set in a decorated box suits an older sister. The woven potholder trivet works for a sibling who cooks.

The coupon book of favours is the classic sibling gift because the coupons can be written specifically for that relationship, ‘one hour of your TV choice’ lands differently from a general voucher.

The paper star lantern is a good fit for a younger child who has a bedroom to decorate.