Presents for a three year old to make for family?

[OhBuggerandArse]

Anyone got any good ideas for easy and mass-produceable projects for a three year old to make as presents for adoring relations?

The things I can remember doing as a child - pottery ashtrays (when people still smoked!), painting wooden spoons, etc, are all a bit advanced, and we did the pottery decorating thing last year.

Hoping for some inspiration!

[RhinestoneCowgirl]

DS was 3 last Christmas and decorated photo frames for the grandparents (he has 3 lots confusingly). I bought cheap wooden frames from IKEA then he went at them with poster paint/PVA mix and lots of glitter. I took a nice photo of him and his baby sister messing about with tinsel and put that in the frames. V popular.

[OhBuggerandArse]

That sounds fun - do you have to get a kit, or can you just buy moulds and plaster?

[OhBuggerandArse]

Ooh, cross-posted, but frames sounds good too - keep 'em coming!

[Ilythia]

I have made saltdough fridge magnets, you can buy the magnets from ebay, make some saltdough (I used green food colouring and red glitter), stamp thick shapes out of it,, glue magnet on the back.
We also glued photos of the dc on the front as well.

Or make something to eat, DD's (3 and 4) make mishapen peppermint creams, or christmas biscotti, that's just stirring.

Or you could get them to help with my patented candied orange peel, that's fun

[BabyValentine]

Paint your own mug kits are often quite reasonable in cheapy shops (like Poundland, B&M Home Bargains etc.). We got one in Aldi recently for about £3.

[mollymax]

I have used porcelain paints and pens before.
Plain white crockery, let the children go wild, leave to dry then bake in the oven.

[MissKateMiddleton]

You can just buy the moulds and plaster - hobbycraft et al sell tons of the blinking things.

[Ilythia]

Or little rocky road squares with cranberries in to make them seasonal. That depends on hown hygeine conscious your family are though. Little people will lick everything

I buy foil takeaway trays from teh pound shop and let the dd's go at them with glue, glitter, stickers etc and then fill them with sweets. Sorted.

[asdx2]

Get some glass jars and coloured tissue paper and tea lights.Tear up tissue paper coat jar in PVA glue and cover in tissue paper.Tie a ribbon around the rim and pop on a tea light and you have a pretty lantern

[OhBuggerandArse]

Oh my goodness. Have just been googling plaster and moulds, and found all sorts of things that the three-year-old would think were hilarious but I should definitely not use to make Christmas decorations for great aunties. 'Tiny chocolate willy moulds' anyone?

[Ilythia]

you could say they were christmas candles. Or soemthing.

[sillytart]

Handprint tea-towels if you can cope with a 3 year old with their hand covered in dye!!
tea-towels
I did them with my 2 year old once and it was fine. Make sure there is 2 of you and set up a mini production line - one of you paints the hands and keeps hold of them whilst printing (and in between!!) whilst the other person takes charge of the tea towels hanging on an airer or clothes line to dry. I did a couple of spares and kept as keepsakes.
You could also buy the fabric pens and let your little one loose drawing a picture - maybe not as messy?

[OhBuggerandArse]

Teatowels is fantastic idea - and have just found a slightly cheaper price and all sort of other things to paint (shopping bags, drawstring bags, aprons) here, so have ordered a whole batch and will get going this weekend! Thanks for all the ideas - v useful indeed.

[create]

My DSs are planting Hyacinth bulbs and making bird feeders (Lard mixed with bird seed, shoved into an old yogurt pot hung on a string)

Have the advantage of being "used" i.e the adoring relative doesn't have to find shelf space for them forever

[icapturethecastle]

I am going to steal the tea towel idea - when you are mention dye what kind did use.

Thanks

[treacletart]

ds made his grandparents a tiny hedgehog from air clay and matchsticks for spines - they've really treasured it. He also made a lovely bunch of tissue paper flowers on green garden cane stems - nice as they were, I assumed they'd be binned within weeks, but they're still proudly displayed years later

[melrose]

We did truffles a couple of years ago, very easy to do for a 3 year old with help then got some cellophane bags and ribbon and DS made lovely tags for them. Much appreciated by recipients and v cheap!

[gillybean2]

My ds (bit older but think would be ok for your dc) is going to decorate these this year
www.yellowmoon.org.uk/product-Wooden-Snowflake-Tealight-Holders-N283.htm

In the past he has also done these which we filled with chocolates.
www.yellowmoon.org.uk/product-Mini-Wooden-Sleighs-K315.htm
And these
www.yellowmoon.org.uk/product-Mini-Wooden-Trays-K262.htm
which grandma uses as a useful pen pot.

Or you could go for a calander. Make a nice picture, paint something or stick stuff on in a collage type design, or even do hand prints (buttefly or xmas tree etc). Stick it to a nice coloured piece of card and add one of these
www.yellowmoon.org.uk/product-Calendar-Pads-D1161.htm
I think you can get them at WHSmiths and places like that too.

The other thing we like doing is tie dying shopping bags. We get this simple kit which has everythign you need including gloves and bottles and ideas sheet
www.fredaldous.co.uk/product_513020217.htm
and you can top up the bottle with dylon dye afterwards to reuse.
You can get suitable shopping bag and other items at yellowmoon again, or just get cotton or linen items - must be a natural fabric.
www.yellowmoon.org.uk/product-Design-a-Shoulder-Bag-M798.htm