Helping ds1(5yo) to make presents

[moominthecorner]

Ds1 is old enough to give presents this year. Any ideas as to what he could make to give? I'm thinking family recipients. Thanks.

A Christmas tree decoration? Google Christmas crafts? Who thinks of this in July

Pppermint creams or fudge
Xmas cake

Maybe he's got 26 to make and she's planning to do 1 a week?

Last year I bought the glass decorating pens from yellow moon and my DDs (3 and 5) decorated stuff from ikea with them.
Males generally got small preserving jars decorated with whatever the DDs saw fit and filled with celebrations. Female recipients generally got decorated tea light holders.
All very easy and relatively cheap. Although the glass pens do permanently Mark oil cloth as I discovered to my dismay!!

Just planning ahead! Actually it takes me so long to get off my bum organised I need to be thinking about this now. Anyway, this is a Christmas topic so think it's ok to be forward as it were

The Range has some polystyrene stars and balls to make tree decorations with-paint,glitter,ribbon.
They will be unique and if DS is craft-ey he might enjoy making them.

My DS made a decorated bauble for one of his nursery key-workers when he was 2 and it was lovely ( in a 2 yo 'art' sort of way )

salt dough tree decorations? roll it out like pastry, use xmas cutters and then bake the shapes. Remember to poke out a hole at the top for some wool before you bake. We made ginger bread style ones and used glitter pens to add the details - faces/ shirt buttons etc. Lovely.

Or (a tad retro but go with it - its cheap!) collect tons of small pine cones from the park, roll em in glue and glitter, leave to dry then bag them up in nice celophane bags (lakeland) add a few drops of Christmas Spice type perfumed oil and tie up with nice bit of ribbon and Voila! Chrimbo pot pourri for the grannes/aunties/teachers etc.

Merry Christmas!!!

decorated jars/ boxes etc.
Sweets or biscuits in seasonal cellophane bags.
Marzipan shapes , painted with food colouring.

As DS (5) has started to enjoy playing with the sewing machine I might get him making coasters.

We are going down the decopatch route for homemade Christmas gifts this year.

Do you have a Hobbycraft shop nearby. They have wooden picture frames on sale just now for about £1.25 each I think.

We have also got decopatch glue (or pva glue), decopatch paper and poster paints.

You rip the decopatch paper up into small pieces and then glue them onto the frames, over lapping the pieces and NOT matching up the pattern on the paper. You then make sure there is a layer of glue over all the paper which dries like varnish.

It also works to paint the frame and then varnish it with the pva glue. Dd did a mix of decopatch down 2 sides and paint along the top and bottom on one.

It is a good idea to get started early if you need to make a lot of things, and to do some of it in the hols when they have time on their hands.

They also do little trinket boxes and papermache animals which can be given the same treatment.

You can make nice tree decorations or coasters out of hama beads, very cheap for a large tub and they dont all have to be done in one go.