Spending Quality Time with Your Kids: Making Christmas Ornaments for Family Gifts
Part of the Christmas magic as a kid are the traditions and festivities that you celebrate as a family. Whether it’s going downtown to see the lights, making gingerbread houses, cookies for Santa or decorating the tree together, it’s the time you spend together as a family where you get to see Christmas through your kid’s eyes. What better way to teach your kids the value of gifting during the holidays than by making homemade gifts such as Christmas ornaments for the family. To help with a little inspiration, here is a list of easy DIY ornaments to help make memories together.
Picture ornaments
What grandparent doesn't get excited about new grandkid pictures? Making framed ornaments is not only a classic gift but also so easy to make. Once you print the pictures you’d like to use, get the materials that you would like to use to make the frames. It can be something as easy as popsicle sticks, round wooden cutouts or a clear ornament. Don’t forget to add the ribbon that they will be hanging from.
Salt dough ornaments
Similar to making cookies using festive cookie cutters, salt dough ornaments are done about the same way, minus the sweet sugary indulgence. All you need to do to make the dough is mix salt, water and flour. Once you get the dough rolled out, use your favorite Christmas cookie cutters to make the ornaments in the shapes and characters that you need. Let them cool off all the way after taking them out of the oven so that you can have fun painting them, adding glitter, or anything else you’d like to decorate them with. For the salt dough recipe, visit Yummy Toddler Food. Since these do take time to bake, throw on your favorite Christmas movie, make a bowl of popcorn and some hot chocolate, and snuggle on the couch together while you wait.
Felt ornaments
The best thing about felt is that you can make so many different kinds of ornaments. Whether that be the famous Mickey Mouse head for the Disney lover, snowmen, or creating a 3D Christmas tree ornament by stacking felt pieces on top of each other in order from wide to narrow, all you’ll need is a stencil to replicate whatever your little heart’s desire. Using a backing like the materials used to make the frames for the picture ornaments will help them from being flimsy.
Treat-filled ornaments
This gift idea is a two-in-one. Using mini satchels or clear ornaments, fill them with small candy such as M&M’s, Skittles, or any other candy that is small enough to fit. If you’re using a clear ball to fill for an ornament, adding a simple bow to the top may be all you need. However, if you are using something else for an outer casing such as a cute small bag or mini cardboard boxes, you can decorate them by painting or using a glue gun to add small details such as pearls, rhinestones, or any other decorations your kids love.
If you find that between the holiday rush and work you don’t have time to scout for all of the materials needed, you can always purchase DIY ornament kits that will include everything you need so that you can spend more time creating and having fun with your kids.