It’s October, which means the craft table has officially become a war zone and my kitchen towels are disappearing faster than I can replace them. This is my favorite kind of chaos. Every year I tell myself we’re not buying another single ornament — and every year the kids’ handmade ones are the only ones grandparents actually talk about.
So I did what an editor does: I went through a 45-item list of Christmas gifts kids can make, cut the fluff, and kept the ones that genuinely land. Handprint keepsakes, ornaments, gifts made from the kids’ own artwork, photo gifts, and a handful of practical things like bath bombs. Most of them start with dollar store plates, frames, or wood slices, so you can make one for every grandparent without touching your savings. Full disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
If you only make one thing, skip to the fingerprint wreath in section one — it’s my edit, and it’s the one I’d hand to my own grandmother. If you’ve got more little makers at home, the countdown crafts are fun to knock out together before the rush.
Handprint and Fingerprint Christmas Keepsakes
Little hands grow up fast. I say that as someone whose twins are officially no longer little, and I’m still processing it. These are the pieces grandparents pull out every December — the ones that actually get framed.
Pro tip from my own fingerprint wreath: do a couple of test prints on scrap paper before the real thing. It saves everyone a lot of stress.
1. Fingerprint Christmas Wreath Keepsake
This one’s mine. I cut a 6-inch piece from a scrap 1×6 board, painted it white (left a little wood peeking through), and added a black vinyl wreath I cut with my Cricut. Then the kids dipped their fingertips in red and green paint and pressed them all around it. No cutting machine? Paint or draw the wreath outline instead.
2. Dollar Tree Handprint Plates
Becky over at Your Modern Family turns plain Dollar Tree plates (or ones from Walmart, Target, or the thrift store) into reindeer and other designs with acrylic paint. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, then cool in the oven. A dollar store plate becomes a keepsake — yes please.
3. Fingerprint Christmas Light Plate
Stef from Non-Toy Gifts has kids press red and green fingerprints around the rim of a white plate with porcelain paint, then a black porcelain pen turns the prints into a string of lights. Dry for 24 hours and bake as the paint bottle says. Perfect for Santa’s cookies, and it stays out all season.
4. Salt Dough Handprint Mitten Ornament
Amanda from Fun Handprint Art presses a handprint into salt dough (flour, salt, warm water) and cuts it into a mitten. She bakes at 275 degrees for about an hour, though air drying for a couple of weeks helps prevent cracking. A nice twist on the classic.
5. Salt Dough Santa Handprint
Quick video from Smart Start with Miss Daisy: flip a salt dough handprint upside down so the fingers become Santa’s beard. Paint the face and hat, add a pom pom, done. It’s under a minute long, so the kids can watch along.
6. Handprint Clay Jewelry Dish
Rebecca from Simple as That cuts air-dry clay around a traced handprint, adds a little clay heart, and drapes it over a bowl to dry into a dish. Give it 24 to 48 hours to dry before painting. Grandma will use this one daily — that’s the whole point.
7. Handprint Christmas Tree Kitchen Towel
Autumn from It’s Always Autumn stacks green handprints into a Christmas tree on a white kitchen towel, with a star from her printable template. Heat set with an iron once dry. She keeps it as a decorative towel that comes out every Christmas.
8. Fingerprint Christmas Lights Photo Frame
Mary Catherine from Fun-A-Day starts with a dollar wooden craft frame painted white, then the kids add fingerprint Christmas lights around the edge. Let the paint dry overnight, pop in a photo, and it’s a keepsake and a picture in one.
9. Thumbprint Reindeer Frame
Stacey from Glued To My Crafts uses a $1 unfinished wood frame from Walmart and a washable brown ink pad. Brown thumbprints become reindeer with a thin black marker, wiggle eyes, and sequin noses. Cheap, cute, and very doable for little ones.
10. Fingerprint Rudolph Wood Slice
The Keeper of the Cheerios paints a snowy scene on a 6-inch wood slice with a little craft stick fence. Brown thumbprints above the fence turn into Rudolph and his antlers. This one would look so sweet on a mantel or tiered tray.
11. Handprint Tote Bags
Samantha from Nifty Mom picked up a 3-pack of canvas totes from Michaels for $10 and had the kids paint handprints on them. Her tip: slide cardstock inside so the paint doesn’t seep through. Hers are flowers and suns, but green handprint trees make them properly Christmasy.
12. Christmas Handprint Popsicle Stick Puzzle
Short video from A Pop of You: tape ten jumbo popsicle sticks together, paint a handprint design across them, then separate the sticks into a puzzle. It doubles as a little puzzle for Grandma and Grandpa.
Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make
Ornaments are my favorite gifts from kids, because they come back out every single year. Write the child’s name and the year on the back and you’ve got a real keepsake. My own clay pot gingerbread ornament and Santa hat clothespin ornaments are easy ones to add if you want more.
13. Snow Globe Keepsake Ornaments
Kimberly from The Best Ideas for Kids has kids draw on vellum or clear plastic with a black Sharpie, rolls it up, and slides it into a clear plastic ornament with fake snow. Use a pencil to help it unroll inside. Simple, and it really works.
14. Fingerprint Christmas Light Ornament
Melissa from South Georgia Style gives each child one fingerprint on a plain ceramic ornament, then a Sharpie turns every print into a Christmas light bulb on a string. Let the paint dry about two hours before drawing. Works for preschoolers and up.
15. Reindeer Thumbprint Jar Lid Ornament
Brandy from Gluesticks uses mess-free Kwik Stix paint for a thumbprint reindeer, framed in a canning lid and ring with a ribbon. Her son was two when he made it, so this is the one for toddlers. I have a soft spot for jar lid crafts.
16. Snowman Handprint Ornament
Beth from 123 Homeschool 4 Me presses painted fingers onto a solid ornament ball to make snowmen, then adds hats, scarves, and noses. She recommends acrylic over washable paint, and sets the balls in canning jar lids to keep them from rolling. Toddlers through first graders can do this one.
17. Fingerprint Penguin Wood Slice Ornament
Louise from Messy Little Monster paints wood slices light blue, then a black thumbprint becomes the penguin body and a white fingerprint the belly. A few Sharpie details and dabbed-on snow finish it. Made with toddlers and preschoolers in mind.
18. Clay Pot Christmas Tree Ornaments
Projects with Kids paints 2-inch mini clay pots green, then kids dot on ornaments with Q-tips and glue a little wooden star on top. Q-tip dots are perfect for little hands. My clay pot gingerbread ornament is another easy one if you’re on a clay pot kick.
19. Melted Crayon Ornaments
Heather from The Heathered Nest peels old crayons, drops the slivers into clear glass ornaments, and melts them with a hairdryer while turning. Two rules: use glass, not plastic, and soak the crayons in water so the labels peel right off. A grown-up handles the hairdryer; the kids pick the colors.
20. Kid-Made Shrink Film Ornaments
Chelsey from Buggy and Buddy has kids draw on shrink film with Sharpies, punch a hole, and bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. The film shrinks a lot, so the drawing should fill most of the space. Watching them shrink in the oven is close to magic.
Gifts Made from Kids’ Artwork
Got a stack of drawings on the fridge? These turn the kids’ own art into ornaments, coasters, keychains, tea towels, and even the wrapping paper. And once the gifts are made, a few good wrapping ideas will get them under the tree looking their best.
21. Kids’ Artwork Tea Towels
Another one of mine. I wanted my daughter (five at the time) to draw right on the towel, but the fabric kept slipping and she got frustrated. Plan B: she drew Christmas trees on paper, I slid the drawing under a thin flour sack towel, and traced it in green fabric marker. Easy, and I knew Grandma was going to love it.
22. Kids’ Artwork Gift Wrap
Roll out white craft paper, stamp holiday shapes with a black ink pad (pick stamps with lots of white space to color in), and hand the kids colored pencils. Pro tip: the white paper is pretty see-through, so double it up or wrap the gift in plain paper first.
23. Rock Painting Kit in a Jar
One kids can put together for a cousin or friend. Paint smooth river rocks white (the dollar store works, or just go outside), let them dry, then pack them in a large mason jar with Sharpie markers. Tie on a ribbon and a mini ornament — the recipient decorates however they want.
24. Embroidered Kids’ Artwork Ornament
Stephanie from Swoodson Says turns a child’s drawing into a stitched felt ornament. She transfers it with Stick n Stitch stabilizer, back-stitches the lines, and the stabilizer washes away in warm water. The grown-up does the stitching, but this is heirloom-level stuff.
25. Kids’ Art Clay Ornaments
How to Nest for Less scans a child’s drawing, shrinks it to size, and Mod Podge’s it onto a 69-cent clay ornament from Michaels. The rest of the supplies run under $5. Cheap and sentimental — my favorite combo.
26. Children’s Art Wood Slice Ornament
Kimberly from Crafting Cheerfully prints a child’s drawing on T-shirt transfer paper and irons it onto a predrilled wood slice ornament on the lowest heat setting. Add the name and year with a Sharpie. It looks surprisingly polished.
27. Shrinky Dink Drawing Keychain
Louise from Messy Little Monster has kids draw with Sharpies on white shrink plastic, cut it out, punch the hole before baking, then add a keychain. Now Grandpa carries the kids’ art everywhere he goes.
28. Shrinky Dink Handprint Keychain
7 Days of Play traces (or paint-prints) a handprint onto shrink plastic and bakes it down into a teeny keychain. Seeing that little hand get even littler is the best part. Written steps are on her blog too.
29. Sharpie Art Coasters
Christie from Childhood101 has kids decorate plain ceramic bathroom tiles with Sharpies or ceramic markers. Bake at 250 degrees for two hours, seal with Mod Podge, stick felt on the back. Hardware store tiles are so cheap you can make a whole set.
30. Watercolor Coasters
Jaime from Make and Takes cuts the kids’ watercolor paintings to size and Mod Podge’s them onto hardware store tiles that cost a few cents each. A clear acrylic spray seals them, felt scraps make the pads. These look surprisingly grown-up.
31. Gift Tags from Kids’ Art
Rebecca from Simple as That scans the kids’ drawings (a phone photo works too), bumps them to black and white, and prints on white or kraft cardstock. Darker lines work best. Pair these with the artwork gift wrap from item 22 and the whole gift is kid-made.
32. Handprint Christmas Wrapping Paper
Amy from True Aim Education flattens brown paper bags and lets kids stamp handprint snowmen, Rudolphs, and wreaths all over them. Spread the paint thin on the plate so the prints aren’t goopy and dry faster. Free wrapping paper — I’m in.
DIY Photo Gifts Kids Can Make
Grandparents can never have too many photos of the grandkids. These let the kids do the decorating; a grown-up handles the glue gun if needed. I’ve done the sled ornament and the gold frames myself — both are under the radar and both get comments every year.
33. Dollar Tree Sled Photo Ornament
Another one of mine. It starts with a Dollar Tree wood sled ornament. I painted the runners red, stained the top, and framed a little 2×3 photo with popsicle sticks. Use Elmer’s glue instead of hot glue and the kids can help with every step. Grandparents will love those snowy sledding faces every year.
34. Gold Frame Photo Ornaments
Grab those little unfinished wood frames from the Dollar Tree craft aisle. I gave mine a gold finish with Rub ‘n Buff in Antique Gold (that part’s for the grown-up), then the kids pick a family photo or one of my free printables and help glue it in. Add a ribbon hanger and they look boutique-worthy.
35. Homemade Photo Cube
Karyn from Teach Beside Me cuts a 5×7 photo across six 2-inch wooden cubes and Mod Podge’s it on, so it becomes a little photo puzzle. Hold the cubes together with a rubber band while you cut. Grandparents will have fun putting it back together.
36. Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree Photo Ornament
Stacey from Glued To My Crafts glues three jumbo popsicle sticks painted green into a triangle tree around a printed photo. A cardstock star and trunk and a twine hanger finish it off. It costs pennies, and the kids can do most of it themselves.
37. Colorful Popsicle Stick Picture Frames
Jane and Sonja from Sustain My Craft Habit use 10 jumbo craft sticks and a wooden clothespin for each frame, all painted bright colors. The clothespin holds the photo, so it’s easy to swap. Let the paint dry completely before gluing. Kids can pick every color.
38. Photo Ornaments with Glitter
Cas from Clutterbug slides photos inside clear ornaments with floor polish and glitter. One rule: the photos need to be laser prints, not inkjet. She got hers printed at Staples. Kids pick the photos and the glitter colors.
Practical and Pampering Gifts Kids Can Make
Not everything has to hang on the tree. These are gifts people will actually use: bath bombs, candles, tea towels, a treat pot, and a play dough kit for the little ones on your list.
39. Snowman Clay Pot Treat Gift
Sarah from Ruffles and Rain Boots paints a mini terra cotta pot as a snowman with black adhesive gems for the face, then fills it with a bag of mints. It’s about $3 and takes 12 minutes. A lovely teacher or neighbor gift the kids can make all by themselves.
40. Potato Stamped Tea Towels
Jess from Make and Do Crew cuts potatoes into stamps (the grown-up’s job) and the kids stamp red and green fabric paint onto plain IKEA towels. They work out to about $1 a towel. Kids five and up get closer to the photo results, but a little wonky is part of the charm.
41. Kids’ Bath Bombs
Red Ted Art has a bath bomb recipe with no citric acid: 2 cups of baking soda and 1 cup of cream of tartar, with optional dried lavender. Kids spritz with water, press into silicone molds, and let them dry a day or two. They’ll be proud to hand these over.
42. Christmas Tree Bath Bombs
Louise from Messy Little Monster presses her bath bomb mix (baking soda, cornstarch, Epsom salt, citric acid) into a Christmas tree silicone mold. Fill each mold about three-quarters full and dry overnight. Toddlers and preschoolers can help with the mixing and pressing.
43. Bath Bomb Ornaments with a Surprise
Liska from Adventure in a Box packs bath bomb mix into clear plastic ornament halves around a little surprise, then dries overnight in the molds. Hang it on the tree, then drop it in the tub to find the treasure inside.
44. Rolled Beeswax Candles
Tara from Little Pine Learners has kids roll beeswax sheets around a wick — no melting needed. A hair dryer warms each sheet for about 10 seconds so it rolls easier. Don’t press too hard at the end, or you’ll flatten the honeycomb.
45. Gingerbread Man in a Jar Play Dough Kit
Noirin from Playdough to Plato makes cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger scented play dough and packs it in a mason jar with googly eyes, buttons, and pipe cleaner icing. One batch fills two or three jars, so the kids can make one for each friend or cousin. It smells like Christmas.
The Edit
My pick from all 45: the fingerprint Christmas wreath (item 1). It’s the gift I’d give my own grandmother — it’s personal, it costs almost nothing, and it gets pulled out every single December. A 6-inch piece of scrap wood, two colors of paint, and those little fingertips. Done.
Ways to Make Them Your Own
Practice your prints first — test a couple of fingerprints on scrap paper before the real thing. Keep the paint thin so handprint stamps dry faster and stay crisp. Trace instead of fighting the fabric: if drawing on a towel gets frustrating, draw on paper and trace it. And write the name and year on the back of anything you can — future you will thank you.
Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make FAQs
What Christmas gifts can kids make for grandparents?
Keepsakes with a handprint, fingerprint, or photo are always a hit. Try a handprint plate, a handprint Christmas tree towel, a fingerprint lights photo frame, or the Dollar Tree sled photo ornament.
What Christmas gifts can toddlers make?
Fingerprint and thumbprint crafts are perfect. The reindeer jar lid ornament was made by a two-year-old, and the fingerprint penguin ornament and shrinky dink keychain were made with toddlers and preschoolers in mind.
How do you make painted plates last?
Use paint made for ceramics and bake it to set. Porcelain paint baked as the bottle directs is dishwasher safe.
How do you keep salt dough ornaments from cracking? A note from the editor: I’ve edited enough gift lists to know the difference between a roundup and a treasure hunt. This one is the latter — save it, pick the three that fit your kids, and let the craft table do its thing. More from the edit: my kid-made keepsake ornaments, my DIY photo gifts, and my gift wrapping ideas roundups. Less shelf, more glow.Keep Reading