4 FUN FESTIVE GIFTS TO MAKE WITH KIDS

Little ones have time on their hands over the holidays. Here are some ideas for fun and easy gifts as well as sweet treats you and your kids can make together. Happy holidays!

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1. GLITTERING SUCKER-STICK CHRISTMAS TREES 

Pretty ornaments that can be hung on the Christmas tree, on picture or mirror frames or anywhere else you like.

You need:

• Coloured sucker sticks
• Foam sticker hearts or stars
• Sticker ‘jewels’
• String
• Glue
• Craft knife

How to do it:

1. Use one sucker stick for the tree ‘trunk’. Cut the rest into different lengths.
2. Space these pieces evenly on the trunk and use glue to attach them (see below).
3. Now decorate with sticker ‘jewels’ and foam hearts or stars, and attach a piece of string for hanging.

Related article: Fun games to help older siblings bond with their baby sibling



2. GET BAKING WITH THIS EASY GINGERBREAD MAN RECIPE

Little children will enjoy decorating the gingerbread men, while older kids will love helping you mix the ingredients and roll the dough.

You need:

• 1/2 cup golden syrup or honey
• 125g butter (melted)
• 2 tablespoons milk (approximate measurement – add more if needed)
• 1 extra-large egg
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger, or a mixture of cinnamon and mixed spices
• 1 cup castor sugar
• A little bit of flour or cornflour, to add if the dough is too soft

How to do it:

1. Mix the syrup, butter, milk, and egg. Add baking soda.
2. Sift the rest of the dry ingredients and add to the mixture with the sugar.
3. Knead until you have a stiff dough and chill in the fridge.
4. Pre-heat oven to 180˚C.
5. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3mm. Use a cookie cutter to cut forms out.
6. Bake on baking paper for 10-15 minutes.

How to make the icing:
1 egg white
1 cup sifted icing sugar
A few drops of lemon juice

Beat egg whites in a clean, large bowl until stiff. Slowly add sifted icing sugar and lemon juice. Beat until thickened and pipe onto cookies.



TOP TIP
Use any leftover rolled out dough to make easy star or heart-shaped cookies.



3. SALT DOUGH ORNAMENTS & HANDPRINTS

One of our favourite things to make with salt dough is handprint ornaments. But you can also use cookie cutters to make and paint other shapes as well.

You need:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour (Note: you want regular all-purpose flour, not self-raising)
• 1 cup salt
• 1.5 cups warm water
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Glaze
• Glitter
• Glue

How to do it:

1. Combine all of your dough ingredients and knead for 10 minutes. If the dough is too dry, add a little bit more water and continue to knead.
2. Roll out the dough to a thickness that you’d like your ornaments to be. We recommend about 5mm.
3. Using a large cookie cutter, cut out different shapes for your ornaments and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. (If you don’t have a cookie cutter, you can cut shapes out with a knife.)
4. For hand-print ornaments, have your child place their hand into the dough (if the dough is too hard to get an imprint it might be too dry).
5. Use a straw to make a hole near the top so you can hang your ornaments.
6. If possible, leave the ornaments to air dry for a day.
7. Preheat your oven to 120˚C. Bake for 1-2 hours. If the ornaments are still doughy, put back in for another hour. (Baking time will depend on the thickness – the thicker the ornaments, the longer they’ll take to bake). If the ornament is still a bit doughy, turn off the oven but leave the baking tray in it for a while.
8. Remove from oven and once cool, you can decorate by painting with non-toxic acrylic paint.
9. Spray with a clear glaze finish (do this before adding the glitter).
10. To make the hand glittery, fill the handprint with glue, then sprinkle glitter on top of the glue, shake off the excess and let it dry.
11. Tie ribbon or twine through the hole for hanging.

TOP TIP
Don’t forget to add the year on the back of the salt dough ornament to keep track of the different years.

“Baking time will depend on the thickness – the thicker the ornaments, the longer they’ll take to bake.”

Related article: Budget-friendly holiday fun



4. BEADED WIRE BRACELET

You can use any beads that will fit on the wire. Get the kids started by helping them twist the first loop. Then let them bead the bracelet! A thoughtful gift they will be proud to give.

You need:

• Memory wire (that comes in coils, available at craft shops)
• Beads of your choice
• Small pliers
• Wire cutters

How to do it:

1. To get started, measure and cut 2¼ coils of the wire.
2. To keep the beads from sliding off the end of the wire, grasp the end with the pliers and twist to make a loop. Adults should help kids with this step and then let them get on with the beading.
3. Now the beads can be fed onto the wire. This is the fun and creative part – they can be used in any order or colour pattern you like.
4. To finish, cut the end of the wire leaving about 1cm with no beads. Grasp the end of the wire with the pliers and twist to make another loop (again, this should be done by an adult).

Related article: Tips to help you save money over the holidays