Easy Gifts Preschoolers Can Make

Gifts from preschoolers can sometimes be a gamble. It can leave the recipient scratching their head and asking, “What is this?” Other times, it’s a present that needs too much teacher help. A gift made by a child must be both beautiful and made by the child if it is to be truly meaningful. So what is a teacher to do?

Follow These Four Rules for Gifts

There are four simple rules followed for any gifts made in the classroom at Play to Learn Preschool.

1. The students have to work on them longer and harder than the teacher.
2. It must involve process art.
3. While it is supposed to be a keepsake, the gift must still look like a preschooler made it.
4. Aim for less than $1 in materials per project.

These amazing gifts are great for parents, grandparents, and other family and friends that will surely treasure them!

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

This sweetly fragrant dough captures the scents of the holidays. Left plain or decorated with puffy paints, they make wonderful ornaments or decorations and last for years! If you are making these into ornaments, don’t forget to put holes in them BEFORE they dry!

Gift Bow Painted Canvas

These beautiful pieces of art are sure to become a welcome holiday decoration for years to come. The best part is the students do most of the work and every piece is an original! Acrylic paints, canvas and inexpensive gift bows are all that are needed for a masterpiece like this!

Easy Kid-Made Glass Magnets

These kid-made glass magnets are the perfect option for any holiday. Great for hanging future art projects up in a beautiful way! Sharpies, glass vase filler “rocks” and magnets can make a whole set of beautiful gifts!

Keepsake Portraits

Easily adaptable, this self-portrait project converts to a holiday gift! Prompt students to draw a picture of their family, Santa, a Christmas tree, or other subjects, or switch up the background colors to reflect the holiday. While a bit more involved than the bow painting, the results are charming! Switch out different colors to suit a seasonal theme!

Christmas Keepsake Plate Gifts

This adorable little plate captures the size of the child’s hand and is just perfect for leaving cookies on for Santa! Reindeer not your thing? Invert it to make an adorable plate for Thanksgiving, substitute a handprint leprechaun for St. Patrick’s day, or even just a handprint with the name and date, this is sure to delight anyone that loves holding that tiny hand in theirs!

Make these adorable reindeer keepsakes with acrylic paint on inexpensive ceramic plates.