21 Homemade Gifts for Parents That Kids Can Make

Your kids can create just one of these pretty trivets, or make a whole set for a bigger gift. They’re easy to do and pretty absorbing too; simply wrap yarn around a handful of pipe cleaners (how many depends on the size you want), then coil them and glue them into place.

Scratch art is so much fun, and you can either create the scratchable surface yourself, or have the kids make the whole thing from start to finish. Using bright wax crayons and black paint, they’ll have a blank canvas to work from, and can scratch out a picture to frame as a gift.

A wine bottle is perfect for watering indoor plants, as the long neck can get right into the center of the foliage. This tutorial will show kids how to decorate an empty wine bottle using acrylic paints – younger ones can make abstract patterns while older kids can create something more detailed.

They can create personalized pillows in a really fun way thanks to this step by step guide. Using gel glue, fabric paint, and puffy paint, they can create all kinds of designs, from carefully written messages to totally random patterns that won’t be revealed until the fabric has been washed.

Arm them with a glue gun and they can make a batch of these pretty glass luminaries using nothing more than a mason jar, glass gems, and hot glue. They simply need to glue the gems all over the outside, then add a tea light or battery-powered light for a stunning patterned glow.

Patterned candles make beautiful gifts, but they would be even better if the designs came from the heart. This tutorial shows you how you can draw colorful pictures onto tissue paper, and then transfer them onto a candle for a fabulously customized homemade gift that even the kids can make.

This gift idea will make a fun gift for anyone who knows the importance of planting flowers to encourage pollinators. Using colored construction paper, wildflower seeds, and cheesecloth, your kids can make a rainbow of seed bombs that can be planted in the garden or simply scattered around in nature.

Bath salts always go down well, as they give the recipient an excuse to take a long hot bath and just relax. This simple recipe will allow anyone to create a batch of DIY bath salts, with only five ingredients needed. You can even tailor them to each person by using different essential oils.

With more and more people working from home in the past year or two, home offices have now become the norm. This guide will show your kids (with a little help from you depending on their ability) to create a custom-made computer wrist rest to keep them feeling comfortable.

Candles always create a soothing ambience, so give someone a reason to light some by having the little ones make these votive holders. You can use jars or glasses from the Dollar Store, and the kids can cut and glue their tissue paper shapes all over the outside for a stained glass effect.

Calling all dads, teenagers, babysitters, and grandparents: we found a homemade gift for mom that’s all that. All you need is a glass bowl, cooking spray (or oil), a bunch of Perler beads, and an oven. And don’t forget the key ingredient, which is a younger sibling to help add that special inspiration to the process.

There’s a total “awwwww” factor to all these handmade gifts for parents. We think this one has them beat, though. It’s a ring dish in the shape of a hand with one simple word painted in the palm: mama. It gets awwwwesomer, though—the hand is made from an outline of your child’s hand.

Ever heard of Sharpie alcohol art? You take colored Sharpie markers, combine them with rubbing alcohol, and the result is a unique, impressionist vibe that looks professional. The kids do the Sharpie part, you do the alcohol part, and you have a beautiful bookmark that makes a great gift for parents.

Don’t pay top-dollar for handmade gifts when you can follow a tutorial like this one and make art that looks like it should be sold in a fancy-schmancy boutique!

The colorful glass suncatchers on this DIY page will be fun to create with kids, and they make perfect gifts for parents.

This project looks like it should be for older kids, but the process is really simple enough for any children past the toddler age. And even toddlers can get in on the act at the front end, if you enlist their help iin gathering the pine cones. These candles have a lovely, snowy-winter theme.

All children need a papier-mache experience—don’t deny them. Yes, it’s papier-mache. Because it’s French, and that makes it better. This homemade gift for parents is also better because when you make it with the little ones, they get their hands all gooey and goopy, which they will absolutely love.

Surround the person you love with a gift made with love by you and the kids. You’ve got the materials for this project hanging around the house already—a recycled Styrofoam tray, a cereal box, a couple of pictures, craft paint, and some glue.

These kid-made picture frames have a cool Mediterranean look.

Calgon take me away! This sweet (oh yes we did) gift is designed for anyone looking for a last minute gift for parents that kids can make. All it takes is sugar, olive oil, and the essential oil of your choice. You mix the ingredients together in a jar, decorate the outside, and you’re done.

A hula hoop project that doesn’t mean embarrassing yourself with your hip action—or lack thereof. This one is all about you and your kids finger-knitting a big ball of yarn on a circular frame made from a hula hoop. It’s a big project and will take several sessions, but the end product is stunning.

Long, long ago both mom and dad joyfully accepted the fact that part of the job description reads chauffeur. Remind them how much you appreciate them driving you around town for over a decade with a special key chain that says “I Love You.” They deserve it.

Discover your budding Picasso, Van Gogh, Manet, or Andrew Calder when you make these homemade plates. They’re shut the front door easy and omigod cute. All you need is plastic plates and your choice of magic markers or porcelain plates. The rest is gift-giving history.

Things parents love: gifts made for them by their kids. Things parents love more: things made for them by their kids that are actual pictures of their kids. This homemade gift for parents is the double jackpot. Make that triple—they’ll get to put them on the fridge and see them every day.

We’ll stay on the bath them for one more gift—these heart shaped lavender bath soaps for mom. Or dad, because man or woman, lavender is hard to resist. You’ll need a goat’s milk soap base, lavender oil, and lavender flowers (the tutorial uses organic ones). Follow the four steps, and in a little over an hour, you’ll have a great gift for mom or dad.

Here’s a homemade gift for mom that’s perfect for the little-bitty ones to help make. It’s an apron decorated with hand and footprints. The handprints form the petals of flowers, and the footprints go together to make a butterfly. It’s cute and creative—something mom will love.

What do you do with all those old keys? Do you even remember what they unlock? We can tell you: they unlock mom and dad’s heart. This homemade gift for parents is the essence of DIY economy. It’s easy, fast, and only takes products you’ve got around the house.

If they can hold a marker, they can make this custom gift for dad. Get a dozen or so and make an afternoon of it with the whole family—except for whomever you’re giving the gift to, of course. Pick a theme, pick up a marker, and make the prettiest golf balls in the world.

This one has a “gift for dad” feel to it, although it’s perfectly good as a gift for either parent. It’s a clever combination of the box an iPad comes in and a composition notebook. Follow the instructions, put the two together, and you guessed it: you got that iPad covered.

When you want to hug someone really, really bad, nothing can stop you, not even distance. Not anymore—not with this homemade gift. This tutorial shows you how to mail-a-hug for Grandparent’s day, and it can be used for any kind of parent. Send mom or dad a hug at work, or even home. They’ll get a nice surprise in the mailbox: an extra love-hug from their favorite person.

Nothing ever felt so good as when you took the time to make a gift for your momma! This tutorial is designed as a treasure purse for a little girl, but we think it would be great for a little girl to make as a bag for her mother. The sewing is sew simple, it’s like it’s tailor-made for dad and a young daughter to make together.

Every mom needs a colorful pinwheel necklace made by one of her little babies. This tutorial shows you how to make a perfect one with basic art supplies—a wooden wheel, a lanyard, and paints. Any child who can paint inside the lines can make this gift.

Office stickers, tape, and glass juice bottles. That’s all you need for this homemade vase tutorial. Kids of any age will enjoy preparing this gift for their parents. The youngest only need to stick a few stickers, and the oldest can get creative with the tape.