20 Homemade Gifts for Parents That Kids Can Make

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.