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6 Homemade Gifts for Grandparents Kids Can Make

By Chaz Bagri6 November 20266 min read

A girl draws at a table between her grandmother and grandfather, who are helping with pens and paints.

Six homemade gifts for grandparents that children can help make, with materials, clear steps, realistic timings and the jobs for grown-ups.

What can children make for grandparents?

Homemade gifts for grandparents can be as simple as a handprint tea towel, a salt-dough keepsake, a little book, a bookmark, a portrait or an invitation to spend time together. Choose one for your child to make, add their own words, and leave room for wonky lines. Pick a paper gift if it needs to be wrapped today.

Which gift fits your afternoon?

Choose by the materials you've already got and whether the gift needs to be ready today. The ages below are suggestions, not milestones, and the times are planning allowances for hands-on making. Drying and fabric fixing come afterwards. You're choosing one gift, not completing all six.

1. A handprint tea towel

Suggested ages: 3 to 8. Allow 20 minutes. Mess: low.

You'll need a plain cotton tea towel, card and fabric pens labelled for your child's age. Trace their hand on paper and cut out the outline. Put card underneath the towel, draw around the template, then let your child add patterns and their name.

Adult job: make the template and follow the pens' drying, fixing and washing instructions. Any ironing is for adults only; keep the iron and its flex out of children's reach, including while the iron cools. Include those washing instructions with the gift.

2. A salt-dough keepsake

Suggested ages: 3 to 8. Allow 25 minutes. Mess: high.

The Royal Horticultural Society's recipe uses 2 mugs of plain flour, 1 mug of salt, three-quarters of a mug of water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Mix and knead, adding a little flour if sticky or water if crumbly.

Flatten a piece into a disc and press a hand into it. The society suggests about 2 days of drying on a flat surface, until hard, before painting.

Adult job: check ingredient labels for allergens, measure ingredients, oversee handling and put the keepsake aside to dry. If your child has a wheat allergy, choose a paper gift instead. This is a decoration, not food.

3. A 'when I grow up' book

Suggested ages: 4 to 8. Allow 25 minutes. Mess: low.

Fold a sheet of paper in half. Use the front for a title and the remaining pages for drawings prompted by: 'I'd like to...', 'We could go...' and 'I'll still enjoy...'. Let your child choose their future, including something to do with their grandparent.

Adult job: fold the paper and write down any dictated words exactly. A surprising answer can stay.

4. A bookmark with a message

Suggested ages: 3 to 8. Allow 10 minutes. Mess: low.

Cut a strip of card about 5 cm wide and 15 cm long. Your child decorates the front with pencils and puts a message on the back. Suggest a favourite animal, a garden or the two of them together.

Adult job: cut the card and help with lettering if asked. Keep it flat, without beads or a dangling tassel.

5. A portrait that stands up

Suggested ages: 3 to 8. Allow 15 minutes. Mess: low.

Give your child card and pencils to draw their grandparent. Ask them to add something the person enjoys, then tell you about the picture. Fold another strip of card into a triangular loop and tape its ends together. Rest one side on the table and tape the portrait to the front sloping side, with the bottom of the picture touching the table.

Adult job: assemble the stand and add the child's caption. If Grandad has purple hair in the drawing, leave it purple.

6. An invitation to an afternoon together

Suggested ages: 5 to 8. Allow 15 minutes. Mess: low.

Fold a card and let your child choose an activity to draw on the front. Inside, invite them to a story, garden picnic or game. Our things to do with grandchildren can help you choose.

Adult job: agree something you can actually arrange. Add a proposed day, or say you'll call to choose one. An invitation needs a plan behind it.

Which jobs should stay with a grown-up?

Let your child choose, draw and dictate while you handle preparation and finishing. Stay alongside them for cutting: Scouts advises supervision when children use scissors. Keep small decorations away from younger siblings, especially under-3s; the NHS warns that small objects can cause choking.

For dough, follow the Food Standards Agency's flour guidance: don't taste raw dough, wash hands with soap and warm water before and afterwards, and clean bowls, tools and surfaces thoroughly. If your child still mouths craft materials, choose a drawing instead.

How do you keep the gift afternoon manageable?

Set aside an hour for choosing, making and clearing up, rather than expecting an hour of uninterrupted crafting. Drying happens separately.

Only have a short gap? Choose the bookmark. If your child loses interest, keep the part they've made and finish another day. You can turn a drawing into the gift without starting a second project.

If siblings want the same idea, give each their own piece. Keep a photograph of the finished gifts so you can revisit the idea for another birthday without needing to reproduce it.

How do you post a homemade gift to grandparents?

Choose a flat paper gift when you want straightforward packing. Put the book, bookmark or portrait between pieces of card in an envelope, and keep the portrait's stand flat for assembly. For a dough keepsake, Royal Mail recommends a sturdy box and at least 5 cm of cushioning around each fragile item. Add a return address.

Then weigh and measure the complete package, including packaging, before buying postage.

For a separate shared present from the grown-ups, see gifts for grandchildren, or choose a Yogi-Me mat for time together.

Frequently asked questions

What is an easy DIY gift for grandparents?

A drawn bookmark is a straightforward choice: start with a strip of card, add a picture and write a message on the back. Use pencils if you want to wrap it straight away. Match the picture to the recipient, such as a flower for someone who enjoys gardening.

What can a toddler make for Nan and Grandad?

Choose a scribble picture and let your toddler decide what goes on the page. Sit alongside them, then ask what they'd like you to tell Nan or Grandad about it. Write their words underneath, add their name and the date, and fold a card stand for the finished picture.

How do you make a handprint keepsake?

Draw around your child's hand on card and invite them to decorate the outline. Write their name and the date on the back. You can add a dictated message underneath or turn the outline into a flower by drawing a stem and leaves.

What do grandparents value most from grandchildren?

There's no single answer for every grandparent. Our suggestion is to include something recognisably your child's: their drawing, their words or an invitation they've chosen. Ask whether the recipient would prefer a useful object, a keepsake or time together. You don't need a polished craft to make that choice personal.

Sources

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