Homemade gifts come from the heart and are far less expensive than gifts purchased at the store. Dads love it when they receive a gift from their child, especially one that the child made by hand. Here are some wonderful homemade gift ideas that any father would love to open on Christmas morning.
Popsicle Stick Desk Set
Make a pencil holder and picture frame out of Popsicle sticks. Glue the sticks to a recycled tin can. After the glue dries, paint the tin can using your dads favorite colors. Put a picture of yourself on the front of the can. Pick out another picture of yourself and place it on your table. Place two Popsicle sticks, side by side, across the top and bottom of the picture.
Do the same thing to the sides, overlapping the other ones and leaving about a quarter inch of the edges showing. Glue the sticks together. keeping the square shape. Take the picture and place it on some thin cardboard. Trace around the picture.
When cutting the shape out of the cardboard make it about a quarter inch bigger on all sides. Glue the picture to the middle of the cardboard. Decorate the frame to match the pencil holder. Wait for everything to dry then glue the frame to he picture. Make a stand for the picture by cutting a rectangle out of the cardboard. Bend the cardboard about an inch from the top and glue it to the back of the frame.
Family Photograph
Have a friend take a picture of your family sitting in front of the Christmas tree. Develop the film, or if you have a digital camera, you can print it at home, order it online or print it out at your local drug store. Purchase a frame at your local dollar store.
Hand Prints
Dip your hands in paint and press them against a piece of construction paper. Decorate around the hand prints using markers or crayons. Write “I Love You Dad” across the top of the paper, and your name and the date in one of the bottom corners. Cover each side with contact paper to keep it safe.
Cards
Make a card for your father. Fold a piece of construction paper in half. Draw a Christmas themed picture on the front with crayons or markers. Write “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays” or some other holiday greeting across the top of the card. Write another heartfelt message on the inside of the card. Decorate it with glitter or Christmas stickers. Write your name and the date on the back of the card.
Poetry
Find a meaningful poem on the internet and print it out. Center on a piece of construction paper and glue it down. Decorate around the boarder of the construction paper. Write your name and the date on the back.
Photo Album
Purchase a photo album from your local dollar store. Fill it with pictures of you and your family. If you have pets put pictures of them in the album too. Write your name and the date on the inside of the back cover.
Poster
Draw the logo of your dads favorite sports team on a piece of poster board. Cut pictures of that team out of magazines or print them off the internet. Glue them to the poster board. Write your name and the date on the back of the poster.
Cookies
Bake a batch of your fathers favorite cookies. Place them in a Christmas cookie tin and put them under the tree.
Homemade gifts come from the heart. It is less expensive to make gifts than to purchase them at the store. Everyone likes to receive handmade gifts during the holidays. Your dad will love opening a homemade gift from you.
*First published on Suite101.com