Holiday cookies, homemade wrapping paper and cards help teach children creativity and how to be a gracious guest.

Family

Crafting a Closer Bond

Holiday crafts bring families together, save money and teach valuable life lessons.

By Clair McLafferty Photos by Brian Francis

With the holidays fast approaching, kids will soon be out of school for winter break. This year, spend the unstructured time on a series of simple crafts that teach lessons on responsibility and thankfulness.

By making sure the crafts are age appropriate, says Birmingham Mommy.com co-founder Angie Cleland, kids "can build self-esteem, use their imaginations and bond with their parents."

Looking to save money? Cleland advises taking butcher paper or brown paper bags and letting your kids draw on them with markers and crayons. What they create is one-of-a-kind wrapping paper that involves kids in decorating others' presents. Another possibility is using either homemade or store-bought stamps to decorate the paper. To make your own stamps, wash a potato and cut it in half. Let it dry, trace your design on the flat side of the potato and then cut around what you have traced.

Baking with your children is another way to save change and get them involved in holiday traditions. Even making cookies can be a fun math or chemistry review as you measure ingredients. Handmade stamped or colored cards can be included with homemade treats to make inexpensive gifts for neighborhood parties or relatives.

Leftover cardstock or blank cards can be turned into thank you cards for gifts you receive. Or you can upcycle extra art that your child brings home into holiday or thank you cards. It's a simple way to create unique thank-you notes while instilling important lessons of gratitude and etiquette to your children.

Kids can also help make small ornaments either to decorate the family's tree or to give as gifts. One easy way is to buy inexpensive plastic or glass ball ornaments. Take off the cap and squeeze paint or glue into the ornament. Replace the cap, and help your child coat the inside of the ornament by shaking or turning it. If you used glue, take the cap off again and pour in glitter.

Before rushing off to the store to buy expensive Christmas cards and small gifts for family this year, consider crafting with your kids as an alternative. Though they might make a mess, "don't stress," says Cleland. "They can produce some really meaningful and memorable art" to share with family and friends.

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