| Kids are amazingly creative. Give them a carboard | | | | Staple them in the middle to make a booklet. |
| box and they make a car, a doll house or a robot. | | | | Give a booklet to each kid. |
| Give them a rubber band and they make a gun. | | | | Let them plan out what goes onto each page |
| Mine found a huge rubber bad used by the florist | | | | before they actually start work. |
| and made a gun using that rubber band and lego | | | | Provide them with color paper, scissors, glue, |
| bricks. It shot lego bricks across the room. | | | | pencils, pens and crayons. |
| Getting kids to make Christmas gifts for their | | | | Once they get the hang of it, they can make a |
| friends and family members is a sure way to | | | | book for each person on their gift list. |
| keep them happily occupied and hopefully out of | | | | They might even make a book for you. |
| mischief. Here are some suggestions. | | | | 3. Friendly Stones |
| 1. Framed Art | | | | Get the kids to gather smooth palm sized stones. |
| Any child can draw. Give them thick white paper, | | | | Wash and dry them. Get white paper, black paper |
| pencils, crayons, or paints and let them draw a | | | | and colored paper. Get the kids to make eyes |
| christmas scene. Once the masterpiece is | | | | and mouth out by cutting and pasting these |
| complete, Get the picture framed professionally in | | | | features on the stones. Let them get creative |
| an expensive looking frame. It might even pass of | | | | and add in moustache eyebrows, bow tie or |
| as fine art by a master people pretend to | | | | anything they might think of. |
| understand but no one really does. That might | | | | Once the glue on these stones are dry, cut a |
| make a fine gift for a snobby relative, don't you | | | | piece of velvet slightly smaller than the stone and |
| think? | | | | stick it underneath each stone for a finishing |
| On a serious note, a picture drawn by a grandchild | | | | touch. |
| would be treasured by the grandparents. Frame | | | | 4. Bracelets |
| the picture and let them give it to their grandpa | | | | Do you have a box of cheap beads with holes |
| or grandma for Christmas. | | | | large enough for a thick, stiff elastic string? |
| 2. Picture Books | | | | Let the kids have the beads and the elastic. |
| You could get the kids to make picture books or | | | | Teach them to thread the elastic through the |
| activity books as gifts for those they love. When | | | | beads. When the string of beads is long enough, |
| I asked my kids to make a birthday card for | | | | teach them how to tie a knot with the loose ends |
| grandpa, they made picture books complete with | | | | to secure the bracelet. Let them have the rest of |
| lift-the-flap cut outs. | | | | the beads and string to make christmas gifts for |
| Bring the kids to the library to browse through | | | | the ladies. |
| the picture books available there for ideas. At the | | | | With some creativity, the holidays can be spent |
| end of the outing suggest that they make their | | | | productively, making gifts for everyone this |
| own picture books. | | | | Christmas. Who knows? The kids might even |
| Take 5 sheets of A4 size paper and fold them in | | | | surprise you with some invention of their own. |
| half. | | | | |