Cheap, Creative Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

Has your family grown in the last year? Are your financial hands tied? Whatever your circumstance, inexpensive gifts can be fun, personal, and sometimes way cooler than something big and expensive.

Whether naughty or nice, kids enjoy unwrapping presents... an abundance of presents, right? Why spends hundreds this holiday season especially being that the toys will probably be "out of style" soon, anyway? Here is a list of cheap, creative Christmas gift ideas for kids of all ages:

• Activity books, puzzles, and games. There are so many sites that offer free coloring book pages, activities, and games that you can easily print. Then, create a book!
• Coupons - maybe for a "Night with Daddy", "1/2 hour of TV", or "An extra cookie after dinner"
• A "craft kit" - made by YOU! Put together materials to make a drum, headbands, purse, puppet, or other fun craft, and package it nicely. Include directions (yours) if needed.
• Dress up clothes. Get creative, and make something! Use sheets or curtains or old clothes. Or, go to the local thrift store and see what you can come up with. Go through your closet. Do you have old clothes that you no longer where? How about hats, jewelry, makeup, or shoes? Kids love dressing like mommy and daddy. Add those to the mix! Find a cardboard box, and decorate it to look like a clothing chest to store the dress up clothes.
• Story cards. Create (either on your own or on the computer) cards with various pictures and words on them... and make lots of them. Put them in a fun box or container, and maybe create a storyboard to place them on. When everyone is ready for story time, let the child(ren) create his/her own story using the cards!
• Tickets to a favorite show, movie, band, or sports team, or to a museum
• Something to build - a model airplane, bird house, doll house, etc.
• Drinking Straws that can be manipulated and sculpted, like DIY Drinking Straws - They are dishwasher safe and fun. I have yet to meet a kid that does not enjoy playing with food and drinks, especially straws. They are cheap, too!
• Poppers. Save empty toilet paper rolls. Stuff them with candies and small toys, stickers, and other items, and wrap them as if to resemble a tootsie roll or other hard candy. (Make sure to twist the ends and then secure them tightly, like with string or ribbon.) When you present the poppers, let the kids "pop" them open. Have the kids hold the poppers with one hand at each end, and pull hard. Everything should pop out!
• Books. Check out sites like betterworldbooks.com, that donate part of the proceeds, and always have sales. You'll get more for your money, and help others!
• Homemade play dough.
• Baseball card collection. Find inexpensive baseball (or other sport) cards and put them in a box. Whether they are brand new or of the most famous players matters little. Boys love having their own collection!
• Homemade soaps. Add cute figurines inside or flowers or leaves that you found together over the summer/during the fall. Make soaps in fun colors and scents.
• Sign your child(ren) up for fun classes, a pen pal, or sports team!
• Make your child(ren) his/her very own door sign that he/she can customize for the bedroom, playroom, or bathroom.
• Make a calendar that the child(ren) can hang on the bedroom wall. Not only will this help educationally, but can allow the child(ren) to keep track of fun events and important dates that are of most significance for him/her.
• Give something that can be baked. I am sure that you have seen the jars with cookie mixes in them? Do something similar for the kids. Put in the dry ingredients for your son or daughter's favorite cookie, cake, or muffins, and provide directions. Then, bake together!
• Something new. Paint the bedroom in their favorite color or design, redecorate the playroom, or reorganize toys. Give attention to your child's personal space, and show that it is important to you that it be everything that he/she wants it to be! A bonus would be doing it together!

Kids love being active and staying entertained. Think of creative ways to allow them to do so while maintaining a budget, and all will be happy!

Merry Christmas!