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