Whether you have a toddler or a teenager, creating handmade gift wrapping paper is both easy and inexpensive. Almost any art materials can be used – crayons, markers, paints, rubber or foam stamps – as long as you can fold the decorated paper around a gift. Kids can feel a part of holiday or birthday festivities and share the excitement of seeing someone holding a present wrapped in paper the child decorated.
Art Supplies for these Fun Activities
Start with a roll of plain paper. Freezer wrap, butcher paper, or rolls of paper made for kids’ crafts all work. The key requirement is that you can fold the paper around presents without the paper being too thick to fold or so thin that it tears on box corners. Plain gift bags without decorations are another option.
Wrap small boxes in a sheet of decorated photocopy paper. Kids can even paint over newspaper – some of the print will show through but it will become a background texture. There is no limit to the things to make.
Add to the handmade quality of the wrapping by making alternatives to ribbon by turning things like plastic bags and old tee shirts into ribbon. Top a gift with a handmade ornament or a pompom or tassel.
Use the art supplies you already have around the house. However, watch for washable art supplies – useful for clean up but if the presents are caught in the rain or even the snow, the designs will bleed and blur.
Paper Crafts for Kids of All Ages
Although a parent can make suggestions about gift paper designs, the project ultimately reflects a child’s developmental skills and age as well as their personality. For example, focus a toddler’s broad scribbling motion by supplying them with crayons or markers in the colors associated with a particular holiday. Wrap curling ribbon around the project to complement the design.
The easiest thing to do is to unroll a section of paper and allow the child to decorate it as they wish. Show them how store-bought wrapping paper uses repeating patterns instead of large scenes that might not be seen once the paper is wrapped around a gift.
Older kids can decorate boxes already wrapped. Kids can draw a picture or a pattern on the wrapping paper with marker (check that the marker won’t bleed through the paper onto the gift’s box). Children can also collage pictures from magazines and catalogs, or even old holiday or birthday cards. Use a glue stick to minimize the chance of liquid glue seeping through the paper and causing the wrapping to adhere to the gift item.
Incorporate printmaking, stenciling, or doodling to decorate the paper. Let a child know if they will be decorating an entire roll of paper. This may require several sessions. Vary art materials on different days to keep kids’ interest level. Also, show the child how you are using the paper to wrap gifts – this could also keep them excited about continuing with the project.
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