Fun and Practical Homemade Gifts for Kids

Have a bunch of crayon stubs that are too small for your kids to hold onto? Don't throw them out! Instead, recycle them into big, chunky crayons that are just the right size for little hands. Pair them with a coloring book, and you've got a complete gift for $1.

Treat your favorite shortie to a fresh batch of playdough in your choice of color and scent.

Fill a bucket with chunky sticks of homemade sidewalk chalk – the more colors the better.

The back pockets are often the prettiest part of a pair of jeans, sporting intricate embroidery and sometimes even delicate sequins and beads. Use them to create a denim pocket purse for a lucky little girl.

Felt boards sell for big bucks, but they don't cost much at all to make. Round up a bit of felt and cardboard, and create a homemade felt board in thirty minutes or less. You can even create a felt person that resembles the recipient – too fun!

Surprises are big fun when you're little. Hide a small trinket inside a bar of homemade treasure soap, and you've got a cheap and memorable gift that'll be fun to the last wash.

Popsicle-shaped soap is kid-cool and cheap too. Pick up a pound of glycerin soap, and melt your way to the perfect gift.

Introduce a new generation to the wonder that is soap on a rope. It couldn't be easier to make.

It's one part soap; it's one part scrubbie; and it's 100% fun. Stock up on dollar store scrubbies and make a soap scrubbie for every kid that you know.

Make a batch of bubble bath, and give the gift of raisin fingers.

Mix up several colors of bath paint, and turn bath time into art time.

This washcloth whale would make a great addition to any little one's bath toy collection, and it comes together in minutes.

Turn your old jeans into a snuggly-warm denim pocket quilt for a special kiddo in your life. The pockets are perfect for stashing stuffed animals and all of those other kid treasures, and the price tag is pretty perfect too – just a $1 or three for two.

A bracelet made out of safety pins is just the thing for a budding fashionista – and budget-friendly to boot. Create one of these show-stoppers for $1 or less.

Dig an old and seldom-worn sweater out of your closet, and turn it into a snuggly-warm pair of sweater mittens for a lucky little kiddo. Then, make a pair for yourself too – you'll have plenty of fabric to spare.

Pull out your sewing supplies, and get to work on a pair of snow pants for your kiddo. Just the thing for a day of frigid fun!

Transform a pair of holey jeans into a hip new jean skirt for a little girl or teen on your gift list. Estimated project cost: just over 50 cents.

Scour thrift stores and yard sales for old Scrabble games. Then, use the tiles to create letter bracelets for all the young trendsetters that you know.

Scrabble tiles can also be used to create personalized photo bracelets. Create one for your daughter with pictures of her and her BFF, and you'll earn some definite cool points.

Grab a pair of socks and some puff paint, and whip up a snazzy pair of slipper socks for those little feet that never slow down.

Pick out a piece of fleece in a fun pattern, and make a warm winter hat for your kiddo.

Making snowmen is great fun when you're a kid. Assemble snowman kits for all the shorties on your list, and they'll be ready to go when that next snow storm hits.

Put together a snow paint kit, and you'll be giving the gift of snow day fun.

Pick up some cheap piggy banks and a bottle of chalkboard paint, and make chalkboard piggy banks for all the little ones on your list. It's a great way to get kids excited about saving.

Buy some car wash mitts from the dollar store, and transform them into bath mitt puppets. Very fun!

Snag a Guess Who? a game from a thrift store or yard sale. Then, swap out the character pictures with photos of your family members. Such a fun gift!

Use some of your Christmas cards from previous years to create Christmas card notepads for the kiddos.