Anyone else get really obsessed over well thought out wrapping paper? OR (like me) you leave everything to the last minute and run out of wrapping on Christmas Eve with no time to get to the shops. Over here, we are a bit of both and this year we wanted to do something extra special, we decided to get the tiny humans involved and create some gorgeous handmade wrapping paper for our loved ones.
Nothing crazy, just a bunch of items we already have around the house and some herbs, berries, leaves and flowers we collected from the garden and wah-lah DIY personalised wrapping. The kids had a ball, and we cannot wait to see the happy faces on our friends and family.
This Christmas craft experience is even more important than just the fun it provides, it supports children to develop a deeper understanding of the concept of giving. A beautiful concept to introduce at a young age. Throughout the activity there will be multiple opportunities to engage in discussions about family traditions and cultures. The craft activity supports cognitive development as it requires children to follow simple steps to achieve a desired outcome. In turn this supports children to make connections and extend on their perseverance and concentration skills. Children will have the opportunity to explore and make discoveries in their environment as well as make predictions about the items they think could enhance the activity. A gorgeous experience that encourages children to celebrate their own efforts and observe how their creations can make those around them feel, therefore developing a strong sense of wellbeing.
If your family is wanting to create something extra special this Christmas, you can really use anything you have on hand but these are some materials you could use to create your own personalised paper;
- Dried out flowers and other knick knacks from the garden such as flowers, twigs, or leaves.
- Recycled brown or white kraft/butcher paper
- Washable paints mixed with some paste
- DIY Christmas stamps using old Vegetables
- Old tablecloths or Nanna’s doilies
- Bits and pieces of ribbon, wool or string
- Bio-glitter
- DIY Christmas sponges, cut out shapes in your sponges
- Scissors, glue and tape
Chuck on a bit of “Bublé” or the queen of Christmas “Miriah Carey” and get cracking. This is tonnes of fun for the whole family.
Here we used pressed flowers glued onto brown paper. We glue them on after the present is wrapped. This makes it easier to get the best placement and then we did the same for the gift tag. It makes such a sweet set.
Berry and herb smash wrapping paper. For this sensory experiment we used some not so great raspberries from the garden and mint leaves to create ..... a mess! Haha jokes ... We tried to create a festive coloured paper and it was actually not as messy as I anticipated. Rumi (18 months) loved the hammering and tasting of everything and most of it stayed on the paper.
Although I did not anticipate how violent this process would look.
Poor bunny hammer. You live and learn.
Then end results is just the sort of things grandparents will love, or at least that's what they will tell the kids!
Bio Glitter blob paper. Simple and effective. This paper is really easy for little hands to make. Use the glue stick to make a blob and then sprinkle glitter on top. We are using The Glitter Tribe bio glitter as it certified to breakdown in nature and we LOVE it! This was done over a baking dish to catch up all the extra glitter.
Next up was some of my Nan's old doilies and embroidery pieces. These are so beautiful as gift wrap tied up with old ribbons and bits of wool. These wrapped gifts stay in the family so they can be used again. They open up conversations about family heritage and it is incredibly special to have these heirloom pieces be part of our Christmas traditions.
Leafy confetti from Blue Mountains Eco Confetti made this wrapping easy to create and eco friendly. We used a glue stick to make a shape and get the kids to stick the Eco Confetti onto the paper. You can then get them to draw around their creation to finish it off.
The old potato stamp really is a favourite for a reason. It is so easy and the kids love it. The best hack I've learned from the internet of potato stampers is to use a metal cookie cutter to make the shape out of the potato, then just tidy up the edges with a knife. Life changing.
We are printing on calico bags that often come in online orders and giving them a new life.
I hope there was something in this post to help inspire some DIY Christmas present wrapping at your place.
Stay in touch. Leave a comment or head over to instagram for more behind the scenes, crafty mess and nature play xx
