Christmas is three weeks away. The kids want to give gifts to their grandparents, teachers, friends, and everyone in between. You could buy something generic from the mall — or you could let your child make something with their own hands that the recipient will actually keep. A hand-painted mosaic coaster. A personalised tote bag. A clay figurine. A canvas painting wrapped in ribbon. These aren't just crafts — they're gifts with a story. Here are 8 ideas your child can realistically make before December 25.
We've arranged these from quickest (single-session, same-day gift) to more involved (multi-session, for the child who wants to create something truly special). Every idea produces a finished, gift-worthy piece — not a half-done project that needs mum to rescue it at midnight on Christmas Eve.
This is the single best gift-making option on the list — practical, beautiful, and completely achievable in one session. Your child selects red, green, gold, and white mosaic tiles and arranges them into a festive pattern on a wooden coaster base. After grouting and drying, it looks polished and professional. Grandparents will actually use this on their coffee table, which is more than you can say for most kids' crafts.
At Art Journey's mosaic sessions, all tiles, adhesive, and grout are provided. Children complete the coaster in a single visit and take it home ready to wrap.
Ready to gift: Same day
Gift wrap tip: Wrap in tissue paper with a handwritten tag: "Made for you by [child's name], Christmas 2026"
A plain canvas tote becomes a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift when a child paints it with festive designs — Christmas trees, snowflakes, stars, reindeer, or abstract holiday colours. The result is a bag the recipient can genuinely use for groceries, library books, or daily errands. It's practical, personal, and impossible to duplicate. Art Journey provides fabric-safe paints and quality totes.
Ready to gift: Same day (once paint dries)
Gift wrap tip: Fill the tote with a small treat (a chocolate bar, a handwritten card) before gifting
Select a blank figurine — snowman, reindeer, Santa, angel, or a favourite animal — and paint it with festive colours. 3D figurine painting is one of Art Journey's most popular formats for a reason: the finished piece looks like something from a boutique gift shop, not a kids' craft table. Children love the detail work, and the painted figurines make charming Christmas decorations or desk ornaments.
Ready to gift: Same day
Gift wrap tip: Place in a small gift box with cotton wool padding for a professional presentation
Collect a clean glass bottle (wine bottles, sauce bottles, or any interesting shape) and paint it with acrylic paint in festive designs — snowflakes, stars, holly, or abstract winter colours. Add a string of battery-operated LED fairy lights inside, and you've got a glowing Christmas decoration that looks stunning on a shelf or windowsill. This is one of the activities from Art Journey's senior art programme that works equally well for children.
At home: Recycled glass bottle, acrylic paint, LED string lights (Daiso, $2)
Gift wrap tip: Tie a ribbon around the bottle neck with a gift tag
A canvas painting with a festive theme — a snowy scene, a Christmas tree, a starry night, or an abstract red-and-gold composition — makes a gift that gets hung on the wall. For grandparents especially, a painting by their grandchild is the kind of gift they'll display year after year. At Art Journey, children work on real stretched canvas with acrylic paint, so the finished piece is genuinely frame-worthy.
Ready to gift: Same day (allow 30 min drying for thick paint)
Gift wrap tip: Wrap in brown paper with twine for a rustic, handmade look
The simplest and most affordable gift option for younger children — and perfect for making multiple gifts in one session. At Art Journey's sand art sessions, children create vibrant, colourful cards using coloured sand on adhesive designs. Christmas-themed templates (trees, stars, snowflakes) produce cards that are far more impressive than anything bought from a shop. Because the process is quick (20–30 minutes per card), a child can make several in one sitting — one for each teacher, one for each grandparent.
Ready to gift: Immediately
Gift wrap tip: Slip into a clear cellophane sleeve with a candy cane — instant Christmas gift
Roll out air-dry clay, press your child's handprint into it (or use cookie cutters for star, tree, and heart shapes), poke a hole at the top for ribbon, and let it dry overnight. Once dry, paint with acrylic in festive colours and thread a ribbon through. Hang on the Christmas tree or gift to a grandparent. Like the Mother's Day handprint keepsake, this is a gift that captures your child at this exact age — and it only gets more precious as the years pass.
At home: Air-dry clay (Daiso/Popular), cookie cutters, acrylic paint, ribbon
Note: Allow overnight drying before painting. Plan 2 days ahead of gifting.
The same format we recommended for Mother's Day — and it works just as beautifully for Christmas. Fold paper into a mini book, and on each page your child writes (or dictates) one thing they love about the recipient, then illustrates it. "I love when Grandma makes me soup." "I love when Daddy carries me on his shoulders." "I love Mummy's laugh." It costs nothing, takes an afternoon, and is guaranteed to make the recipient cry (in a good way).
Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Gift wrap tip: Tie with a ribbon and slip into a Christmas stocking
3 weeks before Christmas (early December): Book Art Journey sessions for mosaic coasters, figurines, or tote bags. This gives you plenty of time for drying, wrapping, and avoiding the mid-December rush. Weekend sessions in early December are the best balance of availability and timing.
2 weeks before (mid-December): Home-based projects — clay ornaments (need overnight drying), illustrated books, painted bottles. These don't require booking and can be done at your child's pace across several evenings or weekend mornings.
1 week before (last-minute): Sand art cards (done in 20 minutes), canvas painting (done in 90 minutes), and figurine painting (done in 60 minutes) are all single-session gifts that can be completed and wrapped the same day. Art Journey is open daily 10am–9pm — even a Tuesday evening session works.
Christmas Eve (absolute emergency): The illustrated "Things I Love About You" book requires nothing but paper and crayons. A 5-year-old can make one in 30 minutes. It's free, it's personal, and it's the gift that will mean the most.
The "gift factory" session: If your child needs to make gifts for multiple people, book a single Art Journey session and let them create different gifts for each recipient — a mosaic coaster for grandma, a sand art card for their teacher, and a painted figurine for their best friend. All in one visit, all materials provided.
For more handmade gift inspiration that works year-round, see our Mother's Day gift ideas guide — many of those ideas translate perfectly to Christmas.
Mosaic coasters, painted totes, figurines, canvas paintings, sand art cards, and clay ornaments — all available as single sessions. Book before mid-December for the best availability. Ages 3+. Open daily.
Book a Gift-Making SessionChildren can create mosaic art coasters, hand-painted tote bags, 3D painted figurines, canvas paintings, sand art cards, hand-painted glass bottles, and clay ornaments. All materials are provided, and most gifts are completed in a single session (60–120 minutes). Every piece is gift-ready the same day.
Ideally 2–3 weeks before Christmas (early December). Weekend sessions fill up quickly during the festive period. However, single-session formats like sand art cards and figurine painting can be completed as late as the week before Christmas. Art Journey is open daily 10am–9pm, including weekday evenings.
A mosaic coaster (functional and beautiful), a clay handprint ornament (keepsake), or a canvas painting (to hang on the wall) are the three most popular choices for grandparents. All three are personal, made by the child's own hands, and the kind of gift grandparents display proudly for years.
Yes. Sand art cards take 20–30 minutes each, so a child can make several in one session. For larger gifts, you can book a slightly longer session and let your child create different items for different recipients — a coaster for grandma, a figurine for a friend, a card for a teacher.
Clay Christmas ornaments (air-dry clay from Daiso, overnight drying + painting), hand-painted glass bottles with LED lights, and illustrated "Things I Love About You" books are all easy to make at home with materials you likely already have or can buy cheaply.
Children from age 3 can make sand art cards and simple clay ornaments with some adult help. From age 4, they can paint tote bags and canvas paintings. From age 5, mosaic coasters and 3D figurine painting become accessible. The illustrated book works from age 4 with a parent writing dictated words.
Yes. Art Journey is open daily from 10am to 9pm throughout December, including school holidays. Gift-making sessions are available on weekdays and weekends. Booking ahead is recommended for the Christmas period as sessions fill up faster than usual.