During December we make several ornaments for our preschool families. We love handmade gift wrap, so another activity in December is making gift bags. After all, if you are going to give someone something you made, isn’t it even more special when it’s delivered in handmade wrap? We think so! This Christmas wrap is super easy and can be adapted for toddlers as well. Simply find some of those colored paper lunch sacks (red or green is so festive) and choose how to decorate them. Our preschoolers stamped the word JOY down their bags, while our toddlers used kitchen utensils to stamp white paint and glitter on theirs. As the parents were picking up the bags during dismissal, they loved that the bags were obviously made by their children.
Ready to invite your children to make their own Christmas wrap?
What you will need:
Alphabet stamps (we use this set) White tempera paint Red paper lunch bags
Getting started:
Since we were spelling “joy”, I filled 3 small trays with just a bit of white paint. I placed one letter in each tray. I did this activity in small groups of 4 children. We started with the J, passing it to the next child after stamping on the paper. When everyone had stamped the J, we moved on to the O, and then the Y.
See how their hands grasp them? This is also a fun way to work on letter recognition. Depending on your children’s level, you can ask what letter they are stamping.
JOY starts with J, so we use J first. The next letter is O, so we use that next. The last letter is Y.
We placed our ornaments in the bag and tied raffia through the holes to close the bag. I also made simple name labels. You could even use one of my ornament letters as a gift tag. Scroll down to find the link to the download! We have the children take their bags home the last day before winter break begins.
We then sprinkled some silver glitter on the wet paint. (Add glue to the paint so it won’t flake off as easily.) And that’s it! Simple, festive and fun!
This can be decorated with colored markers, pencils, or watercolors. When dry, write a message on the back, such as “Merry Christmas from Amy”. Click on the photo below for the pdf download:
Deck the Halls We Wish You a Merry Christmas Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Up on the Housetop
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