print view

While most people are deciding on what wrapping paper to buy, making wrapping paper with kids can be so much more enjoyable, and easy to do. Whether you use tin foil, ribbons, ornaments, drawings, or goodies – these original ideas will make gift wrapping a pleasure for you and your kids.

What You’ll Need

* Tin foil
* Christmas stickers
* Fabric
* Ribbon
* Sunday Newspaper
* Scotch tape
* Paper bag
* Crayons
* Markers
* Rubber stamps
* Stickers
* Kids' Artwork

Instructions

Using tin foil as wrapping paper is a great idea. Take a gift and wrap it in aluminum foil, which you can purchase at any supermarket. You can decorate the wrapped gift in several ways. Attach a Christmas card or cut out pictures. Or gather together some Christmas stickers and place the stickers you have on the box.

Another idea is to take fabric, and use it as wrapping paper. This is ideal for a small gift. Simply wrap the fabric around the gift and close the top with a ribbon.

Make wrapping paper from your Sunday newspaper. The newspaper is filled with full color inserts and Christmas ads, which are usually two to four page store specials. The Sunday paper also usually contains comics, as well. Select some pages and pull out the pages that you choose. Take some scotch tape and tape the pages together so that you have enough paper to wrap the gift. Attach a bright ribbon to match the colors in the paper. This is a unique and fun way to wrap a gift, and I am sure the recipient of this present will be delighted at your ingenuity and imaginative style.

Kids love to show off their artwork. Why not wrap the gift in plain newsprint or a paper bag and encourage your child to decorate it? Your child may be more excited about their artwork than presenting the gift itself. Simply present your child with the standard tools – crayons, markers, rubber stamps, stickers -- and let them go crazy with it.

If you don’t have paper bags or newsprint, you can take the artwork that your children bring home from school to create gift wrap. Simply take several pieces of their existing art and help them use it to wrap the gift. Just make sure it isn’t their “most special favorite” artwork before you begin.

Submitted by LillianV