Ever feel like you’re drowning in wrapping paper and ribbons galore while gift wrapping? Instead of tossing all those scraps after cutting down your paper to the right size, try this project that recycles them and turns them into art with your kids! This is something I’ve been doing since I was a kid myself, so I can vouch for how fun and creative this can be.
When the wrapping paper has a fun pattern on it, I cut out the designs and characters and offer them to my kids. This is especially easy if you’re buying paper geared towards kids or just general Christmassy cuteness, like Santa figures, penguins, candy canes, and so on. The cutting can be a little time consuming at first, but I just do it as I wrap so it feels spread out. It definitely doesn’t have to be perfect!
Once my little artists have their hands on these cut-out characters, they go to town gluing them to paper and creating imaginative scenes. A snowman might be placed next to a cup of cocoa twice his size, or Santa might be found standing on top of a giant poinsettia, or Christmas dinosaurs might be lined up to see snow coming down on a drawn-in volcano… all so much fun to create and even more fun to talk about after!
These collages can be supplemented by stickers or hand drawings to make them exactly how your kids want them to look. You can also include ribbon, bows, string, or other decorating odds and ends however you see fit. Even patterned paper that is too abstract to cut out makes for good backgrounds or just mosaic-style collaging. Kids’ creativity knows no bounds! For babies who aren’t old enough to wield their own glue, I follow the Busy Toddler method of just letting them rip wrapping paper scraps to their hearts’ content– it’s great for motor skills!
