My kids’ holiday gift requests are coming in fast and while I’m sure Santa appreciates the early input, I want to make sure my kids don’t forget how it feels to give to others as well. That’s why Little Loving Hands is one of my favorite new gift ideas: It not only makes a wonderful monthly gift for kids who enjoy arts and crafts, but their creations become gifts for others who are going through a difficult time.
Much like other monthly craft kits we love like Kiwi Crate or Green Kid Crafts, Little Loving Hands sends a boxed project once a month for kids to do in their home. But unlike any other crafting kit I’ve seen, instead of keeping the finished project, kids are invited to mail them back in the provided envelope to a select charity each month.
Think about it — your child’s own creations can put a smile on the face of someone in a hospital or nursing home, or someone in need who will truly appreciate the homemade thoughtfulness.
You’ll get everything you need including clear instructions, and materials like pre-threaded plastic needles or pre-cut felt shapes. But Little Loving Hands doesn’t do everything for you—some of the most fun we had was dying beans different colors and setting them out to dry; or deciding exactly how we wanted our finished project to look. This is, after all, an art project for kids with enough choice to make it feel like their own.
The projects are targeted to kids ages 3-7 with some parental help, though my older kids would love doing them as well because of the philanthropic angle. And they definitely like the certificate you can give to your child when they ship off their creation, as a sort of “thank you” for their hard work.
However I was most surprised by how much my son, who normally avoids “crafting” like the plague, wanted to work on the search-and-seek activity bag project we received to test. I think that more than the project itself, he liked that his project had a purpose beyond a regular craft kit. Kids who might normally rush through a project may also spend more time and care on something that will get into the hands of someone at an organization like the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Washington DC or Sunrise Senior Living, two organizations that Little Loving Hands has worked with in previous months.
What a wonderful way to introduce philanthropy to kids who may even be too young to spell the word.
Learn more about Little Loving Hands at their website where you can also sign up to give a recurring monthly kit or for a 6-or-12 month subscription. Note that the organization goes over all the items for safety before delivering to a recipient.
