Celebrate and Decorate Together

Confident, Capable,
Contented Child

Make a special day more memorable, or build a lasting family tradition, by creating a decoration or gift together with your child. Even if you’re craft-challenged, don’t give up - we found an inspiring web site filled with ideas – http://www.familyfun.go.com/ ! We’ve included a few of our fav offerings below from that site, and added some other great sites, all with projects easy to enjoy with children of different abilities.

FamilyFun is chock full of inspiration! You’ll find craft projects for every season and even back-to-school ideas. Planning a birthday celebration? Check out their “Birthday Parties by Theme”, where unusual ideas abound. Would your child adore a birthday party with a music theme? How about bugs, a cooking party, or a complete guide to creating a birthday carnival? You’ll find it there, and so much more!

Gift Box – Perfect for Mom and Dad

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/holiday-seasonal-crafts/mothers-day-cards-gifts/mothers-day-gifts/mothers-day-box-661242/

This idea was developed for Mother’s Day, but it’s perfect for any other celebration, from Father’s Day to birthdays or Valentines Day. Decorate a shoe box, fill it with a variety of small, inexpensive, wrapped gifts, write a fun schedule for the day that includes when or where a gift can be opened. Simple yet appealing on so many levels. The entire day becomes special! It’s an easy-to-do gift that most children can manage and creates special memories from the child to mom, dad, family and friends.

IlluStory

http://www.creationsbyyou.com/kit/IlluStory.asp

What could be more fun than turning your child’s art and creativity into a real book? This kit comes with everything you need to do just that, including “Story Web” that helps children plan their story. (Great for honing executive functioning skills!) Once your work is done, submit it online or in the mail and they’ll turn it into a professionally typeset, hardbound book with a title, dedication and “About the Author” page. Use it just for fun, to motivate creativity, improve your child’s verbal and written expression, to preserve memories, or to make a unique gift for family and friends.

Creations by You

http://www.creationsbyyou.com/products.asp

The same company that delivers IlluStory has a variety of kits for making treasured keepsakes using your family photographs and children’s art, including clocks, mugs, calendars and watches.

Paint Chip Photo Frame

http://www.bhg.com/crafts/home/accessories/easy-crafts-with-photos/?page=16

So easy and so colorful…just pick up paint chips in your favorite colors and use them to create mats for photos. Use the matting that came with a frame as your base, or cut your own cardboard base to create an entire frame.

This article is taken with permission from www.autismdigest.com, where readers can go online and, by signing in, can access free copies of the magazine’s eGuide, which is packed full of more information on holidays and gift giving for children on the spectrum.

 Articles were amended to fit the present season of Valentine’s Day.

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*Gifts From the Kitchen, GFCF

*Gift Tips and Ideas for Our Children with Autism
*Spread Valentine’s Love: Help Children with Autism Celebrate!
*Special Valentine’s Day Gifts for Parents and Teachers
*Learn to be Flexible: Reduce the Anxiety of Getting Gifts