10 DIY Gift Ideas for a Little Girl You Love

Shopping for a special occasion can feel overwhelming, especially when it is for someone as special as a child. Whether it be a daughter, niece, or even just a family friend, creating the perfect gift for a little girl in your life is an amazing opportunity to show just how much you care.

The best part about gift-giving, especially to children, is giving something that comes from the heart; what’s a better display of care and love than a gift that reflects on not just the importance of the relationship, but also one that’s custom-tailored to the recipient?

That’s why DIY (do it yourself) projects are such a great option for any occasion. Making a gift rather than purchasing one means you can create a memory that’s truly one-of-a-kind.

In this article, we’ll review some of our favorite DIY gift ideas that are affordable and not too time-consuming. We’ll also discuss just why it’s so critical to show your love for others in more ways than one - thinking outside the box can go a long way when it comes to making others feel special!

Understanding Love Languages

Not everyone prefers to give and receive love in the same ways. The types of acts that make a person feel loved are often referred to as their “love language.”

For example, you might like to show your love in the form of gift-giving, but you might prefer to receive love in the form of acts of service. Some love languages likely do a better job of either conveying the magnitude of your feelings or making you feel genuinely cared for than others, and such a reality is true for each and every one of us.

So, what do love languages have to do with DIY projects? Taking some time to focus on how you like to show love can help you come up with ideas that aren’t just thoughtful, but also very personal to both you and the recipient.

Below is a list the five main love languages, which you can use as a reference as you begin brainstorming:

Gift Giving: If your love language is gift-giving, you like to show love by gifting something lavish, or something very thoughtful. You likely spend a lot of time contemplating the perfect gift for all sorts of people in your life and end up with something truly special that the recipient will never forget.
Words of Affirmation: If your love language is words of affirmation, you like to show love by telling someone how much you love them and how much they mean to you. If words are an integral part of your love language, you might consider how you can incorporate them into your project. Even a simple card accompanying a gift can be a good opportunity to do so.
Physical Touch: If your love language is physical touch, you like to show love via physical contact like hugging, kissing, holding hands, and more. Creating projects that involve spending time together is a great way to incorporate physical contact into your gift, if you’d like.
Quality Time: If your love language is quality time, you like to show love by spending time with the people you love. DIY gifts certainly take a lot of independent work and time, but there’s also ways to involve your loved ones either in the creation of the gift or in its aftermath.
Acts of Service: Finally, if your love language is acts of service, you like to show love by doing things for others. Acts of service don’t have to be grandiose; even something simple like bringing your loved one a cup of coffee, running an errand for them, folding their laundry, or taking the dog for a walk without being asked can be great ways to show others you care. It’s very possible to incorporate these ideas into just about any project, and creating a gift can be seen as an act of service in and of itself.

Once you begin to determine what sort of experience you’d like to create you can also begin to formulate specific ideas for projects. Part of the joy of creating gifts is having fun while doing so, and you’ll likely be much more engaged in the process if you take the time to plan something that excites you.

Top 10 DIY Gift Ideas

Below is a diverse list of ideas you might like to try out when curating your gift. Feel free to come up with ideas all of your own, too; after all, you know your little girl and what she likes best!

Game: If your little girl likes games, you can make a DIY game board to enjoy together. Simply draw and color steps on a piece of paper and fill in some of the spots with instructions such as “roll again”, “move ahead two spaces”, or “lose a turn.” If you want to get creative with it, try creating a themed experience, making game pieces, or making up fun rules. You can even involve your little girl in the creation process if you’d like.
Coupon Book: If your little girl enjoys doing activities together, make her a coupon book of things and adventures you can both enjoy. When the opportunity arises, she can trade in a coupon for the activity requested. For example, make a few coupons that say things like “watch a movie together” or “free hug” or “day at the zoo”.
Cardboard Box Fun: If your little girl likes to play pretend, take a cardboard box and make it into a pretty castle, a spaceship, or whatever another environment seems appealing. She’ll let her imagination do the rest!
Guess Who: Make a DIY “guess who” game with photos of people in the family, pictures of pets or animals, or whatever else feels right. Your version will likely be far more interesting than what comes in a box.
Kid-Friendly Flower Vase: Take a tin can and use popsicle sticks around the perimeter of the can to vertically cover the can, secure the sticks with rubber bands, and then use some glitter tape and string to make a nice little bow in the front. You can even take your little girl to the shop and have her pick out some pretty flowers to put into her new vase.
Snowman Hot Chocolate: This one is perfect for any winter birthday. Collect three separate small jars. Fill the bottom one with the hot chocolate powder, fill the middle one with crushed peppermint candy, and fill the top one with marshmallows. Use a sharpie to draw a cute face on the snowman, and then make him a top hat out of black cardstock paper.
Friendship Bracelets: To really embrace the love language of quality time, get your little girl string and beads and teach her how to make friendship bracelets. You two can match or trade at the end!
Coloring Book Stationary: If you like to draw, you can take some blank cards or an empty sketchbook and make a DIY coloring book for your little girl. Simply draw some templates on the front of the card for her to color in and let her creative side do the rest.
Crayon Art: This one is fun, but it can be messy, so make sure to cover the table/floor or do it outside. Simply take a canvas and glue crayons onto the canvas in the shape of a heart. When you give it to your little girl, give her the chance to blow dry the crayons until they melt into a beautiful piece of artwork.
Huggie Pillow: If you have a favorite t-shirt that is meaningful to you and your little girl, you can turn it into a pillow. All you have to do is turn the t-shirt inside out, sew all the edges except for the neck, then turn it right-side-in, and stuff it with poly-fil stuffing. After it’s all stuffed, sew the neck shut and your little girl will have a pillow that she can hug, and it hugs back!

No matter what ideas you end up pursuing, remember to have fun with it. DIY gifts can certainly be challenging to come up with and create, but you’ll likely find they’re well worth the effort once you see a smile on your little girl’s face.

About Author:

Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.

Understanding Love Languages

Top 10 DIY Gift Ideas

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