Stamp Your Own Christmas Wrapping Paper

What you need

• Paper bag, 1 bag or 4 to 6 sheets
• Potato, 1
• Sharp knife (grown-up only), 1
• Sponge, 1 piece
• Kid scissors, 1 pair
• Cardboard tube, 1
• Non-toxic washable paint, 2 or 3 colors
• Plate or tray, 3
• Crayons or markers, a handful
• Painter's tape, 1 roll

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Cover the table, set out non-toxic paint and plates, and keep the knife with you for the potato carving step.

1. Open the paper bag and flatten it, blank side facing up.
2. A grown-up cuts the potato in half and carves a stamp shape. A grown-up does this
3. Cut the sponge into a triangle for tree prints. Ask for help if you need it
4. Squeeze a puddle of paint onto each paper plate.
5. Dip a stamp in paint and press it firmly onto the paper.
   Ask: What do you think the paper will look like when you lift the stamp up?
6. Print round ornaments with the tube and snow dots with fingertips.
7. Let the paint dry completely.
8. Draw ornament hooks, tree trunks and candy-cane stripes with markers.
9. Wrap a handmade gift, or roll it up to save for later!
   Ask: Who will you surprise with this paper, and what shape will you stamp next time?

Play it again

• Color swap: make a whole sheet using only gold and white for a snowy look.
• Pattern detective: stamp a pattern and leave a gap for someone else to guess what comes next.
• Gift tags: stamp tiny prints on small cards and write names on them to match your paper.