The Little Experience Stitch-It Squirrel Key Ring Kit and Melissa & Doug Decorate Your Own Piggy Bank

Just last week, I was taken with Seedling‘s Create Your Own Designer Doll kit – whether they make it themselves or we end up making it for them, there is nothing more special than something created by hand and with love. While a doll can be the most personal thing your little one can one, DIY kits are limitless – and I love these two variations on the creative-activity toy.

The Little Experience‘s Stitch-It keychain kit ($10) comes as an array of fabric, stuffing, needle and thread (for kids 6-12). By the time your tot is done, they will (ideally!) have an adorable squirrel key ring they made from scratch, perfect for accessorizing their backpack zipper-pulls.

Or encourage her to get artistic and save money at the same time! She’ll be more likely to stick change in the bank, if it’s a piggy she decorated all by herself. Melissa & Doug‘s piggy-bank kit ($12) comes with four colorful pots of paint, glitter glue, a paint brush, and stickers, along with a bare piglet who’s just begging to be jazzed up.