STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Homemade gifts frequently confirm the old expression, “it’s the thought that counts,” as generations of family members find happiness from simple and inexpensive tokens they will treasure for years.

Romona Edge, Itawamba County coordinator for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said do it yourself, or DIY, gifts are easy for children to make, and please the adults in their lives.

“Any parent would love a hand-made craft from their child for Christmas,” she said. “Being crafty is not a requirement when making DIY gifts. There are numerous easy gift ideas that children can make and give their parents this year.

“Children can string buttons, felt and paper flowers onto yarn and chenille stems to make necklaces and rings for mom,” Edge said. “Children could use painted pasta or fabric to make a beaded necklace. Drawings can be turned into magnets that can be used all year long. Take them to a copy store, print the artwork onto magnet sheets and cut them out.”

Parents and grandparents will decorate their homes for years with crafts made by beloved children.

“Handprint snowman ornaments, handprint tree aprons, coasters and picture frame ornaments are just a few ideas for Christmas decorations,” Edge said. “An easy decoration for children to make would be a DIY bow wreath. Glue the bows to a Styrofoam brand foam 12-inch wreath ring. Allow the children to pick out their favorite colored bows. Twist together ends of wire, forming a hanging loop. Pin and glue to the center back of wreath. Let the glue dry and then enjoy.”

Shelaine Pennington, an agent with the MSU Extension office in Prentiss County, said be sure to plan ahead when making DIY gifts.

“Many items that are needed for DIY gifts can be found around the home or at a local store,” she said. “Be sure to start making the gift plenty of time in advance because some DIY ideas can take longer than others to make.”

The Internet is a good source of information for DIY gift ideas.

“Finding simple DIY gift ideas can be as easy as going onto Facebook and looking on the newsfeed page,” Pennington said. “Pinterest is a fantastic place to find plenty of DIY gift ideas. Go to the search bar and type in ‘DIY holiday gift ideas.’ The page will be filled with simple and instructional DIY gift ideas for this holiday season.”