What can a toddler make for their grandparents as a present?

What a personalised colouring book is

There are a few kinds. Some put your child's name on ordinary colouring pages, some turn your child into a cartoon character, and some draw every page from your own photos. For grandparents I'd go for the last kind, because the pages are of your toddler with them, at the park or baking at their house, and you can tell straight away who's who.

If you'd rather keep the photos as photos, a photo book does that better.

What your toddler does, and what you do

You'll do most of the making. You'll need 20 photos, so sit down with your phone, scroll through and let them point at the ones they like, and once it arrives they can colour a page or two before you wrap it. It won't be neat at two or three. Our guide to what age children colour inside the lines has more on what to expect.

After that it's theirs to colour with their grandparents on visits. The pages are days they've had together, so there's plenty to talk about and usually a laugh.

Making one with us

Toodaloo books have 20 colouring pages, one for each photo. Your progress is saved, so you can do a bit on your phone and email yourself a link to finish it on the laptop later. If the photos are on your phone but you'd rather build it on the bigger screen, scan the code on the computer and send them across. Our guide to the photos that make the best colouring pages shows how different photos turn out.

Once the pages are drawn you can look through them all and swap any photo that hasn't come out how you wanted, before you pay. The cover takes a title of your own, so it can say Nanny and Grandad, or whatever they call them. The first page is for a message, which you can type in your toddler's words or leave blank for them to scribble on. Our gifts for grandparents page shows what the cover and the message page look like.

More than one grandchild, or more than one set of grandparents

If there are brothers or sisters, you can mix them into one book or give each child their own. Once you've made one book and added it to your basket, there's a button to make a copy you can change, so a second book for the other grandparents means swapping a few photos and the title rather than starting again. The message page doesn't carry over, so you'll add that again.

Extra books in the same order are 30% off, but one order goes to one address. If the two sets of grandparents live in different places, either have both books sent to you, or place two orders and the second won't get the 30% off.

Other things a toddler can make

A handprint or salt dough

A handprint is quick and it's dated, so it's nice to look back on. For a print on card, brush the paint onto their palm rather than letting them dip their hand in the pot, then hold their wrist, press their hand flat and lift it straight off. Do three or four, because the first one often smudges, and use washable, non-toxic paint. Write their name and the date next to the best one.

Salt dough is flour, salt and water, and any recipe online will do. Roll it out, press their hand in and cut round it, or cut out a star with a hole at the top if it's going on the Christmas tree. It needs a few hours in a low oven to dry, so it's easier as a two-day job, with the painting on the second day. It's very salty, so keep it out of mouths and away from the dog.

A drawing, or a little book of them

A drawing they've done goes straight into a cheap clip frame, and you can slip a photo of them with their grandparents into the corner.

For a little book, fold three or four sheets of paper in half and staple them down the fold. They draw something on each page, you ask them what it is and write down their answer word for word underneath, even when it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Biscuits

If they like helping in the kitchen, they can cut out the shapes and do the icing while you deal with the oven. Put them in a tin with one of their drawings on top.

Getting it there in time

If your toddler is going to colour some of it first, have the book sent to you. If it's going straight to the grandparents, to colour with your toddler next time they're round, put their address in at checkout, and the parcel won't have a price or receipt in it. Books are posted the next working day and usually arrive in 3-4 working days, and your basket shows when it should arrive before you pay. For Christmas, leave a few extra days if it's coming to you first, so there's time to colour a page before you wrap it.