Making a Sinterklaas surprise usually starts with a note from school and a child who only mentions the night before that it has to be finished tomorrow. This is the list to keep at hand. A surprise is the Dutch tradition of hiding a gift inside a homemade creation, and here are seven you can build from cardboard and a few household items, with a 3D pen for the parts that never work with glue and paper: eyes, teeth, letters, legs and a name plate that actually stays upright.

Why a 3D pen is so useful for a surprise

A surprise is mostly cardboard, tape and paint. Where it goes wrong is the details. Paper eyes come loose, a tail made from a toilet roll sags and the recipient's name ends up crooked in marker pen. Those are exactly the parts you draw with a 3D pen on the drawing mat, let cool for a minute and then stick onto the surprise.

The wireless pens from Fits4Kids use PCL filament, which softens at a low temperature. That means a child from age 6 can work with it independently, with no cable in the way. You can read how the filament works in what is PCL filament and why is it safe for children.

What you want to have at home

• A sturdy cardboard box as the base (a shipping box works better than a shoebox)
• Masking tape or wide tape, a craft knife for the adult and scissors for the child
• Paint or coloured paper for the large surfaces
• A 3D pen with PCL filament in a few colours
• A drawing mat or baking paper to draw the loose parts on

7 surprises to make together with your child

1. The football

The classic that comes back every year. Blow up a balloon, cover it with strips of newspaper and wallpaper paste (papier-mâché), let it dry for two days and cut a hatch in the back. Paint the ball white. Draw the black pentagons with the 3D pen on the drawing mat, so they are all the same size, and stick them neatly onto the ball. Add a club name or shirt number and you are done.

2. The dinosaur

A long box becomes the body, a smaller box the head, and you make the tail from a cone of cardboard. With the 3D pen your child makes the back plates, the teeth and the claws: draw them flat, let them cool and push them into a slit in the cardboard. Green paint over the whole thing and the dino is standing.

3. The dog (or the family pet)

Works for any animal the recipient has at home. A box for the body, toilet rolls for the legs, cardboard ears that you attach to the head with a strip of PCL. Make the collar with name tag using the pen in the colour of the real collar.

4. The book

A large flat box becomes a thick book with a title about the recipient. Draw the letters on the cover with the 3D pen in a contrasting colour, so they stand out and stay put. Inside, glue in a few real pages with photos or jokes, and the gift sits behind the last page.

5. The safe

For the recipient who finds everything "top secret". A square box, painted grey, with a door that swings open. Your child makes the dial with numbers and the handle with the 3D pen: first a circle, then the marks, then a second layer so the knob really sticks out. A code on a note inside the safe completes the game.

6. The rocket

A long box or a tube of sturdy cardboard, a cone as the nose and three cardboard fins at the bottom. The portholes, the flames at the exhaust and the name on the hull all come from the 3D pen.

7. The block from a game

For children who would rather build than craft. A cube is the easiest surprise there is: one box, covered in a block pattern with squares of coloured paper. With the 3D pen, draw small square blocks in a few shades of green and brown and stick them on the corners, and it really looks like it came out of a game. A 3D pen can do a lot more than blocks, by the way: have a look at these 10 easy 3D pen projects for beginners.

How to make the parts with the 3D pen

1. Draw the part flat on the drawing mat. First the outline, then fill it in with lines next to each other.
2. Let it cool for a minute and carefully peel it off.
3. Want it sturdier? Draw a second layer over the first.
4. Stick it onto the surprise with a thin line of PCL, or use a drop of glue if the cardboard is painted.

If your child still finds freehand drawing tricky, the XXL stencil book with tracing sheet helps: lay the tracing sheet over a shape and trace it.

Planning: start two weekends ahead

At most schools the names are drawn in mid-November and the surprise has to come in during the first week of December. That sounds like plenty of time, but papier-mâché needs to dry and so does paint. A handy split: build and cover on the first weekend, dry during the week, paint and make the 3D pen parts on the second weekend. Write the poem together one evening at the table.

And let your child do as much as possible themselves. A surprise that looks a little crooked but was made by the child is always the favourite at school.

Frequently asked questions

From what age can a child work on a surprise with a 3D pen by themselves?

The wireless 3D pens from Fits4Kids are suitable from age 6. Children who make a surprise at school are usually 8 or older and can easily draw the parts themselves.

Does PCL filament stick to cardboard?

On untreated cardboard a line of warm PCL sticks well. On painted or glossy cardboard it is better to use a drop of craft glue and make the part separately on the drawing mat.

How much filament do you need for a surprise?

For the details of one surprise you use a few metres, so a set of twenty colours of 100 metres lasts a long time. Do check that the wireless pens and the Race Kit use PCL and the XXL starter kit uses PLA. The two are not interchangeable.

What is the easiest surprise if you are short on time?

The cube or the safe. One box, covered or painted, and the details with the 3D pen. That can be done in one afternoon if the cardboard does not need painted layers to dry.

Pick an idea from the list with your child, get the box ready and put the pen on the table. Then the surprise is already half done by next weekend.