Christmas Crafts for Kids
The holidays are a great time to sit down and get crafting with the kids. There are so many cute yet easy craft ideas floating around the internet. I have come across a few that even I could do with my children that I thought I would share with you. The most important thing for me was to find crafts we could do that did not cause any more stress! I just love being with my kids and have fun creating cute things for them to hang from the tree or put up around the house. I hope you will enjoy these crafts as well.
- Tinsel Wreath – Purchase Styrofoam wreaths from your local craft store. They come in all different sizes and they are not too expensive. Using tinsel garland in any color start wrapping the wreaths as close together as possible and tight as you can. You can get tiny wreaths and use them to hang on the tree or bigger ones for doors. Another idea is to hang them from the ceiling with ribbon.
- Christmas Wreath – Another idea for a lovely Christmas wreath is to go to your local dollar store and buy the artificial flowers like the poinsettias or the holly berries. You can add pine cones or fresh pine sprigs if you have access to a pine tree in your neighborhood. You can wrap it with Christmas ribbon and add some gold leaves. Just use your imagination and a hot glue gun!
- Pinecone Ornaments – Here is another great craft idea for pine cones. Mix up three parts craft glue and one part water so that you do not get that clumpy glue that you sometimes see in kids crafts. Let your children dip the edges of the pine cone in the glue and then sprinkle Christmassy colored glitter on them. Take a piece of yarn or ribbon and tie it on the top to make an ornament for the tree.
- Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees – Take one large stick like a tongue depressor if you can find them to use as the trunk and take the smaller sticks and cut them to be longer at the bottom and shorten as they go up cross ways. Glue them together to make the tree and then let the kiddos paint them and add glitter or button ornaments, beads or whatever!
- Christmas Handprint Wreath – This is a really neat one for all the kids and especially neat for the little ones. You will need to help them trace their hands ongreen or red card stock paper. Then use that hand print as a template to make twelve to sixteen more handprints. Glue the hands together in a wreath shape, fingers facing out. Then use glitter or Christmas confetti and let the kids decorate. The older kids can write a Christmas message on each hand as well.
- Yarn Trees – Purchase Styrofoam cones from your local crafts store along with some decorative straight pins. You know the cute pins with the little beads on the tips? The cones come in different sizes so buy the smaller ones for the kids if you would like and a bigger one for yourself! Buy a large sack of buttons in different sizes and shapes. You will need green yarn as well. Starting at the bottom of the cone use a pin to fasten your yarn and then start wrapping till you get to the top of the cone and then glue the yarn at the top. Decorate your tree with the button and the decorative pins, just pin the buttons on! Now you have adorable Christmas trees to put on your mantle, coffee table, or wherever you want to add some Christmas cheer!
- Handprint Christmas Tree – This one is similar to the wreath in that you trace their handprint and then use it as a template for more. You need ten handprints for this one. You can use green construction paper for the handprints and then brown paper for the trunk of the tree and yellow paper for a star to top your tree. Glue the handprints by overlapping them starting with four at the bottom, then three above, then two, then one at the top creating a Christmas tree shape. Fat at the bottom and getting narrower at the top. Let the kids decorate however they would like.
- Sugar Cone Christmas Trees – You will need to purchase sugar cones (the pointy ice cream cones) and use some food coloring to dye vanilla icing green. Have the kids ice their cones unless you have really tiny tots then I would suggest you ice it for them. Then let them decorate their tree with Christmas M&M’s, red licorice ropes, gum drops, sprinkles, or any candy you think will work. I am just sure your kids will love this one but make sure you get extra decorations because many of them will be eaten before they get to the tree!
- Pom-pom Christmas Tree – For this one you can use a cereal box or other light weight cardboard and cut out a Christmas tree shape from this material. Purchase the fluffy little pom-poms from your local craft store in multi colors. Let your child glue green pom-poms on their tree and at the tips of the branches they can add different colors for the lights, a yellow one on top for the star and a brown one at the bottom for a trunk. Or they could make an abstract multi-colored tree just for fun!
- Cotton Ball Santa – Make a Santa out of a paper plate using construction paper for the hat and beard. Draw eyes on or use googly eyes you purchase at the craft store and use a red pom-pom for the nose. Use a cotton ball for the tassel at the end of his hat and glue cotton balls on his beard.
- Button Wreath Ornament – These are so cute and not hard at all. You will need some kind of wire or pipe cleaners would work as well. Just make the shape and size of wreath you want and thread through the button holes. Crimp the ends of the wires and add a ribbon to hang it from the tree.
- Light-up Christmas Tree – Cut a nice size Christmas tree out of green construction paper. Use a hole puncher to punch holes out all over your tree. Purchase multi colored tissue paper from the dollar store and cut out small squares to glue over the holes on the back of your tree. A glue stick works best for this one. Hang it in front of the window and let the sun come shining through and it will look like you turned the lights on your Christmas tree!
- Glitter Ornaments – Go to your local craft store and pick up some clear plastic ornaments. Water down the glue a little and have your kids pour some glue inside the ornaments and swish it around and pour back any residual glue. Do the same thing with the glitter, pour it in and pour off excess. There you have it! Pretty glitter ornaments for your tree or to give as gifts. If your children are older they could use sharpies and write Christmas greetings on their ornaments as well.
- Coffee Cozies – I thought this one was so cute and imaginative. I think they would make wonderful gifts for your children to give to teachers or neighbors. Go to your local discount store or dollar store and buy inexpensive woolen socks. Make sure they are colorful or Christmassy socks. You will only be using the middle part of the sock for these, cutting off the feet and tops. Make sure they are large enough to fit around those nice disposable coffee cups. The wool socks actually will not unravel when cut, they just kind of curl down a little. Then decorate by sewing or gluing on buttons, self adhesive felt stickers, sewed on beads, etc. Fill the cup with a hot cup of cocoa and give it to your mailman or crossing guard as it gets closer to Christmas!
Have fun with making these with your children while they are home for the holidays. It is so much fun for children to make their own gifts and decorations. These are lovely times with our children to hold as memories in our hearts!
Author Bio:
Jason Miner plays a vital role for www.blogcarnival.com. He is an expert in writing topics of different categories. He is helping the carnival team to grow & working on making this an even better place for bloggers.