10 Christmas Crafts Your Children Will Love
Christmas is a magical festivity that all kids look forward to. Why not make the build up to the coveted 25th December just as exciting?
With plenty of creative activities to choose from, we have picked our favourite Christmas crafts for you and your children to truly enjoy. Full of handy tips and step-to-step guides, this article will help you travel with your imagination as you wait for Santa Claus to slide down the chimney!
Classic Christmas bow
A simple yet effective way to get into the Christmas spirit is to decorate your house with festive, red, ribbon bows. With very few materials required and with easy steps for you and your little ones to follow, here is how to make bows for Christmas!
What you need:
- Ribbon
- Floral wire (optional)
Instructions – Cut strips of ribbon according to your preferred length for the tail of your bow. To make it more visually appealing, cut the ends of the bow in a V shape. Then, create three loops – two facing upwards and the middle one facing downwards. Cross the right loop over the left one, allowing the side with the tail to hang down. Finally, fold the right loop down through the centre loop. There you have it – a wonderful Christmas bow!
Lovely paper Christmas tree
Christmas trees are arguably the emblem of the festive season. Your children may still be too little and short to be able to help with decorating a ‘real’ fir tree. Instead, why not let them create their own colourful paper-cone Christmas tree?
What you need:
- Green paper
- Plastic and glitter stickers (i.e. stars, jewels, etc.)
- A pair of scissors
- Double-sided tape or glue
Instructions – Trace a large circle on your coloured paper and cut it out. Fold it in half to make two semi-circles and fold them round again into a cone. Once complete, secure it with tape or glue. It will then be time for your kids to decorate their very own tree with their multicoloured stickers!
Small decorations for your Christmas tree
It may well be difficult for your kids to personally garnish the Christmas tree, but they can certainly get involved by creating their own decorations. Fetch twigs and get to work – you and your little ones will love making them!
What you need:
- Twigs (large and small)
- String or twine
- Glue
- Paint and glitter
Instructions – Head outdoors and find as many long and short twigs as you can. The longer sticks will act as your base, and you will glue the shorter ones to this as you keep moving up. In the meantime, tie your string or twine into a loop that is big enough for your Christmas tree’s branches. Attach it to your twig-made tree and complete your piece of art with glitter or paint!
Snowflake decorations
Wrapped up in warm coats or kids’ waterproofs, children love to chase and catch snowflakes on winter days. With their beautifully unique patterns, wouldn’t it be great to create your own? Here is a short guide on how to make snowflake decorations.
What you need:
- White paper
- A pair of scissors
- Glue (optional)
- Glitter (optional)
Instructions – Start with larger sheets of paper as bigger snowflakes are easier to cut out. Once your children have become pros, you can move on to smaller flakes. Fold your piece of paper in half to make a triangle. Fold it in half again and then into thirds. Get creative with your scissors as you cut around the edges. Finally, open up your folded snowflake and admire your creation! If you want to make it look extra special, dab glue on the tips and sprinkle some glitter.
Sock snowmen
No snow so far? Buy both white and colourful socks and build your own snowmen indoors. Wondering how to make a sock snowman? We have you covered!
What you need:
- White socks
- Colourful, fuzzy socks
- Buttons
- Black sharpie
- Black and orange pipe cleaners
- Twine
Instructions – Cut the white sock just above where the heel goes and fill it with rice, then tie a knot at the top. Tie a piece of twine around the sock to create the upper and lower portions of your snowman. Cut the fuzzy sock so that it fits over the snowman’s head and tie twine around it to fashion a colourful hat. You can use what you have cut off as its scarf. Finally, cut the pipe cleaners into tiny pieces and glue them onto the white sock to make its eyes, mouth and nose. Why not attach buttons on the snowman’s torso too?
Festive Christmas wreath
Want a stunning wreath for your front door? Let your kids help you produce your own special one!
What you need:
- Wreath base
- A pair of scissors
- Twine or ribbon
- Evergreen branches (i.e. fir, holly, ivy)
- Florists wire
- Various decorations
Instructions – Start by securing the evergreen boughs to your wreath base. Wrap the wire around the stems a few times and overlap the greenery to fill all the gaps. Once you’re happy, tie off the wire and cut it. Then, use the twine to bind everything to your base. Now the fun bit: decorate your wreath with cinnamon sticks, sparkly stars, or whatever you fancy!
Tree topper
Missing a star on top of your Christmas tree? You and your little ones can make one yourselves – and it will look brighter and more special than ever! Here is how to make a tree topper to be proud of.
What you need:
- White paper
- Paint
- A pair of scissors
- Glue
- Glitter
Instructions – Make a paper cone as illustrated above (i.e. paper cone Christmas tree). Draw a star on another sheet of paper and cut it out. Attach it to the cone, paint them both and then leave them to dry. When ready, cover your topper with glue and sprinkle glitter all over it. There you have it – A new star to shine proudly on top of your Christmas tree!
Christmassy table centrepiece
Family reunions and Christmas lunch with kids, parents, and grandparents are one of the highlights of the winter season. For such a special occasion, your dining table may need to liven up too. Not sure how to make a Christmas table centrepiece? Read ahead!
What you need:
- Pinecones
- White paint
- Hot glue
- Various decorations
Instructions – Pick up pinecones from your backyard or your local park to create the perfect DIY centrepiece. All you need to do is to let your kids decorate the pinecones with white paint and then affix the decorations (i.e. berries, stars, etc.) using hot glue. You can also add a touch of glitter or silver spray to make them even more visually attractive!
Handprint cards
Homemade Christmas cards are the perfect way to keep your kids busy and entertained as they excitedly count down the days till Christmas. These handprint Christmas cards are lovely, personal, and truly easy to create!
What you need:
- Paper sheet as a greeting card
- Colourful paper (green, brown, and more)
- Plastic jewels
- A pair of scissors
- Pencil
- Glue
Instructions – Place your kid’s hand on a green sheet of paper and draw around it, then cut out the hand shape. Use a brown piece of paper to make a tree trunk and another coloured sheet for its pot. Glue them all on the greeting card and create a hand-shaped Christmas tree. Finally, Add plastic jewels and a star on top, and your card is ready! Get your child to sign it and send it to your loved ones.
Fragrant potpourri
Want to bring the scent and fragrance of Christmas inside your house to get into the festive spirit? Try this Christmas potpourri and experiment with smells as you go along!
What you need:
- Cinnamon sticks
- Pinecones
- Star anise
- Ribbon
- Cellophane bag
- Oranges
Instructions – Slice up your oranges and put them in the oven on the lowest setting for about four hours. Take them out when they are completely dried out and mix them with pinecones, a couple of cinnamon sticks and a bunch of star anises. If your little ones want to gift it to someone, fill a cellophane bag and tie it with a festive ribbon for decoration. The lucky receiver will love their unique and handmade present!
Christmas is a joyous time for every kid. To satiate their excitement, encourage them to get creative with some Christmas-themed activities. We hope that this list of crafts will help you come up with some fun ideas and keep your little ones busy and festive!
Additional sources:
https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/ideas/decor-hobbies/2-ways-to-make-a-christmas-tree-topper
http://www.hauteandhumid.com/2017/12/make-christmas-ribbon-bow-tree/
