05 Dec Christmas Crafts for Kids
The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by getting crafty and making your own Christmas creations! In this blog post, we’ll explore four delightful Christmas crafts that will add a personal touch to your festive decor. From whimsical snow globes to adorable reindeer ornaments and more, let the crafting begin!
DIY SNOW GLOBES
I know I’m not alone in being completely charmed by a pretty homemade snow globe – they’ve been all over Pinterest the past several holiday seasons. When I saw the snow globe jars available on amazon I knew the kids would have so much fun making their own winter scenes.
To make these easy DIY snow globes you’ll need a few basic supplies. Snow globe supplies are pretty affordable and you may even already have many of them at home!
Clean jars with lids – You can either use recycled jars or mason jars, you just want to be sure to use something with smooth sides so you can easily see inside the jar when the snow is swirling around.
Distilled water – Using clean distilled water will help prevent any sediment or rusting of your snow globe.
Glycerin – You can find glycerin at most pharmacies or ordered from amazon. It thickens the water just slightly to help the glitter fall more slowly to emulate snow.
Figurines/trees – Choose whatever you’d like to place in the jar such as plastic or ceramic animals, trees and/or figurines.
Tinsel glitter – After much experimenting I found that tinsel glitter, which has larger particles, worked best for making DIY snow globes as it looks most like snow when falling through the water.
Hot Glue/E6000 – We initially used hot glue to secure the figurines to the lid but we had a few trees start coming loose, so in hind sight E6000 may have been better to permanently attach your trees or other figures to the lid of the jar.
First, wash the jars well before you start. Especially if you ware reusing a previously used food jar. Then secure the miniature trees to the jar lids using waterproof (ie: Hot glue or E6000) glue and let them dry completely.
Fill the jars with distilled water, leaving a little space at the top. Be sure to add a few drops of glycerin to the water. This helps create the snowfall effect. Sprinkle glitter or fake snow into the water for a magical touch and carefully screw the lid with the attached tree onto the jar. Now, shake your snow globe and watch as the snow falls gently around the mini trees!
LINKS TO SUPPLIES
Snow globes or Small jars with lids
Distilled water
Glitter or fake snow
REINDEER ORNAMENTS
Bring some reindeer magic to your Christmas tree with these adorable ornaments:
Clear fillable plastic ornament – its best to use plastic rather than glass for kids. The top of glass ornaments tend to be sharp and you don’t want anyone getting hurt.
Brown filler – you can get creative and use whatever you have (pom poms, paper shreds, etc.). We used brown gift wrap shreds.
Large google eyes
Brown pipe cleaners
Red or brown pom pom
Glue gun
Remove the tops of the glass ornaments and set aside. Fill the ornament with your brown filler. Cut and twist the pipe cleaners into antler shapes and attach them to the ornament tops. Then hot glue googly eyes onto the ornament, then attach a red pom pom for the nose. Once dry, reattach the ornament tops and hang your cute reindeer on the tree.
BEAD & PIPE CLEANER CANDY CANES
Just like the corn bead craft we did last month, the Candy Canes was probably the kids favorite craft of the day! They all loved picking their bead colors and stringing them up. You take 2 pipe cleaners, fold them in half and then twist them together. Then tell the kids to make fun color patterns of red and white beads. After they get near the top on each arm, leaving about an inch of room. You can finish it off by twisting them all together and then bending them in to a hooked candy cane shape. Hang your homemade candy canes on the tree for a classic and colorful touch.
LINKS TO SUPPLIES
Melted Pony Bead Ornaments
If you are looking for a fun and colorful craft for Christmas try these Easy Melted Pony Bead Ornaments! Everyone will have a blast BUT Warning: This craft may result in a smoky and stinky experience!
Pony beads
Christmas Shaped Cookie cutters
Parchment paper
Baking sheet
Line a baking pan or tray with *aluminum foil*, we made a mistake and used wax paper, which only added to the smoky mess … more on that later! Then set out the cookie cutters you would like to use. We chose Christmas shapes, but you can do these for any holiday or season. Let your child fill in the pony beads in a single layer. They can pick the colors, patterns, etc. The idea is to fill all available space with a bead. You can use a toothpick to help you place them or a pair of tweezers if you need them.
When we first did our research we read to carefully place your baking pan in a 400 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, but one other crafter suggested using the BBQ or putting your toaster oven outside to avoid the smell. It was cold out so we shrugged and said how bad could it be! This was a mistake! When we started checking them at 5 minutes, stinky clouds of smoke came billowing out of the oven! We opened some windows and doors and waited another 10 mins until they were down. The ornaments are ready when there are no longer visible holes in the beads. This means they have melted together enough. Despite the smoky process, these melted bead ornaments will add a unique and colorful flair to your Christmas tree.
LINKS TO SUPPLIES
Foil (not wax paper!)
Baking sheet
Painted Wood Kits
On our craft days we always include one prebought craft pack. So the last craft we did was a wood painting kit we found at Target. We got 2 of the Mondo Llama Paint-Your-Own kits you can find here. The kids really enjoy painting so we try to always have a paint craft where they can use different paints, paint techniques and substrates. Dylan and Ava got creative with using the bottom of the sponge paint brush to dab your round ornaments…and that’s exactly why we do crafts…to explore creativity and find different ways to do things!
Embrace the spirit of the season by trying out these fun and festive Christmas crafts. Whether you’re making snow globes, reindeer ornaments, candy canes, or melted Perler bead ornaments, the joy of crafting and creating memories is what makes these projects truly special. Gather your friends and family, put on some holiday tunes, and let your creativity shine this Christmas!
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