40 Festive Christmas Crafts for Kids to Make This Holiday Season
Create easy homemade ornaments, wall decor and even gifts for loved ones with these helpful DIYs.
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There's a lot of fun to be had at Christmas. It's a busy time decorating gingerbread houses, decking the halls with boughs of holly, finding the perfect gifts for your kids, siblings, mothers, fathers and more, and of course, creating homemade crafts that only add to the home's holly jolly spirit or make the perfect DIY gift for a loved one. With a season so busy with activities, crafts are also a great way to keep the kids occupied, even if only for a while, so you can wrap some presents, and bake a few batches of cookies for the neighbors. But they have to be easiest enough for little ones to do on their own or with just a little help. That's where these best Christmas crafts for kids come in.
With homemade ornament ideas and colorful tree toppers to advent calendars and creative "candy pots," this list offers a wide variety of kid-friendly craft ideas for any age — even options that are fun for adults to make themselves! Christmas can seem stressful but it should be a time of joy, excitement and love, so take a break from the cooking and running around and enjoy making some of these Christmas crafts for kids with your little ones this holiday season.
Mini Canvas Ornament
This super easy craft lets children explore their inner artists and create mini masterpieces that make a great addition to any tree. Simply use acrylic craft paint and paint pens to decorate mini canvases. Once dry, attach a ribbon hanger to the back with glue and then add to your tree. In need of some gift inspo? These make great ornaments and decorative gift tags for grandparents, teachers, babysitters, and friends as well!
DIY Toy Drum Ornaments
Your everyday toilet paper rolls have never looked so good thanks to this tutorial. To create these toy drum ornaments, cut down a toilet paper roll with scissors to about 1.5”-2” tall. Then, paint the outside with acrylic paint and let dry. Cut two circles that are the size of the opening of the roll out of craft paper, and attach using some hot glue. Add any details you want onto the side of the drum, like making a crisscross pattern with washi tape or ribbon attached with a thin line of hot glue if needed. Use a strip of washi tape, ribbon or craft paper attached onto the top and bottom of the "drum" to create a clean straight line. Add on a loop of ribbon with a dot of hot glue onto the side to hang your little drums onto the tree!
Wrapped Candy Ornaments
A great way to repurpose mismatched or boring ornaments! Cut a square of parchment paper and place a round ornament in the center. Wrap the paper around it like a candy, twisting the paper to secure it. Add decorative bows to either end and hang.
Starburst Ornament and Tree Topper
You can easily make use of toilet paper rolls and leftover scraps of wrapping paper in this DIY craft — which can be designed as an ornament or a tree topper. Start by painting the inside and outside of the toilet paper rolls with contrasting paint colors and let dry completely. Measure 2” down the roll and mark all the way around, and then flip the roll over and measure 2” down and mark all the way around so you have a ½ wide inch gap marked in the middle of the roll.3. Starting on one end cut 8 evenly spaced lines stopping at the 2” mark you made. Flip the tube around and repeat step 3 on the other side. Fold down the cuts you made on one side and cut the rectangles into points with your scissors. Repeat step 5 on the other side.Finish the star off by flattening the folds down to make sure they stay in place. Add a ribbon and hang the ornament onto the tree or use it as your tree topper this Christmas season.
Animal/Family Ornaments
Even our furry friends deserve a place on the tree. Start creating these purrr-fect ornaments by wrapping a pipe cleaner around a small ornament (using hot glue if needed). Create little legs by folding the pipe cleaner in half. Add on another set of legs and tail by cutting small bits of pipe cleaner to the one you have wrapped around the ornament by twisting it or adding a small dot of hot glue to secure. Then, use hot glue to add your pet's printed-out face on top and any other small decorations you wish. Add a string to hang with hot glue and your ornament is complete!
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DIY Upcycled Wallpaper Ornaments
Take advantage of old wallpaper scraps or buy a pack of your own to create these unique ornaments. Cut wallpaper into nine .5” x 10” strips. Poke three holes in each strip (top, middle and bottom). Thread a wooden bead onto a 10” piece of floral wire and wrap the wire around itself to secure. Next, add paper strips onto the wire through the center hole. Thread each end of the bottom strip onto the wire. Move clockwise repeating with each strip until all ends are on the wire. Add on another wooden bead and make a loop of wire and wrap it around itself to secure. Tie a ribbon on top to hang.
Pine Cone Swan Ornament
Bring the "seven swans a swimming" from the iconic "12 days of Christmas" song to life with this easy tutorial. Paint a mini pinecone white and let dry completely. Roll the end of a white pipe cleaner around itself to make a little head for your swan. Cut the pipe cleaner about 1” below the head you made and attach it to one end of the pinecone with a dot of hot glue to create your swan's neck and head. Cut a small triangle out of your gold craft paper and attach it to the side of the pipe cleaner head to make your beak. Cut out two small wing shapes out of felt and hot glue them onto the side of the pinecone to make your wings. Add a looped piece of string to the swan to create an ornament and show off proudly on the tree.
Biodegradable Garlands
Biodegradable and compostable, these old-school style garland strands are a great way to use old pantry staples and create one-of-a-kind Christmas tree decor. Thread a needle and sturdy monofilament through leftover or stale pantry items like popcorn, dried fruits, bay leaves and candy. Or loop decorative ribbon around pretzels and dried pasta for an unexpected twist! We painted our pasta metallic gold for extra shine! Hang on your Christmas tree, out of reach from small children and pets. Once the holidays are over, remove the monofilament/ribbon and pop in your nearest compost bin!
Pine Cone Flower Ornaments
Using sturdy floral clippers, cut off the bottom half of a pinecone — it’s easiest to make a few cuts and twist until the pinecone breaks. Hot glue the bottom of the pinecone to a round wooden disk. Once dry, glue a ribbon loop on the back of the wooden disk to hang.
Popsicle Stick Wreath
Stock up on small and large craft sticks, then have the kids paint them three different shades of green. Glue the sticks to a 12" foam wreath, overlapping and mixing the shades of green as you go. A red ribbon finishes off the look.
Paper Bag Snowflakes
These intricate paper snowflakes only look hard to make! Break out the safety scissors and craft paper and get to work making these beautiful and delicate window hangings.
RELATED: How to Make Easy Paper Snowflakes
Marbled Nail Polish Tree Ornaments
If you already have a few shades of green nail polish, this craft is for you! Drizzle two or three shades of green polish into a cup of cold water. Holding the base, dip your wooden tree into the mixture (making sure the entire area is covered). Hold it over a paper towel until it's stopped dripping, then place it right side up on the towel to dry.
Santa Advent Calendar
Help Santa nail his Christmas look — one cotton ball at a time. First, cut out Santa's head and red hat on pieces of white and red paper. Draw on his eyes, pink cheeks and nose, then jot down 1-25 on his white beard. Starting December 1, have your kids tape up a cotton ball until Santa's beard is complete.
DIY Snow Globe
Similar to vignettes, except this version is definitely more appropriate for younger kids. Once you have the jar you want to use, make sure to clean it thoroughly. Then, arrange your scene using bottle brushes and figurines and glue them to the top of the jar. Now it's time to create some sparkle: add 1-2 teaspoons of glitter to the jar. Fill it with distilled water, nearly all the way to the top. Then add a few drops of glycerin and stir. Add some glue to the top of the jar and then place it on the base, and once dried, flip it to see some magic.
Twig Ornaments
This craft comes with an adventure: First, take a foraging walk outside to gather twigs. Then, use glue to create holiday shapes and finish with festive embroidery thread wrapping.
Leaf Paper Garland
This simple project is adaptable for kids of all ages. Parents can handle the scissors for smaller kids. You'll just need construction paper in complementary greens, as well as glue.
Filled Ornaments
When kids fill clear ornament balls with small objects or art supplies, there’s no end to the creative possibilities. (Older kids may work carefully with glass ornaments, while smaller kids are better off with plastic.)
Candy Cane Place Card Holders
Sure, these easy glued-together candy cane place cardholders look elegant with calligraphy. But they're much cuter when kids take over the task of writing guests' names.
Embellished Stocking
If time is on your side, make a bunch of personalized stockings for your entire family before Christmas morning. To make, fold the hem of the stocking to attach ribbon or pom pom-trim, then decorate with festive stickers and felt cut-outs. Once it's fully dry, fill it with an assortment of stocking stuffers.
Vintage Paper Ornaments
For added dimension, mix a bunch of paper ornaments with multicolored baubles. To make, trace our templates onto card stock and cut them out. Decorate to your liking with glitzy pipe cleaners and snowflake cut-outs. Finally, punch a hole, add a ribbon and hang 'em on your Christmas tree.
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