Christmas Craft Projects for Kids

Get your children in the holiday spirit by working on Christmas-themed craft projects with them. Crafts projects will keep children occupied while you run around, getting your holiday shopping done and preparing for the big day. Christmas craft projects range from making decorations for the home to making cards and gifts to give.

Decorate the Home

Deck the halls with homemade decorations. Stock up on ring-shaped pieces of foam as well as foam spheres and cones. Have the child wrap a foam ring in tinsel and decorate it with small Christmas ornaments or pom-poms to make a sparkly wreath that will last. Stack three foam spheres on top of each other and glue them in place. Help your child paint them so that they look like a snowman. If you want, cut out small pieces of felt for the snowman’s mittens and scarf. You can also wrap the cone-shaped pieces of foam in green felt and decorate with glitter and sequins to make small, festive Christmas trees.

Stockings Hung by the Chimney With Care

Help little fingers cut two pieces of felt into the shape of a stocking. Poke holes around the sides and bottom of the stocking shape. Thread a dull, plastic needle with a piece of yarn and help a small child stitch the stocking together. If your child is older, you can help her learn to sew by making a fabric stocking with her. Use glitter paint to write the child’s name on the stocking.

Countdown to Christmas Calendar

Count down the first 25 days of December with a handmade advent calendar. You can make the calendar simple, by cutting 25 flaps into a piece of construction paper and gluing the paper to a larger piece of poster board. Write the date on the poster board beneath each flap and help your child draw Christmas decorations all over the calendar. You can also make a more elaborate calender by making a little pocket for each date and putting a small treat, such as a peppermint or piece of gum, in each pocket.

Handmade Christmas Cards and Wrapping

Have your child make cards to give to his classmates or family members. The cards can be as simple as a folded piece of card stock decorated with a picture of a Christmas tree or more elaborate collages or 3-D pop-out cards, depending on how much time and inclination you have. Children can also make their own Christmas wrapping paper by rubber stamping plain brown paper bags with festive stamps or by drawing on the paper.

Good Enough to Eat

Melt chocolate and pour into holiday shaped molds to make little candies your child can give to friends. You can also dip pretzels into the chocolate to make homemade chocolate-covered pretzels. Sprinkle nonpareils on top to make the chocolate look extra festive and package in white paper boxes that your child can decorate with markers, ribbons and stamps.