51 Merry and Bright Christmas Crafts for Kids
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Looking for a way to turn holiday chaos into festive fun? We have come up with some of the awesome Christmas craft ideas for kids that will be your ticket to a joyful, creative season. With projects ranging from glittery reindeer to DIY ornaments, you’ll keep little hands busy and holiday spirits soaring. Plus, they’re perfect for those moments when you need a quick activity to distract the kids or add a personal touch to your holiday decor.
So, grab those craft supplies and get ready for some holiday magic. These easy and engaging ideas will make your home sparkle and create cherished memories for years to come. Let’s make this Christmas not just merry, but also a little bit crafty!
51 Christmas Crafts For Kids
1. Plate Ornaments
Grab some paper or ceramic plates, paint them in holiday colors, and let the kids decorate with glitter and stickers. These make for great keepsakes and are a fun way to brighten up your holiday home.
2. Popsicle Stick Snowflakes
Use popsicle sticks to create snowflakes. Let the kids paint and decorate them with gems or glitter for a frosty touch that’s perfect for hanging around the house.
3. Candy Cane Reindeer
Turn candy canes into reindeer by adding pipe cleaner antlers, googly eyes, and a red pom-pom nose. These make adorable decorations or festive treats for classmates.
4. Homemade Ornaments
Use salt dough or air-dry clay to make ornaments. Kids can shape and paint them, adding personal touches that make these decorations extra special.
5. Cotton Ball Snowmen
Glue cotton balls onto paper to create snowmen. Add construction paper hats, scarves, and buttons for a cute winter scene that’s perfect for hanging it up as decor.
6. Egg Carton Reindeer
Cut and paint egg cartons to make reindeer. Add paper antlers and googly eyes for a fun, recycled craft that’s both creative and eco-friendly.
7. Christmas Tree Puppets
Decorate paper bags with Christmas elements like reindeer, Christmas tree, and more, then use them as puppets for holiday storytelling. It’s a playful way to bring festive tales to life for the kids as well as adults.
8. Holiday Greeting Cards
Fold paper into cards and let kids decorate with stamps, stickers, and drawings. It’s a great way for them to create personalized greetings for family and friends.
9. Santa’s Beard Craft
Cut out a Santa beard shape from paper and glue cotton balls to make his beard and put this up on an ice cream stick. Kids can use this as a prop and wear a hat for a fun, fluffy holiday craft.
10. Reindeer Handprints
Paint kids’ hands and press them onto paper to create reindeer prints. Add antlers and a red nose for a festive twist on a classic handprint craft.
11. Gingerbread Playdough
Make or buy gingerbread-scented playdough and let kids use cookie cutters to create gingerbread shapes. They can decorate their creations with icing and candies.
12. Holiday Wreaths
Use paper plates as the base for wreaths, then let kids add decorations like tissue paper, ribbon, and stickers. Hang these festive wreaths on doors or walls.
13. Bead Ornaments
String colorful beads into festive shapes to make ornaments. It’s an easy way to create custom decorations that shine on the tree.
14. Christmas Suncatchers
Use clear contact paper and colorful tissue paper to make suncatchers. Kids can create their own designs and hang them in the window to catch the light.
15. Paper Cup Snowman
Use white paper cups along with some fabric scraps to create a snowman. Make a hat from black paper and pair it up with a scarf to come up with a cute holiday decor element.
16. Handprint Santa Crafts
Trace your child’s handprints on red, white, blue, and black paper to make Santa’s elements. Add cotton balls, and googly eyes for Santa’s face. This craft doubles as a cute keepsake and makes it a personalized gift if you write greetings here and there.
17. Foam Gingerbread Men
Cut out gingerbread shapes from foam sheets and let kids decorate with markers, stickers, buttons, and other decor elements. These make great decorations for rooms or as festive magnets.
18. Snowman Rocks
Paint rocks to look like snowmen, and draw hats, scarves, and buttons for a cuter look. These make charming outdoor decorations or paperweights.
19. Christmas Cookie Decorating
Bake cookies and set up a decorating station with icing, sprinkles, and candies. Kids will love customizing their sweet treats in their own way and style, bringing out their creativity.
20. Holiday Pop-Up Cards
Fold the paper to create pop-up cards with festive shapes like Christmas trees, Santa Claus, or presents. Kids can add their own messages and decorations inside.
21. Christmas Countdown Chains
Make a countdown chain with colored paper links that have messages or wishes on it. Kids can tear off a link each day leading up to Christmas, building excitement for the big day.
22. DIY Waterless Snow Globes
Fill mason jars with glitter, white styrofoam balls, and small plastic figures to create snow globes. Kids will enjoy shaking them up and watching the snowfall.
24. Christmas Garland
Use popcorn and cranberries (you can use the plastic ones) to make a classic holiday garland. Kids will have fun stringing the pieces together and hanging the garland around the house.
25. Elf Hats
Create elf hats from paper plates and thread. Kids can decorate and paint them according to their favorite colors and wear them during holiday festivities or playtime.
26. Mini Pinecone Ornaments
Collect mini pinecones and paint them with festive colors. You can go ahead and add ribbon loops around each one of them and hang them as rustic ornaments on the tree.
27. DIY Christmas Placemats
Decorate large sheets of paper with holiday designs and laminate them to create festive placemats. Kids will enjoy setting the table for Christmas meals.
28. Elf Footprints
Use flour or baby powder to create elf footprints using a stencil leading to a special spot in the house. It’s a playful touch that adds magic to your holiday celebrations.
29. Holiday Sock Puppets
Use old socks to make puppets, decorating them with fabric markers, googly eyes, and yarn. Kids can put on holiday puppet shows for family fun.
30. Christmas-themed Stamps
Carve simple and colorful shapes on potatoes to make stamps. Kids can use these to print holiday designs on paper or fabric.
31. Holiday Slime Jars
Mix up batches of slime in holiday colors and store them in clear jars. Kids can play with their slime creations and give them as gifts.
32. Felt Christmas Trees
Cut Christmas tree shapes from felt and let kids decorate them with Christmas elements like joysticks, snowflakes, gifts, and more. They make for easy, fun, and reusable decorations.
33. Christmas Bookmarks
Design and decorate bookmarks with holiday themes. Kids can use them to mark their favorite books or give them as gifts.
34. Colorbook Greeting Cards
Let kids create personalized greeting cards by drawing and coloring their own holiday designs. Whether it’s Santa, a reindeer, or a Christmas tree, these DIY cards are perfect for sending festive cheer to family and friends.
35. Cotton Ball Santa Advent Calendar
Make a countdown to Christmas even more fun with a Santa advent calendar. Draw or print a large Santa face, and have kids glue a cotton ball to his beard each day. By Christmas, Santa will have a full, fluffy beard!
36. Snip Snip Santa Beard
Draw a Santa on paper with a long, extended paper beard. Each day, kids can snip off a part of the beard, trimming it as they count down to Christmas. It’s a fun way to work on their scissor skills while building excitement for the big day!
37. Paper Snowman
Use white paper, googly eyes, and buttons to create a snowman masterpiece. Kids can get creative with scarves, hats, and even glitter to make their snowmen stand out. Hang them on the wall for an instant winter wonderland at home.
38. Pom-Pom Christmas Tree
Create mini Christmas trees by stacking green pom-poms into a tree shape, gluing them together, and decorating them with mini ornaments or beads. It’s a fun, hands-on craft for little ones.
39. Pom-Pom String Christmas Wall Tree
Create a fun, space-saving wall Christmas tree using pom-pom garlands! Arrange the garlands in a tree shape on the wall, and let the kids hang small bells or ornaments along the “branches” with a star on top. It’s a colorful, mess-free way to bring festive cheer while giving the little ones a hands-on decorating experience.
40. Bottle Cap Snowmen
Recycle old bottle caps by painting them white and stacking three together to create a snowman. Add buttons, scarves, and a tiny hat for a playful winter craft.
41. Clothespin Elves
Paint wooden clothespins green and red, then turn them into elves by adding little felt hats and googly eyes. These adorable elves are perfect for hanging on the tree or using in pretend play.
42. Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle Wreath
Get all the extra Jigsaw Puzzle bits and glue them onto a cardboard wreath cut-out. Put up more Christmas decor elements around and add a ribbon bow, and voila! A festive and colorful wreath that’s easy for little hands to make.
43. Fingerprint Christmas Cards
Draw a Christmas tree on a piece of paper, then let the kids dip their fingers in colorful paint and press them onto the paper to create the leaves and branches. Frame it for a keepsake holiday decoration!
45. Rudolph Popsicle Stick Puppet
Glue a chocolate candy on a popsicle stick with googly eyes to make a reindeer face, add googly eyes, a red M&M for nose, and pretzels for antlers. Kids can use it as a puppet and also for dessert.
46. Shaving Cream Snow Paint
Mix shaving cream with glue and a little glitter, then let the kids paint snowmen or snowy scenes. Once it dries, it creates a cool, puffy texture that feels just like snow!
47. Tissue Paper Christmas Trees
Cut a triangle out of cardboard, then let kids scrunch up green tissue paper and glue it onto the tree shape. Add mini pom-poms or buttons as ornaments.
48. Santa Binoculars
Tape together two toilet paper rolls, paint them red, and decorate them with cotton balls and a belt to look like Santa. Perfect for kids to “spy” Santa on Christmas Eve!
49. Pasta Christmas Trees
Dye different pasta shapes green, then let kids glue them onto a cone shape to build their own mini Christmas tree. They can be decorated with buttons or sequins for ornaments.
50. Tomato Cage and Paper Decoration
Transform a tomato cage into a whimsical Christmas tree by covering it with colorful paper decorations. Simply wrap the cage with paper garlands, add paper ornaments and stars, and top it off with a paper star.
51. Angels on a Stick
Craft charming angel decorations by creating small angels from felt or paper and attaching them to wooden sticks. Use these angel-topped sticks as festive plant picks, cake toppers, or table centerpieces.
Enjoy the joy and laughter as your kids dive into these projects and make this holiday season truly memorable. Happy crafting and happy holidays!