Last updated on February 3rd, 2024 at 10:37 am
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s right! It’s the holiday season! If your kids are anything like ours, they are already counting down the days until Christmas. The holiday spirit is alive and well around here. Our schedules are full with school Christmas programs, family gatherings, and holiday activities!
Maybe it’s because of all the extra hustle and bustle that comes with this season that makes it even more important to slow down have some family time. Make some Christmas cookies, grab some candy canes, and drive around to look at some beautiful Christmas lights and of course, make some Christmas decorations together!
A Few Quick Tips for Doing Crafts With Your Children
- Choose age-appropriate crafts! Toddlers will lose interest quickly if all the steps are so complicated that they are unable to do anything themselves.
- Have everything prepared ahead of time. Little kids have short attention spans so have all your supplies laid out and shapes cut out before you begin.
- If there are adults-only (think hot glue gun) steps have a coloring page for them to work on or another step they can do while they wait.
- Let go of perfection! In the end, it doesn’t matter if they do the craft ‘correctly’ – it’s just for the fun and memories!
- Let them display their projects for all to see! Encourage their creativity!
- Ask for their decoration ideas. Even little ones can look with you online for inspiration and help pick the crafts they want to try.
Handprint Wreath
You Need:
- Green and red construction paper
- Paper plate
- Green paint & paint brush
- Glue
- Scissors
- Little hands!
- Cut the center out of a paper plate so only a ring remains.
- Trace hands on green construction paper and cut out. You can trace as many as you want to have a fuller wreath but for reference, we used 15 handprint cut-outs.
- Cut red paper into small circles to use as berries on your wreath.
- Glue hands around wreath and glue on your red berries.
- Display!
Popsicle Stick Ornaments
You Need:
- Popsicle sticks
- Fine tip Sharpie
- Glitter
- Various paint colors
- Hot glue (or craft glue, it will just take longer to dry)
- String or yarn for hanging
- Using a hot glue gun (or your craft glue), glue your popsicle sticks into various shapes. We chose to do a star, a Christmas tree, and a Nativity scene. Let dry.
- Paint your popsicle stick creation and let dry. Decorate with glue and glitter!
- Put a dab of hot glue or craft glue on the back of your ornament and press two ends of your string into it to form a loop.
- Hang your ornament on your tree and enjoy!
Rudolph Clothespins
You Need:
- Clothespins
- Brown and white paint
- Fine tip sharpie
- Red Glitter
- Glue
- Brown pipe cleaners
- Paint your clothespins brown and let dry.
- Fold a piece of your pipe cleaner in half and wrap one side around the other. Cut to form the antlers. (See photo)
- Glue antlers to the clothespin.
- Add a dot of glue for Rudolph’s nose and cover with red glitter.
- Add dots of white paint for Rudolph’s eyes and color in with the sharpie.
- Clip to your tree, garland, other décor or even add a magnet to the back and use on your refrigerator!
Snowman Door
You Need:
- Black and orange construction paper
- Scissors
- Round items for tracing
- Wrapping paper or thick Christmas ribbon
- Painter’s tape (so you don’t strip the paint off your door
- Trace round items onto black construction paper and cut out 2 eyes, 5 circles for the mouth and 5 for his buttons.
- Use orange construction paper to cut out a carrot shaped nose.
- Stick all your shapes to the door with painter’s tape. Add your snowman’s scarf!
Get creative when you are preparing your home for the holiday season. Let your kid’s imagination run wild while spreading holiday cheer. The sky’s the limit here. Paper snowflakes, painted pine cones, even a tree shape cutout make a great addition to your holiday table.
The holidays are a time to be with family, remember the past year’s joy and sorrow, celebrate our blessings, and give back to those in need. It can also be hectic when it comes to holiday planning! If you feel like things are getting too crazy this season or if you simply want some simple ways of adding more festive cheer into your home decoration without extra stress then these decorations will do just that. You don’t have to spend money on expensive crafts supplies either because all of these DIY ideas use materials found around the house! We hope they provide an easy way for anyone looking for last-minute Christmas decorating inspiration.
Happy Holidays!
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Amy Cook is a midwestern wife and mom to four boys ages 8, 6 and 3 year old fraternal twins. She has a degree in Biochemistry and worked in medical research for 8 years before becoming a SAHM when her twins were born. Now she runs her Etsy shop and graphic design blog, Loving Our Messy, offering free printables and design tools. Her other passions include baking, watching baseball and all things creative.
