The festive season is an exciting time for children. Making crafts is a great way to get kids involved in the festivities and spread holiday cheer. These are activities you can do when the weather is bad and nobody wants to set foot outside, and also when you want you children to take a break from their screens. Here are some fun and easy Christmas craft ideas that will delight younger children, but remember, supervision is essential!
Christmas Tree Decorations
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the best parts of the holiday season. Let your little ones make their own decorations to adorn the branches. This is a lovely activity you can do with any children you are fostering with fosterplus.co.uk, as they will be delighted to see their decorations on the tree.
They can also make decorations to give to their birth parents, or family members, as gifts, if appropriate. Here are some ideas:
- Handprint Christmas Trees – Have your child trace their handprint onto green paper and cut it out. Glue it to a popsicle stick and let them decorate with glitter, sequins, beads, pom poms, etc. Add a star or angel cutout on top. Hang them on the tree for a personal touch.
- Pinecone Ornaments – Provide pinecones, paint, glitter, and other embellishments. Let kids paint the pinecones and decorate them before tying a ribbon around the top for hanging.
- Salt Dough Ornaments – Make salt dough by mixing flour, salt, and water. Roll it out and use cookie cutters to make festive shapes like trees, stockings, etc. Bake the ornaments until hardened then let your child paint and decorate them. Add a ribbon for hanging.
Gingerbread Activities
Gingerbread cookies and houses are iconic Christmas symbols. Bake and decorate gingerbread items for sweet holiday fun. You can make:
- Gingerbread Men – Bake plain gingerbread men cookies. Provide frosting and sweets like M&Ms, Smarties, jellybeans, etc. Let the kids decorate their own gingerbread man with creative faces, buttons, etc.
- Gingerbread Houses – Construct a basic gingerbread house and let your child decorate it with frosting, sweets, cookies, gumdrops, and other sweets.
Santa Crafts
Bring the magic of Santa to life through crafts. These are great to set out on Christmas Eve!
- Santa Handprint – On red paper, have your child trace their handprint. Cut it out and glue on white trim for a glove. Add a white beard and Santa hat. Write “Santa” on it or a holiday message.
- Reindeer Food – Mix oats, glitter, and other craft supplies in a Ziplock bag for edible “reindeer food.” Let your child decorate the bag and leave it out for Santa's reindeer.
- Wrap empty boxes or cans and let your little one decorate them as Santa presents. This allows them to practice gift-giving through crafts! Add bows, ribbons, and name tags.
Christmas is the perfect time for children to express their creativity. Provide craft supplies like glue, scissors, paint, pom poms, googly eyes, and more. Monitor for safety, but allow them freedom to create unique Christmas crafts. Their homemade ornaments and decor will add an extra special touch to the seasonc
