CHRISTMAS CRAFT IDEAS YOUR TODDLER AND PRESCHOOLER WILL LOVE
Discover a selection of easy, fun and engaging Christmas crafts you can make with your toddler and preschooler this holiday season.
Now that Halloween is over, we are diving right into Christmas! My husband insists that Christmas season doesn’t start until after Thanksgiving, but I most definitely do not agree with that. I love Christmas, so I need as much time as I can to do all the Christmas things.
One thing I have been doing with my children every holiday season is Christmas crafts. They love crafts. We make our own DIY Christmas decorations, craft gifts and holiday cards for family and friends and create some fun tree ornaments. Holiday crafts are a great way to create magical Christmas memories and get into the spirit of the season.
Below are 10 of my favorite Christmas crafts for toddlers and preschoolers. Some of these crafts you can even do with your baby, some crafts will still be enjoyed by older children. Every child is different and unique, so putting an exact age recommendation out here is impossible.
Easy DIY Christmas Wreath
For this craft you will cut out the center of a paper plate to turn the plate into a ring. You will then decorate the paper plate wreath. My kids love paints, so I let them paint the wreath with washable paint. You can also let your kids use crayons, colored pencils or markers, if you are not a fan of paints.
Once you are done coloring the paper circle you can decorate it with pom poms, stickers, glitter and whatever you have on hand. Add a little bow and you have a cute DIY Christmas decoration.
DIY Christmas card
This is the perfect craft for toddlers and even babies. It only requires paper and finger paints and is very easy to set up. Cut out a Christmas shape of your choice, like a Christmas tree, lay it on a piece of card stock and let your little ones cover the entire paper.
Grandparents will love receiving this handmade card from their grandchildren.
You can find step-by-step instructions in my DIY Christmas card post.
Popsicle stick Christmas tree ornaments
If you are looking for cute DIY tree ornaments you will cherish forever, look no further. These little tree ornaments made out of popsicle sticks are easy to make and add a personal touch to every Christmas tree. Your kids can use their own creativity and decorate the popsicle sticks however they like.
You can even add a picture of your little one and make it a great Christmas gift for parents and grandparents.
Beaded candy cane craft and activity
If you enjoyed the Halloween witch’s broomstick fine-motor activity with your little one, you will love this one as well. These candy canes are perfect for hanging onto your Christmas tree or turning them into a garland for your fireplace. All you need are pipe cleaners and red and white beads.
Form a candy cane shape out of your pipe cleaner and let your kids thread beads on it. Not only is this a fun little craft, it is a great activity to practice hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, colors and counting.
Never leave your child unattended during this activity, since small beads can be a choking hazard!
Salt dough Christmas ornaments
One of our favorite craft every holiday season are salt dough ornaments. They are so much fun to make and are a great gift for grandparents as well.
We usually do salt dough ornaments that we cut out using cookie cutters and then paint them with kids paint, as well as handprint ornaments. The handprint ornaments are my favorite, especially while your kids are little. It is the perfect Christmas tradition. Think about how precious it will be to have those little handprint ornaments on your tree when your kids are all grown up.
Pine cone Christmas trees
These little DIY Christmas tree decorations are fun to make and can add a unique touch to your table or mantle decor.
You can either buy pine cones or get out and find them in nature. I prefer getting out to the park and collecting them with the kids. We usually do a fun fall nature scavenger hunt to collect some fall treasures, including pine cones. The kids love it and it gets everyone outside.
Yarn wrapped ornaments
Yarn wrapped ornaments are definitely on our craft list this Christmas season. All you need is yarn and some thicker card stock paper or a piece of cardboard from a box. You then cut out a shape of your choice, for example stars, Christmas trees, candy canes, and start wrapping yarn all around until the entire paper is covered.
These yarn ornaments look super cute on the Christmas tree and are a great little giveaway for your next holiday party.
Maple painted paper snowflakes
Paper snowflakes are an easy craft and always a hit. Making paper snowflakes is also a great activity to practice scissor cutting skills with your kids.
Grab a white piece of paper and fold it multiple times. Cut various shapes around the edges, unfold and e voilà you have a snowflake. You can hang it up as is, let your kids color it in or make it even more fun and paint it with marbles!
Lay the snowflake in a box, like an old shoe box, add a few drops of paint, put in the marble and let your kids tilt the box in all directions to roll the marble around in the box. Marble painting is always a big hit with my kids.
Christmas tree sun catcher
We had so much fun crafting fall leaf sun catchers that my kids want to make some for Christmas too. They are very easy to make and are a great festive window decoration.
You want to cut out the outline of a Christmas tree. Put it on contact paper and let your kids fill it with ripped up tissue paper. And thats it. Super simple, yet so much fun.
You can also experiment with different shapes, like tree ornaments, stars, candy canes, etc.
Scrunched Paper Christmas Trees
A great Christmas craft that will help your toddler improve their fine motor skills are crunched paper Christmas trees. Cut a tree shape (or any Christmas related shape) out of card stock paper and let your toddler rip up tissue paper. Your kids can then scrunch and roll small pieces of tissue paper into little balls and glue them onto your paper cutout.
These scrunched paper Christmas trees make a great window decoration or can be added to an empty card for a cute grandparents gift.
Looking for more activities and things to do during holiday season? Check out my book recommendations for toddlers and preschoolers/ kindergarteners and create magical reading moments.
Enjoy crafting and creating magical Christmas memories with your kids.
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