5 Simple Christmas Crafts for Kids

My kids love to make and give gifts for Christmas. We always try to do something fairly simple since they usually want to make them for family, friends, classmates and teachers. We have been known to make 100 or more of the craft of the year. While you don't have to make that many, you may want to once you see how cute and easy these examples are to make!

My first bit of advice is to choose ONE PROJECT. This will make shopping or searching for supplies much easier. It will also be easier for the kids to complete several once they get the hang of it. You can make a few each night or take a weekend and knock them all out at once (the crafts, not the kids. LOL!).

Dough Ornaments
You can use any kind of dough that dries hard for this craft. Our dough is made out of a mixture of tacky glue and cornstarch. To make: Measure out about 1/4 cup of cornstarch on a disposable plastic plate (it will make a mess at first that is easier to throw away than clean up). Make a well in the center of the cornstarch with your fingers and add about 2 Tablespoons of tacky glue. Knead together until a dough forms.
You will need to work with the dough quickly keeping any extra dough covered with plastic as it dries fast! Only make as much dough as you can work with at one time because it does not store well.
Now you can shape your dough or roll it out and cut it cutting small holes for hangers with a straw if desired. Let air dry face-up on wax paper for 24 to 36 hours (depending on thickness). Paint pieces with craft paint and coat with a clear sealer. Attach ribbons and embellishments with tacky glue.

Paint Brush Santa Ornament
Using a small throw-away brush (sometimes called a chip brush), glue a small ball of dough (see above) on just above the bristles for the nose; paint the handle red, the metal ferrule a flesh tone and the bristles white (I used snow medium to give some texture). Allow to dry completely. Glue on some cotton or poly-fill to make the ball on his hat (at the top of the handle), the base of the hat, and his mustache. Add two googly eyes and a spot of red for his lips. Allow to dry and add a string or ribbon through the hole in the handle for a hanger.

Ribbon-Stitched Foam Stocking
Cut out two pieces of red craft foam in the shape of a stocking. Place the two pieces on top of each other and punch holes with a hole puncher around the sides and bottom. Lace the pieces together with white ribbon. Place a candy cane in the top for an extra treat! These could also be made in the shape of Santa's bag, a boot, a tree or any other holiday shape.

Chenille Stem Candy Canes
These are the easiest of the crafts featured today and can be made by even the youngest crafters! Using one white and one red chenille stem (sometimes called pipe cleaners) for each candy cane, fold each chenille stem in half. Put the two bent pieces together and hold them at one end with one hand while you twist them together with the other hand. Bend the top 1.5 inches over to make the cane shape. No need to add a hanger as the cane hangs right over a tree branch.

Foam Christmas Tree
Cut a triangle out of green craft foam in any size you wish. Using a hole puncher, punch out several different colored dots (this is a great way to use those scraps of foam we keep for no reason). Glue dots to the tree with tacky glue. Cut out a small star for the tree top from yellow or from glitter foam and glue to the top of your tree. Punch a hole in the tree to add a ribbon hanger or attach a magnet to the back as we have done!


There you have 5 simple Christmas crafts for the kids to make. I'm sure you'll get hooked on the fun of making these crafts as well. Don't forget to have the kids add their names and the year whenever possible to make a lasting keepsake!

Heather is a wife, mom,
school cafeteria worker,
councilwoman and babysitter from Ohio.
She also blogs at Its All for the Best
and The Fat Bottomed Girl.