Simple Christmas Crafts for Kids

Christmas is all about the children — not forgetting the child that lives in all of us. Kids love making things and getting messy and of course, encouraging them to be creative, can give you some quality time with them, keep them away from the TV/computer/games console (for a little while at least) as well as preparing for the festive season at the same time. There are hundreds of Christmas crafts for you to choose from - most don't take much time to do but can provide memories and keepsakes that will last a lifetime. Try these quick and easy craft ideas with your child this Christmas season. The trick is to keep everything simple. Don't be too ambitious!

Candy Cane Reindeer

For many children, Christmas means lots of sweets and candy.Traditional at Christmas is the red and white striped candy cane. These sweet treats are always a favorite among kids but they are also very useful for making simple, quick Christmas decorations, especially for children who are too young to draw or cut yet.

Supplies Needed:

A box of standard sized candy canes
Small wiggle eyes (enough for two per candy cane)
A bag of small red or black pom poms
Brown pipe cleaners (enough for one per candy cane)
A bottle of child-friendly white glue

• Glue two small wiggle eyes at the top of the curved portion of the candy cane.
• Next glue a red or black pom pom at the end of the curve for the nose of your reindeer.
• Bend a length of brown pipe cleaner in two to find the middle. This will become the antlers. Attach them to the cane by wrapping the middle portion of the pipe cleaner once around the top of the candy cane just above the eyes. Create curls in the antlers by spiraling one end of the pipe cleaner around a pencil. Slide the pencil out carefully and repeat on the other side of the antler.
• There you have it—one candy cane reindeer in a matter of minutes.

A Simple Christmas Stocking to Make

Remember how excited you were as a child to wake up early on Christmas morning to find Santa had filled your stocking to the brim with your Christmas wish list. A quick and easy craft is to combine that wish list with your child’s stocking to create a unique Christmas craft for kids to be proud of and parents to treasure.

Supplies Needed:

Two pieces of felt per stocking or one large piece of fabric
One fabric marker
Fabric glue
Glitter glue
Ribbon or lace (to create a loop to hang the stocking)
Other embellishments (this is up to you or your child—pom poms or Christmas stickers work well)
A Christmas stocking pattern (available on the internet to print out)

• First lay your two pieces of felt out, one on top of the other, or fold your large piece of fabric in two.
• Trace the outline of the stocking onto the top layer and cut out your shape through both layers of felt or fabric. Older children may be able to do these steps themselves while younger children may need help.
• Stick the two pieces together with fabric glue and you have a stocking that your child can decorate.
• Now here’s the best part: Have your child use a fabric friendly marker and write their “letter to Santa” on their stocking. Older siblings or parents can help those children too young to write, and who cares about spelling mistakes (at Christmas anyway) -  they only add to the charm.
• Glue a ribbon at the top for hanging and then let your child unleash their creative abilities with tinsel, glitter, pompoms and other decorations appropriate to their age.
• Older children could try sewing the stockings instead of gluing.

If you do this each year, you will have little treasures from each of your child’s Christmas to cherish.

Make a Flock of Christmas Ornaments

Some of the best Christmas ornaments on the tree are those that your children have made themselves. An easy and safe Christmas craft for kids five and under are Christmas balls adorned with feathers. These unique versions of standard Christmas balls add a sense of whimsy to any tree but being made from Styrofoam balls instead of glass, they are much more child-friendly ( as long as the child doesn't try to eat them of course !)

Supplies Needed:

Medium sized Styrofoam balls
Craft feathers (available by the bag at any craft store)
Ribbon, rustic string or twine
Child-friendly white glue

What makes this Christmas craft for kids so great is the simplicity of its design. All that is required is to cover the Styrofoam ball with the feathers. Depending on the child’s age you can have them begin at the bottom of the ball and work their way to the top, overlapping the feathers as they go, or simply let little ones glue and stick away to their heart’s content. Once the Styrofoam is covered to your child’s satisfaction have them glue a piece of ribbon or string on the top in a loop in order to hang their creation on the tree.

Christmas Ornaments for Older Children

If you feel your child is old enough to carefully handle glass Christmas balls and crafter’s paint here is a super simple craft that allows them to create their own custom colored Christmas balls.

Supplies Needed:

Crafter’s paint - (you’ll be using two or three different colors per ball so have a variety to choose from)
Plain clear or opalescent Christmas balls
Ribbon or string
Water (to dilute the paint)

• Dilute some paint with water, making sure it is thoroughly mixed. This will help the paint move better and dry faster.
• Now carefully take the top off of one of the glass Christmas balls. Squeeze a small amount of your watered down paint into the top of the glass ball.
• Slowly swirl the paint around the inside of the ornament by tipping the ball various ways and letting the paint run down the sides. Don’t try to cover the entire ball with the first color—you are going to want to leave blank spots which you will cover with your subsequent color(s).
• Repeat the process with each of the other colors, tipping the ball in order to cover spots not yet colored by previous paints.
• When you are happy with the coverage,  leave to dry and cure for 24 hours.
• Then place the tops back on. String a ribbon through the loop for hanging. Don’t worry if the paint isn’t completely dry after a day. One of the charms of this decoration is that the slightly damp paints will continue to meld into one another and actually enhance the swirling effect.

There you have it—four super simple and child friendly craft ideas to get you and your kids in the holiday spirit. This holiday season, between the shopping, baking and general chaos, be sure to set aside some time for just you and the kids. All it takes is some imagination, creativity and some simple Christmas crafts for kids and adults to enjoy and you have a recipe for creative holiday fun for the whole family.