Christmas Crafts for Kids
by Lila Rosethorn

Christmas Craft

Over the years I've created all sorts of fun Christmas decorations and now I have my own family, I get great joy out of showing them how creative they can be at Christmastime. It's also very rewarding to see your own decorations hanging from the Christmas tree and around the room. Here are just a few of the Christmas crafts we've engaged in over the years...

Christmas Chains

Making these chains is a wonderful family bonding experience. Each family member creates their own individual Christmas designs and pictures on strips of paper which gets transformed into a family Christmas chain to hang in your living room. Designs can be simple and utilise Christmas colours, or they can be detailed pictures about what Christmas means to each family member.

Start by cutting several sheets of paper into strips of around 3cm width. A suitable length can be achieved by cutting across the width of A4 pages. You can use coloured paper but make sure drawings will stand out against the background. I find white paper is just as effective and usually already found in the home as printer paper.

Give each family member around 10 strips to decorate - or any number that gives the chain length you desire and doesn't wear you out! Supply an assortment of coloured markers, crayons, stickers, glitter, stencils, glue, coloured paper to cut out star shapes, etc. Use your imagination and go wild. Remind everyone to keep a 1cm strip blank at one end for gluing. You may need to blank this section out with a marker for youngsters so their design doesn't get covered up.

When everyone is finished, randomly mix the strips together then start creating your chain. Glue (or use tape or staples) the first chain link into a circle. Insert the next strip through the first link then glue it and so on until you have your full-length chain. Hang it with pride!

Christmas Baubles

This one is suitable for children from about 8 years of age.

You will need:

A lot of work goes into these baubles so creating one bauble each is a realistic goal unless your child becomes addicted and wants to create more. The larger the foam ball, the more time it will take to create the decoration.

Starting with the foam ball, take a pin and thread one bead onto it, followed by one sequin. Push the pin into the ball. Do this repeatedly, each time slightly overlapping the next sequin over the last. It will help to go in a circular or spiral direction until the final white space of the foam ball is evident. In this final space, add a loop of ribbon after the bead and sequin and push into the ball. You now have a beautiful glimmering bauble to hang on the Christmas tree.

You can create different effects by choosing a single bead and sequin colour (such as gold, red or green), using 2-3 colours to create a pattern effect as you go, or by using all sorts of random colours for a shimmering unique bauble.

As an alternative, you might prefer to purchase the dressmaker pins that already have coloured balls on the end so you only need to add a sequin. This may be an option for less patient children.

Lolly Garland

This one is quick and easy, and very yummy! You'll need a roll of strong Christmas ribbon to use - either cloth or synthetic, around an inch wide. Now buy an assortment of lollies that come in individual wrappers. You could go for special Christmas coloured lollies or your usual brand name favourites. Lay out your ribbon on the floor and space out the lollies, creating a pattern if you wish. Using a stapler, attach each lolly by one end of it's wrapper until you've created your lolly garland.

Lolly garlands look wonderful strung over a fireplace mantel. Just be wary that all those lollies can make your garland quite heavy so you'll need to attach it in several places so it becomes a series of hanging loops.

If you can bear it, have the family wait until Christmas Day to eat their garland. Alternatively, you could make the garland at the start of December and ensure you have enough lollies for each child to have one each day leading up to Christmas.

Christmas Lanterns

This one is suitable for all ages if an adult can help the young ones.

You'll need:

Take a sheet of A4 paper/card and hold it in upright position (portrait).
Cut a 1 inch strip across the top - the width. This will be your handle.
Fold the remainder of the paper in half from top to bottom.
Make cuts along the folded edge towards the outer edge, spacing the cuts approx. 2cm apart. When you make each cut, make sure to stop cutting about an inch from the other side - do not cut right through. For younger children it may be helpful to draw the cutting guidelines in pencil.
Unfold the sheet of paper so it's in portrait position again (width across and length down).
If you want to decorate the lantern further, this is the time to do it, before joining the lantern sides. Otherwise, proceed with the following instructions...
Join the top corner with tape or staples (as you bring it around, the folded strips should flare outwards).
Join the bottom corners in the same way and add additional joins to the side if needed.
It should now resemble a lantern and you can help it flare out in the middle by firming the creases on the strips.
Curve the handle strip over the top of the lantern and join one end to each side with staples or tape.
Take a piece of cellophane and scrunch it into a ball - this represents a flame or glow from the lamp. Place it inside the lantern and work it around until you are happy with how it looks.

You now have a Christmas lantern! If you are up for it, you could create 8 to 12 lanterns and string them along some ribbon as a garland for your entertainment area.

Leadlight Decorations

You'll need:

Using some light cardboard, cut a number of same-size shapes such rectangles, diamonds, stars or circles that would be a suitable size as Christmas tree decorations (e.g. around 5 inches).

For older children: On each decoration, take a black marker and draw some simple designs/shapes. Use a craft knife to cut out pieces of the design. On the back, stick a piece of coloured cellophane over the design so the colour shows through the cut-out sections, giving the leadlight effect. Alternatively, you could cut smaller pieces of cellophane in various colours and stick over the cut-outs to create a multi-colour decoration. Add a loop of thin ribbon to the back, at the top, and hang on the tree.

For younger children: Depending on the age of the child and their skills, there are various ways he or she can be involved in creating their leadlight decoration. Preschool-age children could cut the main decoration shapes after an adult has drawn the shape. Rather than drawing and using a craft knife to create cut-out shapes, a younger child could create shapes by folding small sections of the paper and making little shape cut-outs using safety scissors (e.g. like you do when making paper snowflakes). The parent can help by making the small folds for the child to cut a piece off, then making a fold in another location to do the same, until there are a few cut-outs. Otherwise the parent can do the cut-out stage and the child can help stick the cellophane and ribbon on.

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