During the holidays we see more of our kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews around the house. Especially during school breaks. Making things is a great way to stop the boredom from setting in! Crafts are fun to make, educational and engaging. Keep kiddos busy with simple holiday craft projects your kids can do themselves, or with help.
This Santa handprint craft makes use of kids handprints, with cotton ball fingers for Santa’s beard! Although there are lots of fun materials used, the project is very simple. The simplicity and charm of this craft makes it fun for everyone
You’ll need cotton balls, cardstock, googly eyes, small red pom pom, glue, and paint for Santa’s face. Lastly, red and white felt. Here are step by step directions for making Santa handprints, and a video to guide you through it.
Another easy paper craft that can be either very basic or highly detailed, depending on the interest of the children playing.
To make these trees, you’ll want to have paper plates, a paper towel roll for each tree, green cardstock, tape, glitter paper, pom poms, red felt and cardboard.
Here are detailed steps and a video on making Handprint Christmas Trees. For these trees, young kids will need some adult help.
Countdown is a New Year’s Eve tradition, and you can make it extra fun by creating New Year’s Eve Countdown Bags. These help channel anticipation and give kids something to do.
Start with lunch bags, and you can either cut out printed clock images to glue or staple onto the bags, or draw directly on them. Clock faces can be a fun challenge for kids to read. Set each bag with the time it can be opened. Then put an activity to do, a game to play, a toy to play with, or a story to read in each bag. They’ll provide entertainment for as long as you like.
Here are well detailed directions on how to make your New Year Countdown bags with the kids.
Fireworks are a symbol of our excitement for the new year. Obviously, some children are too young to play with actual fireworks, so they can make some safe ones of their own! And then you can decorate with these little rocket-shaped peices of art.
To make great little rocket fireworks, you can use jumbo popsicle sticks, mini Popsicle sticks, glue, paint, some paper plates, scissors, cardstock and ribbon. Feel free to throw in glitter, rhinestones, foil, or other glitzy stuff.
Here are detailed steps for making Popsicle Fireworks.