The holidays will be here sooner than you think. While you’re decking the halls and baking like crazy, don’t forget to entertain the kids with some fun and easy Christmas crafts. Crafting is a wonderful way to spend quality time making memories together, and it keeps the kids engaged if the weather outside isn’t exactly delightful. The best part is that once you’re done, you’ll have some handmade Christmas decorations that you can use to spruce up the house, giving your home that extra special holiday magic that only comes along once a year.
Crafting is beneficial for kids in a number of ways. For instance, using scissors promotes independent finger movements, strengthens muscles in little hands, and helps with hand eye coordination. Using glue promotes fine motor skills and helps kids understand sticky materials. You get the idea. It’s fun, plus it’s good for their brains and development.
So, get ready for the holidays by planning some cute Christmas crafts the whole family can enjoy. From paper plate crafts to homemade ornaments, you’ll find something to make the days feel magical. We have enough to keep you busy and in the holiday spirit all season long!
Christmas Tree Crafts
Learn how to make Christmas trees out of a variety of craft materials such as paper plates, popsicle sticks, and more!
1. Paper Plate Christmas Tree
Rock around the Christmas tree with this cute Christmas tree craft made with paper plates, sparkly pom-poms, and a big golden bow. The trees will look adorable decorating your preschool classroom or the kids’ doors at home.
2. Paper Christmas Trees
Fireflies and Mud Pies’ gorgeous paper Christmas trees are so cute and easy that you’ll want to make some to display all over the house. Once the Christmas tree cones are assembled, the children can paint the bulbs on using their fingerprints. Add a string to turn them into Christmas tree ornaments, or use them to create wintery scenes on your shelves, tables, and mantel.
3. Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees
Turn ordinary craft sticks into whimsical popsicle stick Christmas trees following this tutorial from She Saved. Add mini pom pom ornaments, metallic rope for garland, and a bit of glitter to make it sparkle.
Santa Crafts
Santa Claus is coming to town with these adorable Christmas crafts for kids featuring jolly old St. Nick. They’re a great way to celebrate St. Nicholas Day, too (on December 6th).
4. Santa Advent Calendar
Count down the days until Christmas with our super cute Santa Advent calendar. Use the free printable template, and add one cotton ball to Santa’s beard each day leading up to Christmas Eve. What a fun way to build excitement for the holiday season!
5. Santa Name Craft
Help kids learn to spell their names with the help of the jolly man in red himself. For this Santa name craft, Santa is diving headfirst into a chimney made with letters of the child’s name. For more name craft ideas, be sure to check out my name crafts for kids blog post!
6. Santa Handprint Craft
Santa Claus never looked cuter! Make a handprint Santa with fluffy cotton fingers to make the beard, felt to make the red hat, and a sparkly little nose.
7. Santa Binoculars
Watch for St. Nick with these fabulous Santa binoculars on Christmas Eve. It’s a fun craft to use the toilet paper rolls you’ve been stashing. If you don’t have a furry piece of fabric, you can line the binoculars with cotton instead.
Reindeer Crafts for Kids
The reindeer do the hard work every Christmas by dragging that huge sleigh around, so why not make some reindeer crafts to celebrate our favorite red-nosed reindeer?
8. Reindeer Food Printable
This reindeer food idea is one of the cutest reindeer crafts and is sure to become a favorite holiday tradition for you and your family. We offer free printable bag toppers, and you can also shape your bags like reindeer heads by adding pipe cleaner antlers, big googly eyes, and a bright red nose. Fill the bags with oatmeal and glitter to make your magical reindeer food.
9. Paper Ball Reindeer Craft
Let kids practice their scissor skills and concentration by making this festive paper ball reindeer by Easy Peasy and Fun. Cut construction paper into strips, assembling them into a paper ball to make the reindeer’s head. Add antlers, eyes, and a red pom pom nose to finish it.
10. Handprint Reindeer Christmas Ornament
Look how easy it is to turn a brown handprint into an adorable kid-made ornament for the tree. Grandparents will love one of these reindeer handprint ornaments, too!
11. Popsicle Stick Reindeer
Pull some craft sticks and clothespins out of your craft drawer for this fabulous popsicle stick reindeer from Hunny I’m Home. Cover the craft sticks and clothespin in brown acrylic paint, and tie a couple of pipe cleaners around each clothespin to make the antlers.
DIY Elf Crafts for Kids
For the families who love their Christmas elves, these crafts will be a huge hit.
12. Elf Hat
Looking for a fun and EASY elf craft? Try this printable elf hat. It’s super simple to put together. Just print the pieces on colored paper, and let the kids cut out the pieces to put the hat and ears together. Wear them for family movie night while watching Elf!
13. Elf Name Craft
Help preschoolers learn how to spell their names with an adorable elf name craft. Work on spelling and fine motor skills at the same time with these Christmas crafts for kids.
14. Elf on the Shelf Paper Plate Craft
Here’s a fun Elf on the Shelf craft idea from Simple Everyday Mom for the kids who are obsessed with their elves. It’s also a cute idea to have the elf make them overnight to surprise the kids the next morning. Grab some paper plates and the printables for the face, hair, hat, and eyes. It comes together so fast and is sure to make everyone smile.
15. Cupcake Liner Elf
You can make just about anything with cupcake liners, like this cupcake liner elf from Messy Little Monster that looks just like the Elf on the Shelf. Add a smiling face, a hat, and a collar to complete the look.
16. Buddy the Elf Craft
Does your family have an annual tradition of watching the movie Elf? If so, make this printable Buddy the Elf craft part of your next holiday movie night. Kids can add their own faces to the elf, and the arms and legs are movable!
Homemade Christmas Ornaments
Make your tree look extra special this year with some handmade Christmas ornament crafts. Kids of all ages enjoy decorating the tree!
17. Pasta Christmas Ornaments
Did you ever make macaroni art as a kid? With a little creativity, you can turn pasta into almost anything, like these pasta Christmas ornaments from The Best Ideas for Kids. Create a wreath or star with a photo inside to hang on the tree.
18. Snowman Christmas Ornament
Turn a fillable plastic ornament into this charming snowman Christmas ornament by Crayons and Cravings with just a few materials. Use a paint marker to draw on the face, add a ribbon, and earmuffs made out of pom poms and pipe cleaners.
19. Footprint Penguin Ornament
Penguins may not be Christmasy, exactly, but they sure are cute and remind me of winter. This footprint penguin salt dough ornament is a sweet addition to any Christmas tree and will remind you of your child’s small footprints for years to come.
20. Cinnamon Salt Dough Ornaments
Make your entire house smell incredible with these cinnamon salt dough ornaments from Domestically Blissful. Even the older kids will enjoy getting in on the fun. Not only do they look fantastic on the tree, but they make beautiful tie-ons for gifts, too.
Snowman Crafts
These snowmen crafts add to the fun and get kids excited for winter. They make great Christmas crafts for kids when you’re tired of Santa and reindeer or you can save these projects to make after Christmas Day.
21. Snowman Paper Plate Craft
Build a snowman no matter where you are! All you need for this snowman paper plate craft are some paper plates, construction paper, cotton, googly eyes, and buttons to make your own version of Frosty. His hat, scarf, and other accessories can be as colorful as you’d like. Kids will especially love putting the cotton balls around the paper plate ring.
22. Clothespin Snowman Craft
Use these clothespin snowmen as clip-on ornaments or add magnetic tape to the back and put them on the fridge. With a little white paint, markers, pom-poms for noses and yarn for scarves, these little snowmen come together in no time.
23. Pinecone Snowmen
Look, We’re Learning has a tutorial for pinecone snowmen that kids are sure to love. Go on a walk together to gather pinecones, and then use cotton and felt to turn them into snowmen for your mantel or Christmas tree.
Nativity Crafts
If you’d like to teach your children the story of Jesus’s birth, these crafts are a beautiful way to do so.
24. Nativity Hat
Celebrate the reason for the Christmas season with a nativity hat that’s as easy as print, cut, color, and assemble. This no-prep craft is a super cute idea for Sunday School class.
25. Nativity Stick Puppets
Read the story of the first Christmas in the Bible, and then make these nativity stick puppets from Real Life At Home. Use them to reenact the story to check for understanding.
26. Baby Jesus Craft
Learn a new painting technique with this fork-painted Baby Jesus craft from Big Family Blessings. The painted fork strokes look like the hay in the manger where Baby Jesus lay.
27. Crumpled Tissue Paper Nativity
Work those hand muscles and fine motor skills with this easy crumbled paper activity from Mommy Made That. It features Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus on a star background.
More Fun Christmas Crafts for Kids
Here are a few more of our favorite holiday crafts that are perfect for the winter season.
28. Winter Name Craft
Help your preschoolers learn to write their names with this snow globe winter name craft. Write the letters of their names on the snowballs, and add them to the scene after it’s colored in. It’s a cute and charming craft that’ll make a nice keepsake.
29. Christmas Countdown Calendar
It’s the final countdown! Keep track of the number of days until Christmas with a charming snowman or reindeer countdown calendar. Fasten the counter with a paper fastener, and move it a little each day to the corresponding number.
30. Grinch Handprint Craft
He may be a mean one, but he’s a cute one, too. Simple Everyday Mom’s handprint Grinch will make a fantastic Christmas keepsake. Trace your kids’ handprints, and let them cut the rest of the pieces from the handy template. Love his little red scarf!
More Christmas Crafts For Kids
- Nativity Crafts – a cute collection of figures to make a paper nativity, including Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, 3 Wise Men, a shepherd, and an angel.
- Christmas Around the World Crafts – Learn about holiday traditions around the world with this fun printable pack. Projects include crafts to represent traditions in Italy, France, Australia, Sweden, and 10 other locations. They’re perfect for the classroom!
- Pete the Cat Christmas Craft – It’s everyone’s favorite groovy cat decked out in Christmas attire. Use it after you read the book, 12 Groovy Days of Christmas.
- Grinch Day Craft – Count down the days until Christmas with the Grinch. It features the Grinch’s hand holding an ornament with the number of days remaining.
- Polar Express Bell Craft – The perfect project to pair with the Polar Express book. Kids will complete a writing activity about what they’d choose as the first gift of Christmas. The printable also includes a paper version of the bell featured in the book.
- Reindeer Craft – Get kids excited for Christmas Eve with simple crafts like this Rudolph craft with lights in his antlers. Each light bulb has a letter written in it to spell out the child’s name.
- Snowman Crafts – Make two adorable printed snowmen in a flash! They’re easy to assemble once the pieces are cut out and will look great in the windows all through winter.
Don’t forget to pin this list of preschool Christmas crafts to come back to every holiday season. Enjoy!
