Some Christmas crafts need a whole afternoon and a table covered in newspaper. The ones below do not. These 20 simple and easy Christmas crafts for kids use supplies you probably already have at home: popsicle sticks, pinecones, socks, paper plates, and cardboard tubes.
The ideas come from kids’ craft bloggers and makers who have made each project with children. Credit and a link to each creator’s own tutorial follow every idea. Pick by age and mess level: beading and felt stay fairly tidy, while salt dough and paint need a covered table and an adult nearby. If you have a very young child who is happiest tearing and sticking, start with these Christmas paper crafts for toddlers first.
1. Salt dough melted snowman and candy cane ornaments
Salt dough is flour, salt, and water, mixed and baked hard. Here it becomes a snowman that looks as if it is melting, and a candy cane made by twisting a plain dough rope with a red one. Make a hole with a straw before baking, paint once cool, and seal with Mod Podge.
Idea and tutorial: Melissa Haines at Kid Friendly Things To Do. Ages 5 and up, adult handling the oven. Mess: medium. Needs: flour, salt, water, food colouring, paint, ribbon, Mod Podge.
2. Popsicle stick reindeer ornament
Three wide popsicle sticks make the whole reindeer. Painted brown and glued into a triangle, with brown pipe cleaners twisted round the top stick for antlers, wiggly eyes, and a large red button or pom-pom for the face, it hangs from a loop of string.
Idea and tutorial: Melissa Lennig at Fireflies and Mud Pies. Ages 4 and up. Mess: low to medium. Needs: wide popsicle sticks, brown paint, pipe cleaners, wiggly eyes, a red button or pom-pom, glue, string.
3. Pine cone Christmas trees
A pinecone from the garden becomes a tabletop tree. The cones are baked first to open them up and dry them out, then painted green with white tips to look like snow. A painted wood circle and bead form the base and trunk, and mini pom-poms are the ornaments.
Idea and tutorial: DIY Candy. Ages 5 and up, adult handling the oven and hot glue. Mess: medium. Needs: pinecones, green and white paint, a wood circle and bead, mini pom-poms, glue.
4. No-sew sock snowman
No sewing, no glue gun, and no waiting for paint to dry. A white sock is filled with rice at the bottom and stuffing above it, then tied off with elastics to make a round body and a smaller head. The toe of a second, coloured sock becomes the hat, a strip of the same sock is the scarf, and buttons and a pipe cleaner nose finish it. It takes under 15 minutes.
Idea and tutorial: Debbie Chapman at One Little Project. Ages 4 and up. Mess: very low. Needs: a white sock, a coloured sock, rice, stuffing, elastics, a pipe cleaner, buttons, a pink marker.
5. Mason jar snow globes
A wide-mouth mason jar, some water, and glitter are most of this one. Small figurines or bottlebrush trees are glued with waterproof glue inside the lid, then the jar is filled with distilled water, glycerine, and glitter. Screw the lid on tight and turn it over, and the glitter drifts down.
Idea and tutorial: Living Green and Frugally. Ages 6 and up, adult help sealing the lid. Mess: medium. Needs: a wide-mouth mason jar, distilled water, glycerine, glitter, small figurines or bottlebrush trees, waterproof glue.
6. Popsicle stick snowflakes with paper quilling
Four popsicle sticks crossed at the centre make a sturdy snowflake, and rolled paper quills give it the delicate part. Kids paint the sticks in icy colours, wrap thin silver cardstock strips round a bamboo skewer into small coils, pinch them into circles and teardrops, glue them on, and add a ribbon loop.
Idea and tutorial: Projects with Kids. Ages 8 and up. Mess: low to medium. Needs: popsicle sticks, paint, silver cardstock, a bamboo skewer, glue, ribbon.
7. Beaded candy cane ornaments
Threading beads is the whole craft here, which makes it a good one for patience and fine motor skills. Red and white pony beads go onto a pipe cleaner in an alternating pattern, with one end bent over first so the beads cannot slide off. When the pipe cleaner is full, bend the other end closed and shape it into a cane.
Idea and tutorial: Stacey at Glued To My Crafts. Ages 4 and up, adult watching younger children, as pony beads are a choking hazard. Mess: very low. Needs: pipe cleaners, red and white pony beads, string.
8. Felt Christmas ornaments
These are proper sewn ornaments, and the tutorial includes free printable templates for four designs: a penguin, a snowman, a Christmas pudding, and a gingerbread house. The shapes are traced onto felt, sewn with blanket stitch, stuffed with fiberfill, and finished with sewn or glued details and a ribbon loop.
Idea and tutorial: Cooking My Dreams. Ages 8 and up, adult help with needles. Mess: low. Needs: felt, a needle and thread, fiberfill, small black beads, ribbon, the free templates.
9. Pine cone reindeer decorations
Another pinecone craft, and this one needs even less. A red pom-pom on the tip of the cone is the nose, googly eyes sit on the scales, and pipe cleaner antlers are bent and wrapped into shape. Ears can be cut from stiff brown card or foam, or shaped from clay. Hot glue is fastest, but white PVA glue works too.
Idea and tutorial: Kerry at Blissful Domestication. Ages 4 and up. Mess: low to medium. Needs: pinecones, a red pom-pom, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, stiff brown card or foam, glue, ribbon or twine.
10. Clothespin reindeer ornament
Take the metal springs out of two wooden clothespins and you have the pieces for a reindeer. The two clothespins are glued together in a V shape, then painted brown, with googly eyes and a red pom-pom nose for the face. A plaid ribbon bow sits between the antlers, and a twine loop glued to the back is the hanger.
Idea and tutorial: Lisa O’Driscoll at Fun Money Mom. Ages 5 and up. Mess: low to medium. Needs: wooden clothespins, brown paint, googly eyes, a red pom-pom, ribbon, glue, twine.
11. Pom-pom Christmas tree
A cardstock cone and a lot of pom-poms make a tree that needs no painting. A cardstock circle is cut in half and rolled into a cone, then mixed-size green, red, and white pom-poms are glued on from the bottom up, with a smaller one on the tip.
Idea and tutorial: Debbie Chapman at One Little Project. Ages 4 and up. Mess: low. Needs: cardstock, pom-poms in sizes from 5 mm to 30 mm, glue.
12. Paper plate Christmas wreath
Cut the centre out of a paper plate and the rim that is left is a wreath base. Kids wrap green paper strips round the rim with a glue stick, snip a small triangle from each strip end so the edge looks like leaves, and finish with pom-poms and a red ribbon bow.
Idea and tutorial: Kids Kubby. Ages 4 and up. Mess: low to medium. Needs: a paper plate, green construction paper, a glue stick, colourful pom-poms, red ribbon, twine.
13. Egg carton Christmas tree
An empty cardboard egg carton is the raw material here. The cups are cut out and used as tree layers, with a hole poked in the top of each cup except the top one, so they can stack onto a small stick. The cups are painted green and decorated with glitter while wet, or with sequins, pom-poms, and beads once dry.
Idea and tutorial: Fox Farm Home. Ages 4 and up, adult helping with cutting. Mess: medium. Needs: a cardboard egg carton, green paint, glitter, sequins, pom-poms or beads, a small stick, glue.
14. Chromatography snowflakes
This one is a small science lesson hiding inside a craft. Kids colour coffee filters with washable markers, keeping to two to four colours in the same colour group. The filters are sprayed lightly with water and left to dry, which lets the colours bleed and blend. Then each filter is folded, small wedges are cut out, and unfolding reveals a snowflake.
Idea and tutorial: Beth Gorden at 123 Homeschool 4 Me. Ages 5 and up. Mess: medium. Needs: coffee filters, washable markers, a spray bottle, a plate or tray, scissors.
15. Toilet paper roll Santa Claus
An empty cardboard tube makes a sturdy Santa that stands up on its own. The tube is wrapped in red paper, with a white paper strip for the coat front and a black belt with a yellow buckle. A skin-tone rectangle is the face, a red cone is the hat, and cotton balls make the beard, hat trim, and pom-pom.
Idea and tutorial: Easy Peasy and Fun. Ages 4 and up. Mess: low to medium. Needs: an empty cardboard tube, coloured paper, cotton balls, googly eyes, a red pom-pom, glue.
16. Cotton ball and popsicle stick Santa
Nine jumbo popsicle sticks glued side by side, like a little fence, are the base of this Santa. The sticks are painted in a skin tone, then cardstock eyes, a nose, and a hat are glued on. Cotton balls make the beard and hat trim, and a ribbon on the back turns it into an ornament.
Idea and tutorial: Stacey at Glued To My Crafts. Ages 3 and up, with help cutting. Mess: low to medium. Needs: nine jumbo popsicle sticks, skin-tone paint, cardstock, cotton balls, glue, ribbon.
17. Clear bauble snowman face ornament
A clear plastic bauble with a removable lid becomes a snowman with almost no mess. The bauble is stuffed with cotton balls, then googly eyes and an orange foam or felt carrot nose are glued on. Black paper dots are the mouth, and a small scarf goes round the neck.
Idea and tutorial: Jackie at Happy Hooligans. Ages 3 and up, adult handling the glue gun. Mess: very low. Needs: a clear plastic ornament, cotton balls, googly eyes, orange craft foam or felt, black paper, felt or fabric, glue, ribbon.
18. Santa paper bag puppet
A brown paper lunch bag is a puppet with almost no preparation. The flap is the face and mouth, so the puppet talks when a hand moves inside the bag. A red paper rectangle makes the suit, with a black belt and a gold buckle, and a pink or peach oval is the face. The beard is a fringed white circle, and the hat is a red triangle with white trim.
Idea and tutorial: Tonya McCollum at 24 Hour Family. Ages 4 and up. Mess: low. Needs: a brown paper lunch bag, construction paper, cotton balls, markers, scissors, glue.
19. Popsicle stick gingerbread house
This gingerbread house needs no baking and will not go stale. Seven jumbo sticks form the wall, with regular sticks making the roof peak, all painted warm brown. Pom-poms run along the roof and bottom edges, and a paper door sits under a candy-cane arch made from a twisted two-colour pipe cleaner.
Idea and tutorial: The Best Ideas for Kids. Ages 6 and up, adult help cutting and gluing. Mess: low to medium. Needs: jumbo and regular popsicle sticks, brown paint, pom-poms, coloured paper, a two-colour pipe cleaner, dot stickers, tacky glue.
20. Cinnamon stick tree
The last craft is the simplest to make and the nicest to hang near the tree, because it smells of cinnamon. One cinnamon stick is the trunk, and scrap fabric strips are tied along it with a centred overhand knot. The shortest strip goes near the top and each strip below it is a little longer.
Idea and tutorial: All Free Crafts. Ages 6 and up. Mess: very low. Needs: cinnamon sticks, scrap fabric strips, scissors, ribbon, thread, or fishing line.
Supplies to gather before you start
Most of these crafts draw on the same small set of supplies, so one trip to a craft store covers nearly the whole list.
- Popsicle sticks in regular and jumbo sizes
- Paint in red, green, brown, white, and skin tone, with brushes
- White glue, a glue stick, and tacky glue; a low-heat glue gun for adults only
- Scissors, including strong scissors for an adult cutting popsicle sticks
- Pom-poms, wiggly eyes, pipe cleaners, pony beads, cotton balls, and felt scraps
- Construction paper and cardstock, ribbon, twine, and string
- Paper plates, coffee filters, empty cardboard tubes, an egg carton, pinecones, clear baubles, a mason jar, and socks
Tips for a calm craft session
Cover the table before the paint comes out, and put each child in an old shirt or an apron. Set out only the supplies for one craft at a time. Read the linked tutorial right through first, especially where an adult needs to do a step. Let paint and glue dry fully, and label each finished ornament with the child’s name and the year.
Frequently asked questions
What are the easiest Christmas crafts for kids?
The beaded candy canes, the sock snowman, the clear bauble snowman, and the cinnamon stick tree need the fewest steps and the least drying time.
Which crafts are best for toddlers?
Toddlers do best with the clear bauble snowman and the cotton ball Santa, with an adult doing the gluing and cutting. For ages 1 to 3, see the Christmas paper crafts for toddlers post.
How do you keep Christmas crafts from getting too messy?
Choose projects with no paint for the messiest ages, work on a covered table, and put paint in small pots rather than pouring it onto plates. Keep a damp cloth on the table, and save glitter for the crafts where it is the point.
Are salt dough ornaments safe for children?
Salt dough ornaments are decorations, not food, and the dough is very salty. Keep them away from pets and small children who might mouth them, and let an adult handle the oven and the baking.
Can kids make these crafts as gifts?
Yes. The felt ornaments, beaded candy canes, cinnamon stick trees, and mason jar snow globes all travel well and look finished enough to give, wrapped in tissue paper with a small tag.
What should I do with leftover craft supplies?
Keep them together in one box labelled for Christmas crafts. Pom-poms, pipe cleaners, beads, felt scraps, and ribbon all keep for years, and next December the same box covers most of this list again.
Conclusion
Twenty crafts is more than one afternoon needs. Pick two or three that match the ages at your table, gather the supplies once, and let the rest wait for another weekend. If you want more paper-based ideas, these easy Halloween paper crafts for kids use many of the same skills, and they are worth saving for next autumn.
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