Crafts for Kids

Christmas Craft Ideas for Children

Handprint Santa

 

Put your personal stamp on holiday greetings with this handprint design.

Be sure to check out our other festive ideas for homemade holiday cards.

Materials

• Red craft paper
• Glue stick
• Plain notecard or card stock
• Tempera paints
• Paper plates
• Googly eyes

Instructions

1. Cut Santa-hat shapes (minus the pom-poms and white trim) from the craft paper, then glue one onto each card. Glue a pair of googly eyes a fingertip's width below each hat.
2. Pour white tempera paint onto one paper plate, and a dollop each of red, black, and pink (mix some red and white) onto another. Stamp white handprint beards, then use fingertips to stamp the trim on the hats, and a nose, mouth, and cheeks on each face.

Snowman Prints

 

 

Furniture pads — adhesive-backed felt circles that keep a chair from scratching the floor — make great stamps. Here, we use them to print snowmen for holiday cards, adding hand-drawn faces, arms, and buttons so that each one is unique. To reduce waste, first stamp your snowmen on pieces of card stock, then attach only the best to blank cards.

Materials

• Felt furniture pads
• Card stock
• Blank cards
• Sturdy cardboard
• Paintbrush

• White paint
• Scissors
• Black and orange paint
• Black marker
• Double-sided tape

Instructions

1. For the snowman's body, you'll need pads of equal thickness with three different diameters. Arrange them on a piece of sturdy cardboard as shown. Use a paintbrush to coat the pads with white paint, then stamp your snowmen onto the card stock. Let your prints dry.
2. Cut a hat and carrot shape from another felt pad and adhere them to small pieces of cardboard. Use black and orange paint to stamp hats and noses on the snowmen. Add eyes, mouths, buttons, and arms with a black marker. Attach your snowman prints to blank cards using double-sided tape.

Thumbprint Reindeer 

Got some little elves with time on their hands? Invite them to help out in a special holiday workshop, creating season's greetings for everyone on your family's mailing list. Using four super-simple techniques and such kid-friendly materials as glue dots and stickers, they'll be turning out festive, personalized cards in no time.

Our ideas for creative greetings range from Holiday Lights and festive tree designs to Joyful Tidings, a Wreath of Names, a textured Christmas Cactus, and a fun photo frame. We haven't forgotten Santa, either. And these reindeer cards are sure to get the thumbs-up from kids:

You will need:

Ink pad with nontoxic brown or bronze ink
Plain notecards or card stock
Craft glue
Googly eyes
Mini pom-poms, brown and red
Brown marker Use a thumb or fingertip to stamp 3 reindeer heads on each notecard. Glue on googly eyes and pom-pom noses (including a red one for Rudolph, of course). Finish by drawing antlers