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Easy Christmas crafts for kids give you a calm hour in a busy season and something your family can hang on the tree. You do not need fancy supplies. Paper, paint, buttons, cotton balls and a few cardboard tubes cover most of them.
Below are 24 easy Christmas crafts for kids of all ages, from handprint art and paper plate elves to string art trees and a paper chain village. Each one says what to use and how to put it together, and most can be done in 20 to 30 minutes.
Toddlers can do the pressing, sticking and painting while a grown up cuts and glues. Older kids can take on the cutting, folding and threading. If you are planning the whole season, our Christmas cookies recipe, Christmas basket ideas and funny Elf on the Shelf ideas are good companions, and for the spooky season see our Halloween toddler crafts.
1. Cardboard tube reindeer
SaveCredit: PureWow
Save your empty toilet paper tubes for this one. Paint or wrap a tube in brown paper, add googly eyes and a red pom pom nose, and push twigs into the top for antlers.
Little hands can stick on the pom poms and eyes while a grown up tucks the twigs in. A jingle bell on a ribbon around the neck finishes the look.
2. Felt and candy cane trees
SaveCredit: One Little Project
Cut a simple tree from green felt, glue on a few pom pom ornaments and slide a candy cane in behind it as the trunk.
Older kids can cut the felt, and younger ones can press on the pom poms. These make a sweet little gift to tuck into a stocking or tie onto a package.
3. Christmas leaf painting
SaveCredit: The Craft Train
A dried leaf makes a fine canvas for a tiny painting. Paint a white beard and a red hat on one leaf to make a Santa, or dot another one with bright color.
Pick leaves that are dry and flat, let the paint dry fully, then thread a ribbon through the stem to hang them on the tree.
4. Paper bag reindeer puppet
SaveCredit: Crafts by Amanda
A plain lunch bag turns into a reindeer puppet in a few minutes. Trace two hands in brown paper for antlers, glue on big eyes and add a round red nose.
Kids can slip a hand in the bag and make the reindeer talk. Tape a few jingle bells across the front for extra sound.
5. Fizzy Christmas presents
SaveCredit: The Best Ideas for Kids
This one is part craft and part science. Freeze small blocks of baking soda mix, then let kids squirt colored vinegar on top to watch the fizz.
Set the tray on a towel or in the sink to catch the mess. It works well outside or on a day when you do not mind a little splash.
6. Button Christmas tree on canvas
SaveCredit: Meaningful Mama
Sketch a tree outline on a small canvas, paint it green and let the kids press on colorful buttons as ornaments.
Use a thick craft glue and a clean finger for each button. Buttons are a choking risk, so keep this one for children who no longer put things in their mouths.
7. Washi tape stockings
SaveCredit: I Heart Crafty Things
Cut a stocking shape from construction paper and cover it with strips of festive washi tape. Add a name tag across the top.
Stockings like these make quick decorations for a mantel or a bedroom door, and each child can make their own.
8. Glittering popsicle stick trees
SaveCredit: One Little Project
Paint a row of craft sticks green, glue them in a tree shape on a longer stick and finish with sparkly stick on gems and a gold star.
The gems add shine without the mess of glitter. Hang one on a ribbon for an ornament or stand a few up on a shelf.
9. Christmas handprint art
SaveCredit: The Best Ideas for Kids
Paint a hand and press it on paper, then turn it into a Santa, a snowman, a reindeer or a Christmas tree with a few dots and lines.
Make a set each year and date the back. Years from now, you will see how much those little hands have grown.
10. Button ornaments
SaveCredit: Kid Friendly Things To Do
Wrap a foam or felt ball in a few colorful buttons and a bit of ribbon and you have a simple ornament.
Use a bright craft glue and let it dry overnight. Tie a loop of ribbon at the top and hang it where little ones can see it.
11. Marbled paper ornaments
SaveCredit: I Heart Crafty Things
Float a few drops of paint on water or shaving cream, press a paper circle on top and lift out a swirled pattern.
Let the paper dry flat, then cut it into ornament shapes and add a ribbon loop. No two come out alike, and kids love the surprise.
12. Sticky tree on the window
SaveCredit: Fun at Home with Kids
Cover a window with a big sheet of clear contact paper, sticky side out, and cut a tree shape from green paper or felt.
Toddlers can stick on paper dots and shapes as ornaments, then peel them off and do it again. It is a quiet activity that you can reuse all month.
13. Bleeding tissue paper snowman
SaveCredit: The Best Ideas for Kids
Cut a snowman from white paper, cover it with bits of colored tissue paper and brush on water. The color bleeds onto the paper.
Peel off the tissue when it is dry and you are left with a soft watercolor effect. Trim the paper and hang it in the window.
14. String art tree cards
SaveCredit: School Time Snippets
Punch a ring of holes in a tree shaped card, then let kids lace yarn or string through them in a pattern.
Tape the end of the yarn to make threading easier. Add stickers, glitter pens or a little button garland to finish the card.
15. Salt and glue tree
SaveCredit: The Best Ideas for Kids
Draw a tree with white glue on a piece of paper, sprinkle salt over it and tap off the extra. Then touch colored water to the salt and watch it spread.
You can also squeeze the glue in a zigzag for a simple tree and add small beads for ornaments. Finish with a gold star at the top.
16. Toilet paper roll Santa and friends
SaveCredit: The Best Ideas for Kids
A tube covered in paper becomes a snowman, a Santa, an elf or a reindeer with a few cotton balls, buttons and a pom pom nose.
Make a whole family of them and line them up on a shelf. They are a good rainy day project because you probably have everything.
17. Little house tree topper
SaveCredit: A Beautiful Mess
Cover a small box with white paper or felt, add a pink door and a wreath, and top it with a brown roof. It makes a cozy little cottage.
Use it as a tree topper or set it on a shelf with a bit of cotton for snow. Older kids will enjoy the tiny details.
18. Jingle bell ornaments
SaveCredit: Crayon Box Chronicles
Make a bell shape from colorful papers, add a real jingle bell at the bottom and thread a ribbon through the top.
Let the paper be bright and a little messy. The swirls and splashes of color look cheerful against the green of the tree.
19. Paper Santa card
SaveCredit: I Heart Crafty Things
Cut a white circle, a skin tone circle and a red triangle hat. Stack them, add a pom pom nose and two googly eyes.
Write a note inside and give it to a grandparent. This is a good beginner craft for kids who are learning to cut and glue.
20. A little wooden tree forest
SaveCredit: Studio DIY
Stand a few small wooden shapes on dowels and cover them with clay, glitter or paint to make tiny trees in different heights.
Line them up on a window ledge or the mantel. Each tree can have its own color and a small star on top.
21. Coffee filter angel
SaveCredit: Kid Friendly Things To Do
Flatten a coffee filter for the wings, scrunch another one for the body and tie a gold string around the neck for a halo.
The filters are soft and light, so the angel sits nicely on a branch or on the top of a small tree.
22. Santa stuck in the chimney
SaveCredit: Arty Crafty Kids
Glue a brick pattern chimney on blue paper and add two red legs and black boots sticking out the top.
Use cotton balls for the snow and for the cuffs on the pants. This one gets a laugh and makes a great card.
23. Paper chain Christmas village
SaveCredit: Pink Stripey Socks
Fold a strip of paper in an accordion, draw a house on the front and cut around it, leaving the sides joined. Unfold to see a whole row.
Kids can color each house in a different way. Stand the village up on a mantel for a cute little row of houses.
24. Paper plate elves
SaveCredit: Arty Crafty Kids
Paint two paper plates with a skin tone, add a green or blue hat and glue cotton ball trim at the top.
Add felt ears and big eyes, and finish with a bright red nose. They look great in a group on the front door.
Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids Supplies List
- Construction paper in red, green, white and brown
- Washable paint and a few brushes
- Craft glue, glue sticks and child safe scissors
- Googly eyes, pom poms, cotton balls and ribbon
- Craft sticks, paper plates and empty cardboard tubes
- Washi tape, markers and a few stick on gems
How to Set Up a Christmas Craft Hour
- Pick one or two crafts. Choose projects that match the ages in the room and the supplies you already own.
- Cover the table. A plastic tablecloth or a few sheets of newspaper make cleanup quick.
- Prep the tricky parts. Cut shapes and punch holes ahead of time for the youngest kids.
- Let kids make their own choices. Offer two or three colors and let them decide where things go.
- Dry flat and hang. Lay wet crafts on a tray to dry, then add a ribbon loop and put them on the tree or in the window.
Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids FAQ
What are some easy Christmas crafts for kids? Handprint art, paper plate elves, toilet paper roll reindeer, button ornaments and paper chain villages are all simple and fun.
What Christmas crafts can toddlers do? Toddlers do well with sticking, pressing and painting. Try the sticky window tree, handprint art, cardboard tube reindeer and the fizzy presents, with an adult close by.
Are buttons safe for young kids? Buttons and small gems are choking hazards, so keep them away from children who still put things in their mouths and always supervise.
How long do these crafts take? Most take 15 to 30 minutes plus a little drying time, which makes them a good fit for an afternoon or a quiet weekend morning.
