Winter and Christmas Crafts for Toddlers and Children

A few more winter crafts as Southern California is pillaged by a storm.  Ok, greatly exaggerated, but cold rain means no going outside.  No going outside means tornadoes on the loose inside.  I would like to dedicate these crafts to Outside Voice as she said “Just the thought of buying all the things you need for each one tires me out!” on my last craft post.  I expect most of you have these items around the house.

 

Gingerbread Men

(My sons are crazy about Gingerbread Men; I don’t know if it’s because I made some last week or that we are watching too much Shrek.  We used crayons and fabric paint to decorate them, but you can use a variety of different mediums.  Evan loved squirting the fabric paint, making a Santa Clause and elves.  If you don’t have a cookie cutter, then try this page for a template.  I actually liked the medium ones better than my cookie cutter.  http://www.first-school.ws/activities/fairytales/gingerbread-man-boy.htm)

 

Things you need:

• Cardboard or brown construction paper
• Gingerbread man cookie cutter or template
• Black marker or pen
• Scissors
• Crayons, markers, fabric paint, finger paint, glitter glue, white out, (whatever you want to decorate with)

 

Trace the cookie cutter or template on the cardboard or construction paper.  Cut out pattern.  Let the child decorate the gingerbread man.

 

 

Snow Scene

(We did this in Girl Scouts; the girls loved it.  My boys loved it.   Watch toddlers carefully as they are known to eat chalk.)

 

Things you need:

• Black paper
• White chalk
• Hair spray

 

Let the child draw a snowy scene with the chalk, making hills, snowflakes and snowmen to create the scene.  When the child is finish, spray it with hair spray to keep the picture.  If you don’t have hair spray, the picture will fade away eventually.

 

 

Snowflakes

(Just because sometimes we can’t think out of the box, let’s remember how much fun it was to cut out snowflakes.  Of course, my boys were too little to cut them, but they had fun playing with them and hanging them up.)

 

Things you need:

• White paper
• Scissors
• Bowl (optional)
• Pen (optional)

 

If you want circle snowflakes, trace the bowl and cut out the circle.  Fold the paper as many times as you like as the more you fold the more complicated the pattern.  Cut.  Cut squares, triangles, circles, and random shapes.  Unfold the paper.

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Christmas Crafts for Kids, Toddlers, and Babies

Because Christmas is coming around the corner and we’re all trying to figure out what to do, I thought I would throw out some suggestions of things I’ve done in the past with my boys.  Some of these can be down with babies as well as older children.  In a week or so, I’ll make some new holiday gifts with the boys, and I’ll post those too.

 

Paper Ornaments

(Nothing is better than home-made ornaments.  These are simple and easy.  Perfect for toddlers.  For older children, use glue and glitter to decorate.  Grandparents are suckers for these sort of things.  Evan loved doing this last year.)

 

Things you need:

 

• Construction paper
• Christmas cookie cutters
• Pen
• Scissors
• Hole puncher
• Ribbon
• Crayons, markers, glue, glitter (whatever you want to decorate with)

 

Trace the cookie cutters with a pen on the construction paper.  Cut the shape out.  Have the child decorate the shapes.  Punch a hole in the top and string with ribbon.  Don’t forget to mark the year and the child’s name on the back.

 

 

Lid Ornaments

(I haven’t done this with Evan yet, but I remember doing them when I was four and loved it.  My mom still has mine hanging on the tree every year)

 

Things you need:

 

• Plastic lids (from butter containers or sour cream containers or any top)
• Hole puncher
• Old Christmas cards or magazines
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Glue

 

Have the child cut out (or if it is a toddler, cut it out for the child) a picture of Christmas.  Let the child glue the picture on the lid.  Punch a hole in the lid and string it with some ribbon.  Don’t forget to mark the year and the child’s name on the ornament.

 

 

Footprints and Handprints

(When Evan was a baby, I inked up his feet and put down footprints that I decorated and framed for my parents and in-laws.  They loved it.  You can either frame the footprints or handprints or you can make them into ornaments.)

 

Things you need:

 

• White paper
• Washable ink pad
• Wet wash cloth or wipes
• Hole punch, scissor, ribbon (if you make the ornament)

 

Just ink the feet or hands (on young babies, hands are difficult).  Then place the inked hand or foot onto the paper.  Wash the hand or foot right away for nothing else gets decorated. 

 

 

Handprint Shirt

(The last time we did this, Evan loved it, and Sean was too little to remember, but we plan on doing it again.  I looked online for clever shirt sayings.  Our favorite: “You’re the best (fill in here)!  Hands Down!”  We also put the ages and names of the boys underneath their hand prints.  My dad loves his shirt.)

 

Things you need:

 

• Shirt
• Fabric paint
• Cardboard
• Wipes

 

(If you don’t like the raise look of fabric paint writing, water down the fabric paint a little bit and use a brush or pencil to write the saying.)

 

Place the cardboard inside the shirt to keep the paint from bleeding through.  Write the clever saying with the fabric paint.  Allow it to dry.  Then dip the child’s hands into the paint, making sure it’s nice and even, and place the hands on the shirt.  Wipe the child’s hands immediately.  Allow the hand prints to dry, and write the name and age of the child.

 

Picture Frame

 

(I did this for a gift.  The boys loved painting the frame and showing it off later.  I used the black paint as the background color.  I had them paint on newspaper on the floor.)

 

What you need:

 

·      Unfinished thick picture frame (the thicker the better to give room for toddler creativity)

·      black or white paint

·      finger paints

·      paint brushes

·      sealer or top coat

·      sand paper

·      smock

 

First sand and prep the picture frame.  Next paint the background color with white or black paint.  Once the background paint is dry, have the child paint the frame.  After the painting is dry, paint the sealer or clear top coat to protect the painting.

 

Check out these posts for more Christmas and winter craft ideas:

More Christmas crafts

Winter and Christmas crafts

Christmas Crafts for kids, preschoolers, and toddlers part 2