Fork & Kite

Winter break, sorted.

10 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids

No glitterMostly under 15 minAges 2 to 8

0 of 10 ornaments. Make a craft, hang an ornament on Kite’s tree!

Free winter break pack

10 crafts

Paper Chain Countdown: an easy Christmas craft for kids 115 min

Paper Chain Countdown

Ages 3+Mess

No printer neededStart before Dec 1

You need

  • Red, green and white paper (or white paper he colors)
  • Kid scissors
  • Tape or a stapler
  • Crayon

How

  1. Cut 24 strips, about 1 inch by 8 inches. Grown-up cuts, he picks the colors.
  2. He writes or traces a number on each strip, 24 down to 1.
  3. Loop strip 24 and tape it shut. Thread the next strip through and tape it. Repeat.
  4. Hang it up on Dec 1. Every night, he tears off one link. Last link = Christmas Eve.

Little ones: Too little to write numbers? Use stickers, or you write and he colors the strips first.

Handprint Reindeer Card: an easy Christmas craft for kids 210 min

Handprint Reindeer Card

Ages 2+Mess

No printer neededGrandma's card, done

You need

  • Paper folded into a card
  • Brown and red crayons or markers
  • A red pom-pom or red paper circle (optional)
  • Glue stick

How

  1. Trace his hand twice at the top of the card: those are the antlers.
  2. Draw a big brown oval under them for the reindeer's head.
  3. Add two eyes and a big red nose (pom-pom, red circle or crayon).
  4. Inside: 'Merry Christmas, Grandma! Love, ___.' He signs it, scribbles count.

Little ones: Wiggly hands? Trace them on scrap paper first, cut them out, then glue them on.

Salt Dough Handprint Ornament: an easy Christmas craft for kids 320 min

Salt Dough Handprint Ornament

Ages 2+Mess

No printer neededWeekend project: 2-3 hrs in the oven

You need

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup salt
  • About ½ cup water
  • A straw (for the hole)
  • Ribbon or string

How

  1. Mix flour and salt, then add water a little at a time until it's like play dough.
  2. Roll it ¼ inch thick and cut a circle bigger than his hand (a bowl works).
  3. Press his hand in firmly. Poke a hole at the top with a straw. Scratch in the year.
  4. Bake at 250°F for 2 to 3 hours, until hard and dry. Cool, then thread the ribbon.

Little ones: He presses, you smooth it out and try again. It takes a few tries; that's normal.

Christmas Light Suncatchers: an easy Christmas craft for kids 415 min

Christmas Light Suncatchers

Ages 3+Mess

Template in the free pack

You need

  • Clear contact paper
  • Tissue paper in bright colors, torn into small squares
  • Light bulb template (in the free pack) or draw your own
  • Black paper for the caps
  • Kid scissors

How

  1. Peel the contact paper and lay it sticky side up. Tape the corners down.
  2. He presses tissue squares all over it. No glue needed: it's already sticky.
  3. Put a second sheet of contact paper on top, or fold it over.
  4. Trace light bulbs, cut them out, add black caps and tape them on a sunny window.

Little ones: Little ones love the sticky part. Pre-tear the tissue paper and let them press.

Melted Snowman: an easy Christmas craft for kids 510 min

Melted Snowman

Ages 3+Mess

No printer needed

You need

  • Blue or dark paper
  • White paper for the puddle
  • 1 cotton ball
  • Orange and black paper scraps (or crayons)
  • Glue stick

How

  1. Cut a wobbly white 'puddle' shape and glue it on the blue paper.
  2. Glue the cotton ball near the top of the puddle: that's his melting head.
  3. Add eyes, an orange carrot nose and two buttons floating in the puddle.
  4. Draw stick arms sticking out. Ask him how the snowman melted.

Little ones: Let him rip the puddle shape instead of cutting it. Wonkier is funnier.

Paper Plate Christmas Tree: an easy Christmas craft for kids 610 min

Paper Plate Christmas Tree

Ages 2+Mess

No printer needed

You need

  • 1 paper plate
  • Green crayon or marker
  • Stickers (dots, stars, anything)
  • Scissors (grown-up)
  • Yellow paper for the star

How

  1. Fold the plate in thirds into a cone shape, or just cut a big triangle from it.
  2. He colors the tree green. All of it, or just the edges, his call.
  3. Stickers become ornaments. As many as he wants.
  4. Add a yellow star on top and hang it on the fridge.

Little ones: Ages 2: skip the cutting. A whole plate colored green with stickers is still a tree.

Pipe Cleaner Candy Cane: an easy Christmas craft for kids 710 min

Pipe Cleaner Candy Cane

Ages 3+Mess

No printer needed

You need

  • 1 white pipe cleaner per candy cane
  • Big red and white pony beads (big, so they don't end up all over the floor)

How

  1. Fold one end of the pipe cleaner so the beads can't fall off.
  2. He threads beads: red, white, red, white. Patterns are optional.
  3. Leave an inch at the top and fold that end over too.
  4. Bend the top into a hook. Hang it on the tree or a gift.

Little ones: Great for little fingers. Use the biggest beads you have and do 5 at a time.

Grumpy Green Handprint (Grinch-Inspired): an easy Christmas craft for kids 810 min

Grumpy Green Handprint (Grinch-Inspired)

Ages 2+Mess

No printer neededThe one moms send to the group chat

You need

  • Green washable paint
  • White paper
  • A red paper triangle and a cotton ball for the hat
  • Black marker

How

  1. Paint his palm and fingers green and press it on the paper, fingers up.
  2. Wash hands right away (have the wet towel ready first).
  3. When it's dry, draw a grumpy face on the palm: sneaky eyes, a big smirk.
  4. Glue on a red triangle hat with a cotton ball on top. Write the year.

Little ones: No paint today? Trace his hand and he colors it green. Same grump, no mess.

Little Red Truck Christmas Card: an easy Christmas craft for kids 915 min

Little Red Truck Christmas Card

Ages 3+Mess

Template in the free pack

You need

  • Truck + tree template (in the free pack), or draw your own
  • Red, green and black crayons
  • Paper folded into a card
  • Glue stick
  • Kid scissors

How

  1. Color the truck red, the wheels black and the tree green.
  2. Cut them out (grown-up helps with the wheels).
  3. Glue the truck on the card and the tree in the truck bed.
  4. Inside: 'Merry Christmas from ___!' Perfect for his teacher.

Little ones: Coloring is the craft. A grown-up can do the cutting and gluing.

Reindeer Food for Christmas Eve: an easy Christmas craft for kids 105 min

Reindeer Food for Christmas Eve

Ages 2+Mess

Template in the free pack

You need

  • Old-fashioned oats
  • Colored sprinkles (never glitter: it's not safe for birds and animals)
  • Small zip bags
  • Reindeer food tag (in the free pack) or a handwritten note

How

  1. Mix ½ cup oats with a spoonful of sprinkles in a bowl. He stirs.
  2. Scoop it into small bags.
  3. Tape on the tag: 'Sprinkle on the lawn on Christmas Eve so the reindeer find your house!'
  4. Make extra bags to give to cousins and friends.

Little ones: Scooping and stirring is the whole job. Expect some on the floor.

Screenshot this

Winter break: one craft a day

10 days, 10 crafts, zero “I’m bored.” Tap a day to jump to it.

  1. Day 1Paper Chain Countdown
  2. Day 2Paper Plate Christmas Tree
  3. Day 3Melted Snowman
  4. Day 4Christmas Light Suncatchers
  5. Day 5Pipe Cleaner Candy Cane
  6. Day 6Little Red Truck Christmas Card
  7. Day 7Grumpy Green Handprint (Grinch-Inspired)
  8. Day 8Handprint Reindeer Card
  9. Day 9Salt Dough Handprint Ornament
  10. Day 10Reindeer Food for Christmas Eve

Free printable pack

The Winter Break Pack

Gift tags he colors (Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad), the light bulb and little red truck templates, reindeer food tags, a Letter to Santa, Kite's tree tracker for the fridge and a 10-day winter break plan. Black and white, so coloring is the activity and your ink survives.

Kite in pajamas with a coffee

Your week, planned.

7 dinners, lunchbox ideas, something fun every day and the grocery list. Every Saturday morning, so you can shop over the weekend.