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Christmas crafts are one of my favorite ways to slow down and enjoy the season with the kids. They do not have to be complicated—or require an expensive cart full of supplies—to feel special. A few paper plates, craft sticks, washable paint, and pom-poms can turn an ordinary afternoon into a sweet holiday memory.
This list includes 21 easy Christmas crafts for kids, from keepsake ornaments you will want to save forever to simple paper crafts that work well for a classroom, playdate, or cozy afternoon at home. Most can be adapted for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age children with a little grown-up help.
Quick Supply List
You do not need every item below. Choose your favorite crafts first, then use this list to make one simple supply run.
- Construction paper and cardstock
- Paper plates and paper cups
- Washable paint and paintbrushes
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue sticks and liquid school glue
- Craft sticks
- Pom-poms, buttons, and sequins
- Cotton balls
- Pipe cleaners
- Ribbon or twine
- Googly eyes
- Clear contact paper
- Salt, flour, and water for salt dough
- Recycled cardboard and clean jar lids
1. Paper Plate Christmas Tree
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This cheerful Christmas tree is easy enough for preschoolers and looks adorable hanging on the fridge.
You will need: Paper plate, green paint, scissors, glue, pom-poms, and a small piece of brown cardstock.
How to make it: Paint the paper plate green and let it dry. Cut it into three wedge-shaped sections, then stack the pieces from largest to smallest to form a tree. Glue on a brown paper trunk and let the kids decorate their tree with pom-pom ornaments. Add a paper star at the top.
2. Popsicle Stick Reindeer Ornament
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Turn three craft sticks into a little reindeer that can hang on the Christmas tree year after year.
You will need: Three craft sticks, brown paint, googly eyes, a red pom-pom, ribbon, and glue.
How to make it: Paint the sticks brown. Arrange them in a triangle, leaving the top ends sticking out slightly to look like antlers. Add eyes and a red pom-pom nose, then glue a ribbon loop to the back.
3. Handprint Santa Keepsake
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This is a sweet way to remember just how small your child’s hand was at Christmas.
You will need: Red cardstock, white paint, skin-tone paint, cotton balls, glue, and a marker.
How to make it: Paint the palm in a skin tone, the fingers white, and the area near the wrist red before pressing the hand onto cardstock. Once dry, add cotton to Santa’s beard and hat, then draw his eyes and smile. Write your child’s name and the year at the bottom.
4. Cotton Ball Snowman
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Even if there is no snow outside, kids can build a fluffy snowman indoors.
You will need: Blue cardstock, cotton balls, glue, orange and black paper, and ribbon scraps.
How to make it: Draw two or three circles on the cardstock. Let your child fill each circle with glued cotton balls. Add a paper carrot nose, eyes, buttons, a hat, and a ribbon scarf.
5. Torn-Paper Christmas Wreath
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Tearing paper is fun for little ones and helps them practice hand strength without needing perfect scissor skills.
You will need: Paper plate, green paper in two or three shades, red paper, glue, and ribbon.
How to make it: Cut the center from a paper plate. Have your child tear green paper into small pieces and glue them around the ring. Add tiny red paper circles as berries and finish with a bow.
6. Salt Dough Handprint Ornament
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This classic keepsake also makes a meaningful homemade gift for grandparents.
You will need: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, about 1/2 cup warm water, rolling pin, straw, paint, and ribbon.
How to make it: Mix the flour and salt, then slowly add water until a firm dough forms. Roll it out and press your child’s hand into the dough. Cut around the print, make a hanging hole with a straw, and bake at a low temperature until completely hard. Once cool, paint and add ribbon.
7. Paper Cup Elf
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These silly little elves are perfect for imaginative play after craft time ends.
You will need: Paper cup, green paper, felt or cardstock, pom-pom, googly eyes, marker, and glue.
How to make it: Turn the cup upside down and cover it with green paper. Add a paper face, ears, eyes, and a smile. Make a cone-shaped elf hat and top it with a pom-pom. Kids can give each elf a name and personality.
8. Fingerprint Christmas Lights
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This colorful craft is quick to set up and works well for homemade cards.
You will need: White cardstock, black marker, washable paint in several colors, and wipes for cleanup.
How to make it: Draw one looping black line across the paper and add small bulb bases along it. Let your child press a different colored fingerprint beside each base to create glowing Christmas lights. Turn the finished artwork into a card or frame it for seasonal decor.
9. Cardboard Gingerbread House
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Skip the sticky candy and create a gingerbread house that can be decorated again and again.
You will need: Recycled cardboard, brown paint, white paint marker or crayon, pom-poms, paper shapes, and glue.
How to make it: An adult can cut a simple house shape from cardboard. Paint it brown, then decorate it with white icing lines, colorful pom-pom candies, paper windows, and a bright front door.
10. Paper Chain Christmas Countdown
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This craft doubles as a simple countdown to Christmas Day.
You will need: Red, green, and white paper strips, tape or glue, and a marker.
How to make it: Make one loop for each day remaining until Christmas, linking each new strip through the previous loop. Write a tiny family activity inside some links—such as read a Christmas story, drink cocoa, or look at holiday lights. Remove one link each day.
11. Melted Snowman Craft
Kids will love the funny, imperfect look of this melted snowman.
You will need: White paper, blue cardstock, glue, buttons, orange paper, twigs or brown paper strips, and a black paper hat.
How to make it: Cut or tear an uneven white puddle shape and glue it onto blue cardstock. Place the hat, carrot nose, eyes, buttons, and stick arms around the puddle as if the snowman has melted into a heap.
12. Beaded Candy Cane Ornament
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This simple activity is great for practicing color patterns and fine motor skills.
You will need: Red and white pony beads, white or red pipe cleaners, and ribbon.
How to make it: Twist one end of a pipe cleaner so the beads cannot slide off. Let your child thread alternating red and white beads onto it. Twist the other end closed and bend the strand into a candy cane shape. Add a ribbon loop if desired.
13. Paper Bag Christmas Puppets
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Make Santa, a reindeer, an elf, or all three for a Christmas puppet show.
You will need: Paper lunch bags, construction paper, glue, markers, cotton balls, and googly eyes.
How to make it: Use the folded bag flap as the puppet’s face. Add paper hats, ears, antlers, beards, noses, and clothing. When the glue is dry, help the kids put on a holiday show or retell a favorite Christmas story.
14. Contact Paper Tissue-Paper Ornament
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Hang these ornaments in a sunny window for a pretty stained-glass effect.
You will need: Clear contact paper, tissue paper squares, cardstock, scissors, ribbon, and tape.
How to make it: Cut an ornament-shaped frame from cardstock. Place it on the sticky side of contact paper and let the kids fill the center with overlapping tissue-paper pieces. Seal with another sheet of contact paper, trim the edges, and add ribbon.
15. Pom-Pom Painted Christmas Tree
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Using a clothespin instead of a paintbrush makes this activity feel new and fun.
You will need: Cardstock, green paint, pom-pom, clothespin, and colorful washable paint.
How to make it: Clip a pom-pom into the clothespin to create a round paint stamper. Stamp green paint into a triangle tree shape, then use smaller colorful fingerprints or pom-poms to add ornaments. Finish with a trunk and star.
16. Toilet Paper Roll Snowman
Save a few cardboard tubes for an inexpensive craft that also makes cute shelf decor.
You will need: Clean cardboard tube, white paint or paper, buttons, ribbon, orange paper, marker, and glue.
How to make it: Paint the tube white or wrap it in white paper. Add a carrot nose, eyes, buttons, and a ribbon scarf. Make earmuffs with a pipe cleaner and two pom-poms for an extra-cozy touch.
17. Cupcake Liner Angel
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Pretty cupcake liners make an angel dress with almost no folding or cutting.
You will need: Cupcake liners, cardstock, paper circle, gold pipe cleaner, marker, and glue.
How to make it: Flatten one cupcake liner for wings and fold another into a triangle for the dress. Add a paper face and bend a short piece of gold pipe cleaner into a halo. Glue everything onto cardstock or attach ribbon to make an ornament.
18. Button Christmas Tree Card
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This handmade card feels special enough to give to teachers, grandparents, or neighbors.
You will need: Blank cardstock, green buttons in different sizes, glue, brown paper, and a star sticker.
How to make it: Arrange the buttons in rows from widest to narrowest to form a tree. Once you like the placement, glue them down. Add a paper trunk, star, and a short holiday message inside.
19. Fork-Painted Polar Bear
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A plastic fork creates a surprisingly fluffy-looking polar bear face.
You will need: Blue cardstock, white paint, plastic fork, white paper, black paper, and glue.
How to make it: Dip the back of a fork into white paint and pull it outward in short strokes to make a shaggy circle. Once dry, add paper ears, eyes, and a black nose. Draw a smile to finish the bear.
20. Pinecone Christmas Tree
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Bring a little nature indoors with tiny trees that look sweet on a mantel or table.
You will need: Clean, dry pinecone, green paint, pom-poms, glue, cardboard, and a foam or paper star.
How to make it: Paint the pinecone green and let it dry completely. Glue tiny pom-poms onto the tips as ornaments and add a star on top. Attach the pinecone to a small cardboard circle so it stands securely.
21. Christmas Sensory Ornament
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This no-glue ornament can be customized with colors and textures your child loves.
You will need: Clear fillable plastic ornament, ribbon, and lightweight fillers such as pom-poms, strips of tissue paper, jingle bells, or curled ribbon.
How to make it: Let your child choose and place the fillers inside the ornament. Close it securely and tie ribbon at the top. For younger children, an adult should handle the ornament cap and any small pieces.
Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas Craft Day
The easiest way to enjoy holiday crafting is to keep your expectations simple. Kids do not need their projects to look exactly like the example. The crooked noses, extra pom-poms, and unusual color choices are what make their creations worth saving.
- Choose only one or two crafts at a time.
- Cover the table with an old tablecloth or kraft paper.
- Put each craft’s supplies into a separate tray or bin.
- Use washable paint and keep wipes nearby.
- Pre-cut difficult shapes for toddlers and preschoolers.
- Write your child’s name and the year on keepsake crafts.
- Let everything dry completely before displaying or storing it.
Which Christmas Craft Will You Try First?
Whether you make a handprint keepsake for Grandma, a paper plate tree for the fridge, or a whole family of paper bag puppets, the best part is the time spent creating together. Pick a few favorites, turn on some Christmas music, and let the kids make a little holiday magic of their own.
Save this list for later, and share it with another parent who needs easy Christmas activities for the kids!
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