17 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids Full of Fun

The countdown to Christmas feels extra magical when little hands are busy making something. These christmas crafts for kids are simple enough for toddlers with a grown up helper and fun enough for older kids to do on their own, using supplies you probably already have in the craft drawer.

Every idea below comes with a real photo for inspiration, and most take under 30 minutes from start to finish. Put on some holiday music, cover the table with newspaper, and let the glitter fall where it may.

Paper Plate Santa

A paper plate Santa never fails to make kids grin. Start with a plain white paper plate for the face. Cut a triangle from red construction paper for the hat and glue it to the top. Add a cotton ball to the hat tip, then glue cotton balls along the hat brim and bottom half for the beard.

1. Glue the red paper triangle hat to the top of the plate.
2. Add cotton balls for the hat trim, tip, and beard.
3. Stick on googly eyes and a red pom pom nose.

Quick Tip: If you are short on cotton balls, torn pieces of white tissue paper make a perfectly fluffy beard too.

Plate Reindeer Face

Turn another paper plate into Rudolph with paint and handprints. Paint the top half of the plate brown, trace your child’s hands on brown paper and cut them out for antlers. Add a big red circle nose and pink paper cheeks.

• One white paper plate
• Brown washable paint
• Brown construction paper for the antlers
• Red paper circle for the nose

Cotton Ball Snowman

Fluffy, soft, and impossible to mess up, this snowman is ideal for toddlers. Draw a simple snowman outline on blue cardstock, then let your child fill the body with glued cotton balls. Add paper arms, a carrot nose, and button shapes.

Quick Tip: Spread glue stick on the card first and press cotton balls into it. Much less messy than liquid glue.

Gingerbread Plate House

A gingerbread house without the baking. Paint a paper plate brown and cut it in half. Glue a white paper roof on top, then decorate with paper candy canes, a red door, and a star.

1. Paint the plate brown and let it dry fully.
2. Cut the plate in half and keep the curved piece.
3. Glue on a white scalloped paper roof.
4. Add paper candies, a door, and pom pom lights.

Popsicle Stick Ornaments

Popsicle sticks turn into the cutest tree ornaments. Glue sticks side by side into small rectangles, then paint each one into a character: Santa, snowman, mug, or tree.

• Santa: red paint, cotton ball beard, black belt stripe
• Snowman: white paint, black paper hat, orange triangle nose
• Tree: green sticks, pipe cleaner garland, gold sequins

Footprint Reindeer Card

Before: a plain white card and a wiggly toddler. After: a keepsake that grandparents will treasure forever. Paint the sole of your child’s foot brown and press it onto cardstock. Draw antlers above the heel, add happy eyes, and glue a red pom pom nose.

Plate Christmas Tree

Paint a paper plate green, cut it in half, and overlap the halves for a full, layered tree. Glue on pom poms as ornaments, add a glittery star on top, and stick the tree to a popsicle stick trunk.

1. Paint the plate green and let it dry.
2. Cut in half and overlap the halves for fullness.
3. Glue pom poms all over as ornaments.
4. Add a star topper and a stick trunk.

Budget note: A pack of paper plates and a bag of pom poms costs just a few dollars and covers a whole class of trees.

Santa Handprint Ornament

Salt dough plus a tiny handprint equals the Santa keepsake of dreams. Roll dough flat, press your child’s hand into it, cut around the print, poke a hole for the ribbon, and bake low until hard.

DO: Roll the dough about half an inch thick so it does not crack. DON’T: Skip the ribbon hole before baking.

Snow Globe Snowman

This snowman has a secret: his round belly is a shaker snow globe. Cut a circle from the middle of a paper plate, cover the hole with clear contact paper, and fill the pocket with glitter and tiny snowflake confetti before sealing it.

Quick Tip: A spoonful of glitter goes a long way. Seal the shaker pocket well so no glitter escapes during excited shaking.

Tiny Santa Ornaments

Small circles of cardboard become pocket sized Santas. Paint the face area brown, glue a red paper half circle on top as the hat, and add a white textured beard.

• Cardboard circles or thick paper
• Red paper for hats
• White tissue for beards
• Googly eyes and red pom poms

Pinecone Mini Trees

When you are rounding up christmas crafts for kids that use natural materials, pinecones are a winner. Collect them on a winter walk and turn them into tiny trees back home.

1. Clean the pinecones and let them dry.
2. Glue each one to a small base.
3. Paint tips green or dust with white for snow.
4. Add pom pom ornaments and a star topper.

Handprint Reindeer Art

Brown paint, five fingers, and instant reindeer magic. Paint your child’s hand brown and press it on white paper with the fingers spread wide. Each finger becomes an antler point.

Budget note: This uses nothing but paint and paper, so it costs pennies and still looks wonderful on the wall.

Gingerbread Man Plate

Paint a paper plate brown and give it a gingerbread grin. White paint dots around the rim look like icing. Googly eyes, a big red pipe cleaner smile, and blue pipe cleaner eyebrows give him tons of personality.

DO: Let the brown paint dry before adding the face. DON’T: Use too much glue on the pipe cleaners.

Coffee Filter Wreaths

Coffee filters make the fluffiest little wreaths. Flatten several filters and stack them into a ring on a paper plate with the center cut out. Dab them green with washable paint, then add red pom pom berries and a paper bow.

1. Cut the center from a paper plate to make a ring.
2. Glue flattened coffee filters around the ring.
3. Dab green paint over the filters.
4. Add pom pom berries and a bow.

Dough Keepsake Ornaments

Handprints and footprints pressed into salt dough become ornaments you will hang for decades. After baking and cooling, paint them in festive colors.

Before: plain dough circles. After: personalized keepsakes with your child’s prints, painted and ribboned, ready for the tree.

Paper Strip Wreath

Cut a paper plate into a ring and weave the wreath. Glue strips of green paper in different shades around the ring, overlapping them slightly. Finish with red dot stickers as berries and a small bow.

• One paper plate cut into a ring
• Green paper strips in two or three shades
• Red dot stickers or pom poms
• Ribbon for the bow and hanging loop

Quick Tip: Pre cut the strips for toddlers so they can focus on the fun part: gluing and decorating.

Snowman Plate Portrait

Finish the craft day with a cheerful snowman portrait. On a blue paper plate, glue a white circle face, a black paper top hat, and an orange triangle nose. Googly eyes, a pink felt scarf, and black dot buttons complete the look.

1. Glue the white face circle to the blue plate.
2. Add the black hat, orange nose, and googly eyes.
3. Tie on a felt scarf and dot buttons.
4. Scatter pom pom snowflakes around the edge.

Conclusion

From squishy salt dough to fluffy cotton balls, these seventeen ideas prove that the best holiday memories are handmade. Pick one to start this weekend, or turn it into an advent countdown and make one craft each day leading up to Christmas.

For more inspiration, explore these related guides: diy christmas decorations and christmas cookie decorating party.