With Christmas quickly approaching, we have pulled together our top tips for creating handmade Christmas decorations where even young children will be able to get involved.
Published: 17/12/2024
With Christmas quickly approaching, we have pulled together our top tips for creating handmade Christmas decorations where even young children will be able to get involved. If you’re wondering how to get creative this Christmas, our recipes and how-to’s are not only perfect for keeping the cost down but are great for keeping little ones entertained in the run up to Christmas.
Whilst our Busy Bees children will have already been getting creative at nursery, this guide will show you how easy it can be to create decorations at home.
Making Christmas decorations with your children is a wonderful way to add a personal touch to your holiday celebrations. Not only do handmade decorations bring a sense of uniqueness, but they can help you to create lasting memories with your children. Crafting together encourages creativity and gives young children the opportunity to practice important skills like cutting, glueing, and painting.
Additionally, creating your own decorations is an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative. Whether it’s salt dough ornaments or paper crafts, these projects are as much about the process as the result.
Creating Christmas decorations at home doesn’t require fancy tools or expensive materials. Most of the items you’ll need are likely already in your kitchen cupboards, craft drawer, or recycling bin. Key supplies include basics like paper, card, glue, scissors, and Sellotape. Household items such as cookie cutters, ribbons, and even cupcake wrappers can be repurposed into festive crafts.
With a little imagination and simple materials, your family can transform everyday items into beautiful decorations to cherish for years to come.
There is nothing better than creating personalised keepsakes to add to the Christmas tree for years to come. Baubles with personalised family photos are not only easy to make but are great to keep track of how your young family grows and changes each year.
You’ll need:
• Fillable Baubles
• Coloured Card
• Craft Knife
• Metal Ruler
• Double-Sided Tape
• Invisible Thread
• Twine
• Paper Christmas Decorations
Instructions:
1. Measure two rectangles (5.5 cm tall by 4.5 cm wide) onto coloured card. Cut them out using a craft knife and metal ruler.
2. Apply double-sided tape to the back of the frame. Stick your chosen image onto the tape.
3. Add more double-sided tape to the back of the image for extra hold.
4. Cut a 20 cm piece of invisible thread and fold it in half. Use the double-sided tape to secure the looped thread to the back of the frame.
5. Attach the second rectangle (from Step 1) to the back of the frame using double-sided tape.
6. Thread the loose ends of the invisible thread through the holes at the top of the bauble. Tie a double knot to secure the frame inside the bauble.
7. Close the bauble by securing its other half. Finally, thread twine through the holes of the completed bauble for hanging.
Whilst this craft will most likely need to be completed by parents, children can get involved by drawing pictures on the card frame or adding to the design on the clear bauble.
One of the easiest ways to make your own Christmas ornaments is by using simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen cupboards. This simple craft combines flour, salt and water and results in a mouldable dough that can be transformed into an abundance of festive shapes!
These decorations can be personalised and painted to your heart’s content, making the activity super fun for both you and your children!
You’ll need:
• Flour
• Salt
• Water
• Cookie cutters
• Paints and brushes
• Ribbon or twine for hanging.
Instructions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine 250g of plain flour, 125g of table salt, and 125ml of water. Knead the mixture until it becomes a pliable dough.
2. Roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to create your chosen shapes. Poke a hole using a straw or cocktail stick near the top to allow for hanging.
3. Place the creations on a baking sheet and bake at 100°c for 2-3 hours, or until completely hard.
4. Once cooled, let the little artists loose with paints and brushes to add their personal touch.
5. Once dry, thread a ribbon or twine through the hole.
There is a wide variety of simple Christmas decorations that can be made with either paper or simple household items. These crafts are an affordable and fun way to get your children involved in crafting the decorations to put up around Christmas time.
Cupcake Wrapper Christmas Trees
Turn colourful cupcake wrappers into adorable Christmas trees! Children can have fun folding and glueing them together. Just add a ribbon loop to make them into lovely tree decorations.
Handprint Wreaths
Trace and cut out your child’s handprints on green paper or card. Let them glue the handprints into a wreath shape, then add red dots for berries. It’s an easy and delightful craft!
Hanging Spiral Christmas Trees
Help children to practice their scissor skills by cutting spirals from green card. Decorate the spirals with stickers, glitter, or pom-poms, then hang them for a fun and festive decoration!
Paper Plate Angels
Fold a paper plate into an angel shape and let your little ones decorate it however they like—with crayons, glitter, or stickers. It’s a simple and creative craft!
We hope this guide helped you to make personalised and fun Christmas decorations at home! If you’re looking for more festive DIY activities, check out our blog on Handmade Christmas Gifts for Children to Make.