Authored by Ceetee Sheckels in Crafts
Published on 12-08-2009
Kids love crafts, and Christmas is the ideal time for them to make the most of their interest. Your children’s weekends and snow days can be devoted to making memories and having fun. There is virtually no limit to Christmas crafts, other than taking your child’s age and skill level into consideration.
The best crafts are those which are great fun to make, and will last for many years. Christmas tree decorations are in this category. When your child makes his own ornaments, he will have pride in his accomplishment every time he sees them on the tree. For the sake of safety, and not being ruined by the heat of Christmas tree bulbs, you should avoid projects which contain breakable glass, glue or paint that is not heat-resistant, and parts which could become loose if you have very small children at home.
This gives much leeway for “ingredients” which are safe and cannot be easily damaged. Unbreakable glass, plastic, yarn, and paints which will not burn or run when exposed to heat, are all good ways to start. Your child can make his own Christmas tree bulbs, or flat ornaments on which he can add his own designs. As these do not require any tools other than scissors and a small paint brush, even preschoolers can make their own Christmas tree ornaments with only a little supervision. Your youngster will want to display his ornaments for many years to come.
Christmas crafts do not need to end at the tree. Your child can also make decorations for your home. One favorite amongst school-aged children is the Christmas angel. Starting with a “body” made from a plain white dish-detergent bottle, he can add wings made from construction paper. A nice touch is to add glitter to the wings before affixing them onto the bottle with glue. The angel’s hair is made from yarn. It can be glued to a white ping-pong ball or a cotton ball, on which he has drawn the face with a permanent-marker. When he glues the head onto the bottle, he will have his very own Christmas angel. It will look cute on your mantle, or sitting in a window.
As tried-and-true always works, a Christmas craft which has never gone out of style is the popular snowflake. If you have safety scissors, even a preschooler can make this easy craft. White printing paper or typing paper is best, although you can also use construction paper. You can help your child cut the paper into circles, fold it, and cut easy designs into the folds. The more folds you have, the more intricate the final design will be. Although this is one of the simplest Christmas crafts, most older kids love making them, too. If you have a number of kids at home, it can be a nice weekend project for them to participate in together. Most kids who make their own paper snowflakes want to adorn every single window with them during the holiday season.
