20 Christmas Crafts for Kids
Every December, my kitchen table disappears under a happy mess of red felt, glitter glue, and half-finished ornaments, and honestly, that is my favourite part of the season. These 20 christmas crafts for kids are the ones my own children and I have actually made, kept, gifted, and in a few cases rescued from the bin, over the last few Christmases.
How I picked these: I only included crafts we finished in one sitting, with supplies I could buy at a regular craft store or already had at home, and that still looked good enough to hang, send, or gift.
Some of these are five-minute wonders for toddlers, and some will happily occupy a ten-year-old for a whole rainy afternoon. I have marked the best age, the rough cost, and the mess level for each one, so you can pick the right craft for the day you are actually having. Related article: if your kids love the ornament ideas here, you will also love my Christmas ornament ideas for kids that survive real children.
Key Takeaways
- All 20 crafts use cheap, easy-to-find supplies, and most cost under $5 per child.
- Every idea lists a best age, so toddlers get safe, simple crafts and older kids get real challenges.
- Start with one craft, not five.
- Hot glue, sharp scissors, and small beads are adult jobs or older-kid jobs only, and I flag them each time.
- Most of these make genuinely giftable ornaments, cards, garlands, and keepsakes, not just fridge clutter.
20 Christmas Crafts for Kids to Make This December
1. Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree Ornaments
I tried this one on a snow day when we had a whole box of green craft sticks and nowhere to go. My kids glued three sticks into a triangle, added a tiny star on top, and decorated each tree with buttons, sequins, and a loop of ribbon for hanging.
The trick is letting the glue dry properly before the decorating starts. The first year, my youngest decorated a still-wet tree and every button slid straight off, which ended in tears and a sticky table.
Pro Tip: Paint the sticks green the day before, so craft time is all about decorating, not waiting for paint to dry.
Cost: Under $3 per child | Time: 20 minutes plus drying | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 4+
2. Handmade Christmas Cards
I love this one because it is the craft that actually leaves the house. My kids fold a sheet of card in half, draw a tree or a snowman on the front, and write a short message inside for grandparents, teachers, and neighbours.
Keep the design simple: one bold shape, a few stickers, and a short message. The cards that turned out best were not the fanciest ones, they were the ones where my daughter drew our dog wearing a Santa hat, because that is the card people actually kept.
Pro Tip: Write the names on the envelopes first, so nobody ends up with a beautiful card and no idea who it is for.
Cost: Under $2 per child | Time: 30 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 3+
3. Santa Beard Countdown Craft
This is the craft my kids ask for first every single December. We cut out a big paper Santa face, and each morning, my youngest glues one cotton ball onto his beard.
I number the cotton balls on the back of the Santa sheet lightly in pencil, so we never lose track of which day we are on.
Pro Tip: Stick the Santa at your child’s eye level, not up high, or the daily cotton ball becomes a climbing expedition.
Cost: Under $2 per child | Time: 15 minutes to set up, then 1 minute a day | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 3+
4. Paper Star Ornaments
I made these with my daughter when she was five, and I was amazed at how grown-up they looked. We folded strips of gold and red paper into five-pointed stars, glued the points together, and hung them from the tree with thin ribbon.
The honest downside is that younger kids will struggle with the folding. That division of labour worked perfectly, and she still claims she made all of them.
Pro Tip: Pre-fold the first star yourself as a demo, then let your child copy it, rather than explaining the folds in words.
Cost: Under $2 per child | Time: 30 minutes | Difficulty: Medium | Best age: 5+
5. Painted Wooden Ornaments
Plain wooden shapes are my secret weapon for a calm craft afternoon. I bought a bag of unfinished wooden trees, stars, and angels, set out small pots of acrylic paint, and let my kids paint them however they liked. One angel ended up entirely purple, and it is now my favourite ornament on the tree.
Acrylic paint stains, so this is an old-shirt and tablecloth craft in our house.
Pro Tip: Paint one side, let it dry fully, then flip and paint the other, or you will get fingerprints in wet paint on both sides.
Cost: $3–$5 per child | Time: 40 minutes plus drying | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 4+
6. Reindeer Face Ornaments
These are almost too cute to hang on the tree. My kids glued googly eyes, a red pom-pom nose, and little felt antlers onto wooden discs, and suddenly we had a whole herd of reindeer.
The antlers are the fiddly part, so I cut them out in advance for my younger child and let my older one cut her own. Also read: our salt dough ornament craft ideas are another great option if your kids want ornaments they can shape entirely themselves.
Pro Tip: Use a low-temperature glue gun yourself for the antlers, and let kids do the eyes and nose with regular craft glue.
Cost: Under $3 per child | Time: 25 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 4+
7. Bead Star Ornaments
Threading beads onto pipe cleaners is the quietest craft on this list, and I mean that as high praise. My older child sat for nearly an hour threading red, gold, and green beads into star shapes, and the finished stars sparkle on the tree like little jewels.
This one is strictly for older kids, because the beads are small and end up everywhere. I keep a baking tray under the bead bowls now, which catches the runaways and saves my knees from finding beads for weeks afterwards.
Pro Tip: Sort beads into a muffin tin before you start, so kids can see every colour at a glance.
Cost: $3–$5 per child | Time: 45 minutes | Difficulty: Medium | Best age: 6+ (small parts, not for toddlers)
8. Paper Angel Ornaments
Paper angels look delicate, but they are one of the most forgiving crafts I have tried with kids. We folded white and gold paper into a cone for the body, added a round face, and glued on paper wings.
My honest watch-out is that paper angels and excited toddlers do not mix well. One angel lost both wings within an hour of hanging, so now the paper angels go on the higher branches, and the sturdy wooden ornaments go down low.
Pro Tip: Use slightly thicker card rather than thin printer paper, and the angels will hold their shape much better.
Cost: Under $2 per child | Time: 25 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 5+
9. Paper Chain Christmas Garland
No list of christmas crafts for kids is complete without a paper chain, because it is the craft that turns the whole house festive. My kids cut strips of red, green, and gold paper, looped them into chains, and we draped them along the mantel, the staircase, and the doorway.
The trick to avoiding tears is cutting the strips in advance for younger kids. Now I cut, they loop and glue, and everybody stays happy.
Pro Tip: Alternate two or three colours in a pattern, and the chain looks far more polished than a random mix.
Cost: Under $2 per child | Time: 30–45 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 3+
10. Felt Christmas Stockings
I sewed the basic stocking shapes myself the night before, and then handed them over for decorating, which is the right division of labour in our house. My kids glued on felt trees, stars, and their initials, and each stocking came out completely different.
If your child wants to sew, use a blunt plastic needle and thick felt, and keep the stitches big and loose.
Pro Tip: Add a small loop at the top before decorating, or you will be sewing loops onto a finished, glitter-covered stocking.
Cost: $3–$5 per child | Time: 45 minutes | Difficulty: Medium | Best age: 5+ (adult handles sharp needles)
11. Mini Advent Calendar Stockings
This craft doubles as a countdown, which makes it twice as exciting in our house. We made twenty-four tiny felt stockings, pegged them to a length of ribbon, and tucked a small treat or a tiny activity note into each one.
Be realistic about the filling: twenty-four stockings need twenty-four fillings, so I keep them tiny. Stickers, a single sweet, or a joke written on paper all work, and nobody has ever complained about a small surprise.
Pro Tip: Number the stockings with a fabric pen as you peg them up, or day twelve will mysteriously vanish.
Cost: $4–$6 per calendar | Time: 1 hour | Difficulty: Medium | Best age: 4+
12. Hand-Stamped Gift Wrap
Plain brown parcel paper, a potato cut into a star shape, and a pot of red paint turned our gift wrapping into a craft session all by itself. My kids stamped stars and trees all over the paper, and the finished parcels looked like something from a fancy boutique.
Potato stamps are messy, so this is a kitchen-table craft with an old tablecloth underneath. I also learned to let each sheet dry flat before stacking, because one year we stacked wet sheets and every star printed itself onto the back of the next parcel.
Pro Tip: Cut the potato stamp yourself with a small knife, and let kids handle only the stamping part.
Cost: Under $3 for a whole roll | Time: 30 minutes plus drying | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 3+
13. Kids’ Gift Wrapping Station
Once the wrapping paper is stamped, I set up a station where my kids wrap their own small gifts for family members. I pre-cut the paper into generous rectangles, put out tape, ribbon, and gift tags, and let them wrap a book or a toy for their grandparents.
The biggest lesson here is to keep the gifts small. Start tiny, and let them graduate to bigger boxes next year.
Pro Tip: Double-sided tape is far easier for small hands than regular tape, and it looks neater too.
Cost: Under $3 per child | Time: 30 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 4+
14. Letters to Santa
Writing a letter to Santa is a tradition in our house, not just a craft, but the decorating is half the fun. My kids write their letter, then decorate the edges with stickers, drawings, and a border of tiny trees.
I keep the letter short on purpose: three wishes, one thank you, and one question. The year my son wrote a four-page list, he was disappointed on Christmas morning, and I learned that a short list makes for a happier child and a saner December.
Pro Tip: Photograph the letter before it goes in the envelope, so you have a keepsake even after Santa “collects” it.
Cost: Under $1 per child | Time: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 4+
15. Painted Christmas Figurines
Small ceramic or wooden figurines, a set of paints, and a free afternoon make for one of the most absorbing crafts on this list. My kids painted tiny trees, reindeer, and Santas, and each one came out with a completely different personality.
Painted figurines need a full day to dry and harden, so do not plan to gift them the same afternoon. I now paint them on Saturday and wrap them on Sunday, which keeps the whole thing stress-free.
Pro Tip: Put each figurine on a paper plate while painting, so kids can rotate it without touching wet paint.
Cost: $3–$5 per child | Time: 45 minutes plus drying | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 4+
16. Washi Tape Christmas Trees
Washi tape is the lowest-mess craft supply I own, which is why I love it. My kids stuck strips of patterned tape onto card in the shape of a Christmas tree, added a star sticker on top, and had a finished piece of art in ten minutes.
The trees look best when the tape strips get shorter towards the top, like a real tree shape. My daughter figured that out on her second tree.
Pro Tip: Tear the tape rather than cutting it for a soft, rustic edge, and let toddlers do the tearing themselves.
Cost: Under $3 per child | Time: 15 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 3+
17. Paper Cut-Out Christmas Trees
Folded paper, careful scissor cuts, and a big unfold reveal make this craft feel like magic to kids. We folded green paper in half, cut out a simple tree shape with little notches, and unfolded it to find a lacy, symmetrical tree.
Scissors are the safety note here: younger kids need blunt-tip safety scissors and simple shapes, and I sit beside my youngest for every cut. Older kids can try more detailed notches, but the rule in our house is that scissors stay at the table, always.
Pro Tip: Draw the cut lines in pencil first, so kids can follow a path instead of guessing where to cut.
Cost: Under $1 per child | Time: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Medium | Best age: 5+ (adult supervision for scissors)
18. Decorate a Mini Christmas Tree
Every child deserves a tree of their own, and a small tabletop tree is the answer. I bought each of my kids a little tree one year, set out mini ornaments, tinsel, and a tiny star, and let them decorate it exactly how they wanted.
Keep the ornaments shatterproof for this one. The first year, a glass bauble met the bedroom floor within a day, and I spent the evening picking up glitter. Plastic and felt ornaments only, and the trees survive until January.
Pro Tip: Put the tree on a tray, so fallen tinsel and ornaments stay contained instead of spreading across the bedroom floor.
Cost: $5–$8 per child | Time: 30 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 3+
19. Ornament-Making Station for a Craft Party
When friends come over in December, I set up one big ornament-making station instead of planning a single craft. I lay out plain baubles, wooden shapes, paint pens, stickers, and ribbon, and every child makes whatever they like.
The secret is having more stations than children, or at least more supplies than you think you need. Now I buy the cheap multi-packs, and nobody waits.
Pro Tip: Cover the table with a plastic cloth and give each child a paper plate for their supplies, and cleanup takes five minutes.
Cost: $3–$5 per child | Time: 1 hour | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 4+
20. Gingerbread Man Ornaments
These smell like Christmas even though you cannot eat them. We cut gingerbread man shapes from brown felt, stitched or glued on button eyes, a smile, and a little scarf, and hung them on the tree.
Felt is very forgiving, which makes this a great first sewing project. My daughter’s first gingerbread man has big, uneven stitches, and it is the ornament I look for first every year.
Pro Tip: Add a tiny jingle bell to the scarf, so the ornament makes a soft sound when the tree is brushed.
Cost: Under $3 per child | Time: 30 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Best age: 4+ (adult handles sharp needles)
Christmas Crafts for Kids: Quick Comparison
| Craft | Best Age | Cost | Mess Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popsicle Stick Tree Ornaments | 4+ | Under $3 | Low |
| Handmade Christmas Cards | 3+ | Under $2 | Low |
| Santa Beard Countdown | 3+ | Under $2 | Low |
| Paper Star Ornaments | 5+ | Under $2 | Low |
| Painted Wooden Ornaments | 4+ | $3–$5 | Medium |
| Reindeer Face Ornaments | 4+ | Under $3 | Low |
| Bead Star Ornaments | 6+ | $3–$5 | Medium |
| Paper Angel Ornaments | 5+ | Under $2 | Low |
| Paper Chain Garland | 3+ | Under $2 | Low |
| Felt Christmas Stockings | 5+ | $3–$5 | Low |
| Mini Advent Calendar Stockings | 4+ | $4–$6 | Low |
| Hand-Stamped Gift Wrap | 3+ | Under $3 | High |
| Kids’ Gift Wrapping Station | 4+ | Under $3 | Low |
| Letters to Santa | 4+ | Under $1 | Low |
| Painted Christmas Figurines | 4+ | $3–$5 | Medium |
| Washi Tape Christmas Trees | 3+ | Under $3 | Low |
| Paper Cut-Out Christmas Trees | 5+ | Under $1 | Low |
| Decorate a Mini Christmas Tree | 3+ | $5–$8 | Low |
| Ornament-Making Station | 4+ | $3–$5 | Medium |
| Gingerbread Man Ornaments | 4+ | Under $3 | Low |
Mistakes I Made / What I Learned the Hard Way
Starting too many crafts at once. One December, I laid out supplies for four crafts at the same time, thinking more choice meant more fun. Now we do one craft per session, and everyone enjoys it more.
Skipping the drying time. Wet glue and wet paint ruin more crafts than any lack of talent. I have packed away tacky ornaments, stacked wet gift wrap, and hung dripping angels, and every time I regretted it. Build in drying time, or craft the day before decorating.
Buying the fancy kit instead of the simple supplies. The expensive craft kits looked wonderful in the shop, but they came with fiddly instructions and pieces too small for my kids. A bag of felt and a pack of craft sticks have given us far more happy afternoons than any kit.
Forgetting that hot glue is an adult tool. I once handed my eight-year-old a low-temperature glue gun, thinking “low-temperature” meant safe. It does not, and a burnt fingertip ended craft time early. In our house now, adults run the glue gun, full stop, and kids do everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is best for christmas crafts for kids? Most of these work from age three upwards, with simpler crafts like cards, washi tape trees, and paper chains for toddlers, and beading, paper cutting, and sewing for ages five and up.
How long did your crafts actually last? The wooden, felt, and bead ornaments have lasted three or four Christmases in our house, stored in tissue paper in a labelled box. Paper angels and paper chains usually last one season.
What would you do differently next December? I would start earlier, in late November, and do one craft each weekend instead of cramming everything into the week before Christmas.
Are these crafts safe for toddlers? The toddler-friendly ones are, as long as you skip small beads, sharp scissors, and hot glue. For children under four, stick to cards, washi tape, paper chains, and hand-stamped wrapping, and keep an adult at the table the whole time. Read this next: if you want more paper-based ideas for little hands, my winter paper crafts for kids list is full of them.
Final Thoughts
The best christmas crafts for kids are not the ones that look perfect on the tree, they are the ones your children remember making. The purple angel and the blue-nosed reindeer are still my favourites, precisely because they are not perfect.
Pick one craft from this list, clear the kitchen table, and give yourself permission for it to be messy. Hang whatever your kids make somewhere proud, even if it is slightly wonky, and start a box for the ornaments that survive. In a few years, that box will be the most precious decoration you own.
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