Making Christmas crafts is all part of the festive fun and the more creative they are doesn't necessarily mean they aren't as easy to copy. Whether you want to entertain the preschoolers or adults in your household over the festive period, there is lots you can do in the way of Christmas crafting. Think mini wreath upgrades, cute peg tree decorations, paper holiday decor and much more.
Tried and tested for both ease and enjoyment, the best crafts are sure to enhance any DIY Christmas decorations around your home. From loo roll reindeer to foot print snow men and ice lolly stick sparkly stars, we've gathered the most creative, simple and inexpensive craft ideas that you can do together at home with a hot chocolate or festive tipple in hand. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Easy Christmas craft ideas for the whole family
Sarah Fishburne, Director of Trend and Design at The Home Depot says, 'There’s really no limit to what you can craft for Christmas! It’s such a fun time of year to create memories with your family by getting creative and making something yourself. You can craft holiday décor for inside or outside, gifts for friends and family, greeting cards, advent calendars, tablescapes and so much more!'
Cameron Bentley, Noah’s Pottery expert adds ' The only limit to what you can make is your imagination. Check out Instagram or Pinterest for seasonal ideas such as candle holders and luminaries, christmas trees or small ornaments. Noah has a wealth of tutorials on Beyond the Box that will introduce you to the basic processes for forming a vessel as well as some ideas that would make thoughtful Christmas presents such as jewellery dishes and plant pots.'
1. Upgrade a store bought wreath
Customizing a shop bought Christmas wreath is a good way to add your own stamp on your holiday decor and feel super crafty without making one from totally from scratch. 'Sometimes you can feel like you made it yourself simply by customizing it for your family. Adding personalization takes simple DIY to the next level. You might want to buy one of our pre-lit wreaths or garland and add your own flavor to it by adding ornaments, pinecone, berries, and/or ribbon. You could also add your name to an item by either drawing it on with paint or buying pre-cut letters and putting your name or a message on it.' The Home Depot pre-lit wreaths always impress.
2. DIY tree ornaments
Cut some stars and classic ornament shapes out of card, paint them and add some festive scribbles before puncturing a small hole in the top and poking through some ribbon or string. You'll have yourself some cute little tree additions, sure to enhance your Christmas decor in no time at all.
3. DIY tree decorations
Get your imagination going and forage a few twigs from the yard only to bind them together and decorate with offcuts of string, yarn, ribbon and any other materials you may be using to wrap Christmas gifts this year. They make for simple, cute tree additions like these ones created by UK-based Hobby Craft.
If you want to make yours out of clay, follow Bentley's advice and pick an easy kit up from the likes of Noah. 'Perhaps the easiest items to make are Christmas tree decorations. Roll the clay out and cut out shapes which can be decorated using the included acrylic paints in the noah Pottery Kit. Remember to cut a hole before they dry and you can simply add a piece of ribbon or string to tie them to the tree. If you’ve got festive cookie cutters to hand, you can simplify this even further by using them as templates for your decorations.'
4. Craft Acorn Peg Doll Decorations
Forget Elf on the Shelf ideas – a cute Christmas craft ideas for preschoolers and adults alike, pick up a set like this lovely DIY Acorn Peg Doll Decoration kit by Paper Sam and have fun painting your own peg decorations for the tree. Created with environmentally friendly materials (including real acorns), all you need to do is paint on some hair, a smile and a cute festive outfit before your peg people perk up your Christmas tree decor.
5. Craft and paint your own Scandi-style tree decorations
How gorgeous are these simple wooden tree decorations? If you (or someone in your household) is a dab hand at sawing wood, these Christmas Scandi-style designs are so easy to make. Simply cut out two plywood triangles, one with a slit at the bottom, and one with a slit at the top. Slot them together to form the tree shape and paint in any pattern and colour you like! We really love the muted, frosty shades used here by Rustoleum, but a cheery classic green would just as well!
6. Discover origami with a floral paper wreath
Have you ever tried origami? This kit from Not on the High Street really is a very simple introduction to the technique, as it only involves easy folds. The set comes with the paper flowers and leaves already cut out for you, so you can get straight on with the fun, creative part - choosing how to layer up your flowers and where to position them. You attach the flowers with glue, and the finished product really is just as impressive as it looks here - we'd be tempted to keep it up all year round!
7. Make it personal by crafting your own Christmas crackers
Everyone loves pulling crackers at Christmas, but let's face it, the presents are never up to much are they? But imagine if you could plan your family's cracker presents? It really would be an extra special surprise that they wouldn't expect. And it's easier to make your own than you may think.
For this Christmas craft idea, essentially all you need to do is paint an A4 piece of paper in any pattern of your choice, score the folds, insert a loo roll and cracker snap and tie together. For step by step instructions and photos, head to Rustoleum.
8. Enjoy cross stitch the easy way with this large festive wall hanging
Cross stitch can be a little fiddly, but with this larger than life pattern, it's fast and one of the easiest Christmas crafts that will create a stand-out design. This kit from Not on the High Street comes with all you need, including the laser cut, plywood base, cotton thread, needle, and cord to hang. It's a fairly quick craft project that'll only take around two hours, making it perfect for a fun craft afternoon with friends, even if it is via Zoom. Plus we guarantee you'll bring this out year after year to liven up an empty wall.
9. Go fun and playful with a colorful pom pom wreath
Now this one was love at first sight for us. If you're looking for a fun Christmas craft project to do together as a family, this is perfect. You can choose your six yarn colour yourself so you can match it up to your decorating scheme perfectly, as well as choosing between large or small pom poms, or a mixture of both. The set includes clear instructions as to how to make the pom poms and attach them, and even comes with a ribbon for hanging. Get the festive tunes blasting and the mince pies flowing and you'll have a great afternoon with this kit from Not on the High Street.
10. Or choose dainty DIY hanging decorations
We spotted this creative idea on Instagram by @theresa_gromski and it's one we certainly could not scroll past! They're so easy to make with things you have lying around the kitchen too. Simply mix together one and a half cups of table salt, four cups of plain flour and one a half cups of warm water to make a firm dough. Roll out into an even thin layer, just like making biscuits, and use any shape cutter to cut out your decorations.
Theresa used Indian print blocks from Ebay to make these lovely detailed designs, but you could use anything you have at home. Then bake them at 140 degrees, allow to dry and paint! For more detail instructions, head to @theresa_gromski.
11. Color within the lines with these pretty wooden decorations
This nice and easy kit from Not on The High Street really couldn't be any simpler. It comes complete with all the water colour crayons they could possibly need. Once they've coloured in, add some extra magic with a sprinkling of glitter, and they'll be proud to hang their masterpiece up on the tree.
12. Create sparkly stars from ice lolly sticks
Don't throw those ice lol sticks away! Collect them up to make these lovely sparkly stars (or snowflakes, whatever you prefer!) This easy peasy idea by @nanny.world is as simple as it looks - glue four sticks together at the centre, paste them with PVA glue and sprinkle the glitter!
13. Create an iridescent hanging mosaic from an old CD
This enchanted craft idea by @kavzkuizine is so simple yet effective. Cut the shapes of stars and moons out of cardboard and paint them with metallic paint. Carefully cut up an old CD (you may need to do this to protect little ones' fingers) and position them on the moons to create an iridescent mosaic effect. Cut holes in each element to thread string through, and hang from a branch like this for a mystical mobile feature.
14. Create a Santa Claus wall hanging complete with fluffy beard
This cute idea by @hipsterartteacher is a great project for the whole family. To create the beard, hold the end of some white yarn in your hand, wind the yarn around your elbow and back up to your hand five times. Cut the ends you have in your hands and keep the yarn folded. Tie the yarn loops to a stick. Repeat this process until there are seven tied loops on the stick. Then give Santa’s 'beard' a trim! Cut the yarn at an angle on each side to form a point in the centre.
Then paint the back of a paper plate, and glue or tie the stick onto the plate. Cut the Santa hat out of red card, glue on cotton wool balls and attach to the plate. Use a pen to draw on the face, and tie on some rope for hanging. Et voilà!
15. Create fun reindeer heads with loo roll
How cute is this mini Rudolph by @oceanchildcrafts?! All you need to do to create these is roll brown paper around a loo roll, cut and stick on the paper shapes for the eyes, nose and ears. Go foraging for real twigs and attach them to the inside of the roll, then use super glue to attach mini beads. They're so fun to make and so effective. Just look at those happy little faces.
16. Do you wanna build a snowman? These mini ones will do just the trick
Create your own little snowman family with this clever idea by @athomewithmyboys. Simply thread some shabby twine string through three white wooden balls and secure by tying. Use sharpies to draw on the faces and buttons, and use ribbon or pipe cleaners for scarves. We're loving the little pom pom hats too - it really is all about the finishing touches!
17. Decorate wooden Christmas trees – the perfect size for their bedroom
These DIY crafty Christmas trees from Not on the High Street are a great blank canvas for them to let their imaginations run wild. Be it paint, felt tip, glitter or stickers, they really can use anything to decorate these little trees and invent their own baubles and tinsel. With three sizes available and starting from a bargain price – they are a complete steal.
18. Think on your feet for a jolly snowman greetings card
Get your family together to create this fun snowmen greetings card with your feet! Choose paint that won't harm your skin, and take it in turns to dip a foot in and stamp it out. You may want to do a trial run first as it can get messy! Complete the card with felt tip pen detailing and you're all done! We love this idea by @athomewithmyboys and in years to come, it'll be a lovely reminder of how little they were too.
19. Make a floral festive centrepiece with painted pots
Try this fresh and original take on a Christmas dinner table from @design_at_nineteen. Painted terracotta pots with flashes of gold add a special touch to a space – just add chicken wire or floral foam inside and get the kids to fill with their favourite foliage, like eucalyptus and flowers. Justin used Protek Royal Exterior paints in Olive Green, Cashmere, Nude Taupe and Gold for this look.
What are the easiest craft ideas to make with kids at Christmas?
'It depends on the age and skill level of everyone involved but some great places to start crafting with kids are projects that don’t involve the use of power tools or hot glue – anything that could be a hazard to children. When scouring for ideas, look for simple projects that don’t involve too many elements or that focus on universal skills like painting, drawing, or writing. I can suggest How to Make a Christmas Swag Wreath or How to Make a Terra Cotta Snowman, both beginner-level projects that would be very fun to do with kids! You can also buy some of our shatterproof ornaments and let kids paint and customize them for themselves. Easy, fun, and safe!' Says Fishburne.
Bentley notes how 'Pinch pots are simple enough for children of any age to have a go, plus they have the bonus of being somewhat functional, so can make lovely pen pots or coin dishes for family members to treasure.'
What else can I make for Christmas decorations?
'The options here are endless' from using Terra Cotta Pots to learning How to Make a Santa Gnome via The Home Depot, it depends on how much time and energy you have. Fishburne shares a fun and slightly more advance Christmas craft for adults, 'If you are comfortable with cutting plywood, you can cut it into placemats settings (round, square, or rectangle) and prime and paint these for your guests; or better yet, let each guest make their own placemat while the food is getting prepped and cooked. You could also prep them with chalk paint and let everyone draw on them. You can have so much fun!' Sure to make a cute addition to your Christmas table settings.