Christmas crafts for toddlers and young children

Try making some Christmas decorations, cards and gifts with your child. Use your creations to make your home feel more festive, or give them to friends.  

These Christmas angels can decorate a tree, a shelf or table. Watch the video or follow the steps below.   

You will need 

• Paper plate (or draw a circle on a piece of paper and cut it out).
• Card.
• Glue.
• Felt tip pens, colouring pencils or crayons.
• Pencil.
• Scissors.
• Glitter (biodegradable if you can get it). 

Instructions 

1. Decorate both sides of the plate or circle with your own design. 
2. Fold plate in two sides towards the middle so they overlap slightly. This makes the circle into a triangle shape. Dab some glue onto the overlapping sections to keep them in place, but don’t stick them to the bottom of the plate. This will be the body of your angel.
3. Take a piece of card and a pencil. Place your hand on the card, and draw around your fingers. Do the same again so you have two hand shapes, and then cut them out. These will become the wings of your angel.
4. Once you have the two wings, dab some glue at the bottom. Stick them on the back of your angel’s body.
5. Draw a circle on another piece of card and cut it out. This is your angel’s face – so draw on the eyes, nose and mouth. Put some glue on the back and stick it to the top of the folded paper plate.
6. or extra of Christmas sparkle, put some glue on your angel and shake glitter over it.
7. Leave it to dry for five or more hours and then stick it at the top of your Christmas tree.  

Make homemade Christmas baubles for your tree or around the home. Watch the video or follow the steps below. 

You will need

• A paper plate.
• Pieces of tissue paper or wrapping paper in different colours.
• Some card.
• A ribbon (about 3 inches or 8cm long).
• Glue.
• Scissors. 

Instructions   

1. Cut or tear different shapes out of your tissue paper or wrapping paper.
2. Glue them onto your plate to decorate it.
3. Cut a small square out of the card. This is where you’ll stick the ribbon later. Glue the square to the top of the plate.
4. Make a loop with the ribbon and glue both ends to the back of the square. Leave the middle bit sticking out to let it hang from your tree.
5. Leave the glue to dry for five hours before hanging it on your tree or a door handle. 

Try making a Christmas wreath to decorate your child’s bedroom door. Watch the video or follow the steps below. 

You will need

• Lots of card. Use green and red card for a tradition festive look, or go for something more colourful.
• Glue.
• Scissors.
• Ribbon.
• Pencil. 

 Instructions 

1. On the green card, use your pencil to draw around your hand.
2. Repeat this another 20 times. Fold over the card under your hand if you want o cut several sheets at a time.
3. You should have 20 paper hands now. Slightly overlap them and stick them to each other in the shape of a circle.
4. Cut out small circles from the red card and stick them onto your wreath. These will be the berries.
5. Make a loop with the ribbon at the top of your wreath and tie in a bow.
6. Leave the glue to dry for five hours or so before hanging it up on a bedroom door. 

Get your child to help you make a Christmas card for friends and family. Watch the video or follow the steps below.  

You will need  

• Two sheets of card. Any colour will do for the card, but you could use red card for Father Christmas’s hat.
• White washable paint.
• Cotton wool (or white card or paper)
• Black felt-tip pen.
• Sticky googly eyes (optional). 
• Pink or red tissue paper (optional).  

Instructions 

1. Fold an A4 piece of coloured card in half.
2. Paint your palm with white paint. Turn your card upside down and then gently place your painted hand on the front. The handprint will become Father Christmas’s white beard. Make sure you’ve left enough space  for Father Christmas’s hat and face.
3. Turn your card the right way up again and add Father Christmas’s face above the top of your palm. Draw it on with the black pen. Or stick on googly eyes and cut circles out of card or pink or red tissue paper for his nose and rosy cheeks.
4. Cut a triangle and glue it above his face as his hat. Stick cotton wool as the bobble and rim of the hat.
5. Leave the glue to dry for a few hours. Then you can write your messages inside and post it to your loved ones.