3 Fun Kid Crafts for the Holiday Season

Cerys Parker

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The gap between Halloween and New Year’s is a manic rush from family, to school, to dance recitals, to performances, as well as a million other things. With Thanksgiving, then Christmas, it seems we never stop. Finding a way to connect and make what should be one of the most important family times of the year often seems to fall by the wayside. In our family, we love to create, whether with paper, paints and glue or with the ingredients from the store cupboard, and I find that restabilizing a connection with my kids is possible through inexpensive, easy crafts for the holiday season.

MAKE HOLIDAY CARDS TOGETHER

Many people like to send a family photo card as their holiday card each year. They spend time sorting out a photo shoot and getting their cards printed professionally. While these cards look lovely, our family works together to create our own handmade holiday cards to send to close family and friends. When my kids were very young, this was a case of sitting with them and creating hand prints that I decorated into Christmas trees and reindeer, but as they have gotten older, we have used pompons, glitter, card, tinsel, pipe cleaners, cotton wool, and anything else that they can find lying around. Believe me, when your great aunt receives a hand-crafted card from her great great grandniece or nephew, that card will have a place of pride among the cards that she will receive this year and, in all likelihood, this card will make an appearance in years to come.

Materials
Card stock or card blanks
Green card
Glitter glue
Markers
Gold and silver mirror paper
Colored paper
Glue

Directions
Carefully fold the card stock in half so you have a blank folded card – make sure that it opens the right way before you and your children get creative. You may want to fold the total number of cards you are going to make before you start. This way, they will all be prepared, and you can sit and enjoy helping your kids rather than rushing to fold cards whilst they are demanding more.

Christmas tree cards are easy to make, as are tree baubles, holly leaves, and snowflakes. Start off by helping kids cut out shapes for backgrounds, like triangles for trees or circles for baubles.

Stick shapes onto cards, then let the children loose to decorate as they see fit. If kids struggle the first time with cutting the base for the card, you can cut additional shapes as they add sequins, glitter, pompoms, and other decorations. Don’t be afraid to add your own bits to their cards or to show them how creative you can be as you join in.

BAKE COOKIES TO SHARE

Some of my fondest memories are in the kitchen with my mum and grandmothers during the holiday season, whether chatting and singing along with the radio or rolling out dough for cookie and pies to give as gifts to neighbors and friends. Cookies are nice and simple to prepare, and with some shaped cookie cutters, you can create your own special cookies to give away whilst connecting with kids in the kitchen. Our favorite sugar cookie recipe is egg-free, which means I don’t even have to worry when little hands steal a little of the dough to taste.

Ingredients for Simple Cookie Dough

½ cup unsalted butter
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup white sugar

Directions

Combine the sugar and butter in a bowl and mix together until light and fluffy. Add the flour to make a paste.

Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for around an hour.

Pre-heat an oven to 350˚F. Lightly flour a surface and roll out the dough. Use seasonal cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes.

Place on a lined and greased cookie sheet and into the oven. Cook until golden brown – leave to cool. Decorate how you wish.

MAKE NATURAL DECORATIONS FOR THE HOME

I love bringing the outside in during the holiday season, especially when it gets too cold or wet to spend great lengths of time outside. Instead, we go for a quick nature walk and collect objects like holly, pine cones, branches from pine trees, or interesting sticks and bark. Once back home, we combine these finds with some homemade decorations and set about creating our own potpourri for the house.

Materials
Nature finds (holly, pine cones, branches from pine trees, interesting sticks and bark, etc.)
Cinnamon sticks
Cloves
Dried orange slices
Essential oils or fragrance oils for the season

Directions
Mix together your nature finds in a bowl.

Add in the seasonal objects like cinnamon sticks, cloves, or homemade dried orange slices.

Stir until well blended, and then add in some seasonal essential oils or fragrance oils and stir again.

Pour into a decorative bowl.

When the fragrance starts to weaken, add a few more drops. Your house will smell lovely all season long.