There’s nothing like snowflakes, the magic of Christmas, and starry winter nights to kindle the imagination of children, and what better way to capture those imaginations than with crafts! Here are some kid-friendly holiday crafts to keep their endless creativity flourishing all season long!
Weaving Evergreen Garlands
Get kids into evergreen branches this season with these easy steps:
- Teach them the difference between different types, aromas, and textures of evergreens, like pine, spruce, and soft cedar, as they tie the boughs together with twine.
- Connect each bundle, add some string lights, a little ribbon, and let the garlands adorn your mantelpiece, railings, doorframe, or table.
Circles of Wreaths
“The world works in circles,” as the Lakota medicine man, Black Elk, once said. The wreath is a shining example of this—highly symbolic of the circle of the seasons and the promise of new life even in the depths of winter. Let your kids participate in this ancient winter craft by making a wreath of their own! While crafting, ask them where else they see circles—like the horizon, the bird’s nest, the moon, and the seasons.
To make a kid-friendly wreath, you’ll need a metal wreath frame, craft wire, evergreen boughs, and your kids’ choice of ornaments, like dried flowers, pine cones, ornamental berries, ribbons, and dogwood twigs. Start by making small bundles of boughs, then attach them to the frame with wire, followed by any additional decor.
Pine Cone Animals
Children long to make friends with the animal world. Let them get closer to their favorite furry friends by crafting animal figures from pine cones. You’d be surprised what they create with googly eyes, glue, felt, and a heap of cones. Think reindeer, owls, snowmen, and bears. As a fun game, let them imitate their animals to spur their imagination before beginning this kid-friendly craft.
Dried Flower Delight
Who said that flower children were only possible in the spring? Last year’s dried flowers also make beautiful bouquets! To start this activity, let your kids scavenge your yard for flowers and branches to include in this craft. Hopefully, you weren’t too thorough with your fall clean-up!
Once you have the materials, show the kids how to bundle them with twine. Hang the completed masterpieces on the tree, above doorways, on doors, or the table beside your other holiday decor.
Crafts are never just crafts; they're doorways to exploring the real mysteries of the world that adults often forget but are tangible and visible for children's eyes.
Gingerbread House Extravaganza: Sweet Edible Crafts
The breadth of a child’s imagination doesn’t stop with figurines and ornaments; they want to create whole worlds! A gingerbread village lets them do just that. Let them experiment with snowy fields and gutters of icing, gumdrop Christmas lights, and candy cane archways. Don’t stop there, though, because almost any pretzel, nut, and piece of candy can serve a purpose. Provide the good stuff, a few photos if needed, and let your kids be elves in a gingerbread workshop!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Paper Plate Crafts
Holiday craft time is only complete with a tribute to the most famous reindeer of all. Starting with an ordinary paper plate, let your kids transform it with red pompoms, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, and googly eyes. While you’re at it, why not teach them about their North Dakota reindeer cousins, such as the whitetail deer, mule deer, and elk! The lesson will heighten the magic next time they see a deer browsing the snowy plains.
Cotton Ball Snowmen: Fluffy Winter Creations
While your kids are crafting Rudolph replicas, let them extend their creativity to famous snowmen, too. Cotton balls, construction paper, buttons, and felt are useful here, but you don’t need to stop there! Add a cob nose, hat, and pipe, and let them fashion a whole snowman or attire for their frosty friend!
Interesting Fact: Nobody knows precisely when the first snowman was created, but snowman historian Bob Eckstein says they date back to 1308, as first depicted in the medieval Book of Hours—long before Frosty came on the scene in 1969.
Nature-Inspired Ornaments
Have you ever noticed the natural beauty of a pine cone—its symmetry and mesmerizing patterns of wooden flakes? How about the beauty of a twig? These are wonderful starting points for kid-crafted holiday ornaments. Bring in the glue, glitter, paint, and string, and your kids can create works of art for your tree that will last years. A scavenger hunt through the yard provides a good starting point for this activity!
Crafts are never just crafts; they’re doorways to exploring the real mysteries of the world that adults often forget but are tangible and visible for children’s eyes. As you get involved in these holiday activities, we guarantee you’ll learn as much as they do and leave the craft table with a more wondrous view of the winter world outside.
For supplies to start these kid-friendly holiday crafts, don’t hesitate to visit our Garden Center in Bismarck, North Dakota!