Christmas is the season for those preschool and elementary school-age kids to create those beloved ornaments that may or may not be ugly or too heavy for the tree or just trashy. It’s got to be said; let’s be honest with ourselves, this whole kids crafting thing can be a tricky situation. There is a huge part of us that love our children and want to keep every scrap of paper and craft they create. The problem is that not everything our children produce is a winner. Here are a few inexpensive craft ideas that are easy to put together with your little ones and you’ll actually want to keep them.
Felt ornaments. If You like to have a live tree for Christmas you’re likely familiar with the problem of thin branches and heavy ornaments. It’s kind of entertaining to sit in the living room in the evenings and hear the occasional ornament drop through the branches and hit the floor. Thankfully, felt ornaments are lightweight, fairly indestructible and they are so easy to store because they are flexible and don’t take up much room.
There are so many different materials used in crafting. Among the most popular, especially holiday time of the year, is felt. Felt is a material created by matting fibers together, usually made from natural fibers like wool or animal fur. It’s also created using synthetic fibers like acrylic, or wood fiber-based rayon. The material is readily available in lots of stores like Amazon, Walmart, Michael’s, Joanne and many other crafting stores and boutiques. It comes in a huge variety of fun colors and can have a stiff or soft texture. Felt is such a versatile material and relatively inexpensive which makes it ideal for a wide variety of crafts. With felt, if you can cut it and glue it, it’s possible.
There are so many fun ideas already out there and then there are those, original, one of a kind projects that you dream up on your own.
Crafting with children is oftentimes messy and daunting; and quite often the end result is not really something you want to keep for the long haul. The question is what kinds of crafts can you make with kids that you’ll want to keep and will treasure in the years to come? Felt ornaments for the tree of course. These cute, fuzzy, lightweight ornaments are easy to put together and fun for you and your crew. The creative options are limitless and the cost and mess factors are surprisingly small. Felt is fairly inexpensive and all you really need is glue and a pair of scissors. Felt is also readily available and easy to come by in many different colors which makes it way more versatile and can cost as little as $0.49 for a 8.5 x 11” sheet.
Crafting Your Ornament
Here are some templates, instructions, and ideas for some fun easy holiday classics you can try at home with your kids. Your welcome!
Construction:
If you are crafting with kids, it’s best to pre-cut the pieces you will be using to create your ornament. There are pre-cut, ready-to-assemble craft kits available for purchase as well. Amazon has a great variety available to choose from as do many craft stores.
Remember to have extras of pretty much everything because kids have a tendency to lose small pieces and felt has a habit of sticking to things which makes it all that much easier to lose.
You can use hot glue to attach the pieces of your project but that means a lot less involvement for the kiddos. Tacky glue is a great option, it gives you great, long-lasting hold and dries relatively fast.
Keep it simple and have fun!
The Snowman
This craft can also be modified to fit a certain Disney-inspired snowman theme if you’d like.
Simply cut out a basic snowman shape. It’s easier to hide the string if you add a hat to your snow person.
Googly eyes are a fun silly way to give your snowman a signature look or you can simply add a few black felt lumps of coal.
Carrot nose—this can be anything from a triangular piece of felt, to an orange bead. It’s also fun to go outside the norms.
Coal buttons
Puff paint smile
Ribbon scarf
The Tree
Christmas tree-shaped ornaments are especially fun to put together with the younger crowd. This type of project has a lot of wiggle room for creativity. It’s also one of the simplest designs. Use a triangle-shaped piece of felt for the base.
The ornaments / decorations for the tree can be as simple as one you create and cut out of felt or those little fuzzy balls you find in packages in the crafting aisle. You could also use glitter, sequins, buttons, or pretty much any fun little bits and bobs that strike your fancy.
Gingerbread People / Elves
Creating your own gingerbread character or even elf to look like yourself is a fun way to put a little bit of you and your child in the Christmas decorating.
You can use any “people” shape you want. You can create your own template, print one that you found online or just use a cookie-cutter.
For the face, you could use felt, puff paint or even print a photo of your face or your child’s face to paste onto the decoration.
Candy Cane Mouse
The body for a candy cane mouse is a simple avocado shape. Cut two small slits in the body of the mouse to thread the ears into the body. Then add eyes whiskers a mustache or nose.
Don’t forget to think outside the box. A mouse can be any color you like. Let your children change it up and create their own unique spin on it. Kids more often than not have great ideas and their imaginations are far less limited than the average adult. They have the confidence to go against the norms and create fun new and exciting things.
Take It Easy
Creating crafts and having holiday fun shouldn’t be stressful or expensive. Keep in mind that it’s not cheating to purchase a prepared kit and take some of the work out of the crafting experience. There is a multitude of prepared ornament making kits available for purchase on Amazon and other crafting sites. Pre-cut shapes can help your project along. Have fun, be creative and make it your own. Merry Christmas!
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