Christmas crafty fun

by Keri Zingle

If your kids are just itching to get ready for Christmas but you’re not quite ready to trim the tree or start wrapping gifts, here are a few holiday craft ideas to channel their energy:

Egg cup Christmas bells

A great recycling craft! Cut an old egg carton into individual cups and poke a small hole into the bottom of each cup (using a toothpick). Paint the cups with bright Christmas colours and, while wet, sprinkle with silver or gold sparkles. Make your bells ring by stringing a small jingle bell onto a piece of yarn, then tying a knot about 2 cm from the bell. Pull the string through the inside of the egg cup, until the knot reaches the hole. Tie a loop to hang your bell.

Handprint Santa magnet

This one would make a lovely gift for the grandparents. Trace your child’s handprint onto a piece of white felt or construction paper, to create Santa’s beard. Cut a circle out of another piece of felt to make a Santa face that can be glued into the palm of the handprint. Use markers or crayons to draw face. Cut a Santa hat from red felt, and rest it at the top of Santa’s head (opposite fingertip ‘beard’). Rip a small piece of cotton from a cotton ball to adorn Santa’s hat with white trim. Attach a self-adhesive magnet to the back of your craft for hanging.

Coffee filter snowman picture

On a large piece of construction paper, build a snowman with three large coffee filters, or two coffee filters and a small paper plate. Decorate your snowman with eyes, buttons, arms, scarf, and a hat. Decorate the paper around your snowman with snowflakes made from tissue, cotton balls, or paper

Thumb print Christmas cards

Make personalized cards for Christmas by stamping your child’s thumb onto small cards. Green thumbprints can be stacked to make a Christmas tree, eyes, legs, and antlers can be added to a row of brown thumbprint reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh, white thumbprints on coloured paper make snowballs or snowmen, or can even transform into Santa’s beard. Just get set up with a set of paints or stamp pads, and you can spend the afternoon making cards for family and friends!

Keri Zingle is mother of two and owner of Craft Caravan. If you love crafts but are short on time or ideas, let Craft Caravan do the work! Receive new craft projects at your door every month with the Kids Craft Club. www.craftcaravan.com

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