| Holiday Crafts |
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Christmas Tree Forest – Purchase a very small tree (about 24” tall) for each guest, and line them in rows with a name tag on each. This can be done either indoors or outside. Send each child into the "forest" to find the tree labeled with their name, and let them decorate their tree. Provide guests with small decorations such as holiday bows, candy canes, foil-wrapped chocolate ornaments, and tiny garlands. This project can also be taken home as their party favor.
Gifts of Love for Children to Make - Give each child a few plain index cards and allow them to decorate one side of each card with markers, crayons, or stickers. After they have decorated the cards, have them write a gift on the other side to give to a friend or family member. Encourage them to list things they can do for the other person, and not items that cost money. For younger children, you may want to have the “gifts” already listed on the cards for them.
Gift Suggestions the children can use include:
Walk the dog, do the dishes, give two kisses and a hug, pick up toys, make your bed, bring in the mail, read to a little sister or brother, etc. Ask the children to keep their gifts a secret until gift-giving time, when they can give one to all the people they love.
Make this a yearly tradition and watch how the "gifts" change over time. Find other Christmas traditions from our partner, Celebrations.com.
Snowman Button Pins - Before the party, gather all necessary items such as buttons, felt, seed beads, glue and pin backs.
To make the snowmen, give each child two 1/2" buttons and one 3/4" button. Children should glue the buttons to a strip of cardboard 1/2" wide x 1.5" long as shown. The first 1/2" button should be positioned with button holes horizontally to form eyes. The second 1/2" button should be placed below the first, but the holes should be lined up vertically to form buttons. The third 3/4" button should be placed below the 2nd, again with the holes lined up vertically.
Next, the children should dab glue into each button hole and add a black bead to form the eyes and buttons for their snowman. A strip of red or green felt can be added around the neck to make a scarf and a piece of black felt can be used for the hat. Finally, an adult can glue on a felt backing over the cardboard and add a pin back. Let the glue dry during the party and the children can wear the pins home.
Use the illustrations below to help the children place the buttons and seeds on the strip of cardboard.
Santa Finger Puppets - Before the party, copy and cut out the Santa Finger Puppet pattern for any guests 6 and under. Older children may want to cut their own Santa shape.
To make the finger puppets, let the children color the Santa with markers or crayons. With adult help, let them glue on a cotton ball for a beard, felt for a scarf, and small beads or sequins for buttons. After the puppets dry, you may want to let the children put on plays. To use, children put their index and middle fingers through the holes (forming Santa's legs), and move the Santa up to their knuckles.
Find more Christmas crafts for adults and children from our partner, Celebrations.com.
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