As a former daycare teacher, I enjoyed doing arts and crafts with the children. I loved coming up with fun handmade gifts to send home to the parents for the holidays. Now, as a parent, I am so glad I can create these fun projects with my little one for our family. As a family that celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas, I try to create arts and crafts for both holidays so my son can learn about both.
Here are some fun and cute holiday arts and crafts ideas for both Hanukkah and Christmas that you can do with your littles at home:
Christmas Footprint Reindeer
One of the most common and easiest projects to do with little ones (especially infants) are handprint and footprint projects. When my son was a baby, I painted his little feet with brown paint and put them on paper to make footprint reindeer. The materials needed for this project are just construction paper, brown paint, and then a black marker to draw the antlers and nose. I added “My First Christmas” with the marker to ours but that extra step is completely optional. We made Rudolph so I used a red marker so that is an option as well.
Handprint Christmas Tree
This project is super cute and simple (as long as your child cooperates) to complete. All that’s necessary is construction paper or a canvas, green paint and different colored paints to make the lights on the trees, and a brown and yellow marker. You just paint their hands with green paint and make the handprints in the shape of a Christmas tree. When the paint dries, you can add dots of colored paint to create the lights.
Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree
A cute idea for toddlers or older children could be to make a Christmas tree out of popsicle sticks. Use any craft supplies you have on hand around your house to decorate these cute trees. If you add twine, it can easily become a new addition to the Christmas tree. All you need for supplies is:
- 3 popsicle sticks (one with about 1″ cut from the end of it)
- 1″ x 1″ square of brown card stock (for the stump)
- A star cut from glittery card stock
- A piece of twine (if you want to turn it into an ornament)
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors and a craft/utility knife
Fingerprint Christmas Lights
I love the idea of this one and will probably have my son do it this year! This is super cute and super simple! All you need is paper or a canvas, different colored paints, and a black Sharpie to draw the line. You have your child dip the tips of their fingers into the paint and press it on different sections of the line. This is great for all ages, but the little ones will probably need assistance and guidance.
Hanukkah Handprint Menorah
We celebrate Hanukkah as well as Christmas in our house, so I wanted to incorporate Hanukkah projects in our crafts. This one is super simple and does not need many materials. All I did was dip his hand in blue paint and join the tips of the thumbs when we pressed it on the paper to make it resemble a menorah. When the paint dried, I just drew the orange flames on top of the fingers. I decided to laminate it and give it as a gift to my in-laws from Jacob and it easily became a keepsake.
Watercolor Dreidels
This is a great craft for any age and uses minimal supplies. All you need is cardstock or watercolor paper (anything that will absorb the watercolor), watercolors, paintbrushes, and a cup of water. I recommend cutting multiple dreidels out at a time to save yourself some time and then the kids can create different designs. This is a great way for them to use their imagination and an easy way to display their creativity. I am excited to do this one with my son!
Paper Plate Menorah
This one is cute and fun, but it can take some work! To start print and cut out the candles, or you can easily make your own with construction paper. Then have the child paint the paper plate with gold paint. When it is dry you can fold it in half or cut the plate and use one half. Assemble the candles by adding the flame to the top and then glue the candles on the back of the plate. Attach a ribbon so you can hang it up as decoration in your home.
There are so many holiday arts and crafts ideas, so these are just a few of my favorites. What are some of your favorite holiday arts and crafts ideas to do with your littles? If you do any of these crafts I shared with you take photos and share your final products. I can’t wait to see your artists’ completed work!
