25 Fun Elementary Christmas Crafts Kids Will Love

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Looking for something festive and hands-on for your classroom or home this December? These elementary Christmas crafts are perfect for kids who want to make something special for the season.

From silly Santas to sparkly trees, there’s something here for every young maker. Want even more inspiration? Check out our complete list of Christmas crafts for kids, packed with joyful ideas that are simple, sweet, and made for little hands to enjoy.

A variety of simple Christmas crafts for children, featuring paper and recycled materials used to make snowmen, elves, reindeer, trees, candles, and festive character cutouts.

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Elementary Christmas Crafts

Yarn Wrapped Reindeer

A simple cardboard shape and brown yarn create a fuzzy holiday friend with antlers and a red nose. Kids wrap yarn around the reindeer-shaped cardboard, then add clothespin antlers (with pipe cleaners for a twisty effect) and a bright pom-pom nose.

It's a festive fine-motor activity that gives children a cute little “Rudolph” decoration to hang on the tree or display proudly.

play-trains.com

DIY Pipe Cleaner Christmas Trees

Shiny pipe cleaners twist into miniature Christmas trees that sparkle in any color scheme. Kids can make snowy white trees, classic green ones, or even rainbow-hued trees, then decorate them with glitter glue and tiny sequins as ornaments.

The simple twisting method is a fun fine-motor project, and the finished trees become adorable decorations or props for imaginative holiday play.

www.paper-and-glue.com

Yarn Wrapped Wreath Ornaments

Kids need only a cardboard ring and some green yarn to create these cute mini wreath ornaments. They wrap the yarn around the ring to make a slight wreath shape and then can decorate it with whatever they like—think tiny red pom-poms as berries, a small ribbon bow, or a jingle bell.

It's a simple, cozy activity that helps develop fine motor skills and leaves the kids with a homemade ornament to hang on the Christmas tree.

Gingerbread House Paper Bag

This imaginative art transforms an ordinary paper lunch bag into a charming gingerbread house. Children decorate the bag with cut-out paper “candies,” windows, and frosting swirls (often using a printable template to get all the sweet details just right).

It's an easy, mess-free way for kids to enjoy the fun of gingerbread house-making—perfect for pretend play or as a festive puppet or treat bag once complete.

frugalfun4boys.com

Paper Christmas Tree

Kids can create a mini Christmas tree that stands up independently with just green paper, scissors, and glue. They cut out a stack of identical paper tree shapes and glued them together in the center, creating a cute 3D tree that can fan out and stay upright.

It's a simple yet impressive project—older children can handle the precise cutting, while younger kids can decorate the finished tree with paper “ornaments” or stickers for a personal touch.

Also try: Christmas Tree Name Craft

buggyandbuddy.com

Puzzle Piece Frame Christmas Ornament

Leftover jigsaw puzzle pieces find new life as a charming Christmas keepsake in this easy ornament art. Kids glue old puzzle pieces around a small cardboard square or circle (with a photo or drawing in the center) to create a miniature picture frame ornament; they can even paint the pieces festive colors or add a sprinkle of glitter.

It's a thrifty, creative project that lets children showcase a favorite photo on the tree while also recycling those random puzzle pieces in a fun way.

Grinch Snowman

Even the Grinch can't steal the fun from this quirky mash-up project that mixes him with a classic snowman. Kids assemble a paper snowman but give it a Grinchy twist: a green “snowman” body, the Grinch's mischievous grin, and a Santa hat on top.

The result is a playful two-in-one character that lets little ones get creative while celebrating their love for the Grinch and traditional snowmen in one hilarious decoration.

funlearningforkids.com

Christmas Sweater Collage

Kids get to design their own “ugly” Christmas sweater by decorating a paper sweater cutout with fun art materials. They can glue on pom-poms, sequins, buttons, stickers, bits of tinsel—whatever they like—to make the sweater as bright and gaudy as possible.

This open-ended collage activity is super engaging and lets children's creativity run wild, resulting in a wacky paper sweater design that's unique, festive, and totally display-worthy (no actual knitting required!).

www.123homeschool4me.com

Construction Paper Christmas Wreath

Kids can make a beautiful holiday wreath decoration using construction paper and a paper plate in no time. They start by cutting the center out of a paper plate to form the wreath base, then wrap and glue strips of green paper around it (alternating shades of green for a fun effect).

The project is quick and straightforward, but the finished wreath looks impressively festive—perfect to hang on a door or wall.

Gingerbread Man Paper Cup

Kids will love turning a plain paper cup into a jolly little gingerbread man. Using a free template for the arms, legs, and face, they attach paper cut-outs to the cup (often painted or colored brown) and even give their gingerbread man accordion-folded arms or legs that wobble.

An adorable holiday art made from simple supplies lets kids create a gingerbread man that can stand on a table or serve as a puppet for playtime.

nontoygifts.com

Paper Plate Santa Beard

This playful Santa art has a twist: kids get to “trim” Santa's beard! Children start by making Santa's face on a paper plate and then create his beard by lacing white yarn back and forth through holes in the plate, giving Santa a long, loopy beard.

It's an adorable Christmas project that combines sewing-like lacing practice with scissor skills, and the result is a super cute Santa portrait with a real yarn beard.

Related: Torn Paper Santa Craft

www.adabofgluewilldo.com

Reindeer Bag

Turn an ordinary paper bag into a festive reindeer for kids to carry home their holiday goodies. Using a simple template, children attach big paper antlers, googly eyes, and a red nose onto a brown bag—suddenly, it looks just like Rudolph!

It's an easy and practical project that kids adore: They get to make their own reindeer-faced bag and then use it to tote home Christmas art, small gifts, or treats from school or a holiday party.

Also try: Fork Painted Reindeer Craft

www.123homeschool4me.com

Christmas Bauble Ornament

Kids will have a blast creating these pretty paper bauble ornaments using a free printable template. First, they color and cut out a flat paper ornament shape (one option even features a cute snowman on it).

Then, they glue strips of construction paper in loops across the ornament to form a 3D “globe” effect. The result is a beautiful ornament that looks fancy on the Christmas tree but is easy enough for toddlers and preschoolers to make with help.

www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com

Construction Paper Christmas Candle Card

Kids can create a beautiful Christmas candle scene on the front of a card using just paper and a little creativity. In this project, they fold and accordion-pleat strips of red paper to create three “candles” that stand up from the card, then add yellow paper flames on top and green paper holly leaves with red pom-pom berries at the base.

It's a simple art designed for kindergarteners, and the finished card makes a lovely handmade greeting with dimensional candles that friends and family will love.

Christmas Tree Card

In this project, kids fold and cut paper to create a tree-shaped card, glue a cut-out paper tree onto a folded card, and then decorate it however they want. They might add sticker ornaments, draw lights with crayons, or glue on scraps of gift wrap as garland.

It's an easy activity that encourages creativity and produces a personalized Christmas card perfect for gifting to family or friends.

kidscraftroom.com

Curled Paper Christmas Tree

Strips of colorful paper become a super-jolly Christmas tree in this curly paper art. Kids curl narrow paper strips around a pencil and glue them onto a paper tree shape (or cone), creating a bouncy 3D tree full of loops and swirls.

Children of all ages will enjoy this one, and the curly paper branches give the tree a fun texture that stands out.

frugalfun4boys.com

Craft Stick Gingerbread House

Little ones can build a pretend gingerbread house using sticks and stickers—no baking needed! Kids glue popsicle sticks together in the shape of a little house (forming the walls and roof shape), then decorate it with all kinds of “candy” made from art supplies.

It's an adorable, mess-free gingerbread house that's perfect for preschoolers, and you can even stick a magnet on the back to display their mini house on the fridge as part of a gingerbread village.

Also try: Gingerbread House Name Craft

Grinch Gingerbread Man

A little mischief mixes with sweetness in this silly holiday project that turns a gingerbread man into the Grinch. Kids start with a classic gingerbread man shape and give it a Grinchy makeover—making the figure Grinch-green, adding the Grinch's sly smirk and funny eyes, and topping it off with a tiny Santa hat.

It's lighthearted art that combines two favorites and lets children exercise their imagination, ending up with a goofy decoration that's part cookie, part Grinch, and 100% festive fun.

thejoysofboys.com

Jingle Bells Project

You only need a few supplies to make this quick jingle bell art that kids love. Children string a few jingle bells onto a pipe cleaner and then twist the ends together to form a loop—voilà, they have a jingly bracelet or ornament!

This activity takes just minutes, which makes it perfect for young kids with short attention spans, and the payoff is huge in fun sounds and festive spirit.

www.easypeasyandfun.com

Craft Sticks Santa

In this fun art, a few popsicle sticks and fluffy cotton become a jolly Santa Claus decoration. Kids glue several sticks side by side to create Santa's face and body, painting a portion peach for the face and red for his hat and suit.

Then comes the fun part: adding Santa's features and textures. The result is an adorable Santa (with a very soft beard!) that kids can hang on the tree or use as holiday decor.

Related: Santa Card Craft

Elf Popsicle Stick

This classic art turns a handful of popsicle sticks into a cheerful Christmas elf. Kids glue several sticks side by side to form the elf's body and face, then add paper cut-outs or felt pieces for the elf's hat, ears, clothes, and shoes (a printable template makes it easy to get all the shapes right).

It's a fun holiday project that can even be turned into an ornament by attaching a ribbon so the finished elf can hang on the tree.

alittlepinchofperfect.com

Christmas Tree Button

Kids create ” aww”-worthy Christmas tree artwork and decorate it with real buttons as ornaments. They start by cutting out three green paper triangles in different sizes and snipping little fringes along the bottom of each to look like pine branch texture.

Then, they stack and glue these pieces onto a background to form a tree shape. Ultimately, you have a cute-as-a-button Christmas tree collage perfect for hanging on the fridge or wall.

Also try: Recycled Christmas Tree Craft

www.craftsonsea.co.uk

Build an Elf

Kids can play “toy maker” with this activity by building their own paper elf from scratch using a free printable. The activity comes with all the elf's parts ready to be colored, cut out, and assembled—there are pieces for the elf's body, head, arms, legs, hat, etc.

It's like making a custom paper doll elf, and after putting it all together, kids will have their very own elf character to play with or display just in time for Christmas.

Related: Torn Paper Elf Craft

artsycraftsymom.com

Toilet Paper Roll Elf

An adorable elf uses a simple toilet paper tube and colorful paper for its design. Kids wrap an empty cardboard roll with paper to create the elf's body, then use a template to cut out all the fun little details: a friendly face with pointy elf ears, a hat and hair, a cute ruffled collar, and even a tiny belt.

It's one of the easiest Christmas arts for kids, and you can even add a string to turn the finished elf into an ornament or make a whole “elf crew” in different colors for imaginative play.

Also try: Elf Photo Craft

More Fun Kid’s Ideas

19 Festive Elf Activities For Kids
30 Fun Reindeer Activities For Kids
20 Easy + Fun Grinch Activities For Kids

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photograph of found of Simple Everyday Mom, Sam

Meet Sam

Sam is the crafter and founder of Simple Everyday Mom. She has been featured in Oprah Mag, Good Housekeeping, The Spruce Crafts, Country Living, The Bump, and more.

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