There are never too many ways to celebrate Christmas!
Whether your family does caroling, visits Santa, or makes Christmas cookies, it’s the best time of year for building memories.
Another great way to do that is by making this reindeer popsicle stick craft with the kids!
It’s a fun reindeer craft for kids that’s good for making with preschoolers and elementary-aged children.
We’re walking you through step by step with our video or written directions so your children can make this red nosed reindeer to have as a keepsake for years to come!
Popsicle Stick Reindeer
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Supplies
- Popsicle/craft sticks
- Glue dots (permanent) or hot glue
- Glue stick
- 1″ red or black pom pom
- 1 cm yellow pom poms
- Black marker
- Paintbrush
- Brown paint
- Colored card stock or construction paper
- Scissors
- Reindeer template (click the “click here to get this freebie” image at the end to open the form)
Directions
Start by downloading the reindeer template and printing it out. Once you have the template printed, gather the materials needed for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this reindeer to life!
First, encourage your child to take 4 popsicle sticks and line them up. Cut a regular popsicle stick into thirds.
Stretch a glue dot along the length of the cut popsicle sticks and glue horizontally across the top, middle, and bottom of the 4 popsicle sticks, like in the picture below.
Next, guide your child to flip the 4 popsicle sticks over and paint them in 1-2 thin coats of brown paint. Let dry completely before moving on.
The next step is to glue the reindeer eyes about .75″ from the top of the reindeer.
Use the black marker to draw a smile below the nose.
Take the reindeer’s nose (red pom pom) and glue it slightly below and in between the eyes.
Glue the reindeer’s antlers to the top of the popsicle sticks.
Place the reindeer’s collar about a 1.5″ from the bottom of the popsicle sticks and glue in place. Trim off the excess paper.
Finally, help your child to glue 3 yellow mini pom poms across the reindeer’s collar.
Be sure to check out our Christmas crafts for kids while you’re here! Your kids will love creating more fun DIYs like this one!
Christmas Camp For Kids
We constantly receiving emails from readers about compiling all of our ideas in one place so families or teachers can have a week-long list of activities to do with the kids, so that’s exactly what we’re doing!
Whether you call it an at-home Christmas camp or themed unit, we know the kids will love celebrating Christmas in many different ways. Choose one or two of your favorite ideas or do them all – whatever works best for you!
Cute Reindeer Photo Craft
Children’s Christmas Book Ideas Kids Love
Below are some of the top Christmas books to read to your kids!
Dasher: This wonderfully illustrated Christmas book for kids gives you the back story on one of Santa’s favorite reindeer, Dasher! Girls will especially love to read this since Dasher is a girl.
Construction Site On Christmas Night: Fans of the fun characters of the construction site books have to add this Christmas-themed story to their collection. See how the trucks get ready for Christmas!
How To Catch An Elf: Kids everywhere love the silliness of this Christmas story. The rhymes and the illustrations will draw the kids in as well. This is a Christmas book kids will want to read every year!
Christmas Kindergarten Crafts
Reindeer Headband Craft – This simple idea is perfect for younger kids! With just a few supplies, they can create a festive reindeer headband to wear this holiday season. It’s such a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit and make some memories together!
Recycled Christmas Tree Craft – Kids of all ages will have so much fun using recycled materials to create this cute holiday project. Old buttons, a cereal box, and some paint are all you need to create an adorable Christmas tree ornament. This activity is not only fun, but it also teaches children about the importance of recycling and repurposing materials!
Grinch Handprint Craft – Handprint crafts are always a great time, especially during the holiday season! This Grinch handprint project is perfect for younger children and allows them to get creative with their handprints. It’s also a great opportunity to talk about the message behind The Grinch and the true meaning of Christmas!
Santa Card Craft – Show some love this Christmas season by creating handmade Santa cards for friends and family! Your little ones will work on fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and creativity while making these adorable cards. It’s a thoughtful and personal way to spread some holiday cheer!
Christmas Activities For Preschoolers
To sneak in some more educational Xmas activities, try these Christmas pattern block mats. They’re a fun hands-on activity that will help kids with fine motor skills and shape recognition. Both younger and older children will have a blast creating different holiday images with pattern blocks!
Christmas color by number worksheets are another way to work on number recognition, following directions, and fine motor skills. They’re a fun, no-prep activity for little kids! Download them for free and let your little ones color in Santa, an Elf, a penguin, and more.
These Christmas do a dot printables can help you get your kids excited about the holidays. Let them paint dots of different colors on Santa, his reindeer, elves, and more! These are also great for practicing fine motor skills in preschool and kindergarten classrooms.
This Christmas Pictionary game couldn’t be simpler. Just print it out, gather the family, and have fun guessing holiday-related words and phrases! It’s a great way to get everyone in the Christmas spirit while practicing communication and teamwork skills.
Related: Christmas Reindeer Card Craft
Share With Us
Did you make this project with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!
For a chance to have your child’s project featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!
Reindeer Popsicle Stick Craft For Kids
Materials
- Popsicle/craft sticks
- Glue dots permanent or hot glue
- Glue stick
- 1 ″ red or black pom pom
- 1 cm yellow pom poms
- Black marker
- Paintbrush
- Brown paint
- Colored card stock or construction paper
- Scissors
- Reindeer template
Instructions
- Download the reindeer template, print, and cut out the pieces you’ll need.
- Take 4 popsicle sticks and line them up. Cut a regular popsicle stick into about thirds.
- Stretch a glue dot along the length of the cut popsicle sticks and glue horizontally across the top, middle, and bottom of the 4 popsicle sticks, like in the picture below.
- Flip the 4 popsicle sticks over and paint them in 1-2 thin coats of brown paint. Let dry completely before moving on.
- Glue the reindeer eyes about .75" from the top of the reindeer.
- Use the black marker to draw a smile below the nose.
- Take the red pom pom and glue it slightly below and in between the eyes.
- Glue the antlers to the top of the popsicle sticks.
- Place the reindeer’s collar about a 1.5" from the bottom of the popsicle sticks and glue in place. Trim off the excess paper.
- Glue 3 yellow mini pom poms across the reindeer’s collar.
Reindeer Popsicle Stick Template
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. Read more.
Desiree
Monday 5th of December 2022
Really cute. Want to try with Grandkids
Sam
Tuesday 6th of December 2022
Thanks! I hope you do!
Tammie Faughn
Wednesday 30th of November 2022
This looks like a great idea. I would like to try it.
Sam
Wednesday 30th of November 2022
Since you’re already an email subscriber, all you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of any post and it’ll automatically redirect you to the download page :)
Faye Codinera
Tuesday 11th of October 2022
Id like to ask for a free template of popsicle stick craft
Sam
Thursday 13th of October 2022
Of course! All you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of this post and the link will be sent to your inbox ?
Chloe
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Can I get the the popsicle reindeer template and the Grinch please
Sam
Thursday 13th of May 2021
Of course! All you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of each post and the link will be sent to you ?
Kendra Allen
Friday 11th of December 2020
Would love the reindeer template for my SPED class!
Maria Flores
Monday 14th of December 2020
This is such a great idea and can't wait to have the kids do this on Christmas.
Sam T
Friday 11th of December 2020
Of course! All you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of the page and the link will be sent to you ?