It’s that time of year again! The holiday season is here and its time to make great memories from doing Christmas activities with friends and family members. What better way to do that than with some DIY Christmas ornaments? Making homemade ornaments is a fun holiday activity for the whole family. While we celebrate Hanukkah at my house, I still love to share simple Christmas crafts during the Christmas season because I know they bring the holiday spirit to kids of all ages! In this post, I’ll share an easy homemade Christmas ornament craft tutorial for kids.
Why should you make DIY ornaments this year?
Christmas ornament crafts are a great way to spend quality time with your kids or students during the holiday season. Making homemade Christmas ornaments is one of the best ideas to practice fine motor skills for younger kids. While older kids may not enjoy Christmas crafts as much as the little ones, their handmade Christmas ornament makes the perfect gift for a parent or friend that can actually be a surprise! They’re also preferable over glass ornaments because they don’t break as easily.
What types of handmade Christmas ornaments can you make?
There are endless possibilities when it comes to DIY Christmas ornaments. Some popular DIY ornament types are salt dough ornaments, popsicle stick ornaments, photo ornaments, and fillable ornaments. But the list doesn’t end there! You can also make unique ornaments using materials like cardboard, pom poms, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, pine cones, and wood slices. You’ll want to consider the age level of the kids making the holiday craft before choosing the type of DIY ornament to make. Because of the small parts, the fun ornaments I’m sharing with you today are best for older children.
Easy DIY Ornament Craft for Older Kids
I love this easy DIY ornament craft because they’re not your typical reindeer ornaments or candy cane ornaments. This Christmas craft makes pop-art inspired unique ornaments, which are much more my style, and the kids have so much fun making them!
Affiliate disclaimer: Although I stand by all of the products I use, I can receive a small commission from any products purchased via my affiliate links.
Materials
To make these fun Christmas ornaments, you will need these simple supplies:
– Colorful Napkins or Thin Wrapping Paper (bright colored cocktail napkins work best)
– Gem Tac Glue
– Mod Podge
– Foam Brushes
– Paper Mache Ornaments (a plastic ornament or clear ornament won’t work well for this)
– Rhinestones
– Scissors
– Tablecloth
– Plastic Cup
How to Make these Easy Christmas Ornaments
1. Add a drop of Gem Tac to the string to reinforce it.
Don’t skip this important step! If you don’t reinforce it, you risk your ornament falling off of the tree.
2. Rip the napkins into small pieces (around 1” in width).
If you prefer a less abstract design, feel free to cut the paper rather than rip it. Your paper selections is where you can really let your creativity shine! Really thin wrapping paper that’s easy to rip works great for this too. Let the kids pick out their favorite color or pattern to make this activity more interactive.
3. Using your foam brush, add a thin layer of Mod Podge to the paper mâché ornament.
4. Place a small piece of napkin paper onto the area that has the Mod Podge. Make sure to smooth it out and then add an additional layer of Mod Podge on top of the napkin, too.
5. Continue with this process until the entire ornament is covered.
Let your creativity take over here. Use different colors or patterns to make a more abstract ornament, or use similar colors to make a monochromatic ornament. You can choose colors that match the aesthetic of your Christmas tree, or do something completely different. The design is 100% up to you!
6. Add an additional layer of Mod Podge to the entire ornament. This will dry clear.
7. Once dry, add rhinestones using the Gem Tac. Be creative with your own design or pattern.
Such an easy craft! Can’t you just picture hanging these up on the tree while you listen to Christmas music?
Tips & Tricks for Your DIY Ornaments
– Placing the ornament inside a cup will prevent it from rolling around. This is especially helpful when working with younger children, who may get frustrated by the ornament rolling while they’re trying to work.
– Let dry 24 hours before hanging. You want to make sure its completely dry before adding to your tree, or your design may get ruined.
– If you can’t find paper mache ornaments at your local craft store, a foam ball would also work. You could also get different shapes of ornaments like stars, snowflakes, Christmas trees, etc. I love this project because you can really make it your own!
How can you use your homemade Christmas ornaments?
Homemade ornaments make a great gift for the whole family! Make one for mom, dad, grandma, grandpa – everyone loves opening up a special ornament made just for them on Christmas morning. Pair them with homemade Christmas cards for a great keepsake. They also make great DIY Christmas decorations too! Hang your handmade Christmas tree ornaments on your own tree or around the house. Both young children and older kids love seeing their very own Christmas ornaments decorating the tree. It’s also fun to let them hang up their own ornaments year after year.
Other DIY Ornament Ideas
Looking for more fun Christmas crafts? Here are some different ways to make homemade Christmas ornaments.
Snowflake Ornament
This snowflake ornament from The Best Ideas for Kids made with craft sticks is a fun craft for kids of all ages. If you use plain popsicle sticks, add some white paint and glitter to make it extra fun! Or, paint the plain popsicle sticks different colors to make unique ornaments, just like snowflakes are unique!
Wreath Ornament
This mini clothespin DIY wreath ornament from The Resourceful Mama is a fun way to make DIY ornaments for kids. Little hands might need a little help opening the clothespins, but that’s great fine motor skills practice too!
Reindeer Ornaments
All you need are some craft sticks and yarn to make this adorable reindeer DIY ornament from Little Bins for Little Hands. Form a triangle, wrap yarn around, add some googly eyes and a red pom pom, you’ve got yourself a Rudolph ornament! What a cute way to get in the holiday spirit.
Candy Cane Ornaments
Most DIY ornament tutorials are made for younger kids, but these binary alphabet candy canes from Little Bins for Little Hands are great for older children. This is a great craft to use in the classroom as an educational holiday activity.
Ornaments with Hand Prints
Always remember the tiny handprints of your little ones with these DIY Christmas Tree salt dough ornaments. Turn the tiny handprints into a Christmas tree with some green acrylic paint and metallic paint for the ornaments! These salt dough ornaments with handprints from Kids Activities Blog make a great keepsake.
It doesn’t really matter what type of ornament you make. The best part about making DIY Christmas ornaments is spending quality time with the ones you love.
If you celebrate the holiday, I hope you have a Merry Christmas!
If not, check out this DIY Menorah Craft for a fun and easy Hanukkah activity.
