Christmas is a magical time for tots and when you're not writing Christmas cards, making homemade Christmas gifts or navigating the Christmas shopping crowds, it's a lovely chance to spend some quality time with your toddler.
There’s plenty of toddler Christmas crafts you and your tot can do together which will help them get into the festive spirit, from creating their own handcrafted Christmas ornaments to hang on the tree to baking up some tasty treats in the kitchen. Here are our favourite Christmas crafts for kids that you and your toddler can do together.
Get baking
Everyone is in the mood for food during the festive season, so baking some sweet treats with your toddler is a no brainer, plus it's educational. Why not give our super simple Christmas cookies a go or if you’ve got the whole day free, you could try making your very own gingerbread house? Your little one will love decorating it once it’s assembled (just make sure they don’t end up eating all of the toppings!)
Christmas leaf painting
We love this unique and eco-friendly activity by The Craft Train. Simply go outside and find some leaves with your toddler, bring them indoors (make sure to dry them if they’re wet) then paint on a Santa face. The pointy bit of the leaf is the perfect shape for Santa’s long beard. Afterwards, tie a bit of string from the stem so that your child can hang them from the Christmas tree.
Handprint Christmas peace dove
This toddler Christmas craft from Pink Stripey Socks is super easy, all that’s required is your toddler's hand, a pen, some scissors, a paper plate, glue and a pipe cleaner or some string. Your toddler will be blown away once they see their hand is transformed into a beautiful Christmas dove.
Christmas potato printing
Who remembers good old potato printing? So easy, so fun, albeit a bit messy! Their circular shape is perfect for your tot to hold and stamp out some Christmas characters, like a penguin, or even a snowman or Santa Claus. After your tot has created their masterpiece, you can help them with painting on some of the finer details.
Make a stocking
Use a craft or messy play session to help your child make their own stocking. Cut the two shapes out of fabric, sew the sides up and add a ribbon to hang it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. For younger children, they could stick on felt shapes and glitter to an already-made stocking. Add their name for a personal touch.
Christmas toilet paper roll crafts
Turn your old toilet rolls into some fun Christmas characters. Either follow this tutorial by The Best Idea For Kids or simply take inspiration and look for bits and bobs around your house, whether it’s some old buttons, cotton wool or some paint to transform your toilet roll tubes. They’ll look great perched on a window sill and you could even make your own Elf on the Shelf.
Pine cone ornament
A pine cone drizzled with some glue and a sprinkling of glitter is such an easy Christmas craft to do with you tot, not to mention they’ll look beautiful hanging from your tree. It’s also a good way to get your little one outdoors in the fresh air, as during the colder months we naturally spend more time indoors.
Foil icicles
Tin foil and glitter is all you need for these eye-catching icicles. Your toddler can practice their motor skills by squeezing the bits of foil into point icicles, before getting messy with some glue and glitter. String them together after to make a garland or hand them individually from your tree.
Footprint reindeer
Ok, things could easily get a little messy with this Christmas craft but we love the idea of using your tots foot to create a reindeer head. Once they’ve done their footprint, simply help them draw on some reindeer antlers, add some eyes and a nose. We suggest giving this a go every year, it will make a lovely keepsake to see how your toddler has grown over the years.
Santa’s cookie plate
Display Santa’s cookies proudly on your very own customised Christmas cookie plate! We love this idea fromParty Wowzy, as it’s something you’ll be able to continue using even once your children are all grown up.
Thumbprint Reindeer Ornaments
Spruce up plain baubles by letting your toddler do some fingerprint painting. This idea by Little Bit Funky is genius and all that's required is your toddler's tiny thumbs, some paint and a black sharpie. If there's no room left to squeeze them on your tree then these will make beautiful gifts for friends and family too.
Pinecone Christmas trees
This adorable Christmas craft idea for kids will let them make and decorate their own Christmas tree for their room. Head out on a walk to find some pine cones, then stick them onto an old lid from a jar. Add some glue and let little ones go mad with the glitter and pompoms, creating a fun and colourful decoration.
Salt dough Christmas ornaments
This salt dough recipe is a super easy way to get crafty. With just three ingredients - plain flour, salt and water - you can create a dough that you can mould or roll out and use biscuit cutters to create shapes. Then bake them in the oven, leave to cool and paint. You can make Christmas tree decorations too - just make a hole using a straw before baking and tie them up with ribbon or string. Remember to write the date and your tot's name on the back and you'll have a lovely keepsake you can get out year-after-year.
Lollypop Stick Star
If you've been keeping lollypop sticks in case of craft emergencies (or picked up a stash from your local craft shop), this easy craft is for you. Simply make two triangle shapes by gluing the ends of the lollypop sticks together, then glue the triangles into a star shape. Add as many toddler embellishments as you want - stickers, glitter, stars - and tie a bit of ribbon or string to the top.
Eggbox Snowmen
We love this Eggbox Snowman as an idea for Christmas crafts for kids. Cut the egg holders out of the box and get your little one to paint them white, then stack them one on top of the other to create a snowman. Decorate them however you want - buttons, drawn-on eyes, googly eyes or whatever you have lying around. Make little ear muffs out of pipe cleaners and pompoms and your snowman is ready for the winter weather.
About the author
Rebecca Lancaster is a Digital Writer for Mother&Baby, drawing on ten years of parenting her two children to help others navigating their own parenting journey. As a freelance writer, she spent ten years working with leading lifestyle brands, from travel companies to food and drink start-ups, and writing everything from hotel reviews to guides to the best British cheeses. She’s particularly interested in travel and introducing her children to the excitement of visiting new places, trying different foods (less successfully) and experiencing different cultures.