Countdown Christmas Tree

This craft serves as a countdown to Christmas as well as provides a different holiday-related activity you and your kids can look forward to each day.

What You Need

Green tag board

Scissors

Colored construction paper

Drinking glass

Glue

Items to use for decorating (glitter, markers, crayons, etc.)

Tape

What to Do

1.    Trace and cut out a Christmas tree shape, as large as the green tag

board will allow.

2.    Use a drinking glass to trace circles on different colored construction

paper to create the ornaments. If beginning your Christmas countdown at December 1, cut out 25 ornaments. On the front of each ornament, number them.

3.    On the back of each ornament, write a different activity or craft to be completed on that day. You will have 25 different activities, 1 for each day of your countdown. Don’t tell your kids what you are writing so each day will be a new surprise for them!

4.    Have your kids decorate the paper cut-out ornaments with glitter, markers, crayons, etc.

5.    Attach the ornaments to the tag board tree by rolling a piece of tape and sticking it to the back of the ornament.

(Ideas for activities to include on ornaments: go ice skating, go window shopping, play the game “Memory” with various Christmas items by having the kids take turns guessing which item is missing, make Christmas cards for family members, make a gingerbread house, read the Christmas story from Luke, make a list of people who have needs this time of year and spend some time praying for them, make Christmas cookies, make paper snowflakes, bake a birthday cake for Jesus, etc.)

Rustic Pinecone Snowman

What You Need

Small pinecones

3 Pretzel sticks

Round wooden bead

Paint brush

White and orange paint

Silver glitter

Hot glue and glue gun

Small strip of felt

Scissors

Thin permanent marker

Thread

What to Do

1.     Roughly paint the pinecone, 2 pretzel sticks, and round wooden bead white. Break off small end of pretzel stick and paint it orange.

2.     While paint is still wet, sprinkle silver glitter onto the pinecone. Let dry.

3.     Using hot glue gun, attach round wooden bead to the top of the pinecone.

4.     Cut a thin strip of felt for a scarf. Snip and fray the edges slightly. Tie around the base of the wooden bead to wrap the scarf around the snowman’s neck.

5.     Lift up one side of the scarf and dab 1 drop of hot glue to bottom side of scarf to glue one end of the snowman’s pretzel stick arm. Repeat for the other side.

6.     With thin permanent marker, draw eyes and a mouth on the face of the wooden bead.

7.     Hot glue the orange pretzel stick nose in the center of the snowman’s face.

8.     Tie a thread around the top of the pinecone and make a loop. Ornament is ready to hang!

Christmas Placemats

What You Need

Contact paper

Ball-point pen

Plate or bowl to trace around (look for odd-shaped or decorative rimmed bowls for something different)

Colored construction paper

Poinsettia or other flower petals, leaves, sprigs, glitter, etc. Contact paper

Glue stick

Scissors

What to Do

1.     On contact paper, trace around plate or bowl.

2.     Peel off the backing of the contact paper and leave sticky-side-up.

3.     Lay down the colored construction paper on top of the contact paper.

4.     Arrange flower petals, leaves, sprigs, etc., from the center out, using the glue stick to secure if necessary.

5.     Lay another sheet of contact paper over the top of your arrangement, sticky-side down, to seal the placemat.

6.     Cut along the tracing line. 

Holiday Rice Bags

What You Need

Plain colored hand towel

Thread

Needle

Long grain rice

Sewing machine (optional)

Glue gun

Items to decorate bag (felt, buttons, ribbon, fabric paint, poinsettia petals, etc.)

Sewing machine (optional)