by Trudy Brown

Created on: November 05, 2009   Last Updated: June 03, 2011

There are plenty of fun Christmastime crafts for you to do together with your kids, but sometimes you need a handful of ideas that little guys can work on while you get those last few presents wrapped or finish decorating cookies to take to a holiday party. You need some simple crafts that require minimal parental help but will keep your kids engaged and entertained all the same. Here are five ideas for just such a situation.

1. Jingle bells

Kids love noise makers so give them a basket of holiday-colored jingle bells and get ready for some joyful noise. Younger kids can make a very simple ornament in the shape of a candy cane using jingle bells and a pipe cleaner. Thread a bell onto the pipe cleaner then twist the end of the pipe cleaner several times to make sure the bell isn't going to fall off. Thread more bells on until you get to the end. When you can only get one more bell on, twist the pipe cleaner around itself to secure the last bell. Bend the bell-covered pipe cleaner into a candy cane shape. Use some twine to hang it on the tree. For older kids, Take a rectangle of white felt, wrap the top around a wooden dowel and hot glue it in place. Have your kids glue bells onto the felt in the shape of a Christmas tree. Use green bells with a few other colors interspersed to create the look of ornaments. Put a gold or silver one at the top of the tree to be the star. Try to guide them as little as possible and let them really take ownership of their masterpiece. When they're done, tie one end of a length of yarn to one end of the dowel. Tie the other end of the yarn to the other end of the dowel so that the yarn is now pulled across the top of the hanging and it can be displayed on your child's door to jingle merrily every time it's opened.

2. Ornaments

* Candy Canes

For a quick craft that requires few supplies, make pipe cleaner candy canes. Twist together red and white pipe cleaners and bend into a cane. Once done, hang them on the tree.

* Pine cones

Tie a ribbon amongst the spines at the narrow end of a pine cone. Use a Q-tip to smear the spines with glue then sprinkle with glitter. Hang it on your Christmas tree. While you're working with pine cones, smear a few with peanut butter, roll them in bird seed and hang them in your front yard for the birds.

* Glitter ornaments

Give your kids plastic ball ornaments and let them decorate with acrylic paints, glitter and glue, and craft jewels. If you don't have ball ornaments to spare, cut shapes from cardboard

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