by Susan Hibberd

Created on: December 08, 2009

The run-up to Christmas can sometimes seem like a very long time when you’re at home with kids who get more and more excited as the big day arrives.  Channel that energy into useful activities, like making Christmas decorations and turn the mayhem into fun!

Kids love Christmas and it’s only right that they should take part in preparing the house for the celebrations. Set them to work creating decorations, designing wrapping paper and writing cards and they’ll begin to feel that they are part of the whole season, not just Christmas Day.

Here are some ideas for quick Christmas tree decorations that the kids can make.  These are suitable for younger children, but are also good for older ones who are too excited to sit still and devote as much time to a project as usual!

Edible Decorations

Christmas cookies are always a good stand-by decoration idea.  If you have the time, let the children bake the cookies with you. If not, they just buy some ready-made. Invest in some colored icing in tubes and let the kids decorate away! Thread the best ones on red ribbon for the tree and eat the rest!

Garlands made of dried fruit and popcorn have been popular for years.  Use whatever dried fruit you have available, making garlands for the birds outside as well as the Christmas tree indoors. Extra lengths can be made into bracelets and necklaces.

Fake Gifts

Tiny boxes wrapped in shiny foil always look good on the tree. Use old candy wrappers to wrap tiny boxes or wads of folded cardboard and tie with silver or gold thread.

Make tiny pretend crackers from rolls of cardboard covered in shiny wrapping paper and tied with red ribbon.

Photo Frames

Tiny photo mounts can be made from pieces of cardboard and painted. Inset a current photo of each child and preserve it to remind yourself of how they grow each year.

Dough Craft

If your child can play with play-dough, they can make dough-craft decorations!  Make up the dough and leave them to make figures, teddies, gifts, wreaths etc. Bake them overnight with a paper clip pressed into the top for hanging and bring them out the next day to be painted.

Tiny Paper Chains

You’ll be surprised how popular making paper chains can be! Use colored metallic paper cut into strips and child-safe glue.

Oranges with Cloves

For a real smell of Christmas, get the kids to make some oranges studded with cloves.  For smaller children, you might have to help by making holes in the orange skin first. Buy a wholesale pack of cloves, and just press them into the skin, making a regular pattern of swirls or stripes, leaving a blank area all round the orange so that you can wrap a hanging ribbon around it.

These also make great gifts.

Bauble from Old Christmas Cards

One of my favorite crafts at Christmas is to make baubles from old Christmas cards. If you haven’t saved any from last year, buy a cheap stack at the local bargain store.

Cut out twelve circles and follow the instructions at http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_2116754_christmas-card-orn aments.html?cr=1

I hope these ideas will help you to keep the kids happy and busy in the days before Christmas. Making your own home-made Christmas tree ornaments is a way of really getting into the Christmas spirit.  Don’t just leave it to the kids – get stuck in yourself!

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