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8 cute holiday crafts for kids that create fond memories for years to come

Get creative this season and make memories with holiday crafts for kids

Dawn Miller
By

Part of the joy of decorating for the holiday season comes from taking out those treasured keepsake decorations. Whether it’s handmade decorations from when you were a child to those darling ornaments the kids make in school each December, cherished decorations, especially those handed down from generation to generation, hold a special place in our hearts.

Those delightful ornaments kids create are wonderful to pass on to your children when they move into their first apartment or are getting ready to decorate their first Christmas tree as a young family. It’s easy to turn holiday crafts for kids into keepsake ornaments and decorations the family can enjoy every year.

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Don’t worry if you’re not super creative or artistic. Many keepsake ornaments and holiday treasures can be crafted by using kits purchased online or from your local craft store. Here are eight charming holiday crafts for kids the whole family will enjoy making and enjoying for many years to come.

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Materials to make a candy cane ornament
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Holiday crafts for kids

You really don’t need to be Martha Stewart or a DIY enthusiast to help the kiddos make a special holiday keepsake for the grandparents or create handmade ornaments. The process is easier than you think, thanks to ornament kits you can purchase online. The kits are fun for kids and the whole family to put together.

Baby handprint ornament

If you’re celebrating baby’s first Christmas, creating a handprint or footprint ornament is a wonderful way to capture this special moment and enjoy it year after year when you hang the ornament on the tree. Your children will also get a kick out of seeing their hand or footprint from when they were a baby on the tree every season. Handprint ornament kits are easily available online and include tools to add the child’s name and birth date as well as an ornament hanger. Be sure to pick a kit that uses non-toxic clay.

Paw print holiday ornament

When it comes to keepsake ornaments, let’s not forget those fur babies. A paw print ornament is ideal for pups and kitties alike and is easy to use.

Button tree ornaments

Kids love holiday crafts and creating ornaments or decorations around the house is a perfect pick to keep the kids busy and channel all that pre-holiday excitement. This kit comes complete with everything you need to create adorable tree ornaments fashioned from buttons. It even includes a star for the top of the button tree and an ornament hanger.

Wooden snowflake ornament kit

Tweens and teens will enjoy getting crafty with this snowy DIY ornament-making kit. The kit includes wooden ornaments, paint, and brushes. Kit makes four snowflake ornaments that will look lovely on the tree year after year. Use twine or ribbon to hang the completed snowflakes on the tree or as a final touch as a gift. You can even string finished snowflakes on large twine to make a fun garland. This kit also makes for a great stocking stuffer.

Christmas ornament kit for kids 

Get the kids into the holiday spirit just after Thanksgiving with this wooden ornament kit that includes a snowman, Christmas tree, elf, reindeer, penguin, and of course, Santa. The kit comes complete with paint and brushes or markers. Kids will enjoy painting or coloring these wooden ornaments and then hanging them on the tree. It will be even more fun the following holidays as the kids remember their creations.

Craft stick snowflakes

For an easy holiday craft for kids, take jumbo craft sticks and paint them white, blue, red, or green using acrylic paint. Allow them to dry completely before using a glue gun to assemble the snowflakes. Once the glue has dried, kids can decorate with glitter, pompoms, or gems. Let any decorations dry before using a glue gun to attach a folded ribbon to use as an ornament hanger. These crafty snowflakes look great on the tree with or without decorations.

Beaded holiday ornaments

Have a family ornament-making party with this creative kit. One kit makes 30 ornaments. Kids and parents will have a blast putting together beaded wreaths, snowmen, and snowflakes while listening to holiday tunes. The ornaments are extra special because the kids will have fond memories of the evening when they were made.

Christmas character picture frame ornaments

For fun and simple holiday crafts that make good use of those small school pictures, try this Christmas Character Picture Frame Ornament kit from Fun Express. Kids can pick from a reindeer, snowman, polar bear, gingerbread man, penguin, and Santa. One kit makes 12 ornaments. This kit makes an adorable keepsake to mark each school year.

Kids having fun making holiday crafts
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Other holiday keepsake crafts for kids

Grandpa opening gifts with his grandkids

Personalized photo ornaments

Want to showcase all those holiday photo cards from years previous? Head over to Shutterfly and turn those cards into yearly ornaments that can be added to the holiday tree. The result will certainly be a collection of keepsake ornaments the entire family will get a smile out of year after year.

Mom and toddler doing holiday crafts

Create holiday keepsakes together

There are so many reasons the holidays are special, but those treasured ornaments and decorations that have history do take a noteworthy place in our hearts. Unpacking and hanging ornaments from when the kids were babies or ones the kids made when they were in elementary school are full of nostalgia. Creating keepsake ornaments each year through holiday crafts for kids and teens is a wonderful way to spend quality time together as a family.

With handprint ornament kits and other holiday craft kits, parents, kids, and teens can make keepsake ornaments the family can enjoy season after season. When those ornaments are unpacked and hung, there’s always a fun story to tell. It won’t be long before the kids are grown and heading off to their own apartments. When it’s time, you can box up some of these treasured creations for them to use for their own holiday tree. Then, they keep the tradition going by creating new holiday crafts for kids with their own families.

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Dawn Miller
Dawn Miller
Contributor
Dawn Miller began her professional life as an elementary school teacher before returning to her first love, writing. In…
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