Christmas crafts for kids: 60 easy ideas in 8 groups

The short answer: Christmas crafts for kids are simple holiday projects children can make with paper, glue, paint and things from around the house, like ornaments, cards, garlands and keepsakes. The best ones take 15 to 45 minutes and cost almost nothing.

Below are 60 easy Christmas crafts for kids in 8 groups, sorted so you can pick by age and mess level, plus a supply list and a December craft calendar.

Planning the whole season? Our Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99) keeps gifts, activities and spending on a few printable pages.

The full list: 60 Christmas crafts for kids in 8 groups

1. Ornaments

1. Salt dough ornaments
2. Handprint ornaments
3. Popsicle stick stars
4. Clear ball ornaments filled with tinsel or paper
5. Pinecone ornaments
6. Beaded candy canes on pipe cleaners
7. Felt ornaments
8. Photo ornaments with a cardboard frame

2. Paper crafts

1. Paper chain garland
2. Paper snowflakes
3. Coffee filter snowflakes
4. Paper plate wreath
5. Accordion-fold paper trees
6. Paper bag reindeer puppets
7. Origami stars

3. Handprint and footprint keepsakes

1. Handprint reindeer
2. Footprint snowman
3. Handprint Christmas tree
4. Handprint Santa beard
5. Thumbprint lights card
6. Handprint wreath from green paper hands

4. Recycled and nature crafts

1. Toilet paper roll reindeer
2. Toilet paper roll elves
3. Pinecone Christmas trees
4. Cardboard gingerbread houses
5. Egg carton ornaments
6. Mason jar snow globes
7. Wine cork reindeer

5. Cards and gift tags

1. Fold-and-stamp Christmas cards
2. Thumbprint ornament cards
3. Pop-up tree cards
4. Potato stamp gift wrap
5. Handmade gift tags
6. Letter to Santa with drawings

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For the cards and tags, Neenah 65 lb white cardstock gives you a heavier paper option, while Scotch Magic Tape with a desktop dispenser helps attach the finished tags. Have an adult handle cutting for younger children.

6. Decorations

1. Paper plate Santa
2. Cotton ball snowman
3. Popsicle stick sleds
4. Paper countdown chain
5. Felt advent calendar
6. Window snowflakes
7. Stockings from felt
8. Mini clothespin reindeer

7. Edible crafts

1. Decorated sugar cookies
2. Graham cracker gingerbread houses
3. Pretzel reindeer
4. Marshmallow snowmen
5. Candy cane hearts
6. Cereal garland for the birds

8. Gifts kids can make

1. Decorated picture frames
2. Painted rocks
3. Homemade calendar with drawings
4. Bead bracelets (ages 5 and up)
5. Coupon book for parents
6. Painted mugs with paint pens
7. Bath salts in jars (with an adult)
8. Recipe card from grandma, decorated by the kids

For more holiday fun, see our Christmas activities list, free Christmas coloring pages and advent calendar ideas.

Christmas crafts people forget

1. Wrapping paper. Potato stamps and plain brown paper make kids' gifts look special.
2. Gift tags. Kids can draw their own, or start with our printable Christmas gift tags.
3. Thank-you cards. A drawn card after Christmas is a lovely habit to start.
4. A keepsake box. Save the best crafts with the child's name and year on the back.
5. Crafts for the birds. Cereal garlands and pinecone feeders give kids a reason to go outside.
6. A craft for every guest. Place cards or ornaments at each plate for Christmas dinner.

Quick Christmas projects for kids (15 minutes or less)

Short on time or patience? These picks from the list above need little prep and common supplies:

Projects don't have to be crafts, either. A family countdown with an advent calendar, a Christmas activity each weekend or one of our low-cost family Christmas traditions fills December without more glue.

How to choose the right Christmas craft

1. Match the craft to the youngest child. Then give older kids an extra step or detail.
2. Check the small parts. The American Academy of Pediatrics' choking prevention guide says to keep toys with small or detachable parts away from young children, so skip beads, buttons and pom-poms for kids under 3. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's holiday safety tips also say to keep deflated balloons away from children under 8 and to use flameless candles whenever possible, which matters for lantern and centerpiece crafts.
3. Pick your mess level. Glitter and paint for a weekend, glue sticks and crayons for a school night.
4. Plan the time. Toddlers have about 10 to 15 minutes of focus. Older kids can do an hour.
5. Use what you have. Raid the recycling bin and the junk drawer before you buy supplies.
6. Decide what it's for. A gift, a decoration or just fun. Gifts are worth a little extra care.

Christmas crafts by age

A basic Christmas craft kit: construction paper, kid-safe scissors, glue sticks, white glue, washable paint, markers, cotton balls, popsicle sticks, paper plates, pipe cleaners, ribbon and a hole punch.

Turn the crafts into a December plan

As the oldest of three, I was always the one who wanted a plan for the fun stuff. A craft calendar keeps December from turning into a last-minute scramble:

1. Pick six to eight crafts from the list, one or two per week.
2. Put them on the calendar next to school events and family plans.
3. Shop once for supplies using the kit list above.
4. Make gifts first, in early December, so they're ready to wrap.
5. Save the last week for easy crafts like paper snowflakes, since everyone's busy.
6. Label and store keepsakes with the child's name and year.

Kids out of school for two weeks? Our winter break schedule for kids builds crafts into each day.

Plan the season with less stress

• Christmas Budget & Gift Planner, $4.99. Plan gifts, activities and spending for the whole season.
• Kids Chore Chart, $3.49. A simple way to keep routines going over winter break.
• Holiday Season Bundle, $15.99 (regularly $25.94 for the six items bought separately). The gift planner plus a meal planner, sinking funds, a bill tracker and a cleaning schedule.

Browse the full Holiday shop. The free Holiday Budget Starter Kit is 3 US Letter pages, emailed after you join the list.