Posted on

12 Crafting Ideas For The Festive Season

Christmas Blog leaderboard

The most magical time of the year is fast approaching, which makes now a perfect time to organise your upcoming holiday season arts & crafts.

In this blog, we’ll showcase wonderfully inspiring crafting ideas to get you started. Whether you’re looking for classroom decoration activities or Christmastime keepsakes with memories to treasure for countless years to come, you’ll find all the projects you need for children of all ages including step-by-step guides to take the hassle out of planning.

So, sit back & relax and choose your favourite bright & merry handicrafts to release children’s festive creativity.

 

Santa’s Cookies Porcelain Plate

 

Santa's Plate

 

Father Christmas must get hungry with all that work he does! Santa’s very own cookie plate will surely go down a treat! White porcelain plates make a wonderful blank canvas for children to decorate with drawings and words, using glass & porcelain markers or paint. Whether it’s “Cookies for Santa”, “Carrots for Rudolf” or a personalised plate for the Christmas lunch table, children are sure to enjoy making their own tableware to be treasured for years to come.

To set the markers and paint for wear & tear and dishwasher use, the plate will need to be baked in an oven. Simply set oven to 150 degrees C, and once the oven temperature has been reached, bake the plate for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow to cool before removing. Santa’s plate is now ready for his favourite snacks.

*TOP TIP – Paint provides great overall coverage of colour, while porcelain markers provide precise detail.

Featured Products;

Porcelain Plates

Glass & Porcelain Markers

Glass & Ceramic Paint

 

 

Ceramic Hanging Ornaments

 

ermaic Hanging Ornaments

 

Fun & festive ceramic hanging baubles, also in Santa shapes, Christmas trees and candy canes and stockings make beautiful gifts and keepsakes.

Decorate your ceramic surfaces with porcelain markers, ceramic paint or poster paint and finish off with glitter glue or Christmas-themed glitter for extra sparkle and pizzazz.

Perfect for hanging around the classroom, on the Christmas tree at home or to gift as thoughtful presents that will no doubt take pride of place!

Featured Products;

Ceramic Hanging Bauble

Glass & Porcelain Markers

Glass & Ceramic Paint

Metallic Silver Porcelain & Glass Painter

Metallic Gold Porcelain & Glass Painter

 

 

 

Air Dry Clay Ornaments

 

Air Dry Clay Ornaments

 

Air dry clay, cookie cutters, wooden stampers and glitter glue – yes please! So many crafting favourites feature in this action-packed handicraft experience. The end results make very special ornaments that will surely adorn the family Christmas tree for countless years into the future. Metallic yarn in red, green, gold, silver or blue makes the perfect hanging cord to match the sparkly austere texture of the glittery clay to hang proudly.

 

STEP BY STEP

  1. Using the wooden rolling pin, roll out a handful of air-dry clay until it is smooth and flat (roughly 1cm thick to ensure your decorations are sturdy).
  2. Press a cookie cutter shape into the dough and press firmly until it cuts through the clay.
  3. Gently remove the excess clay (this clay can be used again or used to make extra embellishments including clay beads).
  4. Next, press one of the block print stamps into the clay and lift, creating an indented pattern.
  5. Using a skewer or the pointed end of a pencil, gently poke a hole in the top of your shape (ensuring your hole is large enough to thread your chosen cord or twine).
  6. Lift your decoration and gently smooth down the edges with your fingers.
  7. Set aside for 24 to 48 hours to dry.
  8. When the clay ornament is completely dry (firm to the touch) add a thick layer of glitter glue to the surface, letting the glue flow and sit in the indented pattern.
  9. Set aside to dry for 24 hours.
  10. When your ornament is completely dry, thread your desired length of cord or twine through the decoration, and tie in place with a knot.
  11. Lastly, tie off the very ends of the cord/twine with a firm knot to ensure your decoration is ready to hang safely.

 

*TOP TIP – Adding several layers of glitter glue (and setting aside to dry between layers) will add extra shine and lustre to your decorations.

 

Featured Products;

White Creatistics Air Dry Ceramic Clay

Christmas Cutters Set

Christmas Block Print Stamps

Christmas Glitter Glue

 

 

Paper Straw Decorations

 

Paper Straw Decorations

 

Over recent years the nation has been ditching plastic straws to better care for our environment – replacing those harmful plastics with eco-friendly paper alternatives, which is fantastic news both for the environment and for us teachers so we don’t need to ditch our favourite straw crafts!

These sweet Christmas trees are super simple to make, gluing ascending lengths of paper straws onto wooden paddle pop sticks and adding a length of twine to hang. Glitter pom poms or sparkly stars will make the perfect finishing touch to your project.

*TOP TIP – It’s not just Christmas trees that can be made – why not try candy canes, stars and bell shapes, or swap the pop sticks for pipe cleaners for round threaded wreath ornaments.

 

Featured Products;

Assorted Paper Straws

Green and White Bakers Twine

Red and White Bakers Twine

Glitter Pom Poms

Adhesive Christmas Stars

Paddle Pop Sticks

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue

 

 

Gingerbread House

 

Gingerbread House

 

No holiday season is complete without a Gingerbread House! Whimsical and looking oh-so-delicious, these quaint wooden houses make beautiful seasonal displays or props to inspire imaginative play. Made from plain MDF, they’re calling out to be decorated with paint, patterned paper and Christmas embellishments & finished off with Christmas Bio Glitter & Stars.

 

*TOP TIP – Decorating Gingerbread houses over multiple days will allow glue to dry in between the paper and embellishment layers for a more workable crafting surface.

Featured Products;

Gingerbread House

Christmas Candy Colour Chenille Sticks

Building Pattern Paper

Mini Christmas Trees

Green Pom Poms 

Red Pom Poms

Christmas Assorted Buttons

Cotton Wool Balls

 

 

Native flora-inspired Christmas Wreath

 

Native Flora Inspired Wreath

 

Traditionally, the Christmas wreath’s evergreen foliage represents growth, and the circular shape having no beginning and no end signifies eternal life. For such a long time they have been hung on the door to welcome the Christmas spirit in to bring good luck to all.  These stunning wreaths may just bring you some good luck during the holiday too!

Made from a wooden base to provide a stable surface in which to glue or weave any number of arts & crafts resources, these beautiful wreaths make the perfect adornment for any front door.

The steps below are terrifically age-appropriate for older students. Younger students or preschool-aged children will likely enjoy painting their wreaths with wood-appropriate paint and using PVA washable glue to stick down Christmas collage items.

 

STEP BY STEP

  1. Apply strong glue over one surface of the wooden wreath and press a sheet of hessian onto the glue, set aside to dry.
  2. When the glue has dried, cut away excess Hessian.
  3. To make the leaves, fold a green piece of paper in half, and then half again (snipping with multiple layers of paper makes for light work). Two pieces of green A4 paper have made all the foliage for one wreath.
  4. Using a pencil, draw leaves or sprigs of leaves onto the paper and carefully cut around. Using a few shades of green will add depth and drama to your wreath.
  5. Arrange your leaves around the wreath and glue into place.
  6. To make the flowers, cut strips of red paper lengthways (1 piece of A4 paper will make 8 flowers).
  7. Using scissors, make fringing by carefully snipping down the length of the paper leaving ½ cm on one edge (snip gently to avoid cutting through the strip).
  8. Next, roll the fringe into a tight coil, adding a little bit of glue to hold in place. Pinch together to hold for a few moments (you can also use a peg to hold them in place until they dry completely). When thoroughly dry you can make the flowers look realistic by gently scrunching the petals to fan them out.
  9. Use strong glue to adhere the flowers onto the wreath.
  10. Glue any additional embellishments onto the wreath as desired.
  11. Attach a length of jute string to the top of the wreath and it’s ready to hang!

 

*TOP TIP – A layer of Hessian over the wooden wreath continues the natural feel and creates the perfect surface to weave or thread wire ornaments through.

Featured Products;

Wreath with Bow

Christmas Bows

Wreath Decorations

Nature Cover Paper

A4 Christmas Cover Paper

Jute Hemp Twine

Hessian Sheets Natural

Tacky Glue

 

 

Shrink Film Ornaments

 

Shrink Film Ornaments

 

Shrink Film makes for incredibly fun art experiments! A teacher’s dream, the Christmas Shrink Film Ornament Pack includes all you need to make a whopping 96 bauble ornaments, with coloured pencils and hanging thread included. Simply use coloured pencils to design your bauble shapes and then bake in the oven to reduce the size by roughly 60%, turning your decoration into thick hard plastic.

The pre-cut Christmas ornaments are wonderfully convenient, however, if you’re after free form to design then the clear shrink film or printable shrink film options are terrifically open-ended.

 

Baking Instructions:

  1. Colour in your design on the matt side of the shrink film using coloured pencils or permanent markers.
  2. Preheat oven to 150°C.
  3. Place design on a lined tray (matt side up) and bake in preheated oven.
  4. Plastic will begin to shrink after 10 seconds. Remove from oven when plastic has returned to its flat shape.
  5. If your pieces don’t lie completely flat, lightly press with a spatula, cardboard or oven mitt.
  6. Wait for the shrink film to dry completely before handling.

 

*TOP TIP – With shrink film, coloured pencils go a long way. A very light shading only will result in bold and vibrant colours.

Featured Products;

Christmas Shrink Film Ornament Pack

Shrink Film Activity Pack

Mini Jingle Bells

 

 

Woven Christmas Tree Cards

 

Woven Christmas Tree Cards

 

These festive Christmas tree cards incorporate paper crafts & threading together to make oh-so-special greeting cards for spreading the holiday cheer. The metallic and glitter elements add a magical touch to bring children’s creations to life.

To adapt this activity for younger early childhood age groups, simply omit the threading elements, with children enjoying pre-cut lengths of yarn to glue down into a tree design, using washable PVA glue, age-appropriate embellishments and liquid crayon markers to decorate the inside.

 

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mark the threading holes with a pencil, and then poke a tapestry needle or skewer through the pencil marking all the way through the cardboard.
  2. Cut a length of yarn, thread your needle, and then weave the yarn up and down, threading in and out of the holes until you’ve created a Christmas tree design.
  3. On the front of the tree use a length of metallic gold yarn to weave in and out of the tree, creating a Christmas Tree tinsel design, and tie off on the front reverse.
  4. On the front reverse of the card, secure your yarn with strong tape and create a flat surface).
  5. Glue half a piece of coloured cover paper onto the inside of the card to cover the back of the tree and press down to flatten (glue sticks are ideal for this task, so the paper won’t crinkle).
  6. The front of your card is now ready for embellishments – pom poms, a Christmas star and glitter glue.
  7. Set aside to dry completely for 24 hours.
  8. Your card is now ready for drawings or writing on the inside – paint pens are ideal for vibrant creations over coloured paper.

 

*TOP TIP – Writing or drawing on the coloured cover paper before sticking it inside the card will make a more workable surface for younger students.

Featured Products;

White Cards and Envelopes

Green Acrylic Yarn 

Gold Metallic Yarn

Glitter Pom Poms

Adhesive Christmas Stars

Tapestry Chenille Needles

Christmas Glitter Glue

A4  Christmas Cover Paper

Creatistics Superstik Glue Stick

Tacky Glue

 

 

Wooden Crafts

 

Wooden Crafts

 

Pre-cut Wood Crafts are the perfect combination of woodworking, imagination and art – essentially blank canvases in which children can tinker with paint, glue and collage materials to design & personalise works that are truly their own.

You’ll find an incredibly large offering of wood crafts at MTA, so much to choose from that’ll make teachers giddy with excitement, including convenient ornament or tree packs that include all the glue, paint and embellishments you need to complete the activity.

 

*TOP TIPMessy mats or table coverings make brilliant surfaces to protect tables from wet and messy play art activities.

 

Featured Products;

Wreath with Bow

Hanging Christmas Tree

Wooden Snowflake Decorations

Wooden Christmas Ornaments

Christmas Collage Pack

Metallic Christmas Collage Pack

Handmade Christmas Paper

Fabric Paint Set

 

 

Woven Wire Ornaments

 

Woven Wire Ornaments

 

Beautifully simple wire ornaments make a welcoming invitation for children’s personalisation. Use wire, yarn or string to weave around, filling the open space with Christmas colours and finishing off with metallic yarn & beads – and a sparkly pom pom star for the tree.  Your woven ornaments are ready to hang on the tree year after year or share as gifts for loved ones.

Yarn can be wrapped around the wire ornaments in free form using your hands only (ideal for early childhood) or incorporate sewing elements into the activity using tapestry chenille needles for older students or plastic lacing needles for younger students. Tying off your yarn after every few wraps will ensure the younger years don’t unravel their creations when they need to take a break.

Tying off your yarn after every few wraps will ensure the younger years don’t unravel their creations when they need to take a break.

 

STEP BY STEP

  1. Cut a long piece of your desired coloured yarn and tie it around the metal shape (tying the yarn onto the wire shape will ensure you have a firm grip to get you started).
  2. Gently weave the yarn around the shape, wrapping over and under, in and out and all around, pulling firmly to ensure the yarn stays in place.
  3. When your decoration is starting to look colourful and almost finished, it’s time to start adding beads.
  4. Thread or slip a bead over the yarn, adjusting it into place as you continue to wrap the yarn.
  5. Add as many beads for your desired look, and finish tie the yarn firmly to the decoration to keep it all in place.
  6. Lastly, add a length of twine to the top of the decoration, making sure to tie it at the end to create a loop for hanging.

 

*TOP TIP – The thick acrylic woollen yarn is easier to handle and wrap to create form and colour, with the more delicate metallic yarn bringing a sparkly touch to finish off.

Featured Products;

Wire Ornaments

Metallic Gold Yarn

Green Acrylic Yarn

Red Acrylic Yarn

Christmas Pony Bead

Glitter Pom Poms

 

 

Festive Terracotta Garden Pots

 

Festive Terracotta Garden Pots

 

Personalised pots with seedlings are the perfect growing gift to keep the festive season thriving long after the Christmas Tree has been packed away. Endless decorating options await with the terracotta surface lending itself to porcelain or paint markers, paints and embellishments. Sparkle paint metallic markers and glitter glue add a magical touch for Christmas-inspired decorating.

 

TOP TIP – Use a spray varnish to ensure your pot is ready for outdoor use with a permanent barrier to dirt, tarnish, wear & tear and moisture.

 

Featured Products;

Terracotta pots

Fine POSCA Markers

Bullet  POSCA Markers

Christmas Ribbon Rolls

Natural Hessian Sheets

 

 

Iron-On Bead Ornaments

 

Iron on Bead Ornaments

 

Have you tried making Iron on Bead ornaments? Simply arrange the Christmas-coloured beads on the peg boards to make your desired pattern. You’re then ready to fuse the beads together using a hot iron to make a long-lasting ornament to adorn classrooms, homes or the beloved family Christmas tree.

But it’s not just ornaments that can be made! Iron-on Beads are incredibly versatile – either fused together or used as traditional beads for loose parts threading. Ideal for jewellery including bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Glue them onto wood and paper crafts for textural collage embellishments. Make festive hot drink coasters, gift tag decorations, hanging key chains or bag decorations and even plates for treasured trinkets! My only advice for this activity would be to buy several tubs – because they’re wonderfully addictive!

 

STEP BY STEP

  1. Arrange the beads into a design on the boards.
  2. Warm a household iron to high making sure the steam is off.
  3. Cover the design with a sheet of ironing paper.
  4. Iron over until the beads start to melt and fuse together into a colourful and flexible shape.
  5. Allow your design to cool before removing from the bead board.
  6. Cut a length of twine and tie onto the top of your ornament ready to hang.

 

TOP TIP – Iron-on Beads are small loose parts, perfect for school-aged students. Preschool age groups (aged 3+ years) may find the Jumbo-sized Iron on Beads and boards a more comfortable working size.

 

Featured Products;

Christmas Iron on Beads Kit

Creatistics Iron-on Beads Pack

Red and White Bakers Twine 

 Red Metallic Yarn

 

 

*All these Christmas crafting activities can be modified or adapted to suit different age groups, taking away small parts for children under 3 years of age and replacing them with larger safe parts. Where scissors, glue guns or irons are used, educators may use adequate supervision to suit the needs of the children (pre-cut shapes for young children, PVA glue in place of glue guns etc.) or educators may safely carry out risky steps themselves (such as the iron for iron on beads).

 

What are your favourite seasonal crafts for the holiday season?

 

Download: Christmas activities PDF Bundle

Blog Home>

Shop MTA>

 

Posted on

Crafts To Inspire Christmas Creativity

Christmas Craft Flatlay

Christmas is such a special time of year, and no doubt in recent times it has become an even more important holiday where families can bond and celebrate. Inspiring joy and inviting groups of students to create festive crafts brings about warmth and connection. The act of making can have such a positive effect on our mental health, so inviting children and adults alike to break out the felt, paper and a pom pom or two will ignite the Christmas spirit as we roll into the festive season.

 

Personalised Christmas Bags

Christmas canvas bag decorated with Christmas baubles
Who doesn’t love a unique and fun reusable shopping bag nowadays, especially since the removal of single-use plastic. There are so many possibilities with a calico shopping bag, as previously seen with the block print stamps. Students will enjoy coming up with festive designs such as reindeers, baubles, Christmas trees and Santa on his sleigh, making this project an individual experience.

Christmas canvas bag decorated with Christmas tree

Once they have decided on their design, students can either cut felt shapes freehand or create paper patterns to pin to the fabric. Students will have fun arranging their felt pieces onto the calico bag before gluing them down. Giving students the option of adding embellishments like buttons, ribbons, pom poms and sequins to their textile arrangement adds a lovely three-dimensional texture to their final composition. Certainly a must-have to stand out from the crowd when Christmas shopping.

 

Featured Products:

Calico Shopping Bag – Pack of 10
Christmas Felt- Pack of 50

 

 

Simple Mosaicking

Christmas Tree and baubles
When thinking about the art of mosaicking, I know sometimes the process can be quite daunting. Especially the idea of using tile adhesive and grout with students. However, these resin mosaic tiles are fantastic as they can be used on all types of surfaces, can be cut with scissors if necessary and can be adhered with craft glue or pushed into mediums like Magiclay. Students can adorn papier-mache shapes such as baubles or cones since the process is not too complex. They can explore patterns when making Christmas coasters and photo frames, and for young children it will develop their fine motor skills as they pick up each little mosaic square. These mosaic tiles shimmer so brightly in the light that they are sure to spark the imagination of all who encounter them.

 

Featured Products:

Mosaic Tiles Christmas Colours
Square Wooden Coasters- Pack of 20

Paper Mache Cones – Pack of 6
Christmas Paper Mache Balls with Gold String

Christmas Pom Poms – Pack of 300

 

 

Fun and Easy Shrink Film

Shrink Film Christmas craft ornaments
This Christmas project certainly brings back a fond memory from my childhood where I made shrinky dinks out of chip packets. The process has certainly come a long way since then with much sophistication. Your students will be absolutely fascinated with this process and will be glued to the oven door as they watch their decorations bend and contort before laying flat.
These Christmas Shrink Film Decorations have lovely patterns and designs where students can use permanent markers or pencils to add colour. I personally like pencils as they enable students to explore ombres and blending, which looks striking when shrunk to a miniature size. Paired with leather thronging for a necklace or placed on a metal key ring, they become a brilliant present or keepsake.

 

Featured Product:

Christmas Shrink Film Decorations- Pack of 12

 

 

Christmas Stamping

Christmas wooden block stamps
Who doesn’t love a stamp, especially when it is adorned with an iconic Christmas object! Stamps are so versatile for this time of year and can be applied to a wide variety of materials. Pair them with acrylic paint, block ink, embossing fluid or ink pads, the medium and colours that can be used are endless and expose students to the concept of repetition. Whether stamping on fabric or paper, the final print can be used to create many different Christmas-inspired delights.

Christmas Craft Cards and pom poms on grass background

These include Christmas cards where prints can be layered on top of paper, fabrics and hessian. Santa portraits can be drawn inside wreath prints and stamps can be repeated over the surface of a card. A lovely way to add colour to your prints is with watercolours or pencils; this not only enhances the print but also allows students to explore different colour combinations. This type of project is always a favourite as people of all ages enjoy giving cards to their loved ones.

Christmas craft brooches on grass background

If Christmas cards are not your thing, stamps can also be pushed into clay to leave an impression on its surface. Whether you use air-dried clay or earthenware, these lovely pieces can be turned into pendants and brooches by adding holes or pin backs. Once dried or fired, you can have so much fun adding colour to these stamp designs and, when complete, a spot of gloss really brings them to life. Students will really treasure these as well as delight in giving them to special people in their lives.

Christmas canvas reindeer block print bag

 

If fabric is more your cup of tea, then these stamps are just delightful. Using fabric paint and a roller, they can be used to create repetitive designs onto T-shirts and calico shopping bags. Students will love coming up with their own compositions with the different stamps and can play with pattern when choosing colours.

 

Featured Products:

Christmas Block Print Stamps- Set of 6

Christmas Pom Poms – Pack of 300

Creatistics Air Dry Ceramic Clay

Calico Shopping bag- Pack of 10

 

Bling up Your Favourite Artwork

Christmas Glitter Frames on
A framed artwork from a young artist would have to be the most special Christmas gift a child can give you. Whether it is a pencil drawing, a watercolour painting or a printout of a digital piece, these glitter photo frames are just fabulous. Imagine combining your students’ artwork with a snow globe. Students will love placing their work on one side and then filling the other side up with water to give their masterpiece a touch of sparkle. Students can make artwork specifically to the size of these frames or artwork can be photographed and resized digitally before being printed out. Who doesn’t love a little glitter in their life?

 

Featured Products:

Glitter Liquid Photo Frame – Pack of 10

Christmas Pom Poms – Pack of 300

 

 

Cute as a Button Reindeers

Christmas craft ornaments sitting on Christmas paper
Can you name all the reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh? These reindeer ornaments are just the cutest and I know your students will think so too. Their most obvious use is to create a reindeer face, whether it be with markers, pencils or watercolours, and it is then placed inside and covered with the glass cabochon. Another alternative to creating the reindeer would be to place a pattern piece of paper under the cabochon and then add eyes and a nose to the surface of the glass with craft materials. Either way, these reindeers can then become pendants or ornaments where they can be further personalised when adding colours and embellishments to the wooden backing.
There will always be that student who will think outside the box and do something a little bit different. Who said it had to be a reindeer? I certainly agree. You can also fill these pendants with small paintings of Christmas icons and adorn your backing to match. The creativity is endless.

 

Featured Product:

Wooden Reindeer Ornaments- Pack of 10

 

 

Versatile Paper

Tissue paper Christmas bauble with festive background
Ah, don’t you just love the smell of paper during the festive season! It is the aroma of a million ideas and possibilities for an abundance of folded, cut and collaged crafts. Whether it be patterned paper or tissue paper, they are equally fun and useful, so it is fantastic when they come in a single handy pack. From origami folded stars to Christmas cards and decoupage Christmas baubles, what is your favourite way to use paper during the festive season?

Christmas Tree and pom poms on grass background
I particularly love to show students how to fold and roll paper into different shapes that can then be used on three-dimensional forms. A cone is the perfect beginning of a Christmas tree where paper can be applied in different ways to create interesting forms. Paper can be fringed or rolled into little cones and layered all the way up to form the tree. I always tell my students that paper is so versatile and that with a little snip and a twist it can become something amazing!

 

Featured Products:

Christmas Paper & Tissue Pack of 300

Christmas Papier Mache Balls Pack of 10
Paper Mache Cones – Pack of 6

 

This year, I hope Christmas brings an extra bit of magic and joy to us all. I hope that Christmas projects and crafts can be enjoyed and used to highlight how special the festive season is to families, friends and communities. I hope that the act of creating and giving can bring us together to regain that feeling of pure happiness that we experience when exploring and expressing ourselves creatively.

 

 

About the Author
Olivia is a specialist Visual Art Teacher in an ELC, primary and secondary school setting. She has a broad breadth of experience with inquiry learning and is an IBO qualified educator. Olivia particularly enjoys developing Visual Art units around STEAM which include electronics, technology, and science concepts. Follow Olivia on Instagram in her quest to inspire creativity @creativemindsinbloom.

 

Shop MTA>

Blog Home>